Gleanings of the Week Ending September 12, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Gene leads to nearsightedness when kids read - The incidence of myopia is increasing around the world. In the US 44% of adults are nearsighted, up from 25% 30 years ago. And in some parts of Asia, 80% of young adults are now myopic. There is a lot of research re cause and possible preventions. This is just one.

The lost tunnels buried deep beneath the UK - There are tunnels below Liverpool! They are 200 years old and filled in when people complained of the smell (as they were used as underground landfills. Now they are being excavated.

Midday naps associated with reduced blood pressure and fewer medications - Yet another reason that midday naps are not a bad thing.

Standing on their own four feet: Why cats are more independent than dogs - We are a cat household…ours certainly have an independent nature! This research points out that ‘cats are much more autonomous when it comes to coping with unusual situations.’

Biodiversity belowground is just as important as aboveground - We know that the biodiversity above ground is in peril in much of the world…but the belowground organisms are not as well known or studied.

Intense Aurora Display over Sweden - I don’t live far enough north to see aurora….so videos like this are an opportunity to see the phenomenon and marvel at how finely tuned our planet is.

Check Out Life Spans around the World — and Likely Years of Ill Health - I like the idea of looking at life expectancy and unhealthy years together rather than life expectancy along.

Stunning Macro Photos of Delicate Butterfly Wings Look like Shimmering Petals - I tied to do some macro shots of a butterfly wing (best image is to the left)…frustrating experience. This post motivates me to try again and get rid of the pesky bubbles!

Recovery: Rare Turtle Gets a Second Chance - It’s always good to hear a story about recovery rather than extinction….but we have to do something about people releasing non-native red-eared sliders and hurting the indigenous native turtles.

3-D Printing Breaks the Glass Barrier - I watched the full video from the MIT Media Lab; it’s only about 4.5 minutes. I like glass!  

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 29, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Home births save money, are safe, study suggests - I wonder how long it will be before the ideal location for low risk births will be at home. My daughter’s colleagues seem to lean toward birthing centers already (rather than a hospital). Eventually the only people going to a hospital to have a baby will be the high risk pregnancies.

Slow-Mo Lets Us See How Hummingbirds Use Their Tongues like Pumps - Wow! Not something you can see with just your eye. It takes filming with a high speed camera then slowing down the action. This article includes a video.

Glass paint could keep metal roofs and other structures cool even on sunny days - Originally developed for ships….but there are a lot of applications for a paint that is inorganic (will not deteriorate rapidly) and reflects all sunlight (passively radiates heat).

How clean is your spinach? - I think I’ll start washing greens even if the package says they are already washed (not just spinach, it seems like kale would have the same issue).

If These Bones Could Talk: The Stories Human Skeletons Can Tell - A brief article about the collection of skeletons at University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Inside the mind of a maze maker - Adrian Fisher builds mazes…all kinds of them.

Study: Air Pollution Implicated In 1.6 Million Deaths A Year in China - That is - 17% of the annual deaths in China are related to air pollution.

Warm, pleasant, LED lighting developed: LEDs cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions - I like lighting that comes closer to nature light rather than being ‘harsh’ like the fluorescents and the LEDs that came on the market earlier. This might actually be the improvement that has me moving my reading lamp to and LED bulb.

Top Protein Sources for the Plant-Based Diet - I am not totally vegetarian but I am getting there. I eat vegetation more frequently that just Meatless Mondays! This is a good reference for protein sources which is one of the more substantial changes when making the transition.

Here be dragons - A collection of images and historical perspective of dragons in art/culture from Europenea.

Gleanings of the Week Ending March 7, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

'Bionic' eye allows man to see wife for first time in a decade - The system is not yet advanced enough to provide high resolution vision - but it is enough to improve quality of life….and sets the stage for more development of similar devices. Certain types of blindness (caused by retina problems, not the optic nerve) are candidates for this type of ‘bionic’ eye.

Global Pesticide Map Shows Large Areas of High Water Pollution Risk - Enlarge the map in this article; what is the risk in the area where you live? In mine is high/very high…..that’s not good.

Economic models provide insights into global sustainability challenges - Making decisions based on simplifying assumptions - which is what we normally do - may not be wise. The advent to models that can help us integrate what we know about global economics, geography, ecology and environmental sciences may provide some surprising insights and lead to better decisions.

Twelve Milkweeds for Monarchs - Wow! There are a lot more different kinds of milkweed than I anticipated.

Food Additives Linked to Inflammation - Yet another reason to reduce the amount of processed food you consume.

Special Tours Offered At Mesa Verde National Park - Something to remember about Mesa Verde. My husband I enjoyed our visit almost 40 years ago and have been talking about visiting again.

Lab-on-paper developed for rapid, inexpensive medical diagnostics - Point-of-care testing is projected to expand over the next few years. Imagine not having to wait for several days to get lab results for your annual physical!

Nine steps to survive 'most explosive era of infrastructure expansion in human history' - Bottom line: The builders of infrastructure need to consider the full context of their projects….not just who will benefit.

The Chemistry of Colored Glass - Glass is one of my favorite materials. This post includes a graphic that talks about what is added to the basic soda-lime glass to create different colors of glass.

Seven strategies to advance women in science - Good points. We’ve been trying some of these things for at least the past 40 years…..maybe it is doing ALL of them that will make the difference.

F. Kaid Benfield: How to Create Healthy Environments for People - There seem to be quite a few articles this week with lists. Here is the last one! All these ideas seem to make sense….so why are they not already part of the way development takes place?