More Efficient Polymer Solar Cells Fabricated

                                                                            ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2010)

Researchers from Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed a new texture to polymer solar cells.  The new texture will increase its efficiency by 20%. 

The new fabrication is a textured substrate that allows the cells to absorb more light and hold on to it longer.  The ridges of the new coating are less than a millionth of a meter high. 

Although the application of the ridges to polymer solar cells are new, the concept itself is old.  This is mainly used in silicon-based solar cells.  After many tries to get the light absorption maximized, Sumit Chaudhary and Kanwar Singh Nalwa got the texture, fabrication, and the size of the ridges just right.  

The researchers are very proud of their accomplishment and are hopeful of what's to come of it. 

"This may be an old idea we're using," Chaudhary said, "but it's never before been successfully implemented in polymer solar cells."

Opinion: I am glad to hear that our main alternate energy sources are being furthermore advanced.  A 20% efficiency increase is a major accomplishment and these researchers should be proud.  I hope these updated polymer solar cells get put to good use!

1.  Which solar cells are more efficient: silicon-based solar cells or polymer solar cells?

2.  What might be some possible reasons for the long amount of time it took to finally add ridges to the polymer solar cells?

3.  If you had a chance to choose between solar energy and coal to power your house, which one would you honestly choose and why?

A Green Team

The San Fransisco Giants are one of the greenest teams in all of major league sports. They play at AT&T Park (see picture on above). Although it may not look it, it is one of the greenest stadiums in the world. The stadium itself runs its scorboard on solar power, and recycles and composts nearly 50% of its waste. In addition it uses eco-friendly napkins, containers, utensils, and toilet paper. The stadium has enough efficiency features to cut the stadiums annual energy and water bills by 50%. Stadiums consume about as much energy as small cities, which means that that amounts to huge savings.

Green stadiums, are becoming increasingly popular in major league sports. Many teams are making their stadiums more energy efficent and also enviormentally friendly. Not only that but this is also raising conciousness amognst the fans. In fact, if the trend continues to grow at its current rate, sporting events may do more advertising for becoming enviornementally friendly than politics.

Given that half out population follows sports on a daily basis, sports has a great influence over the American population. If it were to push enviornmental progress, it might make a huge difference. Sports have had a major influence over the American people for pretty much as long as sports have been invented. They broke racial barriers nearly a decade before the nation as a whole did. It also starting including women before the women had a right to vote.

Green stadiums make sense. The sports team cuts their energy and water bills in half and at the same time help the enviornment. Unfortunatley not all teams see this benefit. For about every new stadium built, there are two more being built that are not energy efficient and enviornmentally friendly. a great example of this is the new Cowboys stadium that averages about $200,000 in monthly utility bills. It uses as much energy as the entire city of Santa Monica California.

Opinion: I think its great that stadiums are starting to make this change. They still use way to much energy but atleast its a start. Given the influence of sports in general, sports promoting "being green" may be just what the country needs to help start it on a greener path. I think its great that stadiums like AT&T park are making this change. If word starts to spread about it I think it will make a huge difference. The only part that confuses me is why stadiums would opt to not make their stadiums as "green" as possible. It decreases the annual bill emmensley, helps the enviornment, and sets a good example for the American public.

Questions:

1) Can you think of any other ways for stadiums to "go green" besides the ones mentioned in this article?

2) Can you think of a reason sports teams would not want to "go green"?

3)Can you think of some other examples of "green" stadiums besides AT&T Park?

ROCKET NOZZLES COULD PULL CARBON FROM AIR

An aerospace company is working to turn rocket nozzle technology into an interesting method for cleaning up the carbon-laced air emitted by coal-burning power plants.

Aerospace and defense company ATK (Alliant Techsystems Inc) is trying to develop a way “to use aerodynamic force, rather than chemicals, to separate out carbon dioxide from a power plant's air before it is released into the atmosphere.” This method could not only be extremely environmentally helpful, but also extremely cost-efficient compared to current methods.

ATK vice president Robert Bakos said “Today's carbon capture technology adds 80 percent to the cost per kilowatt hour of electricity delivered. With our approach, we could knock that down to 30 percent.”

Right now, 36 percent of US carbon emissions come from coal. And while mining for coal seems like an easier, better method than our reliance on foreign countries for oil, this will come back and bite us in the butt in the future where we will inevitably live in a coal constrained society.

Bakos explains the system, saying "When you accelerate air to very high speed, you have to expand the air very quickly. It cools the air and in some cases if you have water (vapor) in the air, it will make it condense into water or even snow. The same idea applies if you have carbon dioxide,"

Normally carbon dioxide is the gas we all know of but when frozen, it becomes dry ice. When cooling, the particles can be extracted from the air by various techniques, then stored, and then used in other applications. That’s what ATK’s plan is all about, they plan to “pressurize a power plant's exhaust gas, then put it through a rocket nozzle so that it expands and cools, allowing dry ice to form.”

And while these other techniques might not be available for years, the company will demonstrate this technology within 8 months, and then move onto a pilot program in power plants.

Opinion:

This seems to me like another weird but cool method that none of us have probably heard of. In logic and practice, it seems like a good, realistic plan but we will just have to wait and see. NNNNDDD

Questions:

1. What kinds of things could this dry ice be used for?

2. How crucial is this process to cut down emissions to us now? How about in 20 years?

3. What is another way to either extract carbon or lesson the amount of it going into the atmosphere?

http://news.discovery.com/tech/rocket-nozzles-carbon-capture.html

Onions into Fuel?

http://earthfirst.com/11-bizarre-sources-of-clean-energy-from-dead-turkeys-to-urine/

Did you ever think of this alternative energy source? I bet you didn't. As you see in the picture above it is onions, yes onions! A farmer find out that you can actually turn onion juice into fuel. The upfront cost of this process is killer to a farm actually. It is a total of around 9.5 million dollars for this process. On the bright side of this process is though it saves so much money on a farms annual electric bill.

Gills Onions (an onion farming company) saved a total of $700,000. These savings came from using the fuel from the onions to power refrigerators and for their lighting. The company then saved another $400,000 on their disposal costs. With all of these savings in hand, how do they even make the fuel from the onions? I'll tell you. They use an anaerobic digester, which converts the treated onion waste into bio gas and then finally it is turned into methane. After you have the methane is it put into a 600-kilowatt fuel cell to finally produce electricity.

I cannot believe this is even real. Onions for electricity? Who would have thought of that. I think a comparison to a real life situation for me would be turning off the faucet while I am brushing my teeth. I probably waste a lot of money right there in those seconds.

Questions:

1. Did you ever think this could happen?

2. Do you think that when more people read about this it will be used throughout the world?

3. Do you think you may ever use this?

On Our Radar: Skepticism on Carbon Offsets

picture: http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/energy-overview/hydroelectric/

article: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/on-our-radar-skepticism-on-carbon-offsets/?partner=rss&emc=rss

The Clean Development Mechanism, created by the Kyoto Protocol, is a carbon offset program that allows companies in industrialized countries to sponsor reduction projects. When doing this in developing countries, they earn carbon credits. Since hydroelectric dams have been constructed in China, large amounts of credits have been given out. Some people say that this is an abuse of the system, because of the number of people/countries taking this opportunity.

An Italian engineer has signed a contract to build an experimental fusion reactor. It will begin to operate in a proposed decade, after the multibillion-dollar facility has been built in France. Full fusion power is expected to start much after this though.

A proposed "green investment bank" was brought up by the British Treasury. This would provide billions of dollars to the aid of financing clean energy products in the future. Low-carbon infrastructure is also a topic in this discussion.

Another negotiation being made is involving one of Europe's last remaining primeval forests, Bialowieza Forest. It is located on the border of Poland and Belarus. Environmentalists wish to build a national park that would cover a portion of the forest, but many others argue that this area should be protected, as it is like the last coral reef.

Opinion: There are many discussions going on about alternate energy sources, experimenting with energy, and funds for these things. I think that it is very good that these are being thought out because we really do need to find new ways for energy. About the hydroelectric dams, I am very approving. I also think that it was clever to give out credits to those countries that funded the multiple greenhouse gas reduction products. I believe that it is extremely necessary for countries to unite and resolve our problems involving energy. If we all work together, we will hopefully find new and improved ways to collect energy for everyday use.

1) Are the carbon credits a good or a bad thing?

2) What other countries have been working together to discover new energy sources?

3) New energy sources have been found. Are they cost efficient? How could this be changed?

South Africa Faces Water Crisis

Consumers in South America were told recently that their fruits and vegtables may be infected by Ecoli because they were irrigated by water contaminated with sewage. Their riverine eco-sytem is being infected by AMD (Acid Mine Drainage) and many of their cities are running out of natural water sources and they are running out of water to capture from the few sourses they do have.

The water is poorly managed by both ecological and water security standpoints. It is estimated that Guetang is predicted to become water stressed by 2011 and the rest of the country will follow closely behind.

They have tried to pass many laws to help protect their limited water sources but they have all failed in one way or another. The main problem is their water cleaning system is broking. The water just goes through a tratment plant that has not been updated for the increased demand from broadening access to water bourne sewage. The water is not sufficiently cleaned. The barely treated water now enters rivers and dams. Only about 3% of sewage plants opperate at a suitable level and only a little more than half the drinking water is of moderate quality.

Opinion: I think America should help chip in to help South Africa. They are in a difficult situation and the only way they can get out of it is with the help from the United States and other countries. if we want to stop the water crisis in the world we need to start with the places that need it most like South Africa.

Questions:
1)What do you think are some reasons that South Africa cannot update all their sewage plants?
2)What do you think is the best way to fix their problem?
3) Do you think the U.S. has a obligation to help South America? Why or why not?

Slide in EPA Clean Water Criminal Enforcement Continues Under Obama

picture: http://askmissa.com/2010/04/06/aveda-institute-washington-dc-hosts-fundraisers-to-support-clean-water-initiatives/

article: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/10/25/25greenwire-slide-in-epa-clean-water-criminal-enforcement-83471.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Under the Obama administration, criminal enforcement of federal water-pollution is now in place, according to the EPA. 32 new Clean Water Act convictions have been reported also. The last count had been 42, and this year is down from 28 to 21. Nearly 60 percent of these cases have been dropped recently.

All "navigable" waters are protected by this law, and this causes controversy. Congress has repeatedly failed in eliminating the word "navigable."

With Obama's consent, EPA is now going to toughen the enforcement of our nation's water pollution laws by working to close legal loopholes, hiring more investigators, and bringing more cases against polluters. This is being done to decrease the amount of legal ambiguities that have dodged the Clean Water Act enforcement.

Opinion: I think it's great that the number of polluters has gone down, but it's not good to hear that people have been getting away with polluting. At least the EPA is working on fixing this problem, and making sure that everyone pays for their actions. To me, polluting water is a crime that should be accounted for. Another thing that was brought to my attention was the fact that it's only illegal to pollute a "navigable" waterway. This means that streams, ponds, and such aren't protected! This is a problem that should be fixed in my opinion.

1) Can you find any more information regarding the number of people accused for polluting waters?

2) Do you think that it's a good or a bad thing that the numbers of polluters (caught) have gone down? Does this mean that there are less, or just less caught?

3) What else do you think could fix this problem if there is a way?

Expect More Floods as Global Water Cycle Speeds Up

One of the largest signs of global warming, along with the glaciers melting and temperature rising, is that there is 20 percent more freshwater flowing into the world’s oceans than there was 10 years ago.

NASA and university researchers have found, by using satellite observations, that rivers and melting ice sheets delivered 18 percent more water to the oceans in 2006 than 1994. To put that into perspective that is like adding a whole Mississippi river to the oceans every year.

Even though more water in rivers means more water for agriculture and daily uses, this increase has a lot more negatives than positives, considering a good deal of water is going to the arctics, tropics, and is collected into huge storms which destroy many countries’ buildings and architectures. And it’s only the beginning, because events like the deadly floods of Pakistan are expected to come more and more according to scientists.

Why is the water cycle speeding up? Sandra Postel, the director of the Independent Global Water Policy Project, says “As the atmosphere warms from the addition of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, it can hold more moisture. As a result, more water evaporates from the oceans, leading to thicker clouds that then dump more rainfall over the land. That heavier-than-normal rain can then produce massive flooding as it runs back toward the sea, where the cycle begins all over again.”

Scientists have expected this rapid cycle increases for some time, but for the first time they can use satellites to monitor this trend and are able to measure it.

Opinion: Like all of our other blogs, this topic is also very important and could potentially affect everyone’s life in some way. This fact specifically did not surprise me at all considering that you hear all the time about how the glaciers are melting and are adding a dangerous amount of water to the Earth. Unfortunately, this is one of those topics that is hard to blame one source for and is even harder to combat. But it also shows that since modern scientific research tells us that major floods and droughts are on the horizon, adapting to these changes is becoming just important as slowing them down.

1. Research one major contributor (other than millions of cars on the road) to global warming that is drastically increasing it.

2. How does this excess amount of water compare to the other topics about water shortage/scarcity?

3. What are two specific positives to this superfluous amount of water?

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/10/more-water-flooding-postel.html

The Water Crisis

Title: Water, Water Everywhere but not a Clean Drop to Drink

Author, date, and publication not provided.

http://purewaterfortheworld.org/the-problem/

We have been studying this in class since we got that huge packet on the hydrosphere. Water is scarce. The problem is that we need it to survive and without it we will die. Water purification really isn't a big issue where we are living now, but in other parts of the water it is. Over 1.2 billion people are without clean drinking water. In fact as stated in the article, as you read the article by the time you're an estimated twenty human beings will have died due to unclean water. It is almost like a domino effect. If children get sick from bad drinking water then they cannot go to school. If they do not go to school they will not receive a proper education and if they cannot go to school then there parents usually have to miss work to stay with them while they are sick. From this parents are not getting their work done and my loose jobs or income. If clean drinking water is achieved then the poverty levels would decrease greatly because of the domino effect. When a young boy was asked from the person interviewing, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" His answer was simply, "Alive." (It was not stated who the interviewer was or who the young boy was) This crisis is going on all over our world and we must act on it as supporting humans. The problem is clean drinking water, but many problems happen because of this.

Opinion: This is a terrible crisis that I could not imagining having to deal with in everyday life. I leave for school and grab a water bottle knowing it is clean water knowing i won't get sick. Kids in other parts of the world do not have this ability. It is truly sad and I wish the solution would come faster before more lives are taken due to bad drinking water.

Questions 3:

#1-How could you help?

#2-What organizations could help?

#3-Name two ways we could help fix this problem?

Uranium in Groundwater?

Uranium in Groundwater? 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale



ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2010)

Recent studies at the University at Buffalo has shown that drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas, also known as "fracking", is causing uranium to be released into the ground.  The uranium eventually percolates down and enters groundwater. 

Uranium is naturally found within Marcellus shale.  This massive rock formation is located in New York and strethces down through Pennsylvania and Ohio, to West Virginia.  Marcellus shale is starting to become the nation's largest source of natural gas.

' "Marcellus shale naturally traps metals such as uranium and at levels higher than usually found naturally, but lower than manmade contamination levels," says Tracy Bank, PhD, assistant professor of geology in UB's College of Arts and Sciences and lead researcher. "My question was, if they start drilling and pumping millions of gallons of water into these underground rocks, will that force the uranium into the soluble phase and mobilize it? Will uranium then show up in groundwater?" ' (ScienceDaily).

To test her inquiry, Tracy and her colleagues tested the grounds of drilled Marcellus shale with sensitive chemical instruments.  Their results showed that they are not only found physically together, but are also chemically bound to each other.  This could be an extremely dangerous event if the contaminated water reaches the surface by causing the water to become a hazardous waste.

Opinion:  This is extremely alarming!  Uranium is one of the deadliest toxins in the world, and knowing that some is in our groundwater is horrific.  Even knowing that it's even in our own state of Pennsylvania is more frightening!  There must be something done immediately about this drilling before it starts affecting our environment.  Either some regulations or health precautions must be done by the government or EPA.  Hopefully this problem will be taken care of ASAP!

Questions:
1. Did you ever think there would be this dangerous of a contaminate in our groundwater?
2. Who do you think will act first to this problem?
3. Is this the only way that uranium can enter our water?  Name some other ways.

Go Wild: Celebrate National Wildlife Refugee Week

http://environment.about.com/

National Wildlife Refugee week is this week! Unfortunately it is almost over as it runs October 10th to the 16th. This week features special events and festivals that attempt to make an effort for the American society to get in touch with their own wildlife. The system of wildlife refugee was officially establish in 1903. The first wildlife refugee was named by President Theodore Roosevelt. It was tiny Pelican Island which is off of the Florida coast. Now there is more than 550 wildlife refugees and many more protection areas for different types of wildlife. There is at least one in all 50 states of the United States of America. This week provides every American to make an effort to get to know their wildlife as pretty much every refugee is within an hour drive from the major cities in each state.

Opinion: I think this week is great. Although I've never attended it and probably never will I think people who are interested in these types of things definitely should look into it. I feel it would be a great field trip idea too for an environmental science class like ours. If Mrs. Deluca could find where there nearest one is she could use it for future classes.

Questions:

1. Would you like to attend this week?

2.Do you think this week is really necessary?

3. Why do you think this week even exists?

Men Perspire, Women Glow

Men Perspire, Women Glow

             ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2010)

New studies have shown that men sweat more and more easily than women.  One reason for this has to do with testosterone in men.  Testosterone outputs more perspiration than estrogen.  Sweat happens when the body's core temperature increases, activating the sweat glands to try to cool down the body (even though it may feel as if you're getting hotter).   

Another reason may be how both males and females have evolved over thousands of years.  Yoshimitsu Inoue commented: 'Women generally have less body fluid than men and may become dehydrated more easily,' he explains. 'Therefore the lower sweat loss in women may be an adaptation strategy that attaches importance to survival in a hot environment, while the higher sweat rate in men may be a strategy for greater efficiency of action or labour.'

Inoue says that future studies will look more at different kinds of sweat in differents conditions, and how they differ with men and women.  As a physical trainer, he is very observant of these things and will work on the next study very tactfully.

Meanwhile, Inoue still thinks that both men and women should be in shape and exercise regularly in order to regulate sweat.

Opinion:  I never knew this.  I always thought that women just didn't try as hard as men.  It surprised me that women had less body fluid than man, which supports one of the reasons that they don't sweat as much.  Although women don't sweat as much as men, which some can see as an advantage, I see it as a disadvantage because this makes them more prone to dehydration.  Even though men and women sweat differently, they should both take precautions before exercising and heat waves.

1. Did you honestly even notice the difference between men and women sweating?
2. What is an advantage of sweating a lot for men?
3. Search the internet or another source to see which sex is dehydrated more and explain the results.

Half the Amazon Rainforest to be Lost by 2030

http://www.naturalnews.com/023673_Amazon_rainforest.html; http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0407-hance_us_east.html

Due to the effects of global warming and deforestation, more than half of the Amazon rainforest may be destroyed or severely damaged by the year 2030, according to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

WWF’s report explains that 55% of the Amazon will be either destroyed or severely damaged within the next 20 years because of spreading suburbs, the timber industry, droughts, agriculture, fires, and livestock. Another contributor is global warming which is reducing the amount of precipitation.

Also, by 2100, global warming will reduce precipitation by 20% and increase temperatures by 4 degrees which will further increase forest fires.

Considering that the Amazon contains about half of the Earth’s rainforest, too much damage will result in a noticeable effect on the climate.

The report also predicts that the “point of no return” will be in 15-25 years, a lot sooner than originally thought.

According to a study appearing in Bioscience, the US has lost almost 4 million hectares between 1973 and 2000.

Opinion: Going along with our last discussion about cars affecting the environment, this topic is also a monumental contribution to global warming. It is critical to our future that we not only stabilize our forest population but also turn it around and increase the population.

1: What are some major logging companies that are contributing to global warming?

2. What are some major organizations that are helpful to stopping deforestation and how do they help?

3. How can south American authorities prevent too many fires?

The Road to More Fuel-Efficient Cars

http://tugatnature.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/the-road-to-more-fuel-efficient-cars/

Lately, the U.S. has been continuing to reduce oil consumption, and there is both good and bad news coming from that. The good news is that automakers have been selling American cars with more fuel efficient engines. Surprisingly, 25 years ago an engine could only extract half as much power from a gallon of gas as today. The problem is that over the years cars have been increasing in size and power, so more oil is being consumed by these vehicles. While trying to make cars more fuel efficient, we have actually just been making cars bigger with more muscle.

It is possible that in a short amount of time automakers will be pressured to meet certain fuel economy standards. There are also gas tax proposals that haven't gotten much political support. The most recent proposal for standards is to achieve 34 mpg for new cars and trucks by 2016. Some groups have even set requirements of up to 60 mpg! These new standards would add approximately $950 to the price of the car, but save $4000 in fuel costs over the entire life of the car.

Opinion: There are many different opinions and ideas on this topic. I believe that we should set requirements to save on both fuel costs and efficiency, but not right at the moment. We definitely need to give automakers time to engineer these fuel efficient cars and be able to sell them at a reasonable price. Six years may be too short of a time frame to complete this task, but we do need to seriously think about changing our ways. With the billions of cars constantly driving everywhere, standards should be set. I for one care a lot about the environment, so if this will help, I'm all for it.

1) What year do you think is a reasonable time to force automakers to have made this adjustment?

2) How much do you think these standards will help the environment (particularly the pollution)?

3) Do you think the majority of the population will agree to buying these improved cars for a higher price, or rather stick to the cheaper vehicles that are worse for the environment?

working and shopping from home is worse for enviornment

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?5346
In recent study, enviornmentalists found that shopping or workking from home may actually be worse for the enviornment then friving to work or the store. Contrary to common belief both activities increase carbon emmisions. Not only that, but telecommuting can increase your monthly bill by up to 30%! Telecommuting can also increase the chance that someone will accept a job farther away from their house or urban center.
However, in some cirrcumstance telecommunicating CAN BE a better alternative. For example, one has to buy enough products, about 25 simultaniously, or replacea shopping trip that would have been a long drive.
Proffesor Phil Blythe Chair states that this new data tells us 2 things. One is that climate change isd a real threat to our planet, so we can't get overwelmed by the task, and use rebound efects as our excuse, Second, We must make sure that rebound effects don't override the possitive benefits of the current policys, and don't just move carbon emmisions from one sector to another.

Opinion:
I don't think that it this data really makes a whole lot of difference. If the two ways to work and shop are equally as bad for the enviornment it doesn't really matter which one we do. Until a better way to work/shop comes out this data really is useless other than just the eye-opener of wow, telecommuting isn;'t as enviornmentally friendly as I thought.

Questions:
1) What is a good alternatoive to telecommuting or driving to work or a store.
2) In what ways is telecommuting better for the enviornment, in what ways is it worse?
3) What precautions do you think will be taken in the futeure to make shopping and working better for the enviornment?

Get Involved September 25, 2010! Volunteer to Cleanup the World's Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds!

Ever felt an urge to clean up Earth's natrual water sourses but not quite sure how or when? Well, boy have I got news for you! On September 25th 2010, the EPA is sponsering the annual event called the International Costal Cleanup (ICC)! It is the largest volunteer effort to to clean up Earth's marine enviornment. This event spans over 100countries and cobers all of Earth's major water sources.

Last year about hald a million people participated in this epic event. Overall they removed 7.4 million lbs, about 10.2 debis items, of debris from 6000 costal, shoreline, and underwater sites. Of all the debris found, 60% of it was classified as disposable. Included in that was over 512, 517 disposable spoons, forks and knives were found. This is enough for over 100,000 people to enjoy a picnic together.

Some event that are close to us are the New York and Washington D.C. Urban Waters/ICC events. These events will feature some special speakers, cleanup actiities, and also give you good advice on how to help cleanup your neighbor hood.

Opinion: I think it's great that we have a sucessful international costal cleanup program. It is very important to the enviornment that these coast stay clean. Its also a great way to volunteer your time and also enjoy yourself at the same time. I'm very glad that this many people have taken action and care about the enviornment enough to take their time to help keep coastal areas clean.

Questions:

1) Why is it so important that we keep our coasts clean?

2) What have you done to help the enviornment?

3)If you had the opertunity would you participate in this event?

United States: Decrease in Bubonic Plague Cases May Be an Effect of Climate Change

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/health/

21glob.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis) is a bacterium that lives in the blood of some rodents. Each year, approximately ten to twenty Americans catch it. One to three of these people die. Today, most cases of plague are located at the meeting place of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado; also known as Four Corners. This is caused mostly in rodent-infested housing, where victims in most cases live.

Ferrets and prairie dogs are hosts to this bacterium, and when fleas infesting these animals travel closer to humans, it is passed off. Examples of this passing are when fleas transfer the disease to mice, squirrels, or rats, who somewhat interact with pets, that give it to humans.

Although global warming may seem harmful, and in no way beneficial, it could be helping us with this problem. It's possible that global warming is reducing the amount of bubonic plague in the US. Higher temperatures show less cases of plague, for multiple reasons. Warmer weather causes snow to melt, which leads to drier soil in rodent burrows. Fleas die when the soil becomes too dry.

Even with higher temperatures, it is still possible for new outbreaks of the disease, as closeness to infected animals increases. Despite this, antibiotics can be used to cure it when caught early enough.

Opinion: I think that we need to keep a very close eye on this disease, and the many factors to it. It is definitely good that global warming is helping the problem, but even that causes more issues on other topics. It is very necessary to wash hands often, especially after touching animals (even your pets!). Ridding of flea infested rodents in highly populated areas is also a good idea. I'm also confident that more research will be done on the disease, and antibiotics (and cures) will be improved. I for one hope that more will be done about bubonic plague, because I do not want to catch it!

Questions:

What else do you think can be done about bubonic plague to benefit humans?

Do you think that global warming is really helping to rid of the bacterium? Or is it just coincidence?

What other information do you know about the topic? Any other sites?

Turtles in Trouble















http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/41775

So far this group has talked exclusively about animals on the edge of extinction. And I will not be the one to stop that streak

The human race’s harmful ignorance is once again pointed out. According to a new analysis by Conservation International, more than a third of the world's 280 freshwater turtle species are threatened with extinction. CI’s recent analysis has pointed out that the recent drop in population for turtles is mainly because of people harvesting turtles and their eggs for food. Because turtles are believed to have medicinal curing properties, turtles are very beneficial, especially in China and Asia.

Dr Peter van Dijk, the director of CI’s Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program, explains how such harvesting impacts long-lived turtle populations. “These are animals that take 15 to 20 years to reach maturity and then live for another 30 to 40 years, putting a clutch of eggs in the ground every year. They play the odds, hoping that in that 50 year lifetime, some of their hatchlings will somehow evade predators and go on to breed themselves. But if you take these animals out before they've reached 15 and can reproduce, it all ends there.”

Some of the reasons why the turtles residing in the rivers are losing population are because of damning for hydroelectricity and mining.

CI also went to into detail about the ten most endangered species, some of which have only four individuals in those species.

Even though half of the world’s wetlands are already lost and two-thirds of major rivers are dammed there is still a possibility to help these fascinating creatures.

Opinion: Even though these guys aren’t the most fascination or majestic animals, they still are apart of our ecosystem just as much as any other animal. It is absolutely ridiculous that there are so much of these turtles that basically the only ones of their species. We need to do our part to not just help turtles but to help all these other animals out.

What are some things you could talk to your community about to help turtles?

Why would turtles be so valuable for medicine?

What are some good turtle saving organizations and how are they effective?

How to Save the Wild Tiger

http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/41776

The number one rated animal in the world according to a poll performed by the channel Animal Planet, is on the brink of extinction. This animal is the tiger. Yes, the tiger is the number one rated animal in the world beating out the dog. Unfortuntley, this beautiful animal is beginning to dissapear at a high rate. Globally there is only 3,500 tigers left roughly and only 1,000 are females with the potential to breed. In the countries of Cambodia, China, Vietnam, and North Korea the entire tiger population is gone.Co-author of the Journals PLoS Biology, John Robinson, said, "The tiger is facing its last stand as a species...we are confident that the world community will come together to bring these iconic big cats back from the brink of extinction." Some of the causes are habitat loss, capture or killing by humans, and over hunting of their prey. Basically the main factor in the loss of the tigers is the humans need to use the tigers body parts for medicine. The 42 source site solution seems to be the only way to fix this horrible problem. The 42 source site are sites containing breeding populations and have the best chance to seed the tigers recovery of a large area for the future. These sites could be a perfect spot for a possible 70 percent of the tiger population across the globe. Many countries already have these sites in place and in the fall Russia is hosting what they are calling a "tiger summit" to promote these hopefully problem solving sites.

Opinion: I think the tiger is a beautiful animal and we should definitely preserve this animal. No animal deserve to go extinct because of humans. We should be able to find ways around using the tiger's body parts as medicine. We need to promote the sites all around the globe for the extinction to no longer happen.

Questions: What could you do to help the tiger extinction?

Why do we have to use the tiger body parts for medicine?

Do you have any other idea besides the sites for help for the tiger?

Penguin Population Declining

Most Penguin Populations Continue to Decline, Biologists Warn

ScienceDaily (Sep. 9, 2010)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100906145115.htm

Studies show that the penguin population is decreasing.  Penguins are found exclusively in the southern hemisphere in South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and some Antarctic islands.  There are around fourteen different species, and all of them are decreasing in population.  The decrease is mainly caused by four things.  The first is climate change.  This causes a change in water temperature, melting ice,  and a less acceptable condition for the penguins to live in.  These things are important for their fish, homes, mating, nesting, and migrating.  Second, is overfishing. "As fishing efforts around the globe have multipled several fold over the last few decades, penguins are now competing with people for enough food" (ScienceDaily).  The more fish we have means the less fish they have.  Penguins mainly rely on small fish for food, so this is causing starvation for a handful of species.  Third, is the large number of oil spills in the world each year.  This is creating a harsh environment for the penguins.  Oil spills kill thousands of penguins each year.  Lastly, is the increased population of mammals in Australia and New Zealand.  This includes cats and foxes that often prey on penguins.  Many of these problems are caused by humans, and we are the ones who can fix them.  I sure don't want one of nature's cutest and silliest animals to go extinct!

Opinion: All of these problems are caused by us.  The only thing we must do is be careful and consider what will and could possibly happen to these beautiful birds.

Consider the following:
What could you do to help the penguins?
How do you think the penguins became so spread out among the southern hemisphere?
Do you think relocating all of the penguins in one specific area would help incline their population?