U.N. General Secretary warns that the world is set to run out of drinkable water

Drought in China

U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon issued a stern warning yesterday when he announced that the world is set to run out of drinkable water unless greater efforts are achieved to improve our conservation of the life-sustaining liquid. Ban noted that variable weather from rapid climate change is making agriculture more difficult while extreme weather events…

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Believe it or not – this intricate rose flower is thinner than a strand of human hair

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Harvard engineers created this tiny flower using a technique called “hierarchical microarchitectures”. The tiny but intricate plant shapes, such as vases, flowers, and leaves, begin with a glass plate dipped into a mixture of silicon and minerals (most importantly, barium chloride salts). As the solution solidifies, engineers make minor adjustments to the environment in order…

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Irish potato famine mystery finally solved, 168 years later

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Scientists believe that they have finally solved the question of what caused the Irish potato famine which destroyed potato crops in Ireland causing the deaths of millions of people. A research team from Norwich, England, used dried leaf cuttings, some of which were nearly 170 years old, to reconstruct the spread of the HERB-1 strain…

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If I worked instead of fishing, what would my reward be?

Stilts fishermen fishing near Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth  of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish. About that time, a businessman came walking down the…

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