Bionic City

Cities should be studied as evolutionary hotspots, says biologist

Animals and birds evolve more quickly in urban environments than in remote habitats, Cheltenham science festival is told<p>Foxes loitering around rubbish bins and pigeons roosting in train stations: urban animals are widely regarded as the dregs of the natural world.<p>However, according to biologist …

Why whales are back in New York City

The Cetaceans are back in town.<p>It is a perfect June day. After seemingly weeks of rainy gray skies, an early morning shower has given way to sunshine. White, puffy cumulus clouds hang in the sky, still, as if doodled onto the blue background. Despite the fact that the waters along this stretch of …

Sharing Nature

What do you think best represents modern nature?<p>Help us create a different kind of museum of nature: one which celebrates our everyday relationship …

New poll reveals London’s city-dwellers love nature – but don’t get enough of it

Thursday 1st June 2017<p>30 Days Wild challenge from London Wildlife Trust helps people enjoy nature every day<p>A new poll of 226 people living in London …

Bringing nature back to cities is good for plants, animals and humans

The North Saskatchewan River winds through the center of Edmonton, its waters and the surrounding landscape forming a green spine that spreads a …

Lights Out for the Texas Skyscraper That Caused Hundreds of Songbird Deaths

Last night the 32-story American National Insurance skyscraper in Galveston, Texas, elected not to turn its floodlights on for the first time in …

GCR - Innovation - How a blue Peruvian butterfly may help develop the perfect solar cell

How a blue Peruvian butterfly may help develop the perfect solar cell<p><b>19 May 2017 | By GCR Staff</b> 0 Comments<p>Research into why a Peruvian butterfly is …

UK's rarest plants at risk of extinction as road verges become their final refuge

Some of the UK's rarest plants are at risk of extinction unless action is taken to look after the road verges that have become their final refuge, it has been warned.<p>Species such as fen ragwort and wood calamint are now only found on road verges, with fen ragwort hanging on in just one native spot …

Royal College of Art launches masters degrees in environmental architecture and city design

<b>Dezeen promotion:</b> London's RCA has launched two new 15-month MA programmes in environmental architecture and city design starting in September …

Microsoft Has a Plan to Add DNA Data Storage to Its Cloud

Based on early research involving the storage of movies and documents in DNA, Microsoft is developing an apparatus that uses biology to replace tape …

Built-Out Barcelona Makes Space for an Urban Forest

The city is planning a major green makeover to combat the heat island and create a more welcoming place for humans and animals alike.<p>When a city needs green space, but it’s all out of room, what can it do?<p>It’s an issue that many older, denser cities are facing as they try to make themselves more …

TS3 HIGH PASS COMMENDATION 2017

12 May 2017<br>Architectural Association, London<p>The Living Roof: A Technological Emancipation for Jakarta’s Urban Kampung<p>With the world’s steepest rates …

Algaerium Bioprinter and Algae Printing

<b>Marin Sawa</b><p>Modern algal biotechnology is largely motivated by technocracy in response to food and energy crises. This biotechnological work seeks the …

Can Plants Hear?

Pseudoscientific claims that music helps plants grow have been made for decades, despite evidence that is shaky at best. Yet new research suggests …

EcoLogicStudio transforms cladding system into a bioreactor with Urban Algae Canopy

IAAC Active Public Space Introductory Studio // Eco-Machines

Thought for the Day #2: Evolution isn’t a destination; it’s a process

The intelligence of living systems teaches us a very different story of change and how to navigate it. In many of the oldest, living macro species we …

Ecosistema Urbano envisions bioclimatic domes for West Palm Beach

Madrid studio Ecosistema Urbano has won first place in a competition to revamp the waterfront of Florida's West Palm Beach, with a proposal for domed …

Nearly 400 birds killed after flying into Texas skyscraper in storm

Nashville and Blackburnian warblers among birds of more than 20 species that hit American National Building, possibly after mistaking lights for moon or sun<p>Nearly 400 migratory birds of brilliant plumage were killed when they smashed into an office tower in Texas while flying in a storm, officials …

Imagine London as a National Park City

Imagine that London becomes the world’s first National Park City. This large-scale and long-term vision has the potential to transform how Londoners …

estudio invasivo's la piel installation for sesiones arquetípicas in chile

<b>as part of the informal ‘sesiones arquetípicas’ workshop taking place in chile, the architectural group estudio invasivo has completed a sculptural</b> …

New biodegradable semiconductor could make e-waste a thing of the past

50 million tons of electronics are expected to be trashed this year, according to a United Nations Environment Program report. A Stanford University …

Unnatural history: the new creatures in our oceans

In each of the 26 plates included in Beyond Drifting: Imperfectly Known Animals, a sea-borne organism is rendered in intricate detail. Some images …

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms have a newly discovered chemical to thank for their shine

Scientists discovered how to create new colors, too<p>You’re not tripping — these mushrooms really do glow. And now, we have a better idea how, thanks to a study published today in the journal <i>Science Advances</i>.<p>More than 100 years ago, a naturalist named George Gardner visited Brazil and saw children …

A new way to fake photosynthesis could help put CO2 back where it belongs

Why it matters to you<p>Scientists have figured out how to use a synthetic material to trigger artificial photosynthesis, generating energy and …

How cities and light pollution are ruining the wonder of the night sky

Skyglow, an incredible book of time-lapse photos, illustrates the beauty of the night sky, and what’s at risk<p>Photographers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinovic do a lot of work after dark. In their new book, <i>Skyglow</i><i>,</i> the duo, who met studying film in Los Angeles, show off a breathtaking array of …

Feral Spirits

bioGraphic<p>These beautiful invasives most likely escaped from pet owners, but now they’re firmly established across the English …

Controlling antimicrobial contamination of soil and water with bacteria

We all like to keep things clean, and disinfectants help that happen. Unfortunately, one of the most widely used antimicrobial products in use since …

Scientists are puzzling out how butterflies assemble their brightly colored scales

Shine bright like a butterfly<p>From the danger-sign orange of Monarch butterflies, to the regal blues of the Blue Morpho, butterflies come in a veritable rainbow of colors.<p>The insects display those incredible hues thanks to scales on their wings. Those scales are made up of crystals, which are made …