When trees die so do people

When the U.S. Forest Service looked at mortality rates in counties affected by the emerald ash borer, they found increased mortality rates among people.

In June 2002 was when the blight was first detected in the trees in Canton, Michigan.  The emerald ash borer had come from overseas and was quickly spreading – a literal bug – across state and national lines to Ohio, Minnesota, and Ontario.  It spread to more distant and seemingly random locations as the infested trees were shipped beyond the Midwest.

 

 

 

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World’s first 3D building will be ready in 2014

3D printed house

3D printing can be fun and cute. Products like the Makerbot and Form 1 will most certainly disrupt manufacturing, even if it’s only on a small scale. But the possibilities of 3D printing stretch far beyond DIY at-home projects. In fact, it could entirely replace the construction industry. (Pics)

 

 

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Egypt’s great male crisis

Great male crisis

There is a huge debate in western societies regarding what is called “The great male crisis”.  The argument is simple: Men are quickly falling behind women,  In the western societies that promote gender equality and free education, women are becoming better educated than men and are earning more.  Boys aren’t faring as well as girls in school and college education, and this is being reflected in the job market.

 

 

 

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Harvard geneticist looking for ‘adventurous’ woman to give birth to a Neanderthal baby

Recreation of Neanderthal child.

Professor George Church of Harvard Medical School is looking for an “adventurous” woman to give birth to a baby Neanderthal.  It sounds like the plot of another Jurassic Park sequel, but the request is actually part of Professor Church’s real-life plan to bring our long-extinct relative back to life.

France proposes to tax the internet

France proposes an internet tax on American companies collecting personal data.

France is seeking new ways to raise funds.  Because of frustration with American technology companies that dominate its digital economy which are largely beyond the reach of fiscal authorities, France has proposed a new levy.  They are proposing an internet tax on the collection of personal data.

 

 

 

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Are people with a high IQ less creative?

Albert Einstein

Lewis Terman believed that only knowing the IQ of a person could predict their success in life and this potential could be measured since childhood.  That is why he sent his colleagues to California schools and gave the children a few IQ tests, identifying 1500 children whose IQs averaged 150 points.

He took for granted that these children were going to make great contributions to their disciplines in the future.

 

 

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PVC plastic is making us gain weight

Is plastic making us fat?

Are you looking for something to blame your weight issues on?  Well, there is no shortage of scapegoats.  Just some of the things that have shown over the years that contribute to weight problems include, genetically modified food, BPA, diet soda, and your fork are a few.  Irvine researchers has added another excuse to the arsenal: PVC plastic, according to a new study from the University of California.

 

 

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A chip that can turn body heat into electric energy

 Body-powered devices eliminate the toxic waste generated by the heavy metals used in the billions of batteries we currently use each year.

A startup in Corvallis, Oregon, has developed a small chip that can turn body heat into electric energy. The chip absorbs heat directly from the skin and then channels energy through a thermoelectric generator that converts it into electric power. In the  future, the chip will enable us to power and recharge our handheld and wearable electronic devices with our own bodies.

 

 

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