Ben Reynard

When Nature Runs Wild, the Results Can Be Spectacular

So-called rewilding involves taking a hands-off approach to the land and letting natural processes happen.<p>In a sleepy corner of southern England, a revolution is taking place. For centuries, Knepp Castle’s 3,500-acre estate was devoted to intensive arable and dairy farming. But in 2001, Isabella …

AI Made a Movie—and the Results Are Horrifyingly Encouraging

There’s really no nice way to put this: In his new film, <i>Zone Out</i>, <i>Silicon Valley</i> star Thomas Middleditch makes you want to do just that. It’s not …

Beekeepers file a complaint against Bayer after glyphosate was discovered in honey

Beekeepers in France aren’t happy with Bayer. Agence France Presse reported (AFP) a beekeeping cooperative in the northern part of the country filed …

Scientists Think Dolphin Name Discovery is the "Coolest"

Male dolphins use individual names throughout their life.<p>In a video released alongside a fascinating new study, scientists are on a boat in the …

Bees Know What ‘Zero’ Is, According To A New Study, & It’s Kind Of A Big Deal

Get ready for some bee-autiful news, friends: Bees are even more intelligent than we thought. We already knew bees could be trained and that they can …

Hot Wheels made a car that holds a GoPro : gifs

It's the first World Bee Day

Sunday the 20th of May 2018 is the first World Bee day.<p>It was created last year by the UN General Assembly, after Slovenia initiated the idea, to focus on the essential role of bees and other pollinators in keeping the planet healthy.<p>Bee keepers from around the globe will work towards having the …

Bringing innovation and success to pollinator habitat project design

The goal of NextGen Habitat Projects is to provide key benefits for honey bees and monarch butterflies. Using updated technology and working with …

Why the extraordinary story of the last slave in America has finally come to light

“We stand as living monuments,” wrote the historian Len Garrison, of the black British descendants of slavery and empire. “For those who are afraid of who they must be, are but slaves in a trance.” For Garrison, the idea of the African diaspora as “living monuments” was to some extent figurative. …

The easiest way to lucid dream, according to science

In Tibetan Buddhism, the group of tantric techniques known as <i>milam</i> aim to reveal the illusory nature of waking life by having practitioners perform yoga in their dreams. It’s a ritualized version of one of the most mysterious faculties of the human mind: to know that we’re dreaming even while …

Take Action and Beesponsible to Save the Bees

I was recently a guest on BUILD Series to talk about Beesponsible, an effort to raise awareness about bee decline and to engage people in planting …

Keeping Backyard Bees - Podcast

Keeping Backyard Bees is a joint effort by Mother Earth News and Grit magazines to create a hive mind of information on bees, beekeeping, pollen, …

Why Monsanto and its rivals are trying to save butterflies

Agrochemical companies contributed to the demise Monarch butterflies. Now they are joining forces to save them.<p>Rivals BASF (BASFY), Bayer (BAYRY), DowDuPont (DWDP), Monsanto (MON) and Syngenta (SYENF) are ramping up their efforts ahead of a looming deadline to avoid potentially burdensome …

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Promised a Criminal Justice Revolution. He’s Exceeding Expectations.

I’ve never seen anything like this document. It’s a dream come true for those of us who’ve been fighting our hearts out for justice reform for years. …

Report: Walmart is thinking about farming drones and robot bees

Walmart has filed for six patents related to the use of drones in farming, Reuters reports.<p>While Walmart isn’t the first company to see the usefulness of drones in agriculture–the market for agricultural drones is expected to top $1 billion by 2024–the series of patents could mean that Walmart is …

Building a 'second nature' into our cities: wildness, art and biophilic design

Biophilic design is beginning to boom. Witness its recent incorporation into the Melbourne Metro project and Sydney’s award-winning One Central Park, …

Google says Bristlecone chip could ignite quantum computing

Google has a quantum computer chip, called Bristlecone, and the company thinks it'll outdo the classical computers using today's silicon processor designs.<p>Quantum computers, which stand to revolutionize at least part of the computing industry if anybody can ever figure out how to get them working, …

Australian scientists move closer to world-beating quantum computer

Australian scientists, led by Australian of the year Michelle Simmons, have made a significant step in creating a world-beating, single-atom quantum computer.<p>Simmons and her Australian team announced on Wednesday they had built quantum bits, known as qubits, from single phosphorus atoms in silicon, …

Solar-powered seaside cabin blends prefab design with traditional building techniques

This small solar-powered hideaway in British Columbia mirrors the natural incline of the cliff on which it sits. Architecture studio Battersby Howat …

Pesticides put bees at risk, European watchdog confirms

<b>Most uses of insecticides known as neonicotinoids represent a risk to wild bees and honeybees, the European Food Safety Authority has confirmed.</b><p>The use of neonicotinoids has been restricted in the European Union since 2013, following earlier risk assessments.<p>Nations will discuss a European …

Want to Get Sick Less and Feel Happier? Do More of This Simple Activity (It's Not Exercise)

Science has discovered a zero-cost, side effect-free way to boost your immune system, kill stress, and feel happier.<p>Amazon recently opened new offices that resemble a rainforest and are completely covered in 40,000 plants. Why? Not just for aesthetic reasons, but because the forward-thinking …

Honey Bees Love The Chemicals That Are Killing Them

Honey bees might be drawn to the very chemicals that are endangering them, based on experiments in which they preferred drinking sugar water that had …

Three-quarters of flying insects in nature reserves across Germany have vanished in 25 years, with serious implications for all life on Earth, scientists say<p>The abundance of flying insects has plunged by three-quarters over the past 25 years, according to a new study that has shocked …

More than 75 percent decrease in total flying insect biomass over 27 years

The total flying insect biomass decreased by more than 75 percent over 27 years in protected areas, according to a study published October 18, 2017 …

Turning Solar Sites Into Pollinator-Friendly Habitats Is the Sweetest Idea

A married couple in Minnesota found a genius use for the swaths of land occupied by solar systems—coupling them as pollinator-friendly …

Want to save the bees? Here's what you should know.

Plus some bee-utiful photography.<p>Most bees are solitary. This may come as a surprise, especially if your bee knowledge comes from reading about colony collapse disorder and that one time you saw <i>The Bee Movie</i> once on a plane. To most people, bees are fat, buzzing, social insects that live in hives …

<b>Ryall, Dorset</b> The wax cells are studded with pollen gems in carnelian, citrine, garnet – an almanac of the seasons<p>The bees think it’s autumn. Since mid-July they have been reducing their numbers and sealing up the hives with propolis. Dark brown, sticky when fresh, brittle as cinder toffee when …