Nature

An actual research study titled "Cyberchondria: Studies of the Escalation of Medical Concerns in Web Search" was recently conducted by Microsoft researchers Ryen W. White and Eric Horvitz to analyze how the Web enables those obsessed in researching illnesses. A survey of 515 Microsoft employees determined that Internet surfing regarding health issues is on the rise. Inquiring minds want to know what's ailing them and why they are obsessed with tracking down health symptoms online from the common cold to cancer.

Looking for an eco-friendly holiday gift? How about a gadget and a plant in one? How about the Andrea air filter?

It's that time of year again. You can feel the tension weighing everyone down. All you want to do is serve a great meal and keep the peace between the people you love. Help alleviate the tension with the 5 cool eco-dining distractions I have listed below.

During the holidays a beautiful bowl filled with delicious snacks or treats can make all the difference in the tension of a room. The attractive bowl can be an icebreaker or just a place where everyone gathers around to comfort themselves by stuffing their faces with food. Below is a short list of unique beautiful ice-breaking bowls made of recycled material.

There are a lot of firsts and innovative ideas going into the 2010 Olympic medals. There are also a lot of people making a great effort to make sure that the 2010 Olympic medals are worthy of their Olympic winners. Two of these people are Corrine Hunt and Omer Arbel.

There is still time to make your own Halloween costume. Take a look at the list of eco-Halloween ideas I have gathered below. The costumes are made with recycled material and of themes Mother Nature would appreciate.

About a week ago, while spring cleaning (yes, I know a little late), I came across my favorite cassette tapes, sighed and told my husband I was ready to give these up and consign with the other stuff. He grabbed the box and argued, "Who would want them?" I snapped him an angry look, "People find ways to recycle them!" and shut him up.

This concept tent provides a simple upgrade to the standard camping tent to increase social interaction and make for a more enjoyable camping experience.

Our DNA would mean very little if it were not for ribosomes, because ribosomes transform DNA into living matter. But scientists did not know exactly how ribosomes function or even what ribosomes look like until the works of Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz, and Ada E. Yonath shared their knowledge of the structure and workings of these life-giving structures. These scientists are the 2009 recipients of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

In a recent skim through of environmentally friendly e-newsletters in my inbox I came across one headline that I could not skim past. What in the world is a Placenta Teddy Bear? I had to click through.

Halloween is upon us and as the time approaches some Halloween celebrating fanatics (people I know personally) will go crazy trying to outdo their neighbor with the best Halloween decor. If only they could get their hands on a SonUmbra. They could take their décor to an eerie level.

Let me introduce you to Phragmatopoma californica, the sandcastle worm, if you haven't already met. This incredibly self-contained worm, found on the southern coast of California, not only gathers its own materials to build its home, but uses its own bio-produced cement to superglue the materials together, creating its own permanent honeycomb housing - under water!

At the moment an albatross swoops down to the sea for a bit of fish bait, it can go from being one of the most graceful soaring and swooping birds to being "bycatch," the term for an unintended victim of a fishery net that few birds escape.  The winner of this year's World Wildlife Federation's (WWF) Smart Gear competition has tackled the problem of bird bycatch with its invention, for now called quite simply the "underwater baited hook."

If you love solar power and solar products, but fear the impact shade from cloudy or dark days may have on your panels, your fears conquered soon. GreenSun Energy Ltd. has found a colorful and innovative new way to harness indirect sunlight.

You already use all sorts of USB devices. Why not repel mosquitoes with one?

If you have ever been brave enough to skinny dip into a body of water or showered in your birthday suit underneath a waterfall, you may just like this eco-friendly concept. It brings water, nature and you into your shower. It's eco-clean.

At Oxford University, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) has been studying the brain size of four large cats -- leopards, jaguars, lions and tigers -- in relation to their average overall size. The largest brain by length measurement is the lion's , but the volume of the tiger's brain, contrary to the researchers' expectation, is larger than the lion's brain relative to body size. So what's the big deal?

What would it take to harness solar power from space then beam it down to earth? Money? Years? Super long cables? Solar panel maker Mitsubishi Electric Corp and IHI Corp would like to find out.

Another reuse for human hair has been discovered thanks to a young bright man from Nepal. Using human hair, the young man and his friends, invented a method to power more affordable solar panels for their village and hopefully the rest of the world. Is it Solhair Power?