Wednesday, July 23, 2014

What to do with 150,000 plastic bottles? A private island

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Some people wait a whole year to build a solar cooker and make that long-awaited cake, but Richart Sowa waited nearly a decade to be able to enjoy your private island. This old Carpenter joined recycled garbage over almost seven years and built a private island near Cancun, with the material collected.

Richart Sowa joined more than 150,000 bags of plastic bottles, which held the old wooden pallets before the launch in the water. Later, he covered the pallets with sand and Earth, which somehow manages to sustain trees and other plants on their island of 25 metres, referred to Grist. Additionally, mangrove roots grow around the bags containing the bottles, which protects and hides, making the most natural island.

The old Carpenter still uses the garbage bags too heavy to float to build his flower beds, where it grows agave, ginger and hibiscus. Additionally, the island resort to systems of harnessing rainwater and solar panels to generate electricity. Sowa has created a composting Center with which fertilize your plants.

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Poaching of rhinos can reach the peak of the last decade in 2014

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Poaching for rhinos extrapolates the values really well known and, despite efforts to protect animals, 2014 is heading to be the worst year of the last decade when it comes to the number of animals killed by hunters.

Since the beginning of the year, hunters have killed more than 500 rhinos, mostly in South Africa. In 2013, 1,004 were killed rhinos, the highest annual figure since 2006, referred to the Inhabitat. Rhinos are hunted for their horns, which are popular in several Asian countries, where popular belief indicate that the rhino horn powder increases sexual performance.

Since 2007 that poaching has increased about 5000%, despite the efforts of several countries and conservation organizations. More than 80% of the world's rhinos live in South Africa and there are only 25,000 animals in the wild. Most of the deaths recorded this year already took place in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, a popular Park for its safaris and where died 351 rhinos since January.

Foto: davisesq212 / Creative Commons

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The mass migration of animals

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The penguins, zebras migrating animals don't choose continent or species. Every year, millions walk miles to escape predators, find food or water, or to mate-many of these days of walking are passed in complicated terrain.

These photos depict one of the most beautiful and synchronized movements of animal life, on land or at sea. Some examples: 2.5 million flamingos fly to other regions when it comes to mating season; humpback whales travel the greatest distance of migration, about 8,500 miles to each side; about 750 thousand zebras or 1.2 million wildebeest trading area of Ngotongoro, in Tanzania, the Masai Mara, in Kenya.

See some of these photos, absolutely stunning. Missing only the images of human migration.

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7 facts you probably don't know about Blueberry

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The Blueberry crop is quite widespread in the national territory and has great potential to become an important share to the agricultural economy of Portugal. By this time, the Blueberry are fairs across the country. However, probably, there are many facts and benefits over the Blueberry which are of General ignorance. The portal my Well-being shared some of them.

1. protect against memory loss

A study of 2012 indicates that eating at least one cup of blueberries per week slows cognitive decline in several years. A possible explanation for this benefit has to do with the fact that the blueberries protect the brain to eliminate toxic proteins that accumulate in the body, as revealed another study of 2013.

2. u.s. State of Maine is the world's largest producer

Although in Portugal there is great production of the fruit, the u.s. State of Maine is the largest Blueberry producer in the world.

3. can be used as natural food coloring

Due to its strong coloring, the blueberries can be used as natural food coloring. Legends also say that early American settlers were boiling with milk to make gray paint.

4. In perfect condition must have a layer of dust

One way to see if the blueberries are in good condition for consumption is to verify the existence of a thin layer of dust, which gives a more matte appearance to the fruit.

5. should only be washed immediately before consumption

Wash softens the blueberries, which may accelerate their deterioration. As such, only those should wash immediately before consuming.

6. the shrub that gives the Blueberry is a "close relative" of rhododendron

The Blueberry is a species of small shrub and is close relative of rhododendron, a genus of flowering plant whose ingestion is poisonous, and the cranberries, a small shrub that produces edible red berries, known as Cranberry or Blueberry, too-red.

7. many foods flavoured with blueberries aren't actually the fruit

Products such as cereals, muffins, bread of known brands, for example, do not use real blueberries in their products. Instead use dyes, flavourings and sugars to recreate the taste of blueberry.

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Surgery allows the blind to see turtle and swimming

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Last week, hundreds of people gathered on a beach to Charleston, South Carolina, to say goodbye to a turtle, which became known as Briar. The crowd cheered and the flashes fired as the animal more than 90 pounds was walking by the beach towards the sea. The scenario seems happy, but not always was.

Briar was discovered in May last year, in the beach of another beach to Charleston on the verge of death. The body was covered in barnacles â€" which indicates that the lack of health presented made it too exhausted even to move. At the time he was rescued and taken to the Sea Turtle Hospital, animal's vitals were so weak that veterinarians feared that do not survive more than a week. However, Briar survived.

During the following months, the turtle was cleaned and his health began to improve and also gained weight. However, for no apparent reason, the appetite of Briar disappeared as the turtle left to hunt the food that was introduced in the pool. It was then that veterinarians discovered that the turtle had developed cataracts and could not see.

Knowing that the animal could never return to the sea without being able to see the Aquarium's team looked for someone who could help and managed to get in touch with Ann Cook, a specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology. In April this year, after having spent months investigating the falls in marine animals, Cook operated the turtle, who managed to see.

Before freeing the Briar in nature again, the handlers needed to ensure that the animal was fully recovered. As such, the tortoise spent a few more months in the Aquarium, referred to the Dodo. This week, the turtle was finally returned to the natural surroundings and seemed completely adapted.



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Monday, July 21, 2014

20 doors leading to other worlds

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Most doors are hopelessly mundane, but there are exceptions to the rule. More than safeguard entries, these objects can be symbolic portals for different environments and aspects of life. You never know what might be behind a door.

These different ports are hard to find, but there are and all over the world. Since doors decorated or with exceptional works of carpentry, exist for all tastes, referred to Bored Panda.

A door is probably the outside of a building with the highest degree of interaction. As such, these objects do not have to be drab, can be fun and beautiful. In India and in Indonesia there are doors worked and ornamented. In the German Alps, there is a door that leads to the mountains. In Morocco, there are doors with Islamic geometry. In Sintra there is a door that seems to be inserted on a vertical garden and, in Funchal, there are doors painted with images of the famous children's book "the little Prince" or with mermaids.

Discover here some of these unusual doors.

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As fotografias estrelares finalistas do Astronomy Photographer of the Year

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Star trails that spread the sidewalk of the Giants, in Northern Ireland, clouds of dust in colossal shapes molded by cosmic radiation light years away and bright Meteor racing across the sky with the Mount Bromo in Indonesia, as background scenery. These are some of the photos competition finalists Astronomy Photographer of the Year from 2014.

The contest, which is organized by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in partnership with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine, goes in the Sixth Edition and hit a record this year of photos submitted, with more than 2,500 enthusiasts between amateur and professional photographers from around the world to submit your images.

The photo finalists â€" more than 120 â€" include the splendor of aurora borealis above the clouds, photographed from the window of transatlantic flight between London and New York or the milky way reflected in the Snake River in Oxbow Bend, Grand Tenton National Park, in Wyoming, United States.

The variety of scenarios is not limited to the planet Earth. The photographers also captured views of the entire solar system, the milky way and other galaxies. These photos include an image taken during the day of Jupiter, moments before the astronomical alignment of the planet behind the Moon or the scorching heat of Crescent Nebula, glowing in a swirling red and blue.

The winners of the four contest categories and three special prizes will be announced on 17 September and the exhibition of images winners opens its doors to the public the next day at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, says the Daily Mail.

Here are some photos of finalists.

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