Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The rhinoceros who survived the mutilation of his horn

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At the beginning of 2012, Thandi was one of three rhinos found without his characteristic Horn in Kariega reserve, South Africa, having been the only â€" the only because it is "a" rhino â€" which survived.

Once found, Thandi a reserve team held nine surgical operations to try to close the cavity with skin grafts â€" three veterinarians and a plastic surgeon were involved in the operation.

The recovery of Thandi has been a miracle, according to his doctors.

In December 2013, during one of the operations, the doctor William Fowlds added blood tests to measure hormonal fluctuations and, shortly after, the team realized that Thandi was pregnant.

Today, explains The Dodo, Thandi is close to the end time of gestation â€" we rhinos is among the 485 540 days â€" and the miracle of their survival will give rise to other: motherhood.

"Thandi recovery was long and painful. Their resilience and determination eventually instill a new determination in the team that saved and protected the brutal attack, "explains The Dodo.



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African Buffalo threatened by hunters

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Such as the Tigers, elephants, Lions, rhinos and other animals, also the African Buffalo is threatened by illegal trade in luxury. Several Trophy Hunters, in South Africa, are paying high amounts to kill the Buffalo with the biggest horns and many farmers willingly accept the money that allows the slaughter of these animals.

The hunters are so many suitors that farmers compete with each other to see who can create the Buffalo with the biggest horns and this can put the conservation of the African Buffalo at risk.

Many farmers are selling Buffalo with big horns to extortionate amounts and getting rich at the expense of the animals. The Dodo writes that in 2012 a South African farmer sold a Buffalo with horns of 1.4 meters by more than € 2,5 million.

In past centuries, the African Buffalo could have horns of 1.5 meters. However, the trophy hunters slaughtered the Buffalo with the biggest horns and, currently, an animal with horns of 90 cm is quite valuable.

In the 19TH century 90, the number of African Buffalo has decreased dramatically, according to the International Union for conservation of nature, but conservation efforts and private farmers resulted in the population of these animals grew to the current 900,000.

However, if private developers in the past helped save the African Buffalo, nowadays can be helping on their extinction by creating animals with horns too large. "These people are playing a dangerous game they jeopardize financial one of the biggest conservation success stories in the world", indicates Chris Niehaus, former Chief Executive of South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association.

A creation so targeted changes several behaviors and adaptations of animals â€" the domestication of chickens is the example of this. By favouring a distinct genetic trait animals â€" in this case the length of the horns-breeding programs threaten the characteristics that make the animals strong enough to resist drought and predators.

Outside of farms, the wild population of Buffalo is already shrinking and, in some areas, the animal disappeared already, due to disease and conflict, second indicates the African Wildlife Foundation.

Foto: Steve Rota/Creative Commons

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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

GM wants to sell electric car with autonomy of 320 kilometers in 2017

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General Motors (GM) is expected to launch in 2017 a cheaper electric car and battery life up to 320 kilometres, according to The Wall Street Journal. The information, revealed also by AP, is expected to be announced today by the company itself, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the United States.

According to press reports, the car could cost up to € 25,000 ($ 80,000) in the United States and it's going to be called Chevrolet Bolt.

GM offers electrical level since the Chevrolet Volt, released in 2010, but this can only moved about 60 miles. Still, an improved version of the car will be presented this month.

In 2013, the global Vice President of product development at GM, Doug Parks, revealed that the company was working on an electric car with a range of 320 kilometers, revealing that this should be marketed from the € 30,000 ($ 92,000).

Foto: Camera Eye Photography/Creative Commons

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Monday, January 12, 2015

7 nutrition trends for this year

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With the arrival of the new year, many wish to adopt a healthier lifestyle, the food takes on a leading role. Phil Lempert, food industry analyst and founder of SupermarketGuru.com Web site, published in The Huffington Post some food trends for this year. Meet them in full.

1. smoked Foods

According to Lempert, the demand for smoked foods increased after the chefs started smoking and roasting the ingredients to add flavor to vegetable and meat alternatives even to cocktails.

Fermented 2.Alimentos

The expert notes that this year also will gain popularity the fermented products, such as milk products low in fat, especially the yogurt. According to Lempert, these foods are rich in Probiotics that improve our digestive health, as they may change the structure of the intestinal flora and contribute to weight loss.

3. Geração from

The analyst also highlights the food preferences of demographic group born after 1995, which brings a new set of values. Having been exposed early on to a variety of tastes in comparison with previous generations, the collective attitude of the members of generation Z is to appreciate the simplicity and health food. For example, prefer to microwave stoves. A study by NPD Group indicates that some of his favorite foods are eggs, omelets, sausages, potatoes and chicken.

4. gluten-free diet

Jenna a. Bell, a specialist in nutrition and food director and Pollock's welfare Communications, said in turn that the diet without gluten (a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and oats) will continue to be in fashion this year. It should be noted that this type of diet involves the Elimination of all such grain products such as bread, cakes, cookies, pasta and beer.

Unsaturated 5.Gorduras.

Nutritionists say that, this year, finally, trans fats, which now abound in our food, will start to be replaced by the "good" fats such as monounsaturated fats and polinsaturadas that help to reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. According to nutritionists, these fats are typically found in fish, nuts or olive oil.

6. preference for local products

Consumers increasingly value local products, that can be more assured that are authentic and fresh foods.

7. natural foods

Another big trend of nutrition that awaits us in 2015 is the replacement of processed food by natural foods. Nutritionists draw attention to the importance of traditional cuisine, which gives primacy to natural products and spices, helps improve the quality of life and reduce the risk of suffering from chronic diseases.

Foto: Alice Henneman/Creative Commons

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How to survive marine otters in icy waters without becoming hypothermic.

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Many of the mammals that live in the ocean â€" and that during the winter have to face icy waters â€" turn to body fat to keep the internal temperature constant, as in the case of whales, walruses, dolphins, sea lions and many others.

The Sea Otter is also a mammal that swims in freezing waters in winter and not to die of cold has to maintain an internal temperature of about 37.7 degrees Celsius, almost twice the water temperature where nothing. But how does this animal to keep body temperature constant and avoid hypothermia?

Unlike the large mammals, the Otter is small, which means you're always losing heat. In evolutionary terms, the Otter is relatively recent, having only appeared there are 1.6 million years. Already the whales emerged there are 50 million years, the sea lions between 23 to 29 million years, which is enough time to adapt to life in the ocean.

The secret of the otters to cope with low temperatures is fur, which is the thickest of all the animals on the planet, about a million by 2.5 inches square, writes the TreeHugger. The hair, which is waterproof, lets still imprison air near the surface of the skin, which helps keep the temperature and gives the characteristic bright aspect of the otters when they're in the water.

It was also this hair that almost caused the extinction of the species. During the 19th century marine otters were hunted extensively almost to extinction, for the manufacture of hats and coats.

Although the population of otters have recovered gradually over the years, the International Union for conservation of nature continues to classify these animals with the status of threatened. Currently, the greatest danger for the otters is not hunting for the production of clothing, since the species is protected internationally, but oil spills.

The oil interferes with the impermeability of the hair, in addition to making the otters patients due to toxins that they ingest.

Marine otters play an important role in terrestrial ecosystem and mitigate some of the environmental impacts of human activity. The otters help protect the kelp-Kelp algae, an order large algae that belong to the class Phaeophyceae â€" of sea urchins, which in turn slow down global warming.

Thus, it is important to protect this animal, not only for not perish but also to mitigate global warming.

Foto: goingslo/Creative Commons

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Sunday, January 11, 2015

Mysterious and legendary metal retrieved from the ship which sank in the 6th century BC.

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Legend has it that, when Atlantis (pictured fictionalised) submerged in the ocean, took all the orichalcum can't. This metal, is quoted in various ancient texts, including the criticism of Plato, and considered the second most valuable metal after gold.

Now, a team of divers announced the discovery of 39 blocks of orichalcum on a ship that was wrecked in the 6th century BCE, near Sicily. According to Discovery News, the ship will have left Greece or elsewhere in Asia minor, and was carrying metal to Gela in southern Sicily, having been caught in a storm and wrecked the 300 metres from the harbour.

"Never found anything like it. We know the orichalcum of ancient texts and a few ornamental objects, "said Sebastiano Tusa, responsible for the Ministry of the sea of Sicily.

Experts claim that the orichalcum is a bronze alloy, developed by reaction of zinc ore, coal and copper metal. When the new bricks were analyzed by x-ray, explains the Discovery, it was discovered that the metal had 75 to 80% copper, 15 to 20% zinc and small percentages of nickel, lead and iron.

Currently, the team of Tusa's working in excavations related to the rest of the ship, which may reveal new findings about the work of artisans of antiquity.

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Saturday, January 10, 2015

Most of the reserves of fossil fuels will have to be explored to avoid climate change

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Most of the vast oil reserves of the former USSR, the United States, the Arctic and the Middle East, as well as coal from China and from the African continent may have to remain unfulfilled in order to avoid serious climate change. The conclusion of a new study that analyzed the fossil fuel reserves that cannot be exploited.

According to the study by two researchers at the University College of London, one-third of oil, half of the natural gas and more than 80% of the existing coal reserves will have to remain underground in order to avoid global warming more than two degrees Celsius by 2100. The study reinforces the idea that companies and investors should consider carefully the reserves of fossil fuels as financial assets. The idea also applies to countries whose economies rely heavily on these natural resources.

This is not the first research to calculate the amount of reserves that must be explored. However, the analysis of Christophe McGlade and Paul Ekins is the first to present a meticulous level of detail, indicating what could happen to the production of fossil fuels in the different areas of the globe.

"We now have tangible figures on the quantities and locations of fossil fuels that should be explored in an attempt to limit warming to two degrees Celsius," said Christophe McGlade to the Guardian.

Reservations must be indicated in the unexplored study result from the difference between the amount of greenhouse gases that would be released if all reservations were exploited and the maximum amount of these gases that can be released into the air so that the temperature does not increase by more than two degrees by the end of the century.

Foto: Gary Rides Bikes/Creative Commons

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Friday, January 9, 2015

Singapore: collision between two cargo ships causes stroke for the Pacific

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A freighter of Libyan crude and a freighter bulk oil Singaporean collided last week in the Singapore Strait, causing the spill of 33,000 barrels of oil to the Pacific.

According to the Sea Port Authority of Singapore, the ship from Libya, and the Singaporean vessel Alyarmouk, Sinar Kapua, collided at about 11 nautical miles northwest of white rock East of Singapore. Reuters writes that it was the damage caused in the cargo tanks from Alyarmouk, resulting from the collision, which caused the stroke.

The Alyarmouk traveling from Malaysia to China, while the Sinar Kapuas travelled from Hong Kong to Singapore. Maritime Port Authority of Singapore said that the two companies responsible for the vessels have already been called to clean the spill.

With the accident last week, the number of strokes in the Strait of Singapore rises to 11. The most violent occurred in 1997 when 28,463 tonnes were spilled into the sea.

Foto: United States Government Work/Creative Commons

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Portugal guides already gathered 30 tons of Cork since 2005

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Launched in 2005, the draft Action corkscrew, developed by Portugal guides, has allowed the collection of 30 tons of Cork Stoppers used, taking them to recycling. According to the Portuguese Association, the project has a "dual-objective: to contribute to the preservation of the environment, reusing a natural resource; and collaborate with institutions of social solidarity, since the value that results from the sale of the corks for [these].

With sampling points in the districts of Faro, Lisbon, Porto, Santarem, Viana do Castelo, Braga, Viseu and the autonomous regions of Azores and Madeira, Portugal guides have placed rolhões in cafes, restaurants, schools or hotel units. "We remain fully available to provide rolhões to all interested parties," said the Green Savers Sara Noble, President of the Association of Guides Portugal.

In addition to collection, Portugal Guides Association has carried out a series of initiatives to promote recycling of Cork Stoppers, such as exposure to Action Project Acorn "corkscrew", which was held in the Municipal Environmental Interpretation Centre of Viana do Castelo and the "Stopper" fair which took place at the gates of the city of Ponta Delgada and on which the tabs have put several products on display, all of them made from reusing corks.

Those interested in contributing to the collection of Stoppers Portugal Guides Association can contact the tabs of these districts and request a rolhão, combining the location and date for delivery. Subsequently, the guides do the replacement of the rolhão and the collection of corkscrews.

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Japan: rice passes for the first time in tests of radioactivity from the disaster of Fukushima

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Since the disaster of Fukushima, in 2011, the rice grown in Japan showed high levels of radioactivity. This year, and for the first time since the nuclear disaster, the rice harvested presents levels of radioactivity under safety standards implemented by the Japanese Government.

Government sources indicated that 360,000 tons of rice were verified and all showed levels of radioactivity under 100 becquerels, the value stipulated by the Government. "The fact that the amount of rice that does not pass our tests has been consistently declining over the last three years indicates that we are taking the right decisions," indicates Oonami Tsuneaki, government official, cites the Inhabitat.

After the nuclear disaster of Fukushima, the Japan was forced to suspend its exports agricultural and fishing, which severely damaged the country's farmers and fishermen. The restrictions have now been lifted, but due to the constant radiation leaks from several central countries, particularly South Korea, still do not import food products from Japan.

Photo: Narcís Molina Montasell / Creative Commons

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Mexico: La Paz will be a 100% solar city at the end of 2015

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When a new solar plant start producing electricity by the end of 2015, La Paz, on Mexico, will become a 100% solar city. The Aura central Solar I, Latin America's largest solar plant, began operations last year and already provides 64% of the electricity that the city of 200,000 inhabitants need. With Grupotec I starts work, the Mexican city's energy needs are to be fully supplied with solar energy.

For a medium-sized city like La Paz, the bet on renewable energy is a major breakthrough. The Solar Aura I replaced an old power station and can provide energy to 164,000 inhabitants of the town. The new central Grupotec I will provide between 40 to 42% of the energy necessary to La Paz, through 97,000 photovoltaic panels and an installed capacity of 30 megawatts, as well as a storage capacity of 11 megawatts, writes the Inhabitat.

As the central Solar I, Grupotec Aura I will have a power purchase contract of 20 years with the local electric company. The energy will be sold at a rate equal to the cost of production and the price of electricity to the end-customer should remain unchanged.

Photo: Creative Commons/Macaronimami

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Largest truck in the world is equipped with electric motors Siemens

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The largest truck in the world is at the service of a coal mine in Siberia and has the peculiarity of being powered by four electric motors. The vehicle can carry more than 500 tonnes â€" the equivalent of seven Airbus A320-200 aircraft.

The engines that allow the vehicle to move are the result of a technology developed by Siemens-Siemens Train Automation System â€" which has been implemented in less than 2 years. The drive system consists of four electric motors of 1,200 kW each. The technology, in addition to more ecological, allows you to increase the transport capacity by about 25%, and a significant reduction of costs per tonne and increased operational efficiency, indicates Siemens said in a statement.

The vehicle is owned by BelAZ and has 20 meters long, 10 wide and 8 tall, running at a maximum speed of Deadman/h when empty. The truck runs on eight tires, which were designed in such a way that each can withstand a load of 100 tons.

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Scientists map genome of bowhead whales for the first time

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Bowhead whales, Baleana mysticetus, is the mammal with the greatest longevity and can reach the 210 years. The longevity of this whale has almost no comparison with most mammals and even inside of cetaceans, their average life expectancy stands out in several years by comparison with other species.

Now and for the first time, scientists were able to map the complete AND bowhead whales. Researchers from two different studies have joined efforts and identified the genome of this species by comparing it with the minke whale â€" a species which may have a lifespan between 30 and 50 years.

The comparison of the two genomes has enabled scientists to identify two gene mutations in the DNA of bowhead whales: the ERCC1 and PCNA, genes related to longevity and cancer resistance and DNA repair, writes the Dodo.

The study was conducted in the Liverpool Centre for Genomics Research, with collaboration of scientists from Alaska, Spain, South Korea, Denmark and Ireland.

According to João Pedro Magalhães, Portuguese researcher at the University of Liverpool who led the study, the conclusions drawn from the study of the DNA of this species of whale can contribute to the study of human genetics. For example, drugs that can activate human genes similar to those found on bowhead whales can be used to combat serious diseases.

Bowhead whales has a population relatively stable thanks to the introduction, in 1986, of a moratorium that regulates fishing subsistence purposes only. There are an estimated 24,900 these whales roam the Arctic and subarctic waters.

Foto: Ross Bishop/Creative Commons

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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Wakati: the solar refrigeration for developing countries

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Technically, Wakati is not a refrigerator-why does not use cooling-, but the function is equal to: preserve foods. In developing countries, where electricity is scarce and expensive, a medium that can preserve food for longer can have a big impact on income and way of life of the most disadvantaged populations.

The Wakati is a species of sterile box, solar-powered, which lets you store and ventilate the food. For the preservation is possible, the small three-watt solar panel on top of the box lets you feed a fan which gradually evaporates a small reservoir of water, creating a damp and cool environment inside the Wakati.

In addition to airing, the device has no temperature control mechanism, so that is not a solution to long-term food preservation. However, the fact that allow increase in a few days the conservation of food in these countries is a big step. Products that have one or two days of validity in hot climates can be preserved during ten days in Wakati. Thus, families can have products in food conditions own for more days and farmers also have more time to sell their products before they are unfit for consumption.

Currently, have already been provided about 100 systems in areas of Haiti Wakati, Uganda and Afghanistan, writes the TreeHugger.

The Wakati was developed by Arne Pauwels, within the framework of a master's project at the University of Antwerp, where he studied product development. The implementation of technology was possible through various partnerships with companies and non-governmental organizations.

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Increasing acidification of the oceans is threatening populations of mussels

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World populations of mussels can be threatened as climate change are making the oceans increasingly acidic. A new research has revealed that the mussels that form in acidic waters have more fragile shells.

The increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere makes the oceans more acidic and causes a reduction of the concentration of minerals that the mussels need to develop their shells, indicate the scientists at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, who published the study in the journal of the Royal Society Interface.

The study further concluded that the mussels may have a built-in biological defense mechanism that drives the development of shells when water temperatures rise by about 2 degrees Celsius.

"What we discovered in the course of the investigation is that the highest levels of acidity in their habitats have a negative impact on the ability of mussels to develop their shells", indicate the researchers in a statement, quoting the Guardian.

Foto: The Original Happy Snapper/Creative Commons



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Africa's largest wind farm will supply 1.5 million homes

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The largest wind farm in the African continent, the Tarfaya Energy Project, began to produce energy from the Atlantic coast south of Morocco. About 8,900 acres, the 131 wind turbines must prevent the emission of 990,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year.

The project began construction in 2013 and was recently completed, being a partnership between GDF Suez and Nareva Holding. With a cost of about €452 million, the Tarfaya farm should produce enough energy to power 1.5 million homes in Morocco.

Each of the 131 turbines have the capacity to produce 2.3 megawatts of electricity, for a combined total of 15% of the goal of wind power that the Government of Morocco wants to have implemented in 2020, writes the Inhabitat. Over the next five years, the Moroccan Government has plans to install other wind farms to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity that will be distributed by the national electricity grid. When these projects are completed, 42% of electrical capacity of Morocco will come from renewable sources.

Foto: jacilluch/Creative Commons

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Monday, January 5, 2015

Tourism in Antarctica is putting in jeopardy penguins

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About 10,000 people travel every year to the Antarctic, for tourism or research, and bring something more than cameras. According to a team of scientists led by Wray Grimaldi, the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, were found several infectious agents in the penguins-bacteria such as salmonella and e. Coli, virus as West Nile or Avipoxvirus have been found in captive penguins since 1947-what is jeopardising the fragile local biodiversity.

"The effects of the growth of the tourism industry and the presence of researchers will have consequences. The Penguins are highly susceptible to infectious diseases, "explained the New Scientist Grimaldi.

The scientist explains that outbreaks of these bacteria and virus have killed thousands of penguins over the years. The boots of tourists and researchers are one of the main vectors of transmission.

Another theory for this puts migrant animals the cause of these outbreaks, once the milder climate have attracted biodiversity never before seen in this region.

Foto: David Stanley/Creative Commons

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Divorce makes men fatter

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There's a cliché that says marriage leads men to increase the weight, a fact which is confirmed by several studies. However, according to a study by Ohio State University, in the United States, the divorce also helps men to get fatter. That is, from the moment when a man marries, the more likely it is to win some weight: want to stay in the marriage or divorce.

The study, cited by NYMag, analyzed more than 10,000 people in the two years following the marriage or divorce â€" the first data was collected in 1979.

So, 63% of the men gained weight after the divorce, when compared with men who remained married; the chances of women gain weight in post-divorce however are only half of these.

"This study proves that marriage is associated with all kinds of health benefits for men, while the divorce is especially bad in terms of health," says the New Yorker magazine.

On the other hand, the risk of heart attack, stroke and suicide also increases after the divorce. IE: from that moment on, for man, it takes a special care with their diet.

Foto: Jason Rogers/Creative Commons

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Pay to see an exhibition of Earth and grass?

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Per Kristian Nygard, a Norwegian artist, managed to bring literally the nature inside an enclosed space and managed to fill a gallery in Oslo with a mound of dirt and grass.

Installing flows from the showroom to the entrance hall. Called "Not Red But Green", the installation plays with the notion of unlikely environments, the intuitive human responses and the relationship between architecture and nature.

Works by Per Kristian Nygard tend to explore the possibilities of space and in this last installation the aim was to create the experience of "enter a space where everything is bad but that appears to be fine," cites the Inhabitat.

To build the facility was a wooden structure used to create the valleys and mountains of work. Subsequently, the structure was covered with plastic sheets on which was deposited layer of dirt impregnated with grass seed. Along the exhibition the seeds were germinating creating now looks like a green landscape trapped inside four walls.

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Sunday, January 4, 2015

What if you could rent your bicycle to a stranger?

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In Copenhagen, Denmark, it is possible to rent the bike to a stranger. The Cyclister, Danish startup, wants to help cyclists to rent your bikes to total strangers. So, intends to release soon a smartphone app to make the service more effective.

The company launched its service in the city of Copenhagen for more than six weeks and already has an online database with approximately 300 bikes. The cost for renting a bike is approximately $ 15 (€ 12), according to the co-founder of Cyclister David Paag.

"The Denmark is the perfect place to start. Is the capital of the bikes in the world and 25 percent of tourists actually rent a bicycle in the city, "says Paag, quoted by PC World Magazine and quoted by my aggregator well-being.

So far, the Cyclister managed to attract a small number of people willing to rent your bikes to other inhabitants or tourists in the city, so the rental companies in town offer most bikes available in the database of the company.

The company is now looking for investors to help expand and improve the service, including developing a mobile application to make the rental process more effective and "an obvious need," according to Paag.

The Cyclister will have to compete with bike rental programs supported by municipalities and companies in major cities. But Paag ensures that Cyclister will compete with rental services already available, by offering a wider range of bikes, including cargo bikes, racing and mountain bikes.

The aim of the company is to provide 5 million bicycles in Denmark in February 2015.

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Saturday, January 3, 2015

Pope will ask Catholics to combat climate change

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Next March, the Pope should disclose an edict where Francisco will ask Catholics around the world to combat climate change. The document will be the first of its kind issued by a Pope and will be directed to approximately 1.2 billion Catholics.

The document, according to the Guardian, writes should be disclosed after a visit to Tacloban City â€" the Philippine city devastated by a typhoon in 2012 â€" which is scheduled for next March.

An encyclical like this is rare in the history of the Catholic Church, and the Pope's message must have a stamp of urgency and seriousness. The Pope is expected to ask the world community of Catholics not only to fight climate change in the name of science but also make this claim in a moral obligation for believers. The edict, which should take between 50 to 60 pages will be distributed to 5,000 bishops and 400,000 priests around the world.

It is estimated that this Pope's message can reach more individuals than any other message on the same subject issued by political groups or environmentalists. Is still on the agenda of the Pope speak on the same topic at the UN General Assembly in September, which will take place in New York.

Foto: Catholic Church/Creative Commons



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Friday, January 2, 2015

Rio de Janeiro: air pollution kills more than traffic accidents

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The traffic jams in Rio de Janeiro have skyrocketing due to the numerous interventions and works at various points in the city, which has caused more damage to the health of our citizens than hours lost, according to the least one Car.

Between 2006 and 2012, 36,194 people died as a result of diseases caused by air pollution, according to a survey of Health and sustainability Institute (ISS). This number is even more alarming when compared with the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents between 2006 and 2011: according to data from the map of Violence from 2013, 16,441 people died in Rio de Janeiro, i.e. less than half of the deaths from pollution, according to the Jornal do Brazil.

Also according to the study of the ISS, on average, 14 people died in Rio de Janeiro a day due to air pollution. In addition, the survey estimates that the deaths because of pollution can exceed the records of death by HIV, breast cancer and prostate in the State of Rio de Janeiro, same as pollutant emissions decrease over the years.

About 77% of the pollution in the Rio de Janeiro results from emission from cars, concludes the study. Second Evangeline Motta Pacheco, Director of ISS and coordinator of the study, "measuring parameters of pollution in the State is lagged. Therefore, the research used data from the World Health Organization (who), who come to be three times more stringent than the Brazilian legislation. Based on these data, the survey showed that in the State of Rio de Janeiro the pollution rate is two times higher than what is determined by who ".

"There are cities in the State [Rio de Janeiro] in which the rate is three times greater, but that's just the average per year. While conducting the study, when we analyze the relationship of emissions per day, we found that these amount to be between six to ten times higher than is considered to have a minimal effect on health "alerts.

The traffic of Rio de Janeiro has arrived to be ranked as the third worst in the world, in 2012, and the situation seems to have improved over the years. In 2013, a study indicated that the time that Brazilians spend in traffic has exceeded the time of congestion in Sao Paulo.

Foto: epSos. de/Creative Commons

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Largest cave in the world is threatened by cable car

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The plans for the construction of a cable car in the National Park of Phong Nka-ke Bang, Vietnam, may threaten the Son Doong cave, the longest cave in the world, considered a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013.

The construction of the cable car you can open the cave to mass tourism, which in a short time will degrade the space. The Vietnamese are already protesting against the project and experts argue that the environmental impact can be devastating.

Projects the chairlift can carry around 1,000 visitors per hour. The new transport should have 10.6 miles of cable, which will connect the Son Doong cave to other caves in the Park, being housed in a complex of services, tourism and resorts ".

The project was approved in October by the authorities of the province of Quang Binh and the construction of the cable car will be charged to the Group of Sun resorts Group. The cost of cable car is valued at €171 million. After the announcement of the project generate a wave of unprecedented protests in the country, the Vietnamese Minister of tourism came the public make it clear that the project had not yet been approved by the Government. However, the Executive authorized a preliminary study on the impacts of the construction of the cable car.

The Sun Group advocates, in turn, the cable car will be the most ecological means of opening the area to tourism and will develop the region of Quang Binh as a tourist center, creating jobs for the locals, says the Guardian.

"The environmental impact will be devastating," defends Andy McKenzie, one of the first explorers to visit the cave. Researchers fear that the construction of the towers necessary to support the gondola could damage the fragile network of caves in the area. The construction of any infrastructure on top of Son Doong cave "would create pressure on the ceiling already fragile, which can eventually trigger its collapse," says geomorfologista Vu Le Phuong, who studies the Grotto since the first expedition, in 2009.

Le warning that the province still Phoung remote Quang Binh is not properly prepared to receive the millions of tourists who invade other popular destinations of Vietnam.

However, it was already created a Facebook page and an online petition against the construction of the cable car.

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Foto: ilya.emelyanov/Creative Commons



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Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015 will be the international year of light

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2014 is coming to an end and the attention is already focused on 2015. One of the aspects you must select the next year's agenda will be the light, since 2015 was declared the "international year of light" by the United Nations General Assembly, to celebrate the light as a matter of science and technological development.

The international year of light is a global initiative that aims to raise awareness of citizens around the world to the importance of light and optical technologies in society. To celebrate the light in its most varied forms, are already being prepared various activities aimed at audiences of all ages and different cultural levels.

With the advent of electricity in the 20th century, many people have forgotten the luxury that is you can access daily to this energy form. At the same time, in developing countries, there are millions of people who do not have access to electricity and is also the problem that the u.n. intends to emphasize with this international year of light.

The international year of light coincides with several milestones in the field of the physical study of light, as the work in optics of Ibn Al-Haytham, in 1015; the wave behavior of light proposed by Fresnel in 1815; the electromagnetic theory of light proposed by Maxwell in 1865; Einstein's work on the photoelectric effect (1905) and on the link between light and Cosmology in the context of general relativity (1915); the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Penzias and Wilson, in 1965, and the work of Charles Kao (1965) regarding the use of fiber optics in telecommunications.

Foto: Mystic Prism Studio/Creative Commons

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