Day: March 28, 2017

Ohio River research underway at TMC Biology Field Station to determine amount of harmful algae in water

Read the full story in the North Kentucky Tribune.

At the Thomas More College Ohio River Biology Field Station, on the banks of the Ohio River near California, Kentucky, a strange looking contraption with a solar panel is attached to a tall pole.

It’s part of an important project to protect the drinking water source for the Greater Cincinnati community.

Similar systems are being deployed elsewhere in the Ohio River watershed.

The installation includes a wireless camera, powered by the solar panel and a rechargeable battery.  The camera snaps a photo every hour and transmits it to the Field Station’s website.

Based on the pixels in the photo, an application developed by Dr. Mike Waters, a TMC alumnus and an NKU Mathematics professor, determines the ratio of green to blue-green algae in the water.

The genomic landscape of rapid repeated evolutionary adaptation to toxic pollution in wild fish

Noah M. Reid, Dina A. Proestou, Bryan W. Clark, Wesley C. Warren, John K. Colbourne, Joseph R. Shaw, Sibel I. Karchner, Mark E. Hahn, Diane Nacci, Marjorie F. Oleksiak, Douglas L. Crawford, Andrew Whitehead (2016). “The genomic landscape of rapid repeated evolutionary adaptation to toxic pollution in wild fish.” Science 09 Dec 2016 : 1305-1308. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah4993

Abstract: Many organisms have evolved tolerance to natural and human-generated toxins. Reid et al. performed a genomic analysis of killifish, geographically separate and independent populations of which have adapted recently to severe pollution (see the Perspective by Tobler and Culumber). Sequencing multiple sensitive and resistant populations revealed signals of selective sweeps for variants that may confer tolerance to toxins, some of which were shared between resistant populations. Thus, high genetic diversity in killifish seems to allow selection to act on existing variation, driving rapid adaptation to selective forces such as pollution.

Nike, Circular Economy Firm Miniwiz Develop Sustainable Packaging from Trash

Read the full story in Environmental Leader.

Nike has developed new sustainable packaging for its shoes, working in collaboration with Arthur Huang, the CEO and founder of Taiwanese firm Miniwiz, which recycles consumer and industrial waste into new products.

The lightweight packaging is made entirely of post-consumer materials such as milk and orange juice containers, and morning coffee lids. The box is produced from a single process Polypropylene with no added chemicals. The modular design allows it to be used as a stackable, interlocking component of a product display or storage system, Nike says.

EPA Principles for Greener Cleanups

EPA’s Principles for Greener Cleanups serve as the foundation for the Agency’s greener cleanup policy. Among other things, the Principles establish a policy goal to evaluate cleanup actions comprehensively for the purpose of ensuring protection of human health and the environment and reducing the environmental footprint of cleanup activities, to the maximum extent possible.

For more information, visit EPA’s Greener Cleanups web site.

Michigan reaches deal with Flint to replace 18,000 lead-tainted water lines

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

Michigan and the city of Flint agreed Monday to replace thousands of home water lines under a sweeping deal to settle a lawsuit by residents over lead-contaminated water in the struggling community.

Stressed street trees: mapping the urban forests to save them – and us

Read the full story in The Guardian.

City trees are under increased threat but research tools show that looking after them will lower temperatures, prevent flooding and reduce pollution.

Google’s Street View Cars Are Helping Scientists Hunt Down Natural Gas and Methane Leaks

Read the full story in Futurism.

Google Earth’s Street View cars are being used for more than just maps: scientists have equipped them with pollution trackers so they can help spot natural gas leaks.

Yoga pants, fleece jackets and the microplastics dilemma

Read the full story in GreenBiz.

No clothing brand intended for their synthetic products to be discharged into the environment in the former of tiny bits of plastic. Now that they know, they must step up and tackle the problem.

How the Water Industry Learned to Embrace Data

Read the full story in the Harvard Business Review.

The water industry is using digital technologies and analytics to derive more value from its physical assets, but, like all businesses, it has faced challenges when trying to transform the roles and mindsets of their employees and their internal- and customer-facing processes. Employees, for example, weren’t quick to change old habits, and, when there were IT problems,  many began to question the data. But those that have managed to integrate these elements — People, Processes, and Technology — have created more than data; they’ve also created value for their enterprises and society.

iNaturalist.org

Visit the site.

iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature

It’s also a crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool. You can use it to record your own observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect this kind of information for a common purpose, or access the observational data collected by iNaturalist users.