https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6 Made with a quick smile (Blue is MP 2, White is MP 1) en-us 2017-11-06 22:55:39 UTC 2018-05-12 00:33:58 UTC hello@padlet.com 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204157674 Out of all of the major developed countries, Japan is one of the least energy self-sufficient. To combat this problem, they are attempting to harvest methane gas that has been locked away in the surrounding ocean in ice. Some of the downsides to extracting the methane are the destabilization of the sea floor and methane being accidentally leaked into the atmosphere.]]> 2017-11-06 23:09:02 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204157674 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204158902 Every organism has a circadian rhythm, or a biological clock. These clocks, in plankton in particular, may be affected by environmental toxins. The toxins are causing the plankton to daily migration to be screwed up, which in turn can impact an entire ecosystem. The bad news is that these toxins could be affecting higher functioning organisms, including humans.]]> 2017-11-06 23:18:52 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204158902 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204161340 Fruits and veggies are a vital part in a pregnant woman's diet, providing vitamins and fiber, but they might also come with pesticide residue. There have been concerns for some time that exposure to low doses of pesticides may have some negative health affects, especially unborn infants. And studies have supported this idea. One solution discussed in the article is simply washing the food before you ingest it.]]> 2017-11-06 23:39:52 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204161340 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204162770 Nigeria, one of the world's most oil rich country, has a history of oil spills that have wreaked havoc on the environment and local communities. But a new study says that oil spills may have also claimed the lives of thousands of babies born to people who live in areas contaminated by these incidents. The study showed that if a mother (before becoming pregnant) was within 10 kilometers of a spill, her child would be twice as likely to die. Even four to five years prior to contraception, the child (or future children) can be affected. These spills are most common during periods of militancy.

]]> 2017-11-06 23:52:19 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204162770 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204166388 Conservation of endangered species is always something on scientists's minds. The preservation of sperm cells has always been a prominent solution. A new approach has been discovered to sperm preservation. Rather than freezing them in, they put them in a sugary liquid exposed to microwaves. What allowed scientists to do this without destroying the cell was microwaving them in a sugar-like substance called trehalose.]]> 2017-11-07 00:20:59 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204166388 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204169725 A new species of orangutans has been discovered in the jungles of Indonesia. With a population of only 800, the newly named Tapanuli orangutan is now the world's most endangered great ape. Until recently, only two types of orangutan had been identified: the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii).]]> 2017-11-07 00:46:53 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/204169725 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224470297 Nylon is an extremely versatile material used in the production of many things, from parachutes to stockings to car parts. Like polyester, nylon, has some negative effects on the environment. It is three times more energy intense than cotton to produce and nearly 70 barrels of oil are used to produce it every year. However, a synthetic, recyclable nylon has been delevoped and it is much better for the environment than regular nylon. ]]> 2018-01-24 22:51:25 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224470297 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224475801 In 2014 the fashion industry was worth a staggering 1.7 billion dollars in the US alone, and employed around 75 million in 2016. It is a vital industry in countries like India, China and Bangladesh, but the adverse affects of it are getting way too out of hand. the production of non-natural fibres from petrochemicals, which during production, releases nitrous oxide - a greenhouse gases are 310 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. But production is only part of the problem, the annual waste, water, and CO2 footprint are all massive dilemmas.]]> 2018-01-24 23:34:54 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224475801 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224477825 “The global fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world.”... um what the heck... In 2015, 50 million tons of polyester, a petroleum product, were produced. And that is just polyester, there are countless textiles and materials that are being created for the sake of fashion, that are slowly killing the environment. I, being a fashion advocate, and a lover of clothes am in awe at how damaging something so incredible can be to the environment and vow to only wear biodegradable nylon for the rest of my life.]]> 2018-01-24 23:52:42 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224477825 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224479146 Today, we look back on the people who lived in medieval times and gag. They were a gross breed. They lived in their own filth, never bathed or brushed their teeth, and god knows the number of diseases one person carried at a time. But 100 years from now, will the people of the future look down on us in disgust, the same way? When you think about it, we aren't living the best version of our lives. I mean, just a couple decades ago the pollution in Chicago was so bad that it caught ON FIRE so i guess were not doing so hot in the filth department. And more recently we have had multiple oil spills that have devastated hundreds of miles of wildlife habitats.]]> 2018-01-25 00:06:52 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224479146 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224480859 A first step to understanding individual animals, and in turn populations of animals, is to understand the relationship they have with their environment. When we pump waste into these habitats we are ruining their homes. And each year the amount of space dedicated to wildlife shrinks and they are pushed into smaller and smaller areas of land. Abiotic components of an animal's environment include a huge range of characteristics, examples of which are: temperature humidity oxygen wind soil composition day length elevation Biotic components of an animal's environment.]]> 2018-01-25 00:22:47 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224480859 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224483380 Over the last decade, India’s strong growth has increased employment opportunities and allowed millions to emerge from poverty. India’s remarkable growth record, however, has been clouded by a degrading environment and growing scarcity of natural resources. Mirroring the size and diversity of its economy, environmental risks are wide ranging and are driven by both prosperity and poverty. In a recent survey of 178 countries whose environments were surveyed, India ranked 155th overall and almost last in air pollution exposure.

]]> 2018-01-25 00:44:14 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/224483380 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250281311 In a letter dated Friday and released Monday, David J. Apol, the acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, took the atypical step of telling EPA officials that several recent ethics questions deserve further scrutiny.
Specifically, Apol mentioned the controversy surrounding Pruitt's $50-a-night condo rental last year from a Washington lobbyist, noting that the EPA chief had not sought an ethics opinion on the arrangement in advance.
"Only after the existence of the lease was reported in the press did he provide EPA ethics advisers with limited information about the lease," Apol wrote.
Based on the incomplete information he provided, an after-the-fact opinion that the lease did not constitute a gift." Apol also noted that "Additional information has now come to light that calls into question whether the earlier determination that the Administrator paid market value for the use he made of the apartment would still be valid." In the letter, Apol cited other lines of inquiry, including Pruitt's first-class travel expenses, round-the-clock security and steep salary increases that recently were granted to two top aides without White House approval.]]> 2018-04-10 14:09:46 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250281311 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250285725 The magnitude-5.3 earthquake that shook Southern California Thursday barely rattled one local family: a nest of bald eagles on Santa Cruz Island. About 60 bald eagles live on the Channel Islands, according to the National Park Service. The birds disappeared from the islands in the 1950's because of human hunting and contamination from the pesticide DDT, which got into the eagles' diet and weakened their eggshells. Reintroduction efforts in the early 2000's brought bald eagles back to the national park.]]> 2018-04-10 14:16:34 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250285725 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250287809 There's not a single country on Earth that provides its people a good, sustainable life. Of the 11 necessities for a good life, these countries provided either none or just one.In general, the more social benefits available in a country, the more likely that country is living beyond its environmental means.
Perhaps the country that strikes the best balance is Vietnam, the researchers said. There were a few countries that managed to score well for education and life satisfaction while keeping their CO2 emissions way below the global median level.]]> 2018-04-10 14:20:04 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250287809 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250291502  In some cases, animals get caught in the crossfire of cannons, large guns and other artillery. To qualify as an armed conflict, an event had to involve at least one human death and be related to an organized conflict that involved at least 25 deaths in the same year. The frequency of armed conflict was only one of the factors considered; others included the intensity of those conflicts, the population density of humans living nearby, the distance from a protected area to the nearest urban center, the sizeof the protected areas and the size of the animals. Populations shrank over time when their homes were exposed to "Even low levels of conflict," the researchers wrote.]]> 2018-04-10 14:26:15 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250291502 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250293895 After the last ice age, the Earth began to heat up rapidly. Almost immediately afterwards volcanic activity surged. The geological record has plenty of evidence of big glacial retreats that are followed by more frequent volcanic eruptions. The fine details of how glaciers are linked to volcanic eruptions are unknown. Based upon these findings, Dr Swindles argues that even minor increases and decreases in glacier cover probably do affect volcanic activity, albeit with a time lag of perhaps five or six hundred years.]]> 2018-04-10 14:30:01 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250293895 18trassert https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250297555 Snow melt swells the Mississippi every spring, but the river reached flood stage in Memphis a month earlier than usual in 2018 due to heavy February rains. Now a new study raises the possibility much of the effort humans have put into trying to control the mighty river has paradoxically made its large floods more destructive. If not for Herculean human efforts, he says, the river would likely have switch edits outlet during major flooding in 1973 and would empty into the Atchafalaya River-not the artificial route it now flows through before hitting the Gulf of Mexico. A natural-running Mississippi would devastate much of the economic activity that depends on the river, says Clinton Willson, a civil engineer at L.S.U. who also was not part of the new study. Since a historic flood tested the Corps's nascent taming of the river in 1927, Colten says, the three overarching goals of river engineering have been to protect navigation, New Orleans and the petrochemical industry along the lower Mississippi's banks. Oxbow lakes are former river channels that were cut off by sediment; they retain all the sands and silts the river carried when the now-lakes were still part of its main channel.]]> 2018-04-10 14:36:00 UTC https://padlet.com/18trassert/p1h8qlx1xsn6/wish/250297555