Trees may be easy to spot on the plains of Africa but they are often overlooked as a source of income for farmers. A University of Illinois study shows trees on farms may help reduce rural poverty and maintain biodiversity.
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Spanish scientists create a 3D bioprinter to print human skin
Scientists from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), CIEMAT (Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research), Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, in collaboration with the firm BioDan Group, have presented a prototype for a 3D bioprinter that can create totally functional human skin. This skin is adequate for transplanting to patients or for use in research or the testing of cosmetic, chemical, and pharmaceutical products.
6 High-Tech Innovations That Could Solve Our Food-Waste Woes
These cutting-edge technologies are revolutionizing the notion of waste not, want not.
Americans can be a wasteful bunch. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service estimates that our country threw away 38 million tons of food, the equivalent of every person in the country junking two-thirds of a pound every day. We dumped milk that had spoiled, vegetables that had turned brown and hamburger patties we were too full to eat. Not only did this excess cost us a collective $161 billion, it caused unnecessary environmental strain. Food waste, after all, is the most common material in landfills and incinerators, constituting 21.6 percent of all solid waste, according to the U.S.D.A. To fix the problem, there are some easy strategies each household should adopt (hint: buy less, freeze more, compost). But there are also some high-tech innovations that could revamp the entire food supply. Below, the most promising efforts at reducing waste, from the time food is first harvested all the way to its final destination in a dumpster.
To improve health and exercise more, get a gym membership, Iowa State study suggests
If your New Year’s resolution was to exercise more in 2017, chances are you’ve already given up or you’re on the verge of doing so. To reach your goal, you may want to consider joining a gym, based on the results of a new study from a team of Iowa State University researchers.
Obama's clean energy legacy - how long can it last?
President Trump comes into office determined to discard huge swathes of his predecessor's legacy on day one, writes Mark Barteau. But he will struggle to undo Obama's clean energy regulations. It's not just that they are legally robust, it's also that energy markets in the US and the wider world have shifted firmly, and irreversibly, towards efficiency and renewables. Sorry, Mr Trump.
Un futuro bajo en carbono
Cumplir con la promesa del Acuerdo de París de 2015 sobre el cambio climático, acerca del objetivo de limitar el aumento de la temperatura media mundial de la superficie desde tiempos preindustriales a 2 grados Celsius, requerirá una dramática transición de los combustibles fósiles hacia fuentes de energía bajas en carbono. Para trazar esa transición, los tomadores de decisiones recurren rutinariamente a escenarios de energía, que utilizan modelos computacionales para proyectar cambios a la combinación de energía que se necesitarán para cumplir con las metas climáticas y ambientales.