“When Nature Fights Back.” NPR. NPR, 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. http://www.npr.org/2014/09/23/350926903/when-nature-fights-back As a creative collaboration, National Public Radio invited its listeners to contribute photos they took of nature reclaiming the earth. The result was an engaging exploration of natural forces overtaking man-made constructions. Some submissions focused on animals, like fish swimming within a […]
September 2014
Plastic-Eating Fungus
Woollacott, Emma. “Plastic-Eating Fungus Could Help Deal with Landfill.” Tech Guru Daily. TG Daily, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/61260-plastic-eating-fungus-could-help-deal-with-landfill Within a South American rain forest, researchers from Yale University discovered a fungus that lives off plastic materials. Specifically found in Ecuador, it’s called pestalotiopsis microspora, and it breaks down polyurethane all on its own. The Yale […]
Man-Made Biological Leaves
Hobson, Ben. “The ‘First Man-Made Biological leaf’ Could Enable Humans to Colonise Space.” Dezeen. Dezeen, 25 July 2014. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. http://www.dezeen.com/2014/07/25/movie-silk-leaf-first-man-made-synthetic-biological-leaf-space-travel/ Julian Melchiorri, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, has developed what he calls “the first man-made biological leaf.” As a synthetic plant, the leaf produces oxygen through its absorption of water and carbon […]
Origami in Space
Lufkin, Bryan. “Origami in Space.” Wired May 2014: 41. Print. Brigham Young doctoral student, Shannon Zirbel is applying the concept of origami to engineering. Using “compliant mechanism design,” she is working on a prototype so promising that even NASA has caught interest. The concept involves making small, wrapped-up objects designed to unfold later when needed. For example, folded bundles of […]
The Brando Resort
Hutton, Punch. “Polynesian Paradise.” Vanity Fair June 2014: 59. Print. Is there a way that luxury and consumption can avoid hurting the planet? The Brando pursues that train of thought. As an “eco-resort” on Tetiaroa (an atoll in French Polynesia), The Brando offers the usual resort splendors like deluxe villas, spa service and a beach bar. […]
Prickly Painkillers
Weintraub, Arlene. “Prickly Painkiller.” Scientific American July 2013: 14. Print. Weintraub’s article divulges experimental research that could possibly cure inflammatory pain permanently. Using a toxin derived from cactus-like plants called resiniferatoxin (RTX), the compound would require a single injection to be effective. It works by killing neurons that convey inflammatory pain and interfering with the brain’s […]
Forest Bathing
Frehsée, Nicole. “The New Nature Walk.” O, The Oprah Magazine June 2014: 92. Print. In her article, Frehsée spotlights the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” in English. The term refers to silent, sensory-focused walks through the woods, engaging with nature in the absence of electronics. Shinrin-yoku originated in the 1980s, but it’s gaining extensive […]
RocketHub
Olson, Mike. “Let’s Crowdfund Science.” Wired Dec. 2013: 56. Print. With the help of the internet, now researchers have more options for funding their projects than ever before. Launched in 2010, the website RocketHub was founded by Brian Meece, Jed Cohen, and Vladimir Vukicevic and serves that exact purpose. It adapts Kickstarter’s existing model to apply to scientific […]
Internet Balloons
Detwiler, Jacqueline. “Carrying the Internet in Balloons.” Hemispheres Magazine September 2013: 61. Print. Engineers at the Google X lab are working to spread internet accessibility via balloon. Made out of polyethylene plastic, the massive 39 x 49 foot constructions aim to service areas like rural Africa and South America where internet access is scarce. The balloons travel the […]
Etheric Ocean
Jones, Nathan. “JR Carpenter’s Etheric Ocean.” Electronic Voice Phenomena. Arts Council England, 13 May 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. http://www.electronicvoicephenomena.net/index.php/jr-carpenters-etheric-ocean/ “Etheric Ocean” is an experimental way of processing poetry, incorporating both images and sounds into the reading process. As an electronic webpage, the poem spans across a horizontal browser window for readers to gradually scroll […]