An old shipping container is retrofitted with up to five tiers of growing platforms where beds of lettuce are grown with their roots in water, not soil.
And thats what Podponics does for ten different leafy greens like arugula, cressida, and watercress.
#Scientists discovered the â Missing Linkâ#of beer brewing Beech galls in Patagonia inhabited by Saccharomyces eubayanus,
the species researchers think combined with domesticated yeast to create a lager-producing hybrid. Mystery solved!
Ladies and gents, take a good look at the orange-colored galls on the beech tree to your left:
they were found to harbor the specific strain of yeast that makes lager beer possible.
scientists have found that an elusive species of yeast isolated in the forests of Argentina was key to the invention of the crisp-tasting German beer 600 years ago.
a species of wild yeast called Saccharomyces eubayanus that lives on beech trees#We knew it had to be out there somewhere,
#Fukushima grows sunflowers to clean up radiation contamination A geiger counter is placed in front of sunflowers in full bloom in Fukushima.
Burning strips of paper swirled into the hot summer sky as they carry the names of the dead above a temple in Fukushima where thousands of sunflowers have been planted to help fight the omnipresent radiation.
and distributing sunflowers and other plants. We plant sunflowers, field mustard, amaranthus and cockscomb, which are believed all to absorb radiation,
#said the monk. So far we have grown at least 200,000 flowers (at this temple) and distributed many more seeds.
At least 8 million sunflowers blooming in Fukushima originated from here.##Some of the 100 volunteers helping him with his project bustled around lighting candles in preparation for Obon, a festival honoring the spirits of the dead.
Later, Buddhist chants echoed the buzz of cicadas from nearby trees as Abe burned paper inscribed with the names of the dead, a ritual in
and encouraged temple visitors to take home flowers and seeds of their own. Sunflowers were used near Chernobyl after the 1986 nuclear accident there to extract radioactive cesium from contaminated ponds nearby.
Japanese scientists are also carrying out tests to prove their usefulness in fighting radiation. HOPE FROM STAGNATION But Abe decided not to wait for the results of the tests
Weve been so busy with hundreds of locals coming to collect the flowers. It helps
Cheerful fields of sunflowers in unusual locations, such as unused paddy fields, can now be seen across the area,
I planted the sunflowers from the temple alongside other vegetables hoping they would suck up radiation,
#As more people came to collect flowers at the temple, they confided to Abe their worries about radioactive contamination of the soil in their gardens.
and looking up, he noticed something about the bare branches above him. They didnt appear to be growing randomly.
So he took some measurements of the angles of the branches, crunched some numbers, and wouldnt you know it,
the bark is removed to make shingles, flowers and smaller limbs are saved for later use.##Wood is extracted#to build the concession stand.
The roots have many edible features, such as root bark used to make tea and tonics that could be sold in the kiosk, for example.
Pressed leaves and flowers taken from the tree will be ornaments in the front glass of the kiosk.
There is also the possibility of extracting honey from poplar tree flowers, which could be something for sale on site.
The branches that are less than five inches in diameter are cut away to prevent eventual rotting,
and those can be used for details such as legs for the chairs and tables, or grinded down into sawdust for use as insulation.
From the sacrifice of a single tree, they create tables, chairs, swings, the shingled concession stand and even root tea to sell in it.
Mcgrath State Beach Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve Morro Strand State Beach Moss Landing State Beach Olompali State Historic
On top of Chicagos City hall is a garden with wildflowers and native grasses. In the garden stand two beehives where more than 100,000 bees come
#The Chicago bees success could be due to the citys abundant and mostly pesticide-free flowers.
Many bee experts believe city bees have a leg up on country bees these days because of a longer nectar flow, with people planting flowers that bloom from spring to fall,
#Greg Fischer of Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery in Chicago has about 40 beehives in the city and another 60 in more rural areas.
Fischer once worked with a company that trucked bees around the country to pollinate sunflowers in South dakota, almonds in California and other crops in other states.
Jim Mccann, 1-800-FLOWERS. COM Jim Mccann was a bartender and a social worker who was looking for a way to supplement his income
when he bought a flower shop for $10 000 in 1976. He eventually opened 13 more stores in the New york Metropolitan area,
but it wasnt until he hit upon the idea to acquire the 1-800-FLOWERS phone number in 1986 that business really bloomed.
In 1999,1-800-FLOWERS went public and added the dot-com to its name. The company,
In their research station, strawberries, yellow peppers, basil and banana plants take on an eerie pink glow under red and blue bulbs of Light-emitting diodes
The Dutch researchers say they plan to build a commercial-sized building in The netherlands of 1, 300 square meters (14,000 sq. feet), with four separate levels of vegetation by the end of this year.
While LED bulbs are expensive, the cost is steadily dropping. Olaf van Kooten, a professor of horticulture at Wageningen University who has observed the project
Landscapers switched to Imprelis this year to control weeds because it was claimed to be safer for the environment than predecessors#Amy Frankmann,
#said Mark Underwood, a Michigan lawn care specialist. Weve never experienced anything like this.##The herbicide is suspected of killing Norway spruce and white pine trees en mass all over the country.
also contain extracts of parsley, nasturtium, radish, yarrow and hibiscus. They were found in 136 tin-lined wooden vials on a 50ft-long trading ship
American Apparel is also almost certainly under gross margin pressure because of the rise in cotton prices.
It is the story of three men from the urban environment who look to get back to their roots by building a tree house together.
DC, will have a special place in his heart for the famous cherry blossoms and festival held each spring. 2. Austin,
This quaint Midwestern city with the Missouri river winding through it has strong roots in Native american culture
but the steady precipitation results in lush vegetation, earning Seattle the nickname the Emerald City#and serving up plenty of locally grown goodness.
Scientists have developed the first mobile app to identify plants by simply photographing a leaf. The free iphone and ipad app, called Leafsnap, instantly searches a growing library of leaf images amassed by the Smithsonian Institution.
In seconds, it returns a likely species name, high-resolution photographs and information on the trees flowers, fruit, seeds and bark.
Users make the final identification and share their findings with the apps growing database to help map the population of trees one mobile phone at a time.
In a somewhat similar display of plant intelligence, Poison ivy plants are able to sense danger through the proximity of a person or animal,
will it be possible to train#a tree to have its branches grow into the shape of end tables, coffee tables, chairs, or rocking chairs.
So once the branches are fully grown, we can walk up to the tree and harvest the rocking chairs by cutting them down.
Shengyang province, moulds branches into shape while the tree is still growing. He uses elm trees
flower beds, and maple trees, reading the various gems of wisdom as they go. Much like the hallowed halls of a library, Poetry Park will be steeped in silence,
artistic gardens that bloom in concert with the people who get involved, evolvable playgrounds that grow along with the thinking of play,
back yard and indoor vegetation has become a new experience. The health benefits go beyond just small amounts of food, to improving air quality, the natural environment and providing healthy exercise.
and evil#smelled of Smouldering opium tar, tobacco absolute, green tea, black plum, kush, ambergris accord, ambrette seed,
Pale golden musk, honeycomb, amber, parma violet, hawthorne bark, aspen leaf, forest lily, life everlasting, white moss,
Rose amber, frankincense, myrrh, champaca flower, Peru balsam, cistus, palisander, cananga, hyssop, and narcissus absolute.
FIGHTER: Leather, musk, blood, and steel. MAGE: All mystique and thrumming power: gurjum balsam, Sumatran dragons blood resin, olibanum, galangal, oleo gum resin, and frankincense.
The RPG Series via Neatorama Share Thissubscribedel. icio. usfacebookredditstumbleupontechnorati n
#iphone Secretly Tracks Everywhere You Go The map shows location data collected from an iphone that had been used in England.
Food prices rose 0. 8 percent last month, the largest increase in almost three years.
Coffee costs rose 3. 5 percent. Separately, the Federal reserve said U s. factories produced more consumer goods,
and gives you lots of good nutrition. 9. Cassava Rootwhen it comes to starch, cassava (also called manioc or yucca) is the third most consumed food in the world.
It also contains cyanide and unless processed in some way, it can kill. There are two types, sweet and bitter,
Even simply soaking cassava for a few hours will help as it also contains an enzyme called limnarase that liberates the cyanide over time.
unproccessed cassava will kill a cow and has killed humans in the past. 8. Nutmeg Nutmeg contains myristicine,
and vines of tomato plants contain alkaloid poisons such as atropine that cause dizziness, headaches and upset tummies.
if you eat the leaf, but it contains oxalic acid salts that can cause kidney problems, coma and convulsions.
However, the stalks are not a problem and even with the leaves, you would need to eat about 5 lbs before you reached a fatal dose.
Unless you eat the seeds. Like cherries and other fruits, they contain cyanogenic glycosides causing cyanide.
Seeds from one apple will not likely cause an effect but people have eaten enough to die from it.
The bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Ultimately, Pepsi plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business.
The new bottle looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as its current bottles,
Barley, oats, sorghum, rye, and millet make up the remainder. We start by looking at rice because,
#Zombie Ants Controlled by Four New Species of Fungi A stalk of the newfound fungus species Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani,
the fungus is actually four distinct species#ll of which can mind control#ants#cientists announced last week.
pics) The fungus species can infect an ant, take over its brain, and then kill the insect once it moves to a location ideal for the fungi to grow
and spread their spores. All four known fungi species live in Brazils Atlantic rain forest, which is rapidly changing due to climate change
and deforestation, said study leader David Hughes, an entomologist at Penn State university. Hughes and colleagues made the discovery after noticing a wide diversity of fungal growths emerging from ant victims,
according to the March 2 study in the journal PLOS ONE. It is tempting to speculate that each species of fungus has its own ant species that it is adapted best to attack#
Hughes said. This potentially means thousands of zombie fungi in tropical forests across the globe await discovery,
#he said. We need to ramp up sampling#specially given the perilous state of the environment.#
The four newly identified zombie#fungi species use different techniques to spread after infecting an ant, the researchers found.
Some of the fungi species create thin infection pegs#that stick out from a victims body
Other fungus species develop explosive spores on infected ants bodies. When other ants come near the cadavers,
the shooting spores can hit the unwitting passersby, turning them too into zombie ants. Lodged in a zombie ants brain,
the fungi species direct#the dying ants to anchor themselves to leaves or other stable places,
as pictured above#roviding a stable nursery#for the fungus. For instance, as the Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani fungus is about to kill the ant, the insect bites down hard into whatever substance its standing on.
This attachment is so strong that a dead zombie ant can remain stationary even when hanging upside down,
A white fungus stalk (left) of the Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis species begins to poke through the head of a zombie ant two days after death.
the fungus rapidly spreads through the body. During the first couple days, though, very little evidence of the fungus is visible from the outside.
During later stages of Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis infection, the fungus rapidly consumes the nutrients inside a zombie ant
and begins to colonize the outside of the ants body. The fungus stalk growing from the back of the head also becomes longer and more noticeable.
The mature fungus stalk, shown growing from a zombie ants head during the final stage of infection,
differs among fungi species. For instance, Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis creates just a single stalk (pictured), while Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani forms a forked stalk.
Ants arent the only zombie-fungi hosts#ther insects also fall prey to fungus. Above, a wasp is infected by a Cordyceps fungus species that hasnt yet been named or formally documented.
Fungi of the Cordyceps genus are the products of a tightly evolved arms race between hosts
and parasites, study author Hughes noted. That means the fungi are locked often into one type of host#specialization that might spell doom for fungi species as host species die out.
Unlike ants, many insect species that fall victim to zombie fungi are very difficult to identify after the fungus has spread around their bodies the scientists noted.
Overall fungi help keep nature working smoothly, Hughes added. They may be less cuddly than pandas#but for the overall health of the planet,
fungi are inestimably more important.##Crickets too can fall prey to zombie fungi (as pictured),
though little is known about the fungus species that brought this insect to its horrific end.
Hughes plans to remedy that#nd expects to find many more zombie fungus species in the forests of Brazil.
This is only the tip, #he said, of what will be a very large iceberg.##Via National geographic Share Thissubscribedel. icio. usfacebookredditstumbleupontechnorati r
#Mcdonaldâ##s â Oatmealâ#Has 11 Weird Ingredients, More Sugar Than a Snickers An oatmeal dont.
Writing on the New york times blog, Mark Bittman reviews Mcdonalds nightmarish attempt at making oatmeal (a foodstuff with one ingredient:
Yet in typical Mcdonalds fashion, the company is doing everything it can to turn oatmeal into yet another bad choice.
Not only that, theyve made it more expensive than a double-cheeseburger: $2. 38 per serving in New york.
leaving them as fresh as a daisy in minutes. It works by using ultraviolet light to sterilise the bacteria
It works for people who suffer from athletes foot, toenail fungus, or just plain smelly feet.
The beverages contain a hodgepodge of caffeine, sugar and dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbal extracts,
such as the amino acid taurine, the herbal extracts yohimbine, guarana and ginseng, and often loads of sugar.
And like ginseng, yohimbine may interact with other drugs. If it were as simple as energy drinks just containing caffeine,
when we found a sedimentary layer packed full of fragile leaves and twigs.##These fossils proved to be stunted remains of bushes of beech.
At only three to five million years old, they were some of the last plants to have lived on the continent before the deep freeze set in.
and C. In fact, one cup of raw broccoli florets provides 130%of your daily Vitamin c requirement.
simply pick them off by hand. 2. Peas There is nothing like peas grown right in your own garden#the tender sweetness of a snap pea just plucked from the vine is unlike anything you can buy in at a store.
Bush beans are your best option for growing in containers. Plant beans four inches apart in a container that is at least 12 inches deep.
Harvest dry beans when the pods have dried completely on the vine. The pods should be light brown,
A tomato leaf spray will get rid of aphids, and garlic/hot pepper spray works very well on a flea beetle infestation. 7. Beets Beets are a great two-fer#crop#you can harvest the beet roots, of course,
but you can also harvest and eat the greens. Young beet greens are added delicious when raw to a salad,
or used the way youd use other greens such as Spinach beet roots are very high in iron, potassium, and Vitamin c.
Plant beet seeds three inches apart in a container that is twelve inches deep. Because each beet seed is actually a cluster of seeds,
be sure to thin the seedlings to one per cluster. Thinnings can be added to salads or sandwiches.
What to Watch out For: Knowing when to harvest. Beet roots are at their best when they are harvested small#between one and two inches across.
At this size, they are sweet and tender. Larger beets tend to be kind of woody
and less flavorful. 8. Leaf Amaranth Leaf amaranth is a less-common vegetable that is well worth a try in your own garden.
As a bonus, leaf amaranth is one of the few heat-tolerant greens. It wont bolt in the heat of summer the way spinach
leaf amaranth is very high in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin, zinc, and Vitamins A, B6,
How to Grow Leaf Amaranth Growing Leaf Amaranth in Containers: Scatter the tiny seeds over the soils surface in a pot that is at least 8 inches deep.
Harvest the leaves when they are two to four inches tall. You will be able to get at least two
or three harvest before youll have to sow more seeds. What to Watch out For: Leaf amaranth is fairly easy to grow,
and relatively problem-free. Rarely, leaf miners can become a problem. 9. Carrots Carrots are at their sweetest,
or collard plant per ten inch deep pot. Other greens can be grown a few plants to a pot#they should be planted at least 4 inches apart
In addition, many of these greens are members of the Brassicas family, which means they are prone to cabbage worm infestations.
Cacao seeds should be considered a super fruit and products derived from cacao seed extracts such as natural cocoa powder and dark chocolate,
as super foods,#said lead scientist Debra Miller. However, the findings do not alter the fact that their favourite is high in fat and sugar,
And that doesnt include the carbon emissions released during forest fires. The scientists believe that if droughts of this magnitude continue at this frequency,
The body has three layers of skin, the subcutaneous tissue (fats, nerves, large blood vessels), the dermis (small blood vessels, nerves, hair roots, sweat glands),
because the epidermis in those areas has calluses which take in more water. Source: everydaymysteries 5.)Eyebrows Many people see eyebrows as just another facial feature to be self conscious about.
or to avoid cutting the root. If you still tear up while cutting onions, and have nothing better to spend your money on,
Brokers are waiting to see how acreage in the United states will be divided between soybeans, corn and cotton, with cotton fetching record prices,
scientists who are trying to find more sustainable ways to build car parts believe the answers may be found in things such as mushroom roots.
Above it is a pile of bitter manioc, peeled prior to soaking. At top right are baskets with carrying straps,
A man painted red with annatto-seed dye can be seen on a path leading to the garden.
along with details of banana plants and annatto shrubs in the garden. Papaya and manioc would also be grown there,
and perhaps cotton used to make bracelets, anklets and hammocks, said Watson. Three Men Look Upward Two men painted red and another painted black look up from their village clearing.
Black paint can be either decorative or a sign of hostility, but Watson doesnt believe hostility is directed at the plane overhead.
weeds are continually adapting defenses to survive nonetheless. These superweeds#will require the use of stronger,
The pesticide is applied usually as a seed dressing and absorbed into the plants whole system as it grows.
puts the differences down to a lower reliance on grazing and fertiliser suppressing clover on conventional farms.
and, in the absence of nitrogen fertiliser, tend to encourage swards of red and white clover,
and One Seed Chicagoare motivating urbanites to start their own urban garden by handing out free seeds and then asking gardeners to vote on their favorite.
Its about working from seed to table#in order to break up food deserts and fight childhood obesity all in the same breath.
Chicagoans that vote for their favorite seeds get free seeds to plant in their gardens.
According to the press release, voting started on January 1 and continues until April 1, 2011. The winning seed will be unveiled at Greennets annual Green and Growing Fair.
Chicago residents can vote at One Seed Chicago. For the fourth year One Seed Chicago is uniting Chicago gardeners,
#said Ben Helphand, Neighborspace Executive director. By planting a common seed, backyards, windowsills, community gardens and balconies across the City will be linked together in a season-long celebration of urban gardening and local eating.#
#This comes in the wake of a new emphasis on urban gardening in Chicago. According to an article in the Chicago tribune, The city hosts hundreds of community gardens and about a dozen small farms
whose produce is sold to the public. But Chicago is peppered also with roughly 14,000 empty lots that all parties agree could be farmed to create jobs,
#said Anil Margsahayam, cofounder of another underground eatery, the Stag Dining Group, so named because all five owners (chefs, hunters, marketers, performers and conservationists) are unmarried
leafy greens and seaweed#that were gathered in the wild. Mr. Rabins described foraging as collecting food that wont run away.#
Alarming Decline in Bumblebees Found in U s a bumblebee gathers pollen from a sunflower. Four previously abundant species of bumblebee are close to disappearing in the United states,
blamed on many factors including parasites, fungi, stress, pesticides and viruses. But most studies have focused on honeybees.
The 50 species (of bumblebees) in the United states are associated traditionally with prairies and with high alpine vegetations#
Just as important#they land on a flower and they have called this behavior buzz pollination that enables them to cause pollen to fly off the flower.#
#POLLINATING TOMATOES This is the way to pollinate tomatoes, Cameron said#although smaller bees can accomplish the same effect if enough cluster on a single flower.
Several reports have documented the disappearance of bumblebees in Europe and Asia, but no one had done a large national study in The americas.
#Skeptics of herbal medicines abound, as any quick Internet search demonstrates. Oil of oregano is a perennial one,
bush dog (Speothos venaticus; Brazilian aardvark, also known locally as coati (Nasua nasua; collared anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla;
Gotham Greens is producing pesticide-free lettuce and basil for restaurants and retailers from rooftop greenhouses in Brooklyn,
. and Andr Szklo, Ph d. The work in this study is supported by contracts with the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute and by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
or sold equity stakes to venture capitalists like Michael Dell s brother, Adam. A lot of the seed money, literally, is being used to help these businesses grow,
Leriadis also talked about local mountain tea, #made from dried herbs endemic to the island, which is enjoyed as an end-of-the-day cocktail.
He mentioned wild marjoram, sage (flaskomilia), a type of mint tea (fliskouni), rosemary and a drink made from boiling dandelion leaves
and adding a little lemon. People here think they re drinking a comforting beverage, but they all double as medicine,
He wore a shapeless cotton shirt and a battered baseball cap, and she wore a housedress with her hair in a bun.
Lunch was almost always beans (lentils, garbanzos), potatoes, greens (fennel, dandelion or a spinachlike green called horta) and whatever seasonal vegetables their garden produced;
Doctors often use diuretics to treat hypertension#perhaps by drinking tea nightly, Ikarians have lowered gently their blood pressure throughout their lives.
#Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed...and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;
to you it shall be for food.##But again, the key insight might be more about social structure than about the diet itself.
In June, Interpol established a pilot program called Law enforcement Assistance for Forests (LEAF. It will attempt to coordinate the efforts of police and intelligence agencies to fight illegal timber internationally.
and Carter family members tending the tobacco, corn and cotton crops at Shirley Plantation, which turns 400 next year.
growing tobacco, then corn, cotton and soybeans. Today, they lease it out to other farmers, so they can concentrate on the historical tourism aspect of the property,
Overtext Web Module V3.0 Alpha
Copyright Semantic-Knowledge, 1994-2011