Actress Sandra Cóias launches line of vegan shoes

The actress Sandra Cóias recently launched a line of vegan shoes â€" a Walk in My Shoes, which do not use animal products, and its production is made on domestic soil.

"The brand is defined by design shoes, of course, but most of all, without any product of animal origin, using materials of excellent quality and giving priority to respect the environment," says the actress said in a statement.

Sandra Cóias, who is vegan and "mother" of 17 dogs and cats, believes that if it can "make a difference, respecting animals and honoring its beauty". In place of animal skins, the collection, which is designed by the actress, uses alternative materials such as Italian Microfiber, an alternative to leather, and synthetic fur. The soles are also ecological, not containing petroleum products.

The materials used on the line Walk in My Shoes from companies "committed to sustainable development, in environmental protection and with international certifications to the highest production standards."

"Technology and nature offer many options today and I hope I can inspire people to live in a more ethical, respecting animals and our planet, without need to give up the comfort and quality," said Sandra Cóias.

The actress goes even further in defending the cause animal and, for each pair of shoes Walk in My Shoes sold, a donation is made of part of the value of the sale to associations or causes that "aimed at the well-being of one or more animals." Collection prices vary between €121 (R$373,4) and 180 (R$555,4).

This line of footwear released by Sandra Cóias come join other Portuguese brands of shoes, such as ecological example of nae, established in 2008 by a Portuguese and a Spanish.

Vis-à-vis companies bet on cleaner shoes footwear, there is already in Portugal a certification for these products, the Biocalce, a certification awarded by the footwear technological center of Portugal.

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China: pollution is raising price of sperm up to € 3,600

China is finally acknowledging the consequences, in terms of health, of decades of pollution in the country â€" one official report acknowledged recently that pollution is destroying the physical and mental health of Chinese.

So, and after several episodes related to the effects of pollution on population of the Asian country â€" including the case of lung cancer from a child of eight years â€" the latest indication of the tragic situation is related to fertility: about 40 million people between 20 and 40 years old â€" 12.5% of the population â€" have fertility problems.

According to the Quartz, the Chinese are increasingly infertile. Li Zheng, a doctor at the main Shanghai sperm bank, says that two-thirds of the sperm specimens failed the standards of who (World Health Organization). So, the sperm is a well so scarce that he comes to cost € 3,600 ($ 11.3 million) on the black market.

According to the aggregator, the Government has recently increased subsidies for sperm donors, in order to increase their number. Is that China, despite its immense population, is one of the countries most aged in the world. And unless the Government drastically reduce pollution, and truth is that the Asian giant may have a serious fertility problem in coming years. "If China does not protect the environment, humans will see a real catastrophe of infertility," explained Li to the Shanghai Morning Post.

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Students develop device that converts microwaves into electricity

Two students at Duke University, in the United States, have developed a device that is capable of collecting electromagnetic signals of other devices, in this case the microwaves, and convert them into electricity.

In this way, this device, built from Metamaterials-materials that are produced artificially, endowed with physical properties that are not normally found in nature â€" can capture the "waste" of other electromagnetic devices, such as satellites or the Wi-Fi devices, and turning them into electricity.

The team â€" Allen Hawkes and Alexander Katko-, which is supervised by the professor and researcher of electrical engineering and computing, Steven Cummer, says that the circuito11 created is capable of converting the electromagnetic radiation in 7.3 volts of electricity. Such capacity is comparable to USB chargers for mobile devices that provide about five volts of power.

"We've been looking for more energy-efficient as possible," says Hawkes, quoted by Gizmag, revealing that so far achieved an efficiency of 37%, which is comparable to the solar panels.

In addition to the microwave, the researchers claim that the device of Metamaterials can be enhanced to capture energy from another range of frequencies, as the sound waves and vibrations.

"Until now, much of the work done with Metamaterials have been theoretical," says Katko. "We are showing that, with a little work, these materials may be useful for consumer applications," he adds.

Students believe that, with some modifications, the device can be used on mobile devices, to transform the microwave energy wasted. Place the appliance on the roofs of the dwellings is another possible applications, since that could turn the microwave sent to Earth by satellites that are in orbit.

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Protests by residents save 800 trees in Queens, New York

The initial plan for changing the location of the tarmac at JFK in New York to the North, across from the Idlewild, stipulated the mass eviction of trees, an assumption necessary to comply with federal safety regulations.

Once the new federal regulations stipulate that airports should provide safety zones at the end of the lanes, the City Park Department scored hundreds of trees as dangerous, when the planes fly at low altitude.

Despite the Park's Department have tried to calm the villagers, claiming, first, would cut invasive species and replacing them with trees that needed less land, residents fought against the relocation. In addition to the loss of trees, they feared that the smaller flights become unusable Park and surrounding areas very loud.

To avoid cutting hundreds of trees, the port authority has reviewed the plan, giving up relocation and keeping the track in its original location. The airport operator added that, instead of cutting the trees, in the future would first explore the option of installing lights, alerting pilots of its existence.

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Melting all the ice on the planet would transform Coimbra in coastal town

There are more than eight million cubic kilometres of ice on Earth. Some scientists believe that it would take approximately 5,000 years to melt. But, if we continue to increase the levels of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it is very likely that derretamos all the ice on Earth well before the age of five thousand years. If this happens, the water level of the sea would rise 66 meters and the average temperature of the planet would of 14.4° C to 26.6° c.

National Geographic did a graphical simulation would happen if all the ice on the planet Earth to melt and fuse with the oceans. The conclusion is that the consequences would be devastating to the continental coastal areas.

In the case of Portugal, the entire coastal line would disappear as the algarvian coast. Porto and Lisbon would be completely submerged and cities like Chen would be coastal areas.

The rest Europe, countries like the Netherlands and Denmark would be completely submerged. The United Kingdom would become a kind of patchwork and London would disappear, as well as Venice, in Italy. The waters of the Mediterranean would expand and would swallow the Black Sea and the Caspian.

In South America, a considerable part of the Amazon would be submerged and Australia would win an inland sea and its coastal zone, where most of the population lives, would disappear.

Here's what would happen to Portugal and the rest of the world if the sea level to rise 66 meters. And, in the pictures below, see how each continent, considering the current map (white lines) and the map likely.

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English photographer captures wildlife yawning

The wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein recently published a series of photos of animals with sleep-and yawn. "These photos are a tribute to all who will hear a powerpoint presentation today. You have my sympathy, "joked Goldstein, who managed to figure out the exact moment in which fierce predators have a moment of reflection â€" and we all know how yawning can be contagious.

One of the animals is not "caught" to yawn, though, is the chimpanzee. Still, and according to Swedish researchers, the capacity of a chimp in catch the yawns develops gradually with age â€" as in humans.

The young chimpanzees â€" between five and eight years old â€" can catch the yawns of humans, but babies are immune. Which suggests that humans and other animals share a general pattern of development.

See some of the pictures of Goldstein.

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Climate: polar bear attack two people in Canada

The attack by a polar bear to two people in Canada, led to new scientists ' warnings on the danger of increased viewing of these animals, driven by heating of the Arctic.

Some friends had left a party before dawn, when the polar bear crawled until they, imperceptibly. The neighbors tried to fend off the animal with a shovel, banging pots and pans, but two people were severely attacked.

The attack, which took place in the Centre of Churchill, occurred around five o'clock in the morning of November 1, when a young couple volunteered to accompany a friend home off the Halloween party. Floor accompanied is a common prevention in the city, in the months of October and November, since the polar bears range from land to ice zones closest to the Bay.

The bear, described by witnesses as a sub-adult, was killed later by Manitoba Conservation officers. Another bear, a mother with a baby, was also shot to death following the episode. The smallest was given a tranquilizer, being taken to the Zoo, Winnipeg.

The woman-as many of the witnesses of the attack-was a seasonal worker who came to Churchill to work at the restaurant during the busy tourist season. The man was a local resident, experienced in dealing with the bears.

According to the Guardian, this episode â€" the second violent attack since September â€" has shaken the small town of 900 people, on Hudson Bay and known as the polar bear capital of the world.

The attack was also a warning from the Arctic warming, derived from climate change. The loss of ice is taking the hungry bears to near humans â€" and hunting, with lethal consequences for both, claim scientists.

"We anticipate that, in uncertain times, the bears become hungry when the absence of sea ice is longer. Increasingly animals venture in the communities, in the villages, invade food caches, looking in garbage and attack people. We can predict that these types of events are more frequent and severe due to climate change, "said Steven Amstrup, Chief Scientist of Polar Bears International.

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