Migrating Sea Turtles Have Magnetic Sense for Longitude

One of the great mysteries of animal behavior is how migratory animals can navigate in the open ocean, where there are no visual landmarks. The most difficult part of open-sea navigation is determining longitude or east-west position. It took human navigators centuries to figure out how to determine longitude on their long-distance voyages. It appears that the turtles pick up on magnetic signatures that vary across Earth's surface in order to determine their position, both east-west and north-south, and steer themselves in the right direction. Understanding what turtles rely on to guide their migrations is an important part of protecting their environment.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110224121855.htm

India: Fishers in Survival Battle With Turtles

Recently there has been an increasing amount of endangered olive ridley sea turtles that have been killed by fisherman who are ignoring a fishing ban on a turtle sanctuary. The Government of India says no more than 800 of these turtles have been killed recently, but actual numbers could be near 5000. Wildlife protection is a major concern for India, but the well being of the poor fisherman is also a concern. Due to overfishing and shrinking fishing grounds, it is becoming harder for these fisherman to catch fish and make a profit. They are having to go out further in search of fish, and so many of them are fishing in the sea turtle sanctuary which is supposed to be a non fishing area. Something needs to be done to protect the turtles, but that can also keep the less fortunate fisherman with a way of life. One possible solution is for the government to fine fisherman who fish in the no fishing zone, but they should also open small areas to fisherman so that they have more areas to fish. There are some flaws in this approach, such as not all fisherman may be caught illegally fishing, and some fisherman still might not be able to make a profit. I feel that no matter what, the sea turtle species should be protected. However, the fisherman should be provided with some sort of compensation.

http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/02/25/8656

Efforts of T-Y Irrigation District Manager Save Thousands of Fish

“You know how, when you’re eight years old, it’s hard to watch a fish just dying out of the water? Stranded? It’s not like catching them on a hook and then killing them and eating them. Partly ‘cause I knew it was us doing it—trapping them in our ditches and then letting them die out in the fields. I couldn’t stand it.” Hal Herring said.

You hear this and it makes you think about how many fish are being killed every year when they are pumped through irrigation pipes into people’s fields. Well Miles City, Montana farmer and pellet mill operator Roger Muggli wanted to make a difference and started 44 years ago. When he was a kid he would pick up fish from the family’s alfalfa fields, from the lowly buffalo and goldeye to sauger, smallmouth, and channel cats, and put them in buckets. These were just a few of the thousands of fish sucked in to the T-Y (Tongue- Yellowstone) Irrigation District’s canal system, and left stranded as the water was used to fill the rich farmland of Yellowstone bottoms. Many Years later he came up with a solution to the problem or something that would save some of the lives of the fish. He knew the real key was to create a bypass around the diversion dam, without sacrificing the water that local agriculture couldn’t do without, and let all those fish- which include locally and nationally imperiled species.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/fishing/2011/02/yellowstone-tongue-river-irrigation-district-dead-fish

Coral Reefs May Be Gone by 2050

A recent study done is saying that if changes are not made, coral reefs throughout every ocean on Earth will wiped out completely. Experts say that there are many reasons that coral reef habitats are being destroyed. Things such as warming water temperatures, the ocean becoming too acidic, overfishing, coastal development, and agricultural runoff are problems for coral reefs. These things cause the coral reefs to "stress out" and turn white which is them showing their skeletons. Reaserchers say that 90% of existing reefs will be threatened by the year 2030, and increasing by 10% in just 20 more years. Many marine species live and feed on coral reefs so they will be affected too. Something has to be done. Coral reefs are very unique and should be protected. Many people have never seen them and would like to. But if we do not do something like stop polluting our oceans then many people will never see them. We must do what we can to solve this problem or coral reefs will not exist.

http://www.salon.com/news/env/environment/?story=/news/feature/2011/02/25/coral_reefs_gone_by_2050

First Animal-Plant Species Discovered!

A new slug has been found by researchers at the University of South Florida, it is a slug that is part animal and part plant. It is the first animal/multicellular organism that has ever been found to produce the plant pigment chlorophyll, therefore, carrying out photosynthesis. Researchers are suggesting that the slug got the ability to produce chlorophyll from eating algae, but now their genetic material has changed, and they no longer need to eat the algae to produce chlorophyll, they can do it by themselves. They also steal the chloroplasts so that they can conduct photosynthesis, turning energy into food, making it so that they do not need to eat food; but if it is a dark day for at least 12 hours, then the slugs will have to eat, they have to have sunlight to be able to make, and go without eating food. These strange sea slugs are only found in salt marshes in Canada and New England. The main researcher Pierce has said that, "It is certainly possible that DNA from one species can get into another species, as these slugs have clearly shown, but the mechanisms are still unknown." Although these new hybrid slugs have been discovered, there is still a lot left that we do not know about them. But for now, we know that they are the first animal species that can produce the plant substance cholorphyll.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34824610/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Where have the BIG fish gone?!

According to the University of British Columbia researchers, there are fewer big, predatory fish in the sea due to overfishing! This leaves the smaller fish to thrive and double in force over the past 100 years. Big fish such as Cod and Tuna have declined in the world’s population by at least two-thirds. Since there are fewer fish, people are fishing “harder” and coming up with the same or fewer number of fish. This decline in the large fish population has taken place over the last 40 years. Looking at the 2006 numbers, 76 million tons of commercial seafood was reported; meaning about seven trillion individuals were killed and consumed by us or our livestock. I think we can eventually fix this problem, if we would slow down on fishing and let our big fish reproduce we would have the oceans back to normal!

http://news.discovery.com/animals/big-fish-oceans-overfishing-110218.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

High speed rail is all the rage: here, there, everywhere

The high speed rail is at the top of the list of the worlds new ideas of transportation. The rails are becoming more popular is the U.S., Europe, and most of all, China. U.S. states such as California are taking action in installing a $9.95 billion high speed rail project. However, China has been exploring plans to install a rail that connects then to Europe. This will make travel much easier and cheaper. The U.S. has set aside $8.8 billion in funds for 13 new high speed rail project across the country. China and Japan have been the largest users of the new bullet trains. The trains have been generally known to be traveling at 180 mph. Japan has even built the world's largest train carrying over 308 people last year. I really like these trains and the idea of using them for more transportation. I use the speed train every time I travel to downtown Charlotte, they are a great way to save gas and get somewhere quickly.

India issues rules on plastic bags and waste, but rejects full ban

India's national environment group has issued rules within the country that ban plastic bags that are less than a certain measure of thickness. These new rules are just the start of what India is trying to do to force plastic manufacturers to better make waste plastic products that we use to package things with. These rules have not yet been enforced on a state level but they are in the process of being enforced on a local level. Environmental leaders are still unsure of how they will be enforced at this level. The last time India wrote rules on plastic waste management was back in 2003. Experts say that the changes being made today are much stronger than a few years back. The government is not putting a ban on plastic bags all together, just a ban on what kinds are and are not allowed to be used. The president of India says it is more important to control waste plastic manufacturers at this time than it is to control citizens. Environmentalists believe that the rules will also lead to improvements in recycling and reducing litter. If the country comes together as a whole and puts in the effort to help their environment by following the new rules, then India will be much better off. People have to follow these rules just like plastic waste management companies in order for that to happen.

http://www.plasticnews.com/headlines2.html?id=21242

SunChips New Bag

SunChips bags will still be biodegradable but without all the extra noise. In April 2009, Frito-Lay introduced biodegradable bags in a marketing effort to strengthen the brand’s environmentally friendly nature. However, customers complained that the bag was too loud. The stiffer material that the bags were made from were said to be as loud as a busy city street. The criticism grew to the point that Frito-Lay switched back to its original bag for most flavors in October, 2009. After a lot of research, the company found that if it used a different glue to put together the two layers of a bag, it created a similar package without the noise issues. Frito-Lay’s new SunChips bag is set to arrive in stores in the coming days. I think it is good that Frito-Lay didn't let the criticism of the old loud bags to stop their help to our environment. It is really sad that people would be so negative to complain about how loud a chip bag is. At least we know Frito-Lay listens to their costumers.

http://www.thirdage.com/news/sunchips-bag-be-quieter-still-biodegradable_2-24-2011

Air Pollution Will Break Your Heart

            A new study is saying that, although many things cause heart attacks including alcohol, sex and coffee, air pollution triggers more heart attacks than even cocaine.  Air pollution is not only hurting the environment, it’s coming back to bite humans in the butt or more importantly, the heart.  Drug use is not even as high as risk when it comes to heart attacks.  Tim Nawrot of Hasselt University in Belgium hopes these new findings will push doctors to think about population level risks.  The greater public is being effected, not just individuals.  The World Health Organization estimates air pollution causes around 2 million premature deaths worldwide each year.   Between 36 separate studies, Nawrot’s team discovered exposure to traffic was the highest risk population-attributable fraction.  Although individuals experiencing heart attacks were often the result of drugs, the population is hurt more with traffic pollution.  Health authorities should focus on the most important heart attack triggers, which include smoking in public and traffic pollution.  Either way, if someone wishes to be healthy and dodge a heart attack, they should focus on not smoking and exercising to keep a healthy weight.  In my opinion, the solution is not as easy as it sounds.  Although I'm sure pollution adds to heart problems, there is no way to completely stop traffic pollution.  People use cars, and the only thing a person can do is try their best to stay healthy through normal means, such as exercise.  Traffic pollution is harmful, but to stop it will take the entire world. 

Take a Step to a Brighter future... Recycle.

Recycling in general is a very easy, very helpful thing to do for the environment as well as mankind as a whole.  The fact that some people refuse to take that extra step is baffling when it takes very little to do so.  Glass recycling is not only good for the environment; it’s also very efficient.  As stated in the article, “Recovered glass from glass recycling is the primary ingredient in all new glass containers.”  Most glass containers are made up of about 70 percent of recycled glass, which not only saves money but also makes creating new glass easy.  Since glass can take a million years to break down, by recycling you help the environment and also conserve natural resources such as sand and limestone.  So, along with being easy, glass recycling is also beneficial for everyone.  Why not just recycle glass?  The solution to this problem is to get people aware.  The issue is that no one seems to be listening.  The environment needs us, and when something is so simple, there is no reason for people not to take the step to a brighter future.  The only thing standing in the way of an easy solution is those who believe recycling is difficult or too time consuming.  All one needs is an accessible recycle bin, or even a normal box.  Place your recycled goods, along with glasses, in the box everyday, and you’re done.  In some cases, you may even get paid for your recycled glasses. In my opinion, glass recycling should some how be enforced, along with every kind of recycling.  When it saves so many resources and helps mankind as well as the environment, there’s no excuse not to recycle.     
http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/benefits_of_glass_recycling.htm

Man Tries to Smuggle Dozens of Rare Creatures

A smuggler at Thailand airport was caught before boarding an airplane with dozens of wildlife, three of which including snakes, squirrels, and tortoises. The animals were stuffed into three suitcases with no means of survival. The man was stopped at the airport by Traffic, an organization that aims to stopping trafficking of creatures. While the purpose of the animals is unknown, the smuggler was attempting to leave the country but was stopped during the regular baggage checking procedures. Once the animals were taken, the organization found 88 Indian star tortoises, 33 elongated tortoises, seven radiated tortoises, six Mata Mata tortoises, four Southeast Asian narrow headed soft shell turtles, and many more, including the world's rarest tortoise. Questions have been raised after the incident since the country is claiming to be making effective movements towards illegal wild life trade. The man charged has now been taken into custody and faces wildlife smuggling charges.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-10/world/thailand.wildlife.smuggling_1_tortoises-aldabra-snakes?_s=PM:WORLD

Toxic Water in Indoor Swimming Pools

Most people see swimming as a form of relief or exercise, but a new study is proving that swimming in indoor pools, can cause cancer. The chlorine that is commonly used in indoor swimming pools, can induce genotoxicity, which are DNA damages that can lead to cancer, and they can cause respiratory problems. But the good thing, is that this can be easily changed, if we change the cholorine and types of cleaning liquids that are commonly used in pools, then the genotoxicity can be knocked out. Many disinfection by-products (DBP) are common in almost all indoor swimming environments. The DBP's include disinfectants like chlorine, and organic matter, matter that is either naturally made and grown in the pool, or matter that introduced by humans (urine, sweat, skin cells, etc.). Over 50% of people sampled, after swimming in an indoor pool has some type of genotoxicity, which can potentially lead to bladder cancer, other types of cancer, and sickness from ingesting pool water.

I think that we need to make sure that all pool water is cleaned thoroughly every day, and we need to make new environmentally friendly pool chemicals that will kill the bad types of DBP's, so that humans will not get sick or die from the diseases found in pools.

Pools can be a lot of fun, but with the potential to be deadly, we need to make sure we protect the people first.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/100913163502.htm

Should we be so quick to dispose of our incandescent bulbs?

Technology is great. With so many new products coming at us, it seems easy to dispose of old technologies without much haste, especially with the latest environmental friendly "green movement." However, we should probably be checking out the long reaching affects of the latest and greatest. Apropos to lighting, LED bulbs and CFL bulbs have been touted as the most environmentally friendly way to light your home. While CFL bulbs are known to contain harmful chemicals such as mercury a new study by UC Irving suggests that LED products are just as eco-unfriendly when they inevitably end up in a landfill.

"Those light-emitting diodes marketed as safe, environmentally preferable alternatives to traditional lightbulbs actually contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially hazardous substances."

Makers of LEDs could easily reduce chemical concentrations and redesign products with safer materials, however state regulations which would have required higher safety was opposed by industry groups and a less stringent version was substituted. Personally, the best way to combat this is by reverting to our tradition tungsten bulbs. If we continue to support LEDs and CFLs what we may be gaining in short term energy efficiency may not be worth the long term payback.

Potty Training... PIGS?

Taipei Taiwan has been experimenting to decrease the problems of pollution, especially with the smell and the excessive water use in pig farms. Taiwan has a solution, potty training PIGS! The government wants all of the island's pig farms to adopt this practice. Potting training pigs not only means more cash to farmers but it also means less watery manure, which then can be sold for a higher price. Stephen Shen, Taiwan’s environment minister thinks that potty training pigs with cut down in CO2 emissions. This so called pig "toilet" is made up of iron bars installed in the corner of the pen. The pigs step between the bars to potty, and all the waste is in one easy to clean spot. If all the six million pigs in Taiwan used these toilets, the government estimates that the 180 million liters of water used per day for cleaning, would cut in half. Chang Chung-Tou general manager of Long Kow Foods Enterprise, potty trains his pigs, he says that he receives more money for his manure and his porkers live longer!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41241248/ns/world_news-world_environment/

Paper Archives Reveal Pollution's History

According to Science daily, Prof. Dan Yakir of the Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Department in the Faculty of Chemistry has discovered a way to trace pollution back in time by analyzing the carbon isotopes found in newspapers and magazines. Using this method, scientists can track the amount of pollution due to the combustion of fossil fuels. This method has been in development for fourteen years. This discovery can allow scientists to track pollution as far back in time as they can find paper. The analysis is based on the amount of Carbon 13 molecules in comparison to Carbon 12 molecules, and works similarly to Carbon 14 dating.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208101318.htm