Electric cars may soon be powered by autonomous “metal snakes”

If you were to take all of the inconveniences that come with owning an electric vehicle and make a list of them, I’m sure having to plug the vehicle into your wall when you come home would be somewhere at the bottom. Nonetheless, this miniscule inconvenience is still an inconvenience, which is why Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to announce that Tesla Motors has the solution.

Tesla vehicles can charged by either plugging them into a wall outlet using an adaptor, which is the most common option, or by quickly juicing them up at one of the automaker’s “supercharger” stations that’re scattered across North America and Europe. However, Musk expressed his dissatisfaction with the first option and promised that the adapter would automatically hook itself up to Tesla vehicles in the near future.

“Something I’d like to do, which I think many of our engineers will be hearing this in real-time, is have the charge connector plug itself in, articulating sort of like a snake, like ‘Metal Gear Solid’ or something,” said Musk during the unveiling of the upcoming Dual Motor All Wheel Drive Model S and autopilot feature.

This kind of outlandish feature is exactly the kind of thing that we’ve come to expect from Elon Musk, who has a well-deserved reputation for bold and innovative ideas. Even as the company continues to work on the upcoming Model X, Tesla has been improving the technology of its existing vehicles. This “metal snake”, which is expected to be compatible with existing Model S vehicles, is just the latest of these improvements.

The post Electric cars may soon be powered by autonomous “metal snakes” appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1ts3s31

Researchers developed a farm for plastic-eating mushrooms

Traditional plastics take anywhere from 20 to 1,000 years to break down naturally, often times blocking waterways and killing animals in the process. It’s for this reason that two industrial designers from Vienna have teamed up with a group of microbiologists from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands to create something called the Fungi Mutarium.

This Mutarium is a glass dome that houses several pods that contain bits and pieces of plastic within their cavities. These pods are made up of a combination of agar, sugar, and starch that serve as food to nourish the fungi that the Mutarium is designed to contain. Mycelia, which is the thread-like parts of a mushroom, is mixed into a liquid and then dropped into the pods.

As these mushrooms grow, they eat through both the pods and the pieces of plastic contained within them. Not only does this serve to drastically speed up the process of degrading plastic, it also creates an edible mushroom with a neutral taste.

Obviously, these small pods aren’t even close to being enough to solve the world’s plastic problem, especially considering that it still takes the mushrooms months to eat through the plastic, but they’re definitely a step in the right direction.

The team is currently looking for ways to speed up the degradation process by manipulating the temperature, humidity, and various other elements of the environment within the dome. They’ve also considered using genetic modifications to make the fungi grow faster, but they currently lack the necessary funding to do so.

The post Researchers developed a farm for plastic-eating mushrooms appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1BW3NCQ

Canadian researchers develop new spray-on solar cells

Solar cells are arguably one of the most promising forms of alternative energy out there at the moment. The power of the sun is available to everyone, in every part of the globe, every single day. However, while the power of the sun may be readily accessible, the technology required to actually harness that power isn’t.

Rooftops are one of the most popular places to put solar panels, but they’re big, clunky, and often times prohibitively expensive. Many people also don’t like how they look on a house, including numerous homeowners associations that have been known to reject the installation of rooftop solar panels completely. Fortunately, a group of Canadian researchers may have found a solution.

Researchers at University of Toronto claim to have developed a technique for spraying solar cells onto surfaces that’s both more simple and more affordable than previous technologies, which means that it has a much greater chance of becoming popular.

Spray-on solar cells have the ability to turn surfaces that’re too sloped, rounded, flexible, or otherwise unsuitable for rigid solar panels into suitable surfaces. This new method uses light-sensitive materials known as colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) that can be sprayed or printed onto an ultra-thin film which could then be applied to any surface like cellophane wrap.

“My dream is that one day you’ll have two technicians with Ghostbusters backpacks come to your house and spray your roof,” said Illan Kramer, a post-doctoral fellow with The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto and IBM Canada’s Research and Development Center, as quoted by TreeHugger.

The post Canadian researchers develop new spray-on solar cells appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1A3Gs04

Side effects could be eliminated from drugs using mushrooms

While there are plenty of species of mushroom that are perfectly edible, there are even more that can make ill or even kill you if you eat one. In the process of studying how these fungi manage to be so poisonous, a team of researchers at Michigan State University may have discovered a way to create a new generation of pharmaceuticals with highly targeted side effects, according to Geek.

The study, which is available in the journal Chemistry and Biology, talks about a previously undiscovered enzyme that’s behind the deadliness of poisonous mushrooms. The study also reveals how the enzyme contributes to the manufacture of chemical compounds known as cyclic peptides, which is a type of molecule that many pharmaceutical companies favor.

“Mushrooms are prolific chemical factories, yet only a few of their peptides are poisonous,” said plant biologist Jonathan Walton in a statement, as quoted by Nature World News. “These toxins survive the high temperatures of cooking and the acids of digestion, and yet they’re readily absorbed by the bloodstream and go directly to their intended target. These are the exact qualities needed for an effective medicine.”

Youth Health notes that, while the study certainly doesn’t encourage the consumption of these mushrooms, it does suggest that these enzymes could be used to produce medicine that serves only a specific purpose, which could significantly reduce or even completely eliminate possible side effects a the drugs don’t need to affect the patient’s other organs.

The post Side effects could be eliminated from drugs using mushrooms appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1BsLCEH

UK’s “biased” energy scheme gets taken to European court

Tempus Energy, a British company whose goal is to cut consumer energy bills by helping them use cheaper power, has launched a legal challenge against the United Kingdom government in response to the capacity market, a scheme that’s designed to make sure there’s always enough back-up to meet peaks in electricity demand, according to Carbon Brief.

The challenge was submitted to the European General Court on Thursday on the grounds that the scheme violates State Aid rules by prioritizing energy that’s generated by burning fossil fuels over cheaper and cleaner efforts to reduce demand, according to Express and Star. European Union rules require subsidies to be in line with European goals, such as combatting climate change, according to Engineering and Technology.

“The Capacity Market was originally set up to keep the lights on at the lowest possible cost; a format that has been used very successfully in the US,” said Sara Bell, the CEO of Tempus Energy, as quoted by Click Green. “But an engrained, institutional bias in favor of building new assets to boost supply means that cost effective ‘no build’ technologies for managing demand have been ignored.”

“This will push up electricity bills needlessly and commit consumers to paying for capacity that we would not need if we invested in building demand-flexibility, for those who want to use it.,” Bell continued, adding that “the lack of commitment to innovation from the Government will stymie investment and therefore the advancement of a smart industry that could fundamentally transform our energy economy.”

The post UK’s “biased” energy scheme gets taken to European court appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1vTCKDn

France wants to eliminate carbon-spewing diesel-powered vehicles

France is going to kill off diesel-powered passenger vehicles, according to Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who announced his intention to begin eliminating them from the nation’s roads, according to a report from Reuters, as part of a broader environmental effort that will include implementing a pollution rating system for vehicles next year.

“In France, we have long favored the diesel engine. This was a mistake, and we will progressively undo that, intelligently and pragmatically,” Prime Minister Valls said in a speech, as quoted by Autoblog.

Under his new plan, France’s 2015 budget measures will attempt to reduce the tax advantage of diesel-powered vehicles versus gasoline-powered one in order to try and encourage consumers to choose other vehicles. Additionally, people swapping older diesels for electric vehicles could be entitled to a tax credit of up to €10,000 ($13,500).

On top of this, France will implement a pollution rating system for vehicles next year and will grant municipal governments the ability to limit access to the heaviest polluters. Prime Minister Valls believes that government and local authorities need to set an example by encouraging more environmentally friendly vehicle use, according to Fox News.

Unlike the gasoline-centric United States, where diesel is more commonly associated with big semi-trucks, about 80% of the passenger vehicles in France are diesel-powered, due in large part to the fact that the nation’s tax system makes diesel about 15% cheaper than gasoline, a policy that most countries in Europe have a similar version of, according to Automotive News.

The post France wants to eliminate carbon-spewing diesel-powered vehicles appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1yCgOxQ

UN climate discussions begin in Peru as temperature continue to rise

The 20^th session of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began in Lima, Peru on Monday. Representatives from nearly 200 nations across the globe met in order to discuss how to slow, and potentially reverse, man-made global warming with the goal of producing a blueprint that can be formed into a new global climate agreement by 2015, according to Mashable.

“Never before have the risks of climate change been so obvious and the impacts so visible,” said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UNFCCC as quoted by International Business Times. “Never before have we seen such a desire at all levels of society to take climate action. Never before has society had all the smart policy and technology resources to curb greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience.”

“2014 is threatening to be the hottest year in history and emissions continue to rise, we need to act urgently,” said Figueres, as quoted by BBC . “We should be able to lay the foundations for a strong agreement in Paris and raise the level of our ambitions so that gradually over the long term we are able to achieve climate neutrality, this is the only way to truly achieve sustainable development for all.”

Scientists from across the globe have expressed growing concerns that the world’s wealthiest nations seem to be a long way reducing emissions at a level that would effectively combat global warming. Although the process was significantly boosted by the recent carbon-cutting agreement that the United States and China reached, it’s still not enough.

“There is growing evidence, that even with very ambitious mitigation action, warming close to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by mid-century is already locked-in to the Earth’s atmospheric system and climate change impacts such as extreme heat events may now be unavoidable,” stated a report from World Bank in November.

The post UN climate discussions begin in Peru as temperature continue to rise appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1HUnXyC

Big, Bold, and Beautiful 2015 GMC Sierra All-Terrain

With almost 100 years of truck building and perfecting experience GM has been evolving their trucks for a long time and has worked to continuously offer as perfect a truck as possible. The GMC version of the truck is the Sierra and for 2015 this truck is makes a huge statement and sets a whole new bar of truck standards for others to follow. Packaged with nearly luxurious interior and newly designed high-tech engines, the GMC Sierra is a strong and gorgeous truck for any truck lover to enjoy and just might gain some new loyalty from followers of the competition.

New for 2015 is an All-Terrain trim package that will match up with the Silverado’s Z71 off-road package. This makes the two offerings from GM a pair to be reckoned with and certainly a difficult choice to make between the two. The All-Terrain package will include Rancho twin-tube shocks, thick coil springs and wide leaf springs to help owners who want to play in the mud or head out on the trails be able to do so with ease and confidence. The All-Terrain model has the choice of the same two engines as the rest of the lineup, a 6.0-liter V8 or the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8. The 6.0 is mated to a Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission and the Duramax is paired with the Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission.

The All-Terrain model of the Sierra is also fitted with a ton of premium upgrades to help it really stand out in a crowd. Adding a ton of chrome to the outside (how could you ever have too much chrome) including the running boards, 20-inch alloy wheels, door handles, window trims, side mirrors and of course the mean looking grill, this big beast of burden is also a thing of beauty and sure to turn many heads at any ball it attends. Inside there is tech to be enjoyed to include 4G LTE connectivity to create a Wi-Fi hotspot, the GMC IntelliLink infotainment system, and the Siri Eyes Free system for iPhone users.

Add to the outside interest the LED and HID jeweled headlights, a chrome-accented front bumper (yes, more chrome), a body colored rear bumper, integrated bumper steps, under the rail bed lighting, integrated back up lights, and twin LED bed lights to help with backing up, all help to create a truck that is as close to the Denali luxury as it can get without quite stepping completely into luxury and out of the fun and work phase.

Inside the All-Terrain, to go along with all the high-tech gadgetry is a plethora of comfort, control and style to enjoy. Offering a seriously quiet cabin allows owners to fully enjoy the ride by listening to their choice of sounds on the premium Bose sound system rather than a bundle of road noises from outside. The materials throughout this awesome truck are premium, supple, and very comfortable for anyone to ride in. There is plenty of room for all passengers that want to tag along to the lake, out in the wilderness, or just for a ride down the road. Add to the tech with Bluetooth connectivity, five USB ports, a 110-volt standard receptacle, and at least three 12-volt ports for charging and running electronics. The center console is so large it can become a moving office by allowing enough space to hang hanging folders and keep things filed and organized on the road.

Starting with the standard 6.0-liter V8 gasoline powered engine that cranks out 360 horsepower and 397 lb.-ft. of torque this is not a truck for the light hearted. Matched up with the Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic transmission and this truck is able to pull loads, head off road, help another truck out of a sticky situation, or just show off on the highway with ease and confidence.

The brawnier of the two engines, the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 engine pushes a massive 397 horsepower and a crazy 765 lb.-ft. of torque. Add to the matching of the Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission and this beast of burden is really ready to get the job done. No doubt any owner with this massive power plant under the hood can build the biggest treehouse, take a larger boat to the lake, or simply handle any rocky incline on the trails to allow maximum fun in this Sierra.

The All-Terrain Sierra comes standard as four-wheel drive which should have been obvious from the name and with the upgraded suspension can tackle just about any obstacle. Aluminum skid plates can be added to help protect the machinery underneath and the 3500 model will get its own set of the dual rear wheels to set it apart from the rest. Ensuring the driver can opt for the right setting, an electronic two-speed transfer case is installed. This allows the driver to choose between 2WD, 4WD high, and 4WD low as well as an Auto mode. This gives the driver the ability to choose based on the road or ground ahead, which setting they need.

The starting price for the All-Terrain is expected to begin around $52,000 and add an extra $7,000 for the Duramax engine setup. Even though that is a fairly large price tag, this is a massive and beautiful beast of a truck for the price that will never let any owner down or leave them stranded. Not to mention, a truck like this will be the envy of the entire neighborhood.

The post Big, Bold, and Beautiful 2015 GMC Sierra All-Terrain appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1r2Jq3q

House passes bill aimed at limiting “secret science” in the EPA

The House of Representatives has passed legislation that prevents academic scientists on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Scientific Advisory committee from participating in “activities that directly or indirectly involve review of evaluation of their own work,” as quoted by The Huffington Post.

Bill HR-1422, also known as the Science Advisory Board Reform Act, passed the Republican-led House of Representatives with a vote of 229-191. The bill, sponsored by Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT), makes it so that a scientist cannot advise the EPA on the findings that’re contained within that scientist’s own published, peer-reviewed paper.

“HR-1422 would negatively affect the appointment of experts and would weaken the scientific independence and integrity of the SAB.” Said Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA), on Tuesday, as quoted by Inhabitat. “I get it, you don’t like science. And you don’t like science that interferes with the interests of your corporate clients. But we need science to protect public health and the environment.”

“Instead of an overly broad bill that would tie EPA’s hands, the Administration urges Congress to support the Administration’s efforts to make scientific and technical information more accessible and regulations more transparent,” said White House in a statement, as quoted by The Hill, in which it threatens to veto the legislation.

The post House passes bill aimed at limiting “secret science” in the EPA appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1yxT253

Advanced carbon-mapping could help slow deforestation in the Amazon

The immense jungle canopy of the Amazon simply looks like a muddled sea of green to the human eye when viewed from space, but satellites and other high-tech instruments can provide an infinitely more nuanced view of the biological Mecca, right down to the household level.

While that kind of technology seems more suited for the CIA, there’s another audience that could benefit even more from it: forest managers and scientists that’re looking to sequester as much carbon dioxide as possible, as the Amazon Rainforest absorbs a staggering amount of the carbon dioxide that’s emitted by humans and natural sources.

Unchecked logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, and fossil fuel exploration threaten to damage this crucial carbon dioxide sponge, which could have harsh consequences if not stopped. In order to combat this, scientists have published details on a new high-resolution mapping technique using satellite imagery and an airborne remote-sensing technology called Lidar.

“We found that nearly a billion metric tons of above-ground carbon stocks in Peru are at imminent risk of emission into the atmosphere due to land uses such as fossil fuel oil exploration, cattle ranching, oil palm plantations and gold mining,” said researcher, Greg Asner, as quoted by Telesur. “This new map provides the evidence needed to start negotiating in the carbon market on a bigger scale.”

The post Advanced carbon-mapping could help slow deforestation in the Amazon appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1wrO86U

New “Ozzy Osbourne” frog discovered in the Brazilian Amazon

The first animal that pops into your mind when you think of Ozzy Osbourne most likely isn’t a frog. Instead, you’d probably think of a bat, right? A team of scientists had a similar though too, which is why when they discovered a new species of frog that mimics the sounds that bats make, they decided to name it after the legendary rock star.

According to Loudwire, the new species was discovered by Pedro Peloso and a group of colleagues during a month-long expedition into the Brazilian Amazon back in 2009. Referred to as the Bat Frog, the creature’s official scientific name is Dendropsophus ozzyi, as detailed in the journal Zootaxa.

The tiny tree frog emits a unique and highly unusual bat-like call, which was an immediate giveaway to the group of scientists that the species was unknown to science. Peloso said that he has “never heard anything like it” and, being avid fans of Black Sabbath, decided to name the two-centimeter-long species after the band’s lead singer, Ozzy Osbourne.

The new species was discovered in the Floresta Nacional de Pau-Rosa area of the Brazilian Amazon. Almost two dozen specimens were collected from three different areas, which suggests that the animal is probably common and widespread. Considering how well-explored the region is, it serves as a reminder of just how rich in biodiversity the Amazon Rainforest is.

The post New “Ozzy Osbourne” frog discovered in the Brazilian Amazon appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/10RiqXP

BMW wants to recharge electric vehicles using street lights

One of the biggest issues that electric vehicles face is the lack of places to charge them up when you’re away from home. While the obvious solution would be to develop a standalone recharging network, that takes time to implement and is very costly. Fortunately, BMW has a solution that’s both easy to implement and affordable.

According to a new report from Reuters, the German automaker has developed two prototype street lights that equip a standard LED street light design with a charging socket for an electric vehicle. The idea is ingeniously simple, as it utilizes an already-existing piece of infrastructure, and could make driving an electric vehicle much more practical in urban areas.

BMW will begin a pilot project for the technology next year in its home city of Munich. The lights can be grafted directly onto the city’s existing local authority street lighting infrastructure and can be used by as many drivers as possible, regardless of the kind of electric vehicle model that a person has or the company that provides the electricity.

The German automaker has already installed two of these charging street lights in front of its headquarters. Drivers will be able to pay to charge their vehicles by using a dedicated mobile app. BMW has created some of the most advanced electric vehicles available, but the market for such vehicles has struggled to take off due to insufficient infrastructure.

The post BMW wants to recharge electric vehicles using street lights appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1zci0Yi

Al Gore believes the internet is the key to fighting global warming

Former Vice President Al Gore has made it clear how worried he is about the ramifications of hammering the environment, which he believes stems from corporate influences on politicians and governments across the globe. However, at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference on Thursday, he praised a handful of major technology companies.

“Everyone knows the way we got out of the Great Depression was mobilizing for World War II,” said Gore. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a huge project where we needed to mobilize people around the world for jobs that couldn’t be automated?”

Al Gore hinted that we already have such a project. Over the course of his hour-long talk, Gore listed numerous distressing statistics about the natural disasters that have plagued the globe in recent years, from China to Colorado to Guatemala. He followed this up with some depressing predictions concerning ongoing droughts and the increasingly low inter temperatures.

“We’ve got to take responsibility for consequences of our actions endangering the earth,” Gore retorted. “We need to recognize the age of renewables is beginning,” insisted Gore. He emphasized the business opportunities by renewable energy development and technology, asserting that “the private sector is going to finance most of renewable energy.”

It was then that Gore praised Apple, Google, and Salesforce for their respective energy goals, and also highlighted American business magnate and billionaire Warren Buffett as a prime example of an entrepreneur investing heavily in the renewable energy space, saying that he’s “not someone known for making dumb decisions.”

Continuing from this, Gore expressed his belief that the internet will play a major role in this shift, projecting that the internet will be more powerful and influential than even television, citing that advertising revenue from the internet surpassed that of television last year.

Read more about the story at Venture Beat.

The post Al Gore believes the internet is the key to fighting global warming appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1wduzAI

Joint venture to invest £500 million into British onshore wind power

The onshore wind power industry in the United Kingdom has received a significant boost after Ecotricity, the leading green energy company in the nations, announced Skylark, a joint venture with Skanska, a global construction and development firm, in order to build multiple wind farm projects in the United Kingdom.

Skylark aims to utilize Ecotricity’s expertise in developing green energy projects and Skanska’s expertise in construction and engineering in order to put 350MW of new green energy projects into the planning system within the first 5 years, which represents a potential investment of around £500 million ($800 million), should the projects be consented, and would supply green electricity to more than 200,000 British households.

There are already 3 development sites that have been identified for the joint venture’s first round of investment, representing around 100MW of generating capacity, which are expected to bring more clean energy to the United Kingdom as early as 2018. Skylark will also create numerous jobs as people fill scientific, technical, construction, and maintenance roles.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “Ecotricity were the world’s first green electricity company, while Skanska aims to be the greenest construction company in the world – our shared pursuit of sustainability and our complementary skill sets creates a strong partnership. Ecotricity will use its expertise in green energy development to design wind parks and gain planning consents, while Skanska will use their expertise in construction to build them. It’s a simple partnership that will help to bring energy independence to Britain using green energy made in Britain.”

Read more about the story at Bloomberg.

The post Joint venture to invest £500 million into British onshore wind power appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1r8b3kS

Pollution in Hawai’i is causing deadly tumors in endangered sea turtles

Sea turtles in Hawai’i have been found to be afflicted with chronic, and often times lethal tumors that are caused by consuming non-native algae along the island state’s coastlines where nutrient pollution is unchecked. The disease that causes these tumors is now considered the leading cause of death for the endangered green sea turtle.

By grazing on blooms of invasive seaweeds, turtles end up with a diet that’s jam packed with particular amino acid, known as arginine, which promotes the virus which creates the tumors. Scientists at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have estimated that turtles grazing at these high-nutrient sites are increasing their arginine intake by 17 to 26 grams daily, nearly 14 times the previous level.

“For years, local ocean lovers have known that our green turtles have had awful tumors on their heads, eyes and front flippers,” said UH Mānoa Marine Biology Professor Celia Smith, who worked with Kyle S. Van Houton of NOAA’s Turtle Research Program on this study. “Many hypotheses were offered to explain the tumors, but we kept coming back to the observation that urban reefs – those near dense populations – are the sites with greater numbers of sick turtles. We had no mechanism for this disease.”

More than 60% of the turtles in the Kāne’ohe Bay have been found to bear tumors as a result of this disease. Kihei has been called a “ground zero” for fibropapillomatosis, the disease that is caused by a herpes virus and manifests as tumors in turtles, but appears to not affect humans.

Van Houtan and his colleagues have previously described an epidemiological link between tumors and coastal eutrophication, which is the enrichment of coastal waters with nutrients from land-based sources of pollution such as wastewater or agricultural fertilizers. However, this new study actually analyzed the tissues from the afflicted turtles and the amounts of arginine in the dominant algae forage species from across Hawai’i.

What the analysis found was that there are incredibly high levels of arginine in tissues of invasive seaweeds harvested under nutrient-rich conditions, such as those affected by nitrogen from land-based pollution. These are the same conditions that promote algal blooms. The non-native algae “superweeds” grow so quickly when fertilized that some can double their weight in a period of two days.

Read more about the story at Smithsonian.

The post Pollution in Hawai’i is causing deadly tumors in endangered sea turtles appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1BSOAhG

Most “natural” foods in the US contain substantial amounts of GMOs

According to a recent study by Consumer Reports, the majority of the packaged food in the United States that’s labeled as “natural” actually contains substantial amounts of genetically modified ingredients, prompting many concerned consumers to call upon food manufacturers to be honest about the contents of their products.

Urvashi Rangan, executive director of Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability, say that American consumers are being misled by the reassuring “natural” label, with almost two thirds of Americans who were surveyed saying that they were under the impression that foods with the “natural” label didn’t contain any GMOs.

Consumer Reports conducted a survey of more than 80 different processed foods in the United States that contained either corn or soy, the two most widely grown genetically modified crops in America, to determine whether or not the claims for GMO presence were accurate.

While food that were labeled as “non-GMO” or “organic” were found to be free of genetically modified corn and soy, the vast majority of the foods that were either labeled as “natural” or not labeled at all were found to contain substantial amounts of GMOs, including breakfast cereals, snack chips, and even baby formula.

There are numerous genetically modified crops on the markets which have been altered from their natural state in order to repel insects or resist diseases. The companies that develop these crops claim that they’re safe, and there are many scientific studies that back these claims.

However, many critics point to other studies which link environmental damage and health problems in both humans and animals to the use of genetically modified crops. An international coalition of scientists said last October that there is a disturbing lack of consensus in the scientific community about the safety of GMOs.

Vermont has found a happy middle ground by requiring foods which contain GMO ingredients to be labeled as such, but not banning or limiting their use. Numerous other states are considering taking this approach as well, with Colorado and Oregon already having this issue on the ballot for the November election.

Read more about the story at The Huffington Post.

The post Most “natural” foods in the US contain substantial amounts of GMOs appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1vNNGRD

Tide detergent will begin using eco-friendly bio-ethanol in its formula

DuPont and Procter & Gamble, world leaders in the production of chemicals and consumer goods respectively, have announced a new collaboration to use cellulosic ethanol in Tide laundry detergent sold in North America. Tide Cold Water will become the first brand in the world to blend cellulosic ethanol in a way that’s both scalable and commercial.

Ethanol is an essential ingredient in the formulation of Tide, making the detergent formula more stable and improving washing performance. This is the latest innovation that has come from the 30-year partnership between the two companies, making much easier for consumers to make sustainable choices in their everyday lives.

“As one of the world’s largest laundry manufacturers, we have a responsibility to lead renewable sourcing in products,” said Gianni Ciserani, Procter & Gamble Group’s president of global fabric and home care. “We do this by ensuring consumers still get the great Tide laundry performance they want, while further reducing the impact on the environment.”

This renewable, cellulosic ethanol will be produced at DuPont’s new bio-refinery, which is currently under construction in Iowa. One completed, it will be the largest bio-ethanol refinery in the world, pumping out more than 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually, a process with zero net carbon emissions.

“It was a natural decision for us to take this next step forward with Procter & Gamble in an area which is so critical for each of our companies – sustainable technologies for processes and products,” said James Collins, Senior Vice President, DuPont. “With this collaboration, DuPont is also taking the first step to diversify its markets for cellulosic ethanol beyond fuels. As we build on our integrated science capabilities, we will continue to seek out new opportunities and new collaborations to transform value chains with more sustainable solutions.”

Read more about the story at Domestic Fuel.

The post Tide detergent will begin using eco-friendly bio-ethanol in its formula appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://weheartworld.com/tide-detergent-will-begin-using-eco-friendly-bio-ethanol-formula/

Oceans are warming much faster than previously calculated

Scientists have long been aware that Earth’s oceans absorb an estimated 90% of the warming that’s caused by greenhouse gas emissions, with the stored heat showing up was warmer seawater. According to a new analysis, however, scientists may have greatly underestimated exactly how hot the upper ocean is getting.

Comparisons of direct measurements from the seas in the southern hemisphere with satellite data and climate models suggests that these seas have been absorbing more than twice the amount of heat that was previously calculated. This means that we may be underestimating the extent to which the Earth is warming.

“The Argo data is really critical,” said Paul Durack, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher who led the new study, which was published in Climate Nature Change. “The estimates that we had up until now have been pretty systematically underestimating the likely changes.”

“We continue to be stunned at how rapidly the ocean is warming,” said Sarah Gille, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography professor. “Even if we stopped all greenhouse gas emissions today, we’d still have an ocean that is warmer than the ocean of 1950, and that heat commits us to a warmer climate. Extra heat means extra sea level rise, since warmer water is less dense, so a warmer ocean expands.”

Read more about the story at Climate Central.

The post Oceans are warming much faster than previously calculated appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1qa2p4G

Global warming may have fueled 2013’s heatwave epidemic

In a collection of 22 peer-reviewed analyses on 16 extreme weather and climate events that occurred last year, which were published as a nearly 100-page report yesterday, international teams of researchers found clear ties between global warming and the extreme heat events that plagued areas from Australia to China in 2013.

Altogether, 9 of the 16 extreme heat events were at least partially attributed to manmade global warming. There were also some signs that the ongoing drought in California, the worst one in the state’s history, may have been caused by global warming as well.

Links between global warming and extreme weather and climate events were not obvious, but connections were clearest with extreme heat. n analysis of five extreme heat events overseas “overwhelmingly showed that human-caused climate change is having an influence,” according to the report.

“It’s a granted that climate change is influencing all manner of weather,” according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research meteorologist Martin Hoerling. “This report looks not if climate change influenced weather, but how it did, trying to quantify the influence.”

“This annual report contributes to a growing field of science which helps communities, businesses and nations alike understand the impacts of natural and human-caused climate change,” said Thomas Karl, director of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. “The science remains challenging, but the environmental intelligence it yields to decision-makers is invaluable and the demand is ever-growing.”

Read more about the story at National Geographic.

The post Global warming may have fueled 2013’s heatwave epidemic appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1CFZA4e

Gap bans the sale of animal fur following public outcry

If you’re looking for a nice, comfy fur sweater for the fall season, then Gap isn’t the place you want to look. Two weeks ago, Sarah Maddox launched a Change.org petition against Gap, denouncing the retailer for selling products which contained real animal fur for its upscale Piperlime label.

Maddox was outraged that the retailer was selling items that were made from animal fur, which is often harvested in an incredibly cruel manner. “These innocent creatures are beaten, electrocuted, or have their heads and necks stepped on,” she wrote in the text of the petition. “Animals killed for the fur industry are often skinned alive!”

In response to outrage regarding the use of animal fur, Gap issued this statement: “our opinions and views matter to us. That is why, effective immediately, Piperlime will no longer sell real fur products, whether they are made by our company or not. This is an expansion beyond our existing policy of prohibiting real fur in our branded products. We are committed to the ethical sourcing of our products, which includes the humane treatment of animals. We are also committed to our customers and welcome your feedback.”

Gap isn’t the only retailer that’s facing problems surrounding animal fur sourcing issues. Kohl’s was recently in the news for selling a faux fur jacket that was actually made from the pelts of raccoon dogs. The retailer cited vending issues as the reason for the mix-up, essentially saying that their vendors told them they were purchasing faux fur.

Read more about the story at The Chicago Tribune.

The post Gap bans the sale of animal fur following public outcry appeared first on WeHeartWorld.

via WeHeartWorld http://ift.tt/1v2A04E