Natural surroundings, including green spaces, may be beneficial for brain development in children, but evidence is still limited. Continue reading “Living close to green spaces is associated with better attention in children”
Unusual climate during Roman times plunged Eurasia into hunger and disease
A recent study indicates that volcanic eruptions in the mid 500s resulted in an unusually gloomy and cold period. A joint research project of the Chronology Laboratory of the Finnish Museum of Natural History and Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) suggests that the years 536 and 541-544 CE were very difficult for many people. Continue reading “Unusual climate during Roman times plunged Eurasia into hunger and disease”
Turning desert sand into farmland: Chinese scientists propose a revolutionary solution to desertification
Desertification, when fertile land dries into desert, is a global problem. According to Dr Steffen Bauer, an ecological expert at the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, as much as 40 per cent of the world is ‘dryland’. And that puts much of it in danger of desertification. Surprisingly, though fragile, these areas hold roughly 44 per cent of the world’s farms. They’re also called home by about 2 billion people, warn the editors of Governing Global Desertification. Continue reading “Turning desert sand into farmland: Chinese scientists propose a revolutionary solution to desertification”
An Orthodox Perspective on Alien Life
This is an essay that was originally published in the April 8, 1965 edition of The Boston Globe (p. 18) by Fr. John S. Romanides (1927–2001), a Greek Orthodox presbyter, author, and professor of theology. It is presented here in its entirety with some minor, stylistic editing. Continue reading “An Orthodox Perspective on Alien Life”
Study shows smartphones harm the environment
When we think about climate change, the main sources of carbon emissions that come to mind for most of us are heavy industries like petroleum, mining and transportation.
Rarely do we point the finger at computer technologies. Continue reading “Study shows smartphones harm the environment”
A star disturbed the comets of the solar system 70,000 years ago
About 70,000 years ago, a small reddish star approached our solar system and gravitationally disturbed comets and asteroids. Astronomers from the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Cambridge have verified that the movement of some of these objects is still marked by that stellar encounter. Continue reading “A star disturbed the comets of the solar system 70,000 years ago”
Novo Scriptorium 