The bleak scene is completed by stands of lifeless pillar coral, ravaged by a bacterial disease that swept through the Keys last summer. A nearby brain coral is split by jagged white lines, further evidence of disease. The origins of many coral diseases are vague but at least one major outbreak has been linked to human faecal waste: the Keys only gained a fully functioning sewer system during the past decade. Recent research has found that these diseases will worsen as the oceans warm. … [Read more...] about Back from the brink: the global effort to save coral from climate change
Climate change
Stephen Hawking says humans must find another planet to live on within 100 years or face extinction
The documentary sees Hawking and his former student Christophe Galfard explore the latest advances in astronomy, biology and rocket technology that will make it possible for humans to live on Mars. … [Read more...] about Stephen Hawking says humans must find another planet to live on within 100 years or face extinction
How profit-driven inbreeding could bring the world dairy herd to its knees
Breeders are aware of these potential problems, but they try to compensate for it in different ways, rather than changing their overall strategy. “They try to negate any health problems that emerge by giving specific vitamins and drugs to the animals,” Joost says. “And if it’s too expensive to cure them from a particular disease, they let them die. They also buy frozen semen from different banks across Europe, which contains the original genetic material of the species, and inject that into females in the herd at regular intervals to try to maintain the genetic diversity at a certain level.” … [Read more...] about How profit-driven inbreeding could bring the world dairy herd to its knees
Men who are ‘couch potatoes’ and spend a lot of time watching TV are more likely to want to be muscular and hit the gym, study shows
Coronavirus lockdown is causing millions of Britons to try... Stay in shape while stuck at home: From yoga and cardio to... Promoted People are more likely to snack faster when someone else is... Tonic for climate change: Vodka made from carbon dioxide... … [Read more...] about Men who are ‘couch potatoes’ and spend a lot of time watching TV are more likely to want to be muscular and hit the gym, study shows
Australia is uniquely up to the task of solving ‘wicked’ problems around inequality
This is not easy, but one thing my visit has reinforced is that Australians don’t shy away from a challenge. In fact, as research by my hosts the Centre for Policy Development shows, Australians might be uniquely up for the task of rebuilding the effectiveness of their democracy. Already, you have major institutions making a big difference. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, now the largest state green bank in the world, is one leading example of a public institution playing a critical role in Australia’s clean energy innovation system and emissions reduction. Australia’s public servants also played a pivotal role in drafting and shaping the global Sustainable Development Goals, from which a whole set of Australian “moonshots” could be chosen. … [Read more...] about Australia is uniquely up to the task of solving ‘wicked’ problems around inequality
