trees

11.22.09

Synthetic Tree Soaks Up Carbon 1000x Faster Than the Real Thing

Each synthetic plant promises to do the work of a thousand old-style wooden trees

By John Brandon Posted 06.24.2009 at 6:59 am 17 Comments

Trees are great absorbers of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and inhibitors of climate change -- that's why treehuggers hug them so much. But leave it to humanity to engineer a better tree. A synthetic tree, currently being tested as a prototype, ensnares carbon about 1,000 times faster than a real tree.

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READ MORE ABOUT > carbon sequestration, conservation, eco tech, liquid carbon dioxide, the environment, trees

Who Released a New Movie That’s Green As it Can Be?

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

By Amber Sasse Posted 04.22.2009 at 10:25 am 2 Comments

Yep, that’s right. Mickey proves Kermit wrong in the whole “it’s not easy being green” arena with the release of Disneynature’s first film, Earth. Opening today in theaters, the movie follows three animal “families” on a journey for survival across our planet.

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READ MORE ABOUT > Biodiversity, carbon dioxide, disney, earth, earth day 2009, enviro science, oxygen, trees

Put This In Your Lungs And Smoke It

Doctors report surprising substance found during operation

By M. Farbman Posted 04.17.2009 at 10:49 am 3 Comments

It's not quite as gross as a teratoma, but it is pretty nuts. Russian media are reporting that doctors found a 2-inch fir tree growing in a 28-year-old man's lungs. Of course then along comes a biologist to point out that trees need such things as light. Anyway, I think the surgeon is smirking just a little bit too much.

Also in today's links: Web-enabling your brain, using the hair off your head to help the earth, and more.

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READ MORE ABOUT > biodegradation, hair, links, missing links, oil spills, plants, respiration, trees

Counting Chicks, After They Hatch

Little yellow balls of arithmetically inclined fluff

By M. Farbman Posted 04.01.2009 at 10:08 am 3 Comments

So cute! Chicks can add and subtract, according to a new study.

Also in today's links: dwarf tossing, masturbation, and the degree of genetic relation between people in Europe.

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READ MORE ABOUT > birds, health, links, missing links, sex, trees

Forests to Serve as Fire Sentinels

By harnessing the power of trees, scientists figure out a way to transform them into batteries capable of powering sensors

By Molika Ashford Posted 09.24.2008 at 10:55 am 4 Comments

Trees may be able to protect themselves from forest fires by serving as living batteries—housing small devices, which would measure temperature and humidity and broadcast the data from tree-to-tree.

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READ MORE ABOUT > batteries, energy, forst fires, molika ashford, nature, trees