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If someone were to set up a telephone booth sized box on your street filled with unwanted items — such as books, toys and small knick knacks, perhaps — and then topped it off with a “Free” sign, what do you think would happen? If Switzerland is any indication, passersby turned salvagers and recyclers would appear out of nowhere, sifting their way through other people’s unwanted discards, thinking up ways to put their newfound discoveries to good (re)use. Some would even add their own unwanted items to the box. Neighborhood exchange boxes have helped Geneva, Switzerland reuse 32 tons of goods thus far thanks to a program called BOÎTES D’ÉCHANGE ENTRE VOISINS–A box for exchange between neighbors. But can it work in other cities?

The population of the Amur tiger in Russia has increased to as many as 540 individuals over the last ten years, according to figures released by the Russian government.
 
“I am pleased to see that the number of Amur tigers in Russia has increased in all the key areas where WWF has been working for many years,” said Igor Chestin, Head of WWF-Russia. “This success is due to the commitment of Russia’s political leadership and the tireless dedication of rangers and conservationists in very difficult conditions.”

One of the more famous images in biology is known as "Photo 51," an image of DNA that chemist Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling created in 1952 by shooting X-rays through fibers of DNA and analyzing the patterns they left behind on film.

X-ray diffraction image of the double helix structure of the DNA molecule, taken in 1952. The image, famously known as "Photo 51," led to greater understanding of DNA and gave rise to the field of molecular biology. Image by Raymond Gosling/King's College London

En lo que se cree que es el primer estudio de su tipo en los Estados Unidos, los investigadores del Centro Médico Langone de la Universidad de Nueva York, han descubierto que hasta un 6 por ciento de los adultos neoyorquinos que han sido tatuados, han experimentado algún tipo de erupción cutánea relacionada con el tatuaje, picazón severa o hinchazón que duró más de cuatro meses y en algunos casos por muchos años.

Estamos cosechando las recompensas del Protocolo de Montreal, con la capa de ozono en mucho mejor forma de lo que hubiera sido sin el tratado de la ONU, según un nuevo estudio publicado en Nature Communications.

El autor principal del estudio, el profesor Martyn Chipperfield, de la Escuela de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente de la Universidad de Leeds, dijo: "Nuestra investigación confirma la importancia del Protocolo de Montreal y muestra que ya hemos tenido beneficios reales. Sabíamos que nos salvaría de una gran pérdida de ozono ’en el futuro’ pero en realidad ya dejamos atrás el punto en que las cosas se habrían tornado notablemente peor".