Category: Environment

Tasty New Lobster

A new crustacean discovered in South Pacific waters 7,540 feet deep, 900 miles south of Easter Island resembles a lobster covered with what looks like silky, blond fur, researchers said Tuesday. The animal is white and just shy of 6 inches long — about the size of a salad plate. It has as a “surprising characteristic,” its blind and the animal’s pincers are covered with sinuous, hair-like strands, possibly the animals sensory organ.

Scientists said the animal, which they named Kiwa hirsuta, was so distinct from other species that they created a new family and genus for it. The family was named Kiwaida, from Kiwa, the goddess of crustaceans in Polynesian mythology. The researchers said that while legions of new ocean species are discovered each year, it is quite rare to find one that merits a new family.

The diving expedition was organized by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California.

Beans Make Gas

A group of students have made a car that uses soybeans as fuel. It looks like a flash sports car too! At the Philadelphia Auto Show a few weeks back the car was put on display amongst gas-guzzlers.

One more neat thing about this car is that it was made as an after-school project to help disengaged kids stay in school. It worked, and has given at least one of the kids some perspective:

“We made this work,” says Hauger. “We’re not geniuses. So why aren’t they (car companies) doing it?”

Kosi thinks he knows why. The answer, he says, is the big oil companies.

“They’re making billions upon billions of dollars,” he says. “And when this car sells, that’ll go down — to low billions upon billions.”

Things are Technically Good

We write a lot about technology around here, so when I say that this post is the mother of all tech-related posts, that’s saying a lot. Usually we report on one positive technology at a time; this time, we’re reporting on dozens.

The Tech Museum Awards exist to recognize and celebrate technology that benefits humanity. Nominations for the 2006 awards are currently being accepted, but in the meantime, check out the 2005 laureates. Amongst them:

Enviro Options
Enviro Options developed the Enviro Loo to make inroads into the enormous backlog of the sanitation requirement of the entire human race. The design is an attempt to produce a sanitation system that can be mass-produced, relatively cheaply. The technology is simple. It requires no chemicals… It is powered by radiant heat absorbed from sunlight and wind power. It requires minimal maintenance. It will not pollute ground water, and is user friendly.

Malnutrition Matters
Malnutrition Matters designed the VitaGoat system to benefit people in villages and rural areas of developing countries, by providing sustainable employment on a micro-enterprise basis and improving nutrition… The VitaGoat enables quick preparation of protein-rich foods such as soymilk and tofu that are highly beneficial for protein-deficient diets and especially for people living with HIV/AIDS.

CN Tower Climb

On Saturday, April 29, 2006, the WWF is sponsoring the annual Toronto CN Tower Climb to raise money to fight global warming. Having personally climbed the CN Tower before, I can say the experience alone is worth it, and raising money for a good cause is just icing on the cake. For more information just click here.