Energy vs. the Environment - When Humans on Both Sides Have a Meeting of Minds
In the 21st century we face some tough decisions. Our energy use and the sources from which we get energy has contributed to changes in the composition of our atmosphere. Climatologists and...
View ArticleHeadlines at 21st Century Tech for March 8, 2013
From climate change to astronaut poo it was another interesting week in science and technology stories. Here are the ones I have selected to share with you:Climate Change Study Goes Back 11,300 Years...
View ArticleShould We Revive Extinct Species?
It will probably come as a surprise to most to learn that the first revival of an extinct species has already occurred. It happened in 2003 when scientists cloned a bucardo, an Iberian wild goat, that...
View ArticleBack from the Dead! Debating DeExtinction
Is bringing back extinct species a good idea? On Friday, March 15, the Revive and Restore Foundation and National Geographic hosted a TEDx summit in Washington D.C. to discuss the prospects. Key...
View ArticleAl Gore Takes on the Global Megacrisis
The Future - Six Drivers of Global Change, former Vice President Al Gore replied, "Random House came up with that title." It's not an auspicious beginning to a talk about the perils of the Global...
View ArticleHeadlines at 21st Century Tech for March 29, 2013
This has been a quite a week for my family. We sold our house of 18 years and will be moving into the heart of the city of Toronto in the next two months. As a "Baby Boomer" this is a downsizing...
View ArticleHeadlines at 21st Century Tech for April 19, 2013
Technology played a critical role in the news events of this week beginning with the crudely-fashioned, low tech, pressure-cooker bombs planted at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and the mayhem...
View ArticleHeadlines at 21st Century Tech for April 26, 2013
What technology and science stories caught my eye this week? Several in biomedicine. And two involving 3D printing, one for making liver, the other for mass customized manufacturing. A forecast of...
View ArticleHeadlines at 21st Century Tech for May 3, 2013
This week's roundup of stories include: Mystery remains around honeybee deaths;Researchers discover hypothalamus key to slowing aging and cognitive decline;New 3D-printed ear combines biology and...
View ArticleBacking into Eden: Chapter 1 – We are Responsible
The primary premise of this set of blogs is that we are on our way to managing the Earth, to turning the whole thing into a garden. I am not even going to try to make a case that I view this as optimum...
View ArticleBacking into Eden: Chapter 2 – The Beasts of the Field
Occasionally during meetings one of my staff – an avid birder – will elbow me and I’ll look up and glimpse a bald eagle. Each time, I am in awe. I live in Washington State, which is home to a plethora...
View ArticleProposal to Eliminate Forest Fires Completely
Using a fleet of surveillance drones, equipped with special infrared cameras, fires can be spotted during the earliest moments of a containment window, signaling a fleet of extinguisher drones to douse...
View ArticleBeeologics May Help Save Honey Bees from Colony Collapse Disorder
In June of this year, Monsanto, the company so many love to hate, sponsored the Honey Bee Health Summit at its St. Louis, Missouri, Research Center.read more
View ArticleEnvironment Update: Heard of the Global Footprint Network?
Proponents of an accounting tool that measures human impact on nature, the Global Footprint Network is dedicated to making governments and other decision makers use ecological limits in developing...
View ArticleVisions: Biodiversity “After Earth”
By Patrick Tucker Species loss is real threat, but what would a mass extinction event look like? How would we be affected? Biologist Joseph Levine looks at a future where less biodiversity has a very...
View ArticleAre Governments Thinking of Geoengineering Earth to Adjust to Climate Change?
Doug Saunders in today's Globe and Mail has written "the idea of geoengineering planet-scale projects to reverse climate change...has recently gained a lot more mainsread more
View ArticleInspiring Innovation - The Buckminster Fuller Challenge
My first exposure to design inspired by Buckminster Fuller came in 1967 at EXPO in Montreal. The American Pavilion occupied a geodesic dome crisscrossed by escalators and elevated trams. It was...
View ArticleClimate Change and Its Impact on our World's Major Rivers - Part 1: The...
When we talk about climate change the conversation usually involves discussions about a warming atmosphere, the shrinking of polar sea ice in the Arctic, and whacky weather. But what if I told you that...
View ArticleClimate Change and Its Impact on our World’s Major Rivers – Part 2: The...
South America's geography is unique. The western portion is dominated by the Andes Mountains running from just south of the Isthmus of Panama to the southern continental tip, a distance of 7,240...
View ArticleNew $2 Million X-Prize Focuses on Changing pH in the World's Oceans
I am a great believer in alternative schemes for advancing scientific discovery and promoting innovation. With prizes and crowdfunding added to the mix these days we are seeing the results in some...
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