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Ambient Energy Could Replace Batteries:

            Batteries may soon become outmoded. The new idea of energy harvesting, gathering ambient energy in many different ways, is sweeping the clean energy markets. Navigant Energy says that revenue produced from energy harvesting devices will grow from $268 million to $375 million by 2020. The market is growing. Energy harvesting applications have even recently spread to products like cell phones and portable computers. Batteries are now being seen as economically obsolete by large companies, who are currently leaning toward ambient energy to power their products. Navigant Energy reports that electromagnetic, solar, thermal, and mechanical energy are the sources that supply energy harvesting devices. These devices pose an extremely better alternative to disposable batteries, since once a person is done with a battery, they throw the toxic materials into a landfill. With ambient energy supplying EH devices, consumers will not run out of energy. The backing of EH devices could provide a great future, offsetting fossil fuels and providing clean energy. Energy harvesting devices fascinate me. If an invention like this could get a foothold in society, awesome amounts of energy can be saved. If I was not just a high school student and actually had some money, I would definitely fund this cause.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ambient-energy-could-replace-batteries

Hemlock Extinction Looms over Tennessee Forests:

            The Hemlock trees of the Eastern United States are growing closer and closer to extinction. These huge trees, a valuable provider of habitat to hundreds of species in its ecosystem, are being killed by something much, much smaller. Both the eastern and Carolina Hemlocks suffer infiltration by the Hemlock woolly adelgid. The super small insects form a parasitic relationship with the trees, using the tree’s sap as its own food source, depleting Hemlocks of their reserves. The adelgids have been spreading and now can be found among sixteen different states. Scientists research ways to prevent the death of Hemlocks under the little bugs. Botanist Todd Crabtree has found the way of inserting the pesticide Imidacloprid into the soil around the tree, with the tree then soaking up and spreading it among itself, an effective way to ward off any ambitious woolly adelgids. With over fifty percent of the total population of Hemlocks now infected, the future looks bleak for the trees. But there is hope; and Crabtree and his colleagues will keep searching for ways to prevent the depletion of Hemlocks under the deadly insects. I believe the efforts by Crabtree truly admirable. Gigantic trees like the Hemlock that contribute so much to an ecosystem should not go extinct due to an invasive species. The Hemlock trees might survive.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/11/hemlock-extinction-looms/

Oh, the Humanity: Is the Threat of Overpopulation Still a Big Deal?:

           

 Overpopulation of the Earth in decades to come may not be as inevitable as once thought. Gigantic population crashes from depleted food sources are not seen as mankind’s future anymore. Many scientists now believe that human population by 2100 will, at its lowest, only be 6.2 billion people, with 15.8 billion at its highest. The United Nations predicts human population will reach carrying capacity in only a few decades and even start to decline. These beliefs have come from the theories that once developing countries’ living conditions improve and birth rates lower, the numbers will not rise as drastically, and, eventually, human population will decline. By 2300, scientists from International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis suspect that the future population will only be one-seventh of what it is now. The general consensus is that, with lowering birth rates, human population will not continue to grow exponentially, but will rather decline. I believe that these findings ease the minds of many. A large portion of the informed populace believed that the human population would deplete all resources and die. This study will help out population control theorists in the future and console the minds of many.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-overpopulation-still-an-issue-of-concern

Soon the Only Place to See This Nearly Extinct Bird May Be on Samoan Currency:

            The national bird of the island country, Samoa, is quickly going extinct. This ground-dwelling pigeon is featured on the countries’ 50 sene coin and 20 tālā banknote. In Samoa, the bird is called the Manumea; it is 30 centimeters long and closely resembles the extinct Dodo bird. Not much else is known about the flightless bird, a major downfall for the protection of the species. In recent years, the population of the Manumea has been reduced to only one in known existence. Their numbers used to fly a little above 7,000. It is unclear to what has reduced the population so quickly, with theories blaming forest-flattening cyclones, invasive rats and cats, and possibly even hunting. But not enough is known about the bird’s lifestyle to accurately deduce the populations’ inhibitor. Without enough funding from the poor country to study and save the bird though, Phd student, Rebecca Stirnemann, does not know what will happen to the beautiful Manumea. Meaningful birds like these, along with any other animal, deserve an effort for their continuation. I think this is a depressing story; but there is still hope. Scientists should keep searching for the tiny birds to study and help live.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/10/16/samoa-manumea/

Wasted Energy: Converting Discarded Food into Biofuels Promises Global Energy Boom:

             Discarded food and organic waste is now deemed a valuable untapped resource for energy. Using even a fraction of this waste in waste-to-energy (WTE) systems can have extremely pleasing effects for society. These systems have the potential to power vehicles and homes, while decreasing landfill size. WTE plants are growing around the world, with Pacific Asia running up for the lead in construction. It is also easy to contribute to the cause, seeing as a person or organization only has to sort through their waste and give it to waste-to-energy systems. An incentive of clean energy is right at hand too. Waste-to-energy market opportunity has been predicted by Navigant Research to grow from its present market of $6.2 billion to $29.2 billion in 2022. Seventy percent of food waste is currently dropped off in landfills, while it can successfully be contributed to WTE programs. Much opportunity is in store for these organizations and their technology. These new programs offer great prospects for society, I believe. If a system like the ones mentioned was installed in my home, then I would definitely do my best to utilize its potential. Projects like WTE systems should have no doubts on their funding.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=food-waste-to-energy