Month: July 2012

  • Cleaner aviation depends on supplies of not so clean materials

    From the flight deck to the wheel brakes, new generations of aircraft that produce far less pollution increasingly rely on imported raw materials which are themselves dirty to produce. EurActiv reports from the Farnborough International Airshow. China and Russia are dominant suppliers of some forms of titanium – a lightweight metal used in airframes and…

  • Andes water scarcity: Impact of population growth

    As the Earth’s surface warms, climate models predict that the amount of fresh water for human consumption will likely decrease in parts of the globe. While that prospect looms for many cities around the world, a new study finds a more imminent threat to water supplies of cities in the tropical Andes, such as Lima,…

  • World’s Oldest Known Bra Found

    A 15th century bra was recently unearthed during reconstruction work at a medieval castle. The remarkably modern looking bra is arguably now the world’s oldest known brassiere. Fiber samples taken from the linen bra date to the medieval era, so this item appears to be legit. It pushes back the known history of the modern-styled…

  • Research Suggests Views on Marriage are more Traditional among Poor People

    According to a report from UCLA psychologists, poor people hold a more traditional view toward marriage and divorce compared with people of high or moderate income. This finding was a result of a large survey conducted about marriage, relationships, and values. It calls into question the effectiveness of the US Government program which spent $1…

  • Mobius Motors creates a car specifically for Africa

    Joel Jackson arrived in Kenya in 2009 and immediately had a social innovation idea—yet it had nothing to do with the not-for-profit farming organisation that he had come with. It wasn’t farming that caught Joel’s attention, it was the state of the African roads: the lack of appropriate transport that has affected many parts of…

  • EPA Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gases Survives Another Challenge

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to regulate greenhouse gases have been under attack ever since the 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA Supreme Court ruling that confirmed its authority to do so. In 2010, just before efforts to pass a cap-and-trade climate bill were abandoned in the Senate, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski sponsored failed legislation…

  • Gait and Decline

    Problems walking including slow gait and a short stride are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered. Alzheimer disease course is divided into four stages, with progressive patterns of cognitive and functional impairments. Their findings are being presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference July 14–19 in Vancouver, British…

  • Hot Small New World

    Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope have detected what they believe is a planet two-thirds the size of Earth. The exoplanet candidate, called UCF-1.01, is located a mere 33 light-years away, making it possibly the nearest world to our solar system that is smaller than our home planet. Exoplanets circle stars beyond our sun. Only…

  • Heat Wave leading to High Ozone levels in Southern New England – watch that workout intensity

    The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued an Air Quality Advisory for the southern portions of Connecticut and Rhode Island, and the south coast of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the Islands, on Tuesday due to ground-level ozone. “As this hazy, hot and humid weather continues, we predict air quality to reach unhealthy levels in…

  • Rural dwellers must adapt to climate change, says workshop

    Researchers in Côte d’Ivoire have called for villagers across the region to be made aware of the negative effects of climate change and encouraged to pursue adaptation measures. The calls came at a workshop held at the Regional Unit of Higher Education of Korhogo, in the north of the country earlier this year (18 May),…