Incredible 12km WATER BRIDGE In Germany

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable aqueduct in Germany that connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittelland Canal, and allows ships to cross over the Elbe River. At 918 meters, it is the longest navigable aqueduct in the world.

The Elbe-Havel and Mittelland canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe. Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometer detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before entering the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

Source: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/04/incredible-magdeburg-water-bridge-in.html

Washington on Advancing Green Chemistry

John Warner, is one of the founders of the field of Green Chemistry, co-authoring the defining text "Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice" with Paul Anastas. 

John has over 200 patents, papers and books. Even more interesting is that ICIS (Chemical Industry News & Chemical Market Intelligence) has named him one of the most influential people impacting the global chemical industries. As well, in 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and named one of "25 Visionaries Changing the World" by Utne Reader. After watching this video, you can clearly see why...

Note: Senator John Kerry is present.

                 

Teacher to the World - Incredible Story!!!

Did you ever think that a man living above a tiny tea shop in Silicon Valley could revolutionize education? Guess again.

It all started with 35-year-old Sanjay Gupta uploading a youtube video for his niece about algebra. Next thing you know, 4 million students around the world were using his lessons...and then Bill Gates gave him a phone call.

 

Silk and Vaccines - Who Would Have Thought?

When one thinks of a vaccine, the last thought that comes to mind is how it will be stored. Although this may seem like a minor problem, it actually is a big deal when transporting vaccines to developing countries that have little refrigeration storage.

The idea of creating a vaccine that could withstand diverse climates with little upkeep has been on the minds of researchers at Tufts University for a long time. Scientists at Tufts have reported that by using silk one can keep vaccines from degrading in hot countries where there is no refrigeration.

Over the years silk has been found to have very interesting and diverse properties. For example, silk proteins are strong, resistant to moisture, stable at extreme temperature and are biocompatible. This is demonstrated in the many applications they have been used  for- from the creation of the "bullet-proof" vest, to being used in wall coverings, to clothing and bedding. 

So why is silk so effective in preserving a vaccine? Well, David L. Kaplan and colleagues say that the silks proteins trap itself between the beta-sheets of the viral particles. This causes viral proteins to be held in their native, folded state and thus preventing denaturation. Furthermore, the structure of silk also excludes some water; enhancing its preservative qualities.

A film developed at Tufts University demonstrating silks optical properties and potential use as holographic materials. Photo: Courtesy of Fiorenzo Omenetto
Source: http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2008/09/features/04/

Silk has incredible optical properties. Dr. Kaplan suggests that a sensor could be included in the vaccine to show doctors whether or not it is still fresh.

The silk protein used in the vaccine is in the form of a liquid. It is able to be a liquid because it is dissolved in a salt solution. Once this is mixed with measles, mumps and rubella it is then dried and made into films. Note that measles is one of the leading killers of children worldwide. However, after six months of storage in freeze-dried silk films at body temperature (37 C) and at 45 C/ 113 F, all components of the vaccine retained approximately 85% of their initial potency.



Tufts engineers develop a new way to stabilize vaccines and other heat-sensitive drugs using silk protein.
Source: http://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/new-silk-technology-preserves-heat-sensitive-

So how is all this possible? The research at Tufts is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health. Overall, it builds on a significant body of work previously published by Tufts biomedical engineers seeking to tap the potential of silk for a wide range of applications. 





Simply a Medical Revolution - Printing Organs

By now, most people are familiar with the incredible capabilities of 3D printing. These printers have been around since 2009 and are designing  intricate devices ranging from the nano-scale level, all the way to three dimensional parts for airplanes. However, did you ever think these printers could create tissues, blood vessels and even hearts? Sounds a like the next big science-fiction novel by Robert Sawyer, or the sequel to the movie Frankenstein. Indeed, this is no science fiction story, it is merely the incredible work of a San Diego based company called Organovo.

Organovo's initial goal was to create an arterial graft for use in coronary bypass surgery. However, with the success they have been having and the strong adaptability of these "printed-biological tissues" in the body, they have set new long-term goals which involve solving problems in medical therapy that could not be solved otherwise. This is especially true in "organ transplants, where tens of thousands of people are waiting for donated organs", said Keith Murphy, CEO of the company, Organovo.

What makes tissue creation possible is that these printers use a patient’s own cells- rather than those of a donated heart or liver. Even more interesting, the parts are made from the organ recipient's own genetic matter, and precisely match the tissue or organ they replace. This allows for little risk of an immune response, which lessens the need for debilitating immuno-suppressive drugs.

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Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/connections/archive/2012/06/257654/

Can you imagine how incredible it would be to harvest organs via a 3D printer? This would eliminate growing cells in petri-dishes and the need for bioadaptability testing (i.e. most harvested organs are used in animals etc. prior to use in humans).

How does it work you ask? The printers put cells into a “mold” layer-by-layer, until eventually a three-dimensional structure is developed. After the mould has been created, the layered cells are put into a bio-reactor to fuse together…and with time- VOILA! In fact, recently Organovo arranged heart cells in a grid using the bio-printer and after they fused together in the bio-reactor, the structure actually began BEATING -just like real heart tissue!!! Think about it: skin, windpipes, bladders, and more complex structures like hearts, waiting to be printed on demand with the click of a computer mouse.

Gene Therapy for Skin Repairs Damaged DNA!

If you get skin cancer, there aren't many treatments today that offer nicer/healthy looking skin prior to removal. Indeed, the main treatment that dermatologists do today for patients that have skin cancer involves physically removing the discoloured mass itself. After the fact, people are often left with a not-so-nice scar, disfigured skin and damaged DNA.

This may not be the case for much longer. Thanks to scientists at Northwestern University, treating skin cancer might become as easy as rubbing on a nanoparticle-filled lotion. Can you imagine how nice this would be for patients?! The team of researchers was led by Chad  A. Mirkin and Amy S. Paller. Specifically, they applied gold nanoparticles coated with densely packed oriented strands of small interfering RNA to both mouse skin and engineered human skin.

http://www.plasticsurgerypractice.com/issues/articles/2011-07_04.asp

The mechanism of this "gold-filled nanoparticle lotion" was interesting in that after it had passed the outer layer, the particles would switch off targeted genes inside skin cells. For instance, particles applied to engineered human skin decreased expression of a gene coding for epidermal growth factor receptor by 52%. This protein is overexpressed in a number of cancer cell types. Not only did the researchers observe the particles penetrating skin, they also saw them leave. This is is crutial, because noone wants gold nanoparticles entering the body. In fact, what was really interesting is that ten days after treatment, mice retained only 2% of the gold from the originally absorbed particles.

So, many of you are probably wondering what nanoparticle are?

Nanoparticles are particles with a diameter between 1 nm and 100 nm (50 000 times smaller than a human hair!). Indeed, because they are so small, they are able to cover a large surface area, yet still maintain a very small volume. This characteristic is what makes these particles so unique and able to make products have very interesting properties. For example, this small volume and large surface area can often change the intermolecular attraction forces of molecules, altering their electrical and magnetic behavior.

What you may not know is that nanoparticles deposit on the walls of our alveoli. No one knows for sure if this is a problem. However, the effects of cigarette smoke nanoparticles on the lungs are well established...but that is a whole other article.

The field of nanotechnology is ever-evolving. However, now that nanoparticles are being used to repair genes affected by cancer, one can't help but be left with the feeling of the endless possibilities of these particles. It is only a matter of time before more and more miraculous discoveries are adopted and used for the better good of humanity.

References:

Proc.Natl. Acad.Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118425109

Chemical & Engineering News Magazine. (July 9, 2012). Published by the American Chemical Society

Bill Gates Speech at Harvard Graduation

Check out this inspriational speech, by none other than Bill Gates himself...

                                               Part 1:

                                                                      Part 2:



Google Launches Initiative to Archive Endangered Languages

With rapid growth of  the world-wide-web, the way humans interact and communicate with one another is evolving. However, with this change comes specific obligations to preserve some of the ways of communication that are sadly becoming extinct. Google, the world's most popular search engine company, recognizes this need and in response has launched a website for Endangered Languages.

So what inspired this amazing idea? It all started a couple of years ago, when a group of YouTube users approached Google for help with an endangered-language preservation project they were running on the video site. Google's staff then decided to expand the project and went searching for partners...the rest is history.

"A diverse group of collaborators have already begun to contribute content ranging from 18th century manuscripts to modern teaching tools like video and audio language samples and knowledge-sharing articles" Google said in a post announcing the new site.

This site is already archiving information from more than 3,000 languages.  This includes the Harsusi language, spoken by about 700 people in Oman and the Assiniboine language, spoken natively by fewer than 150 people in parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This tool will be very valuable in preserving a lot of the aboriginal languages in Canada that are already on the verge of extinction. 

Unfortunately, Google has only been able to archive half of the total number of endangered languages around the world and more work needs to be done. This is why Google has partnered with the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council (FPHLCC) (a British-Columbia based Crown corporation) and the Institute for Language Information and Technology at eastern Michigan University. In fact, once the website takes off, Google plans on handing over control of the entire project and these two groups will be responsible for maintaining and expanding the website. 

Google has faith that the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council (FPHLCC) in British Columbia can handle the project because of what they have already achieved. Indeed, around the same time Google was developing their website to preserve languages, the FPHLCC was starting to use new technology to aid in the preservation of endangered languages. In fact, they had even begun developing various keyboards that allowed users to type in some 34 languages and 61 dialects present in B.C. alone - many of them spoken by only a handful of people.

A Date with History: 17 yr old Addresses World Leaders at the UN Earth Summit

What would you say if given the opportunity to tell world leaders your thoughts on climate change? For 17 year-old New Zealander, Brittany Trilford, that opportunity became a reality this morning at the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Invited to provide the opening speech, Trilford delivered a polite, but stern address to the 130 heads of state and representatives in attendance. Her demand: Do something.

While watching this Brittany speak I couldn't help but remember the speech by Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of environmentalist David Suzuki, at the Rio Earth Summit in 1993. Her speech was so well done, it became an overnight hit online and she is now known  as "The girl that silenced the world for five minutes". Check it out:

                                       

Lung Powered By Microchip - Harvard Research

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute are developing microchips comprising the cells and functionality of human organs. These organs-on-a-chip represent an advance that could prove revolutionary for pharmaceutical companies who spend billions of dollars testing new drugs in controversial - and often ineffective - animal trials.

The lung-on-a-chip offers a new in vitro approach to drug screening by mimicking the complicated mechanical and biochemical behaviors of a human lung.

Below is a video of a researcher involved in the project...

Parallel Universes - Time Travel - String Theory

Have you ever thought that other Universes are closer than trillions of light years away? Me too.


Sometimes, scientists feel it is beyond the human mind to envision such massive spaces and more than three dimensions, However, over time theories of Universes and how they interact with one another is becoming more and more understood with the advancements in theoretical physics. 


Below is a really interesting broadcast of Brian Greene being interviewed by Anna Maria Tremonti of CBC radio. Brian Greene wrote the book called a The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos...

If you are looking for a less intense version of the above broadcast, you would like Brian Greene talking with David Letterman on his research of the Universe and string theory.

I find appreciating and understanding astrology and astrophysical research important because without the Universe and planet, there is nothing -and thus no other research matters.

Residents of Spain Saving the Ozone!

When you drive by a greenhouse, do think it could help save the world in any way? So often today the word "greenhouse" is associated with "greenhouse gasses," that we don't associate greenhouses with anything positive for the planet. However, the locals in a province called Almeria in Southern Spain, beg to differ and are using greenhouses to reduce greenhouse gas incubation, and offsetting global warming. 

Since the 1980's, the Almerian people in southern Spain have been developing greenhouses for everyone. In fact, Almeria has the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, covering 26,000 hectares.

What's so great about greenhouses you ask? Well, they actually reflect a majority of the sunlight back into the atmosphere. This allows for less to sunlight incubate in the towns/cities; reducing the susceptibility of holes in the ozone layer.

The greenhouses built in Spain are reflecting so much sunlight back into the atmosphere that they are actually cooling the province! While temperatures in the rest of Spain have climbed faster than the world average, meteorological observatories located in the so-called 'sea of plastic' have shown a decline of 0.3 degrees per decade. It turns out that the plastic’s white colour acts like a mirror, reflecting sunlight back into the atmosphere before it can reach and heat up the ground. This means that at a local level, the greenhouses offset global warming.

This story is inspiring because it demonstrates the power of collaborative thinking and how each of us can make a difference if we would just work together and have a common goal.

Iconic Cinematographer Amazes With Time-lapse Nature Video

This video is perfect since World Environment Day is this week. It celebrates the incredible beauty nature has to offer and how we can find it in ourselves to feel gratitude for our ability to experience this beauty every day.

The video was created by Louie Schwartzberg, who is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.

As a visual artist, Louie has created some of the most iconic and memorable film moments of our time. He is an innovator in the world of time-lapse, nature, aerial and "slice-of-life" photography - the only cinematographer in the world who has literally been shooting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously for more than 30 years.

This piece includes his short film on Gratitude and Happiness. Brother David Steindl-Rast's spoken words, Gary Malkin's musical compositions and Louie's cinematography make this a stunningly beautiful piece, reminding us of the precious gift of life, and the beauty all around us.

Louie was recognized as one of the top 70 Cinematographers for the On Film Kodak Salute Series. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Incredible Animation: How Humans are Changing the Earth's Fate!

This video shows the impact humans are having on the Earth, and in many ways changing it. It is a 3-minute journey through the last 250 years of our history, from the start of the Industrial Revolution to the Rio+20 Summit. The film charts the growth of humanity into a global force on an equivalent scale to major geological processes.

 

It is unbelievable how we have spread ourselves out with endless roads and shipping lanes which basically cover the whole thing. In many other videos out there we see see composite pictures of the Earth at night, showing various light of cities, but never before have we seen anything like this. 

So what now?! Well, as the population continues to grow to nine-billion, we must think about how to find a safe operating space for humanity, for the sake of future generations -welcome to the Anthropocene.

This video was produced for the Planet Under Pressure Conference, and at the heart of it is a beautiful animation produced by Globaïa.

Learn more at: Anthropocene.info

I hope you enjoyed this video. If you are a fan of New Wave Ideas, make sure to subscribe to our e-mail list to get all the latest posts- free of charge.

Fish Oil Prevents Blindness - New Research!

A research team at the University of Alberta has discovered that an omega-3 fatty acid in fish prevents the accumulation of a toxin called lipofuscin, which can lead to age-related vision loss.

As people age, retina function progressively declines and A2E, a component of the toxin lipofuscin, builds up in the retinal pigment epithelial cells. These events are usually worse in people who have age-related retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration.

At the University of Alberta, a team of investigators under the direction of Yves Sauve, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, conducted studies in mice and discovered that those fed DHA (found in fish oil) did not accumulate the lipofuscin and its compound. Lipofuscin, a brownish pigment left over from the breakdown of damaged blood cells, is also known as the aging pigment.

Sauve noted that this toxin increases twofold as people age. In their lab tests, however, "there was no increase in this toxin whatsoever. Note that this has never been demonstrated before -that supplementing the diet with DHA could make this kind of difference."

“This discovery could result in a very broad therapeutic use,” says Sauve, whose work was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

The team has now started another study, looking at people who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that results in the loss of central vision and is the main cause of blindness in those over the age of 50. The researchers will look for DNA markers in the blood of study participants. The team wants to determine if participants with certain genetic markers will respond better to increasing amounts of DHA in their diet and if so, why.