NASA is about to commit an eco-sin on a galactic scale.

On October 8th, in search of water, NASA is going to bomb the Moon.

Water on the Moon, you ask? Yes, scientists think there might be evidence of moisture found in the debris plume (which will, by the way, be visible from Earth). I admit, this irks me; I find it strikingly arrogant. Exploration is one thing, but the Moon doesn’t belong to the United States for benefit and exploitation.

Even if water is found, shuttling it back …

Tags: astronomy , bomb , moon , NASA , science , water

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If you’re still chuckling from the weirdest of 2008’s green building designs, pop some popcorn and pull up a chair before you check out the Dragonfly – it’s a 600-meter-tall wing-shaped skyscraper filled with self-sufficient offices and vertical gardens. Would you be happy to see this against the Manhattan skyline?

New Zealand comedian Mike King has been talking green for a while now, yet that didn’t keep him promoting the pork industry – until he …

Tags: eco-footwear , food industry , heirloom tomatoes , lifestyle , prefab houses , science , vertical gardens , wind turbines

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There are few sounds in the natural world that are as soothing as the restless sea – so it’s a shame we’re drowning it out.

In yet another assault on the biophony, human beings are flooding the depths of the oceans with noise pollution, turning the formerly Silent World into a busy-sounding place. All humanity’s sea-going machinery send out vibrations – some of them very substantial indeed – and for marine creatures that have evolved to pick up the faintest of noises and communicate with …

Tags: biophony , conservation , environment , natural , nature , pollution , science , sea , sustainable

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Fruit and vegetables are under a lot of pressure these days. It’s not just about taste, or how and where they’re grown – they have to be glamorous as well.

Late last year, I was horrified to find that the European Union was scrapping laws on the precise measurements of 26 types of fruit and vegetable. What horrified me was that there were laws to scrap. It seems that years ago, strict guidelines were laid down prohibiting the sale of foodstuffs that don’t reflect a standardized shape – …

Tags: conscious consumerism , europe , food , organic , science

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British scientists have come up with a colourful and creative way to detect pollution in the sea. They have created a carp-shaped robot that looks like a fish, acts like a fish, but of course, isn’t a fish.

Each “˜robo fish’ is capable of navigating around without human intervention and has chemical sensors that  enable  it to sniff out potential hazardous pollutants.  Information collected can be transmitted back to shore in real time via WiFi technology.

These cute but costly ($29,000 each) little fellows are roughly the size of a seal and have …

Tags: detection , environment , Gijon , pollution , robot fish , robotics , science

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Wanna rub yourself down in hippo sweat? Well, me neither, but there is something fascinating about the aforementioned fluid: it may be synthesized and used as sunblock.

Hippos exude an oily secretion that contains light-scattering crystalline structures, and this is what keeps them from getting burned in the unrelenting African sun. Making use of nature’s knowledge in a science known as biomimicry, researchers are trying to figure out how to replicate this substance into a form appropriate for humans. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Just so …

Tags: biomimicry , hippo , science , secretion , skincare , sun , sunblock , sweat

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You drop a plate on the floor – crack! Your tights ladder when you’re putting them on. Your bicycle tire starts emitting a sad little whine. Paintwork gets scratched, shoes leak, cloths fray and holes appear where you least want them – often the prelude to a poignant, reluctant parting of ways. Wouldn’t it be nice if things fixed themselves?

Enter the exciting new world of self-healing. Far from a feelgood slogan or an eyebrow-raising euphemism (ahem), it’s the scientific development of non-living materials that act like biological systems to repair …

Tags: decor , green , healing , lifestyle , news , science , sustainable , technology

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You’ve seen animals licking their wounds. And maybe the first thing you do when you cut your finger is put it in your mouth and suck on it for a moment. It turns out these instinctive urges have good reason: scientists in the Netherlands have isolated a compound in human saliva that not only kills bacteria but actually promotes healing. This would explain why oral wounds like tooth extractions and tongue piercings heal so quickly. It’s nurture, by nature.

The scientists hope to synthesize this compound and use it …

Tags: healing , health , science

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If you keep upbeat, do you really live longer?

A new study by the University of Pittsburgh offers a tantalizing hint. After looking at a population sample of women aged 50 and over, researchers have concluded that there is some kind of link between people with cheery attitudes, and those with higher longevity and resistance to diseases and health disorders.

Okay. Perhaps you’d now like to join one of two queues that are busily forming. The first is the “Well, Duh” queue, occupied by everyone who takes a wry view …

Tags: happiness , health , mental health , news , psychology , science

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