Nature

Brazilian Seed Grows into Diesel Tree: Farmers Happy

Australian farmers in North Queensland have recently invested in 20,000 Brazilian trees not just for the sake of the environment, but also for what the trees can give the farmers in about 15 to 20 years. Fuel!

1 comment

Poo-PourriTM Smells Like Daffodils

by Gloria Campos

I never thought the day would come when dung was hung to freshen up the stench in the air, but alas the day is here and the Creative Paper Wales company is proud of their Poo-pourriTM.

5 comments

Biofuel From A Termite's Butt?

by Steve Levenstein

Termites... these ground-dwelling insect pests cause millions of dollars worth of damage each year to wooden structures by eating them. Now scientists are closer to understanding how termites convert wood into energy - true biofuel - and how we humans might do the same; cleanly, "greenly" and economically.

Robot Pill Bugs Put Out Fires

by Lisa Zyga

Sometime in the future, 200-pound bugs may be roaming around the forests. That's not due to any increase in oxygen levels, but rather because these bugs are robots whose job it is to extinguish forest fires.

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A Surfboard That Works Without Waves

by George Delozier

What do you do when you want to try sufing but a trip to either coast is out of the question? Well you can try to make your own massive waves...but the easier way would be to simply buy a Monojet Surf Board.

Have Environmental Floor Designers Gone to the Pits?

by Gloria Campos

When you eat a peach and finally get to the pit do you ever wonder, “this pit would make a great floor”? Floor designer, Alla le Roux has.

Buckle Up, This Blade's Coming At You

by Guest Blogger

Not only does this beauty allow its user to save precious fractions of seconds in retrieving a knife when needed, but it also keeps your pants cinched tightly about your time saving waist.

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Great Invention Idea? Kill Bugs Fast with Radiation Gun!

by Elizabeth Valeri

Gnats, mosquitoes, field mice, ants, and all manner of creepy crawlies are just as interested in your summer activities as you are. In the past, the most effective protection against these tiny critters was to slather yourself with some deet or paraben laden lotion only to find you had traded one set of problems: bug bites, for another: cancer. Well those days of compromise are over thanks to United States patent 6647661.

3 comments

Using Trunks, Bark and Leaves - 10 Towering Tree Ads from Around the World

by Amy Gifford

Whether its campaigns to Save the Trees, or Keep it Fresh, advertisers are using all of the elements of trees, the leaves, the trunk and the bark to get their marketing messages across in clever ways.

Great Invention Idea? Easy & Fun Way to Put Your Kids to Work!

by Elizabeth Valeri

I like United States patent 4455816, because it works on the principle that kids aren't just those little people you love and drive to and from soccer practice, they are also the source of a largely untapped and expensive - the average cost to raise a child in America until the age of 18 is around $200,000 - labor pool.

8 comments

Drunken Butterfly Master: Paul Villinski's Beer Can Art

by Sarah O

As the classic adage states, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." New York artist Paul Villinski takes this sentiment and runs with it - or flies, I should say - into the beautiful realm of winged sculptural installations made from found beer cans.

Tornado Power - A Future Energy Source?

by Lisa Zyga

Retired scientist Louis Michaud has plans to generate tornadoes near power plants that could provide a 40% increase in the plants' power output. If the concept works, it could dramatically cut down on the need for building new power plants, instead creating energy from the waste heat of existing plants.

2 comments

ASCII Code Curtain Branches Into Home Decor

by Sarah O

Inspired by the incredible volume of information transmitted via the ASCII coding system, Dutch designer Nienke Sybrandy has captured its cryptic flow in the good and wholesome form of a tree.

Non- Drip Honey: Honey Drops™ For Coffee, Tea, and Thee

by Toby

When you dip your spoon into a honey jar, it's going to come out dripping; that's the nature of honey. But, after years of study and experimentation, inventor and entrepreneur John Rowe, has created the Honey Drop™, a teaspoon of pure unadulterated honey in a solid form. Non-drip honey!

2 comments

Test-tube Baby Whales? Cow-Whale Hybrids?

Japan's scientific whaling exposed as sham

by Steve Levenstein

Japan's annual hunt for hundreds of whales under the guise of "scientific research" has long been castigated as a sham. Now, a new analysis of published research papers has exposed a long-running litany of frivolous, esoteric, even bizarre experimentation including "attempts at cross-breeding cows with whales".

5 comments

Ashley’s Recycled Leather Bags: Environmentally Friendly Or Not?

by Gloria Campos

Is a product environmentally friendly if it’s made out of leather? What if it is made out of recycled leather? If you are not sure how to answer these questions take a look at Vancouver’s fashion designer, Ashley Watson’s recycled leather bags and other accessories.