tend to pests and disease control, rotate the crops, and maintain the irrigation system. One of the things that people don t talk about
that is one of my pet peeves, seeing someone's sprinklers on during a rainy period.)
These genetically modified animals lactate the vaccine proteins. At this point the milk has to be treated to isolate the vaccine for injection,
If you produce these proteins in goats and other transgenic animals, it s way more efficient,
and say we shouldn t be using animals for anything. You know, blah, blah, blah. Westhusin's betting that impoverished countries will give more weight to their health
The early ancestors to humans were more modern than today's apes and chimps. Ardi represents a middle ground in human evolution and bumps Lucy, the fabled 3. 2 million year old fossil, out of science's limelight.
and chimpanzees is thought to have lived six million or more years ago. Though Ardipithecus is not itself this last common ancestor,
shared with its predecessors, the primates of the Miocene epoch, and derived traits, which it shares exclusively with later hominids.
which isn't chimp, but isn't human either. Simply put, Ardi is a bit of an evolutionary tweener.
that our closest living relatives are chimpanzees-African apes that live today in west Africa.
Now that doesn't get us far enough back to reach that last common ancestor that we shared with chimpanzees.
the lines leading to modern chimps and gorillas are represented not even in the fossil record.
These animals live in places that don't produce a good fossil record. So we have virtually no fossil record for these modern apes.
But we have a really good one for fossil humans. Well, really good except it doesn't get us back far enough.
people have assumed sort of that modern chimpanzees haven't evolved very much, that the last common ancestor was more or less like a chimpanzee
and that it's been the hominid branch of the family tree, the human lineage, if you want,
Animals should be off the menu. The affirmative side (animals should be off the menu) comprised of controversial philosopher Peter Singer, Citibank vice president and philanthropist Philip Wollen,
and newspaper editor Veronica Ridge. The negative team (animals should be on the menu) was made up of agriculture lecturer and pig farmer Fiona Chambers, animal scientist Bruce Mcgregor,
and chef and author Adrian Richardson. This Intelligence Squared debate, co-hosted by the Wheeler Centre
and the St james Ethics Centre was executed in the traditional style of Cambridge and Oxford Union debates.
Please watch the Wheeler Centre s video (approx. 1. 50 mins) for the full debate.
We can live a healthy life with animals off the menu. Citing a recent Harvard paper on red meat,
People who do have animals off their menu are likely to live healthier and longer life than those who have animals on their menu,
our environment and the eco system including our animals. A skilled farmer works in harmony with the eco system so that the environment truly stays in balance,
Food security Peter Singer argued that we waste most of the food value of the grains and soybeans we feed to animals.
the animals may return to us somewhere between one-tenth and one-third of the food value of the grains
In contrast Bruce Mcgregor, the third member of the negative team, said that removing animals off the menu threatens our food security and the livelihood of at least two billion people.
Fiona Chambers also agreed that taking animals off the menu would pose an ecological and food security disaster.
and that animals are a fundamental part of cultural biodiversity Firstly, animals are a vital link in the global ecological and,
as such, are linked inextricably to the environment and the future of our food. Secondly, because they serve many important social
a dog is a pig is a bear is a boy. Meat today is the new asbestos, more murderous than tobacco,
She contended that taking animals off the menu encouraged innovation and creativity. At the world s top restaurant today, you can have a wonderfully entertaining
you can eat brilliantly without slaughtering animals. Join the debate According to the Wheeler Centre, 65%of the Melbourne audience supported the proposition,
while 22.5%were against and 12.5%were undecided. To our Smartplanet readers: Do you have a view on the debate?
Animals should be off the menu. Photo: thskyt, Flickr; Wheeler Centre
Melbourne designer's vision for a water-smart citymelbourne--Rapid climate change and an increasing need for water conservation has compelled a Melbourne designer to create'Equilibrium,
'a progressive landscape project focused on water reuse, biomimicry and community. It's about working with nature to create innovative and clever waterways throughout Melbourne--in our backyards and in public spaces.
USDA spokesman Caleb Weaver was quoted in The Los angeles times as saying that, in so many words, the decision on GM seeds is hardly final:
protein from jellyfish DNA into the pig embryos. The plasmids are tiny DNA molecules, separate from chromosomal DNA,
However, the scientists say this does not harm the animals, but simply shows the transfer of the plasmids is a success. Dr. Stefan Moisyadi,
It's just a marker to show that we can take a gene that was not originally present in the animal
We can make those enzymes a lot cheaper in animals rather than a factory that will cost millions of dollars to build.
but the experiments herald the technique's success in future goals of introducing beneficial genes into animals
and if current methods to create these types of animals can be improved, we can all reap the benefits.
and Pepsico. The new bottle will use the bio-based materials to reproduce the molecular structure that is used in petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET),
New school designs learn from zoos, museums, wine and naturearchitects working in the education sector may be the zaniest innovators around.
I like this zoo-school featured on George lucas's Edutopia: Minnesota's School of Environmental Studies (SES) is an optional high school in Apple Valley, Minn.
Kids penned up in HGA's zoo school Other schools are based on museum planning, as described in this article in Museum magazine.
Flanner first started Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in 2009, the first of its kind, and was inspired later to try his methods in a bigger venue.
turtle pond and planting areas for each grade to grow flowers. Photo: Georgina Abella We really thought it appropriate to expand into something that could be an entirely new curriculum,
and effort, says Lark Mason, a Chinese antiques expert who runs his own auction house and appears regularly on Antiques Roadshow.
today they are raising bugs and mice for the purpose of adding bite marks to pieces.
Instead of relying on a quick dirt rub for faked pottery, they are digging several feet underground to find clay with a similar chemical make-up to the clay used in the time period
Intricate designs and seals (red marks made with printing stamps which appraisers have placed traditionally great importance on as a way to authenticate objects) can be copied by lasers with great precision.
like a beehive project or even a donkey for children to ride. She wanted to bring people to the Paris Archives,
While looking for the bees and donkeys, Masson eventually received a photograph from the Ferme de Paris of four black sheep,
Even the workers at the Archives, the animals'temporary caretakers, have completed a biodiversity training to educate them on the importance of the sheep.
this industrial stronghold allows farm stands, beehives, barns, rain barrels, composting, greenhouses, coops and damn near everything you need to grow a green thumb.
and that the city will crack down on people who have a horse or a pig as a pet.
Horses and pigs are considered not pets under the city code. Under the new rules, a person with under 3 acres must seek special permission to have either animal.
and license its cellulosic ethanol made from corn cob and crop residue. Â The joint venture, called POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels LLC, is scheduled to start production in the second half of 2013.
The new venture will convert corn cobs and crop residue into ethanol in a multistep process.
Bugs and flaws aside, the tech giant publicly apologized for the state of ios 6 maps,
and even a crowdsourced multimedia campaign with visions for Mexico of the Future  which includes submissions such as a solar panel on every house  and respect for flora and fauna.
While creating more habitats for animals and insects, the gardens also act as insulation. Â During the winter they keep in heat
and raise animals for food--chickens, bees, et cetera. Another aspect of the study is to  work on a standard lease agreement that can be used by various city departments with vacant land to make it easier to lease those spaces for community gardens.
The Institution of Captivityirus Braverman didn't grow up visiting zoos. Braverman's first zoo experience wasn't until adulthood,
when her daughter dragged her to the Buffalo Zoo. An associate professor of law at the  University at Buffalo, State university of New york, Braverman found herself flooded with questions.
But mainly, she wondered, how does this work? In her new book, Zooland: The  Institution  of Captivity, Braverman explores the evolution of zoos,
debates between pro-and anti-zoo advocates and the'performance'of zoos. Below are excerpts from our recent interview.
How did you come to write a book about zoos? It didn't just come to me as an idea for a book.
 It was a lengthy process. I grew up in Jerusalem. Where I grew up,
the zoo wasn't as much of a strong institution as it is today in the United states . I don't have any memories from my childhood of zoos.
For me, when my older daughter was old enough to drag me to the Buffalo Zoo,
it was my first encounter with a zoo. I came to it with thoughts like,
What is this? and Why are so many people standing in line? and Why are we looking at the animals?
The emotions were pretty strong. It's fascinating to see these animals, but there are feelings of Why are we staring at them?
Everything I've seen people debate was powerful for me that first time with my daughter.
 I come to the zoo and everything is manifested clearly: the importance of nature, the relationship between nature and the city, how different laws shape this place.
what was going on behind the scenes of the zoo. Â My focus wasn't animals.
I was never into animal rights. It was mostly, How is this performance possible? What has to  happen behind the scenes to make this institution in the middle of the city possible?
The zoo director took us for a tour. I was asking her questions and we decided to have another interview.
It started with the Buffalo Zoo. I started interviewing her staff. It was like a snowball.
But it wasn't just people from zoos. I interviewed  animal welfare activists, scientists from other organizations.
You came to the subject of zoos as an outsider. How did that give you a unique perspective?
I think if I'd have known how big of a war it is between pro-zoo and anti-zoo people,
At the zoo I was going into a different war. As an outsider, I was able to say,
Some zoo people were wary and didn't respond. Who am I coming from the outside and asking these questions?
She's grown up at the zoo. You can trust her. I had to build that trust from scratch.
You mentioned zoo lovers and zoo haters. Why do we have such strong opinions about zoos?
It's interesting how deep the relationship to animals is. It's unique in American culture.
This is a generalized statement, of course. Animals, especially dogs and cats, are part of the family. The relationship toward the wild is important in American culture:
the wilderness and the frontier. First it was to conquer the frontier. Then it shifted into language of conservation and preservation.
 These relationships, to animals and to the wild, shape the relationship of Americans to the zoo.
The zoo is in the city, so animals are hosted by us. But they're also wild animals.
They're these creatures that are almost magical. They have this power over us. My students go through American children's books to see what an important role animals have.
 Children are raised with animals as their heroes. The treatment of animals becomes important to people.
Another reason we have strong feelings about it is the conservation movement. Â Zoos have changed a lot Once,
they were places where animals were captured and chained. Now, they're there to promote and conserve animals.
 Zoo lovers focus on conservation as a way to care for these animals. How would my child know what a gorilla was
if my child couldn't see it? So why would my child want to save a gorilla in the wild
if they don't know what it is? That's what zoo lovers say. Zoo haters take the same perspective of romanticizing nature
and say, This is not the way to teach my child how to love animals. They can't see how they run and hunt.
They can't experience them in the wild. Zoo haters will say, Those are almost plastic animals.
They're the undermining of what animals in the wild are. What kind of monkeys are those that don't know how to peel a banana?
There are strong emotions on both sides. Why did zoos shift their mission from entertainment to conservation?
It's a combination of factors. From the perspective of zoo professionals, zoos have undergone dramatic changes since the 1970s and 1980s.
One aspect is the move from entertainment to conservation. There are other interconnected elements that have changed.
For example, the  larger shift within the public toward conservation was led and inspired by legal changes.
All these laws come into force that prohibit anyone from taking animals from the wild without special permits.
 Zoos cannot take their animals from the wild. They needed to come up with a different way of obtaining those animals.
At the same time the laws changed the education of zoo professionals changed. Â A lot of them are coming with a strong education in conservation
and they believe this should be the central mission of zoos. Zoos had to find ways to create animals without taking them from the wild.
How do you do that? You have to manage them. I was shocked at the sophisticated level of management that had to take place for this enterprise to survive.
The zoos in North america, I'm talking about the 225 accredited zoos, for the purpose of managing these wild animals,
they act as one body. They have committees and volunteers from each zoo that run the population of all the zoos.
 There's this closed system. All the gorillas are managed as if they are one community. They are one Zooland,
which is why I chose that title for the book. They decide together  which gorilla will mate with which gorilla.
They decide which one will transfer and how many new gorillas they want to have. Which gorillas are the most important to us for genetic reasons?
 They have to calculate in complex computer programs the genetics of each animal and get them together.
If zoos don't comply, they risk not getting accredited. It's such a sophisticated form of management.
Zoos aren't regulated by many federal and state laws, but they're governed by their own standards.
What are some of those standards? A lot of the laws that could pertain to zoos don't.
 Zoos have managed, through intense lobbying, to convince legislators they're more equipped to manage their institutions.
They had to do a lot of self-regulating, industry regulations. Some claim that's not good enough, but zoos have detailed standards.
They're not binding. They'll be kicked out of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums perhaps,
but they  could still continue to function as zoos. They just won't be accredited and won't be part of this Zooland.
 The industry standards pertain to the small portion of zoos that are accredited in North america.
It's about 10 percent. Â It's only those elite zoos that want to abide by them
in order to function like this. The standards include everything from the temperature of the gorilla enclosure,
how a transfer container needs to be built, how big the moat should be, how big the enclosure should be,
what happens when an animal needs to be trained. There are hundreds of pages of guidelines for keepers to follow
when they're taking care of a sick animal. They include recipes for how to make mush for them.
A lot of those guidelines and standards are updated on a regular basis. They're more flexible but some aren't as rigid as people would want.
What's the future of zoos? The zoos don't stand independently. They're deeply connected to notions of wilderness.
Global warming and the destruction of natural habitats are affecting the role of zoos. Zoo professionals want to see zoos taking more of a part in leading the conservation movement.
This would be the natural evolution. Â Zoos are becoming the reservoir for animals in the wild at the same time nature is changing.
In a way, natural reserves are becoming more managed for the sake of survival. Â The sophisticated programs zoos have developed to manage small populations in zoos are becoming more relevant as populations are getting smaller in the wild.
Zoo professionals are in communication with people in the field about how to manage rhinos that are becoming extinct.
 Zoos and conservationists have to work together for the sake of sustaining some of the populations we once knew in nature.
Maybe in several generations our children will not know lions and gorillas and rhinos. Prominent leaders in the zoo world are trying to see how they can move zoos to take a larger part in this movement of survival of both animals and habitats.
Photo, top: Irus Braverman Photo, bottom: An elephant eating breakfast at the Safari Zoo in Ramat Gan, Israel/By Irus Braverman
Q&a: Is Whole Foods Market spearheading a new form of advertising? Vadan Less and Jacob Ellenberg, cofounders of Dark Rye.
If it weren for the fine print, you â â¢d never know the two were connected.
 On the entire Dark Rye website, the Whole Foods logo is nowhere to be seen.
And yet, Vadan Less, whose team developed Dark Rye, says the online magazine does not mean to hide that it published by Whole Foods Market.
Launched in March 2012 by Less and his collaborator, Jacob Ellenberg, the online magazine presents stories that are not necessarily about food or products,
but use inspirational storytelling to bolster the cultural ideologies of Dark Rye parent brand. Is this the future of advertising?
Will more companies invest in original narrative content as an alternative to traditional marketing? We sat down with Vadan Less, a proponent of the slow media movement,
and self-described serial entrepreneur Jacob Ellenberg who interestingly holds a degree in organizational behavior, narrative theory, and mysticism(!)
to find out. You â â¢ve described the magazine as using â Å multimedia storytelling
I had most of the bugs worked out, I started contacting journalists. I emailed Clare O â â¢Conner at Forbes on a Monday night at like one in the morning.
I was building it to work out all of the bugs. And I â â¢m seeing campaigns I never would have imagined
if you want to look up a Jaguar car, there no barcode to scan. But that data we have
For The Bird Tree, which is 52 feet tall and the biggest exhibit that has been done,
'The buffalo in the prairies are our brothers and the same thing for the deer.
The eagle is our brother, the water in the river is the blood of our ancestors.'
The Salamander According to Gaudi (Barcelona) What's your background in mosaiculture and horticulture in general? How did you get into this work?
that had never been seen before in animals. By the end of June there were at least 132 confirmed cases,
Smartplanet spoke with Dr. Richard Webby, Director of the World health organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St jude Children's Research Hospital.
But has shown it any human-to-human transfer (as opposed to the typical animal-to-human transfer?
There are specific mutations in its genome that we associate with an increased ability to grow in mammals.
as compared to most other avian viruses, to transmit. Was there any overt indication that this strain of flu was more of a risk?
Well, we know that there are genetic elements of a virus associated with growth in mammals.
There are subtle differences between the avian host cell and the human host cell in terms of what viruses bind to.
So there are signatures that avian viruses have that are associated with binding to those avian cells.
This virus is primarily avian still but it did have some signatures that we associate with mammalian virus. Where does this virus rank among the flu viruses we know about already?
That is why we continue to monitor this in the bird populations, control it and reduce the number of human infections.
So with the H5n1 you see a lot of disease in your birds and you know the virus is there.
You have to be swabbing these birds regularly to find it. That obviously makes it harder to control.
With the H5 you eventually see sick birds. With the H7 they do not get sick at all.
Through the whole infectious course the animals can be unprotected wandering around That's pretty serious.
There is still a question with these other more classical avian types like the H5 and H7.
We're trying to cram thousands of animals together, and to gain more and more land. We need to scale up processes such as growing plants
and animals that are by their own nature inefficient. Focusing on the constituents of the food,
and our fellow animals and plants, who are at risk of dying out. are worried we enough about saving human civilization to make this time scale, the Anthropocene, more than a mere speck in the geologic time scale?
Ocean plankton are one of the biggest CO2 sucks on the planet, and if you fertilize them there might be more blooms.
What won survive are many of the animals we care about, and our civilization. And that is what we are talking about
if we lost the diversity of life, the monkeys, jaguars, whales for instance. They are all in trouble too.
Big cats--the lion, jaguar, snow leopard--are endangered on the species list at some level. There are others we don't have a lot of information about.
Some scientists are studying insects and others are studying flowering plants and all of the thousands of other distinctive species. How will the Open Tree of Life project unify them?
Then all the different trees we can get our hands on--trees researchers have published on spiders
and beetles and big cats--are layered on top. That will give us a view of where we are with our knowledge of the tree of life.
Caffeine boosts memoryâ They say an elephant never forgets. This one is eating a coffee tree.
Photo above of elephant by Michael Allen Smith. Both via Flickr
Restaurant business innovation: Marijuana sauceyou're not in Indiana. Amsterdam's Manneken Pis chip shop, named after Brussels'famous pissing boy statue,
given that the restaurant that invented it sits across the street from a place called the Grasshopper Cafe.
Radiation reminds me of the albatross: It performs wondrous things and it generally doesn't harm you,
The bird made famous in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner can fly incredible distances with a single flap of the wings.
He mentioned a second model community, Poplar Grove, outside Charleston, S. C. Through a partnership with Ducks Unlimited
keeping in mind what within the forest the songbirds, the wildlife. Every forest is different So
to know you â â¢re helping the deer, quail, turkey. We even have black bears.
What your playing schedule when you â â¢re not on tour? The Stones haven toured since August â â¢07.
Salvaging biofuel from the West's pine beetle devastationmountain pine beetles have been ravaging western forests.
with warmer temperatures allowing the insect to move into previously inhospitable areas and shortening the beetle's life cycle by up to a year.
While Cobalt Technologies can't offer much to solve the pest problem, the California start-up might have something to offer climate change mitigation.
The company has found a way to produce biofuel from the dead wood that pine beetles have left in their wake.
If Cobalt can convert beetle-killed wood, it likely that the company can make biofuel from almost any cellulosic feedstock.
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