The effect of medicines on biodiversity?

Powerful medicines discharged to the environment through the sewers humans and animals can be a hidden cause of global biodiversity crisis, according to a new study published in the Special Edition of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society b.

According to the report, the use of medications designed to be biologically active at low concentrations is increasing rapidly, but little is known about its effect on the natural world.

Studies on pharmacological contamination on wildlife are rare, but the new study, published today, reveals that antidepressants reduce feeding of starlings and decimate the population of anti-contraceptivos fish in the Lakes.

"There are thousands of medicines to be used globally and they have the potential of powerful effects wildlife ecosystems. Having regard to the great benefits of these medicines, there is a need for that science considers more faithful the risks that they have on the environment, "explained Kathryn Arnold, University of York.

"Given that the populations of many species that live in environments altered by man are decreasing for reasons we can't explain it completely, we believe that it is time to explore the emerging challenges," continued. And one of those challenges is related to the pollution of medicines.

In recent years were discovered a few examples of wildlife contaminated by drugs, and the Outlook is not rosy: some male fish with female organs due to synthetic hormones used in birth control pills, and vultures, in India, to be decimated by anti-inflammatory medications given to cattle whose carcasses they feed.

On the other hand, intersex frogs have been discovered in Lakes contaminated urban oor wastewater. The most dangerous drugs have been identified in a study of Annette Kuster and Nicole Adler, of the Federal German Environment Agency. "For medicinal products for humans [are] hormones, antibiotics, painkillers, anti-depressants and medicines against cancer", explained. Veterinary products, on the other hand, hormones, antibiotics and antiparasitic.

Foto: LouisvilleUSACE / Creative Commons

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Deforestation in West Africa helped spread Ebola

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa could have been avoided if countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea-Conakry had managed their forests better. In fact, the risk of the disease's growth was expected in a decade, according to The Guardian, which explains why.

In the last decade, tropical forests of this region, the natural habitat of fruit bats, have been devastated: Guinea-Conakry lost 80% of its forests, while Liberia sold the rights of deforestation for half of its forests. On the other hand, Sierra Leone will be completely deforested in the coming years.

It is known that the fruit bat houses the Ebola virus and, when their home â€" the forest â€" is decimated, he focuses on what's left of this habitat. At the same time, the business of mining companies became one of the major employers in the region â€" are mainly people who travel regularly within the territory of the bats to enter the mines. Is made the explosive cocktail for the growth of the disease.

Fruit bats carrying the Ebola virus, but usually don't die from it. That is, the virus can easily have migrated from West Africa to the central part of the continent of same outside the birds spread West Nile virus in North America: through migration.

And although bats have long been in the West African communities, there are other routes of transmission beyond the power of indigenous peoples. According to The Guardian, it is possible that the two-year-old boy infected in Guinea-Conakry, believed to have been the first case of Ebola virus, may have eaten contaminated by fruit bats. This form of transmission justifies the fact that the disease has reached the populations of gorillas.

"There is no public health without environmental health," says the Guardian. "Deforestation did not cause the epidemic of Ebola, but ' built '," concluded the newspaper.

Foto: shellac / Creative Commons

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Artist creates intricate works of art at fallen Cook products

Omid Asadi upped the autumnal tradition of catching leaves of various colors to another level. The artist decided to use fallen leaves to create a clipping intricate art. Using only a box cutter, Asadi uses the leaves that are drooping to the ground as your middle, transforming them into figurative scenes of animals, humans and architectural, giving them a new life.

Asadi likes to see their art as a way of looking at the world differently, repairing the natural beauty that surrounds us in an alternative way. Initially, the artist began collecting leaves when he noticed that everyone walking and pontapeava without noticing its color or beauty, referred to Inhabitots. Their favorite leaves to work are the wild oak, both the beauty and the abundance in your area.

Inspired by the paper cut artists, Asadi decided to put his blade in sheets durable and resistant to collapsing. Although the figures that cut the leaves come all of its imaginary, Asadi also leaves the shape of leaves that is inspire. Here are some of the works of this artist.

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Munich wants 100% of clean energy by 2025

Within 11 years, the third German city Munich, wants to stop relying on fossil fuels. The challenge is almost impossible â€" the Stadtwerke München, municipal electricity company, will produce 7.5 billion kilowwats hour of green energy, for a population of more than one million people â€" but the Bavarian town believe there can reach.

Among the various projects already underway to reach the goal highlighted by the installation of a central hidreléctrica installed on the river Isar. The centrla secured energy supply from clean source 4,000 houses in the town. And in Munich Zoo, elephant dung is converted into biofuel.

According to the sustainable planet the Stadtwerke München also has invested in renewable projects in other European countries, as a solar plant in Andalusia, in Spain, and in wind farms in the North Sea, between England and Scandinavia. The electricity produced in these places feed integrated network of Europe. Many companies and local merchants are also doing their part, by opting for clean energy along their electricity companies.

It is true that Germany is one of the most advanced countries in the world when it comes to sustainability initiatives and green technologies, but even this leadership will lead Munich for sustainable energy self-sufficiency by 2025.

Foto: Mihai Dragan / Creative Commons

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The world's scariest steps

If you have dizziness, do not read this article. Some of the main wonders of the Planet are hundreds of meters high, and are likely to be visited from sloping staircases and, sometimes, with few safety conditions.

The Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, has an inclination of 70% â€" do not seem, admittedly â€" even the most adventurous traveller of the world must have some care to climb the Yosemite National Park in California, United States, with its 400 metres of ascent complicated.

Finally, in Machu Picchu, the tourists have to climb 182 metres of granitic rocks; While to get to top of Florli, in Lysefjord, Norway takes over next steps â€" 4,444, the Monumental Stairs, in Coimbra, are child's play.

1. Devil's Cascade, Ecuador

2.Machu Picchu, Peru

3. Janssen Observatory, France

4. great wall of China, China

5. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

6.Escadas Flørli, Norway

7. Time hindu, Malaysia

8. Duomo, Milan, Italy

9. Yosemite National Park, California, United States

10. statue of liberty, New York, United States

11. in Oahu, Hawaii

12. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

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Super Typhoon stronger than year comes to the Pacific

While there have been large tropical storm intensity already this year, the super Typhoon Vongfong currently underway in the Pacific, will be the strongest tropical storm recorded since the beginning of 2014.

With gusts to more than 482 km/h sustained winds and the 249km/h, is the most intense storm to rip through the oceans this year. Currently, Vongfong is listed in category 4, but forecasters indicate that can reach the dangerous category 5 in the next few days.

Last year, the super Typhoon Haiyan became one of the most intense tropical storms of the records. Since the beginning of the year already formed five super typhoons, but none with the intensity of Haiyan. When experiencing warmer waters later this week, the storm is expected to increase in intensity, heading to Japan, referred to the Inhabitat.

Last week, Hurricane Phanfone hit Japan, killing 50 people. Although October is hurricane season, in recent years the number and intensity of tropical storms have been increasing, as a result of climate change.

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The abandoned Sanatorium of Covilhã

In 20 years, the multi-faceted Portuguese architect Cottinelli Telmo designed one of the most iconic buildings of this phase of Portuguese life, the Sanatorium of Covilhã. Today, the building is rehabilitated and reopened to the public as a hotel, but Portuguese photographer John Gago photographed it before rehab, a work presented in the gallery below.

The building of Covilhã was one of the first Portuguese sanatoria, 11 a project commissioned by CP to treat his employees who suffered from tuberculosis. The venue has a wide connection to the clean, fresh air, ideal for those who suffered from this disease

Built between 1928 and 1936, the sanatorium was opened several years later, having worked for nearly four decades. After many decades closed, the building reopened this year as a luxury hotel, the result of an investment of close to $ 20 million â€" of sanitarium for railwaymen to a luxury hotel, a twist of fate.

Cottinelli Telmo continued to create buildings that today stand as highpoints of the architecture of a particular city-as the University City of Coimbra or pattern of discovery, for example. His work encompassed an enormous diversity, having still been film director, writer, poet, designer or musician. However, no work will mean something as esoteric as the sanatorium.

A degree in photography and Visual culture from the Instituto de Artes Visuais, Design e Marketing (IADE) in Lisbon, John the Stutterer has collaborated with newspapers and Public Destak and discovered the passion for photography among the Media Sciences studies.

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