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Archive for the ‘habitats’ category: Page 85

Sep 26, 2019

Can We Redesign The Modern City With Synthetic Biology? Could We Grow Our Houses Instead Of Building Them?

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, food, habitats, sustainability

Imagine waking up every morning in a house that is just as alive as you are. With synthetic biology, your future home could be a living, breathing marvel of nature and biotechnology. Yes, it’s a bold ambition. But this kind of visionary thinking could be the key to achieving sustainability for modern cities.

Our current homes and cities are severely outdated. Dr. Rachel Armstrong, a synthetic biologist and experimental architect, says, “All our current buildings have something in common: they’re built using Victorian technologies.” Traditional design, manufacturing, and construction processes demand huge amounts of energy and resources, but the resulting buildings give nothing back. To make our future sustainable, we need dynamic structures that give as much as they take. We need to build with nature, not against it.

In nature, everything is connected. For the world’s tallest trees—the California redwoods— their lives depend on their connection to each other as well as on a host of symbiotic organisms. Winds and rain batter the California coast, so redwoods weave their roots together for stability, creating networks that can stretch hundreds of miles. The rains also leach nutrients from the soil. But fungi fill the shortage by breaking down dead organic matter into food for the living. A secondary network of mycelia—the root-like structures of the fungi—entwine with the tree roots to transport nutrients, water, and chemical communications throughout the forest. What if our future cities functioned like these symbiotic networks? What if our future homes were alive?

Sep 26, 2019

Future Mars Habitat Concept

Posted by in categories: habitats, space

Click on photo to start video.

The Mars Homes That NASA Awarded $500k

Sep 14, 2019

Mathematician reveals the brain exercises that help prevent memory loss

Posted by in categories: habitats, neuroscience

A mathematician has shared some of the brain exercises he uses to help people with dementia.

Gareth Rowlands, from St Albans, runs memory workshops at dementia cafes and care homes in Hertfordshire.

He became passionate about helping those with memory loss after he visited a care home which he wife ran in Barnet.

Sep 14, 2019

Bigelow’s next-generation inflatable space habitat is shooting for the Moon

Posted by in categories: habitats, space

Welcome to your new home, the B330.

Sep 13, 2019

Atomic Lighter Reviews

Posted by in category: habitats

Atomic Lighter is a type of plasma lighter that creates ignition using two electrical arcs, without the need for potentially dangerous fluids or open flames.

Write a Review

Sep 11, 2019

Reno-based Flirtey unveils Eagle delivery drone, can deliver packages under 10 minutes

Posted by in categories: drones, habitats

The Eagle has landed — the Flirtey Eagle drone, that is.

Reno-based drone delivery company Flirtey showed off the new drone that it will be using once it starts to deliver packages by air later this year. The company unveiled its drone on Monday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Continue reading “Reno-based Flirtey unveils Eagle delivery drone, can deliver packages under 10 minutes” »

Sep 6, 2019

London is transforming its double-decker buses into homeless shelters

Posted by in category: habitats

An inviting massage table, a snug chair, a sunlit field of grass – this is not a holiday resort but one of London’s famous double-decker buses, which this summer will house up to 40 homeless people.


A fleet of four decommissioned buses has been converted by British-based social enterprise Buses4Homeless into a shelter for homeless people, with spaces for sleeping, dining, cooking, job training and relaxing.

“The most crucial thing for anyone is shelter, having a place to stay,” said Buses4Homeless founder Dan Atkins, from the buses’ temporary site in Croydon, south London.

Continue reading “London is transforming its double-decker buses into homeless shelters” »

Aug 28, 2019

Police urge residents in Texas town to vacate homes during nearby SpaceX rocket launch

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, habitats, health, space travel

Police in a small Texas community have recommended that residents temporarily vacate their homes on Monday while Elon Musk Elon Reeve MuskUS Space Command: A vision for the final frontier The paradox of superstars Hillicon Valley: US, France reach deal on tech tax | FEC vice chair resigns | Move leaves agency unable to vote on actions | Groups seek net neutrality pledge from 2020 Dems | Australia eyes blocking extremist content MORE ’s SpaceX attempts an experimental launch of a Mars rocket prototype.

A public safety notice was issued to residents of Boca Chica, a town on the southern tip of Texas with houses within two miles of SpaceX’s launch pad for the Starhopper rocket, Business Insider reported on Sunday.

A county sheriff reportedly went door-to-door on Saturday to deliver the notice to approximately 20 households, warning of possible shattered windows and “potential risk to health and safety.”

Aug 28, 2019

Facial recognition startup Megvii files for $500M+ IPO

Posted by in categories: habitats, robotics/AI

Kin Insurance has raised $47 million in fresh funding to help launch its Kin Interinsurance Network, which will provide home insurance to residents in Florida. August Capital reportedly led the…

Aug 27, 2019

History Made: How Costa Rica has Doubled It’s Tropical Rainforest Cover

Posted by in categories: employment, habitats, policy

The year 2017 saw the second highest global tree cover loss recorded in the history of this planet, according to the World Economic Forum. Researchers at the University of Maryland (USA) found an area of tree loss equal to the size of Bangladesh. That equates to losing 40 soccer fields covered in trees every minute for a year. But guess what, Costa Rica took the fight in the other direction, declaring they had officially doubled their tropical rainforests since 2001. Doubled!

How can the world learn from Costa Rica’s experience and use it as a model for other nations? It helps to take a closer look at exactly what Costa Rica has done right in managing this issue, while other countries have failed miserably. In the mid-20th century, three quarters of Costa Rica was covered in lush, verdant tree canopy. Then came loggers, who savagely cleared acres and acres of pristine rainforest, lining their pockets by selling off Costa Rica’s natural resources. At the same time, of course, they were destroying the natural habitats of Costa Rica’s indigenous creatures, for instance Golden toads and Poison dart frogs.

But then, something changed radically in the thought processes of Costa Rican policy makers, and the rate of deforestation slowed, until it eventually dropped to zero. What happened? Costa Rica awakened to the potential of its rich ecosystems and began vigorously safeguarding them. Healthy ecosystems meant tourist dollars and employment opportunities for Ticos throughout the country.

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