
Post a LATEST news here that is related to our environment...
Bizarre New Form of Life Found in Arctic Ocean, Scientists Announce
January 11, 2007![]()
An entirely new group of tiny and bizarre marine algae has been discovered in the Arctic Ocean.
A team of European researchers found the new organisms while analyzing DNA sequences in samples of seawater.
Genetic evidence pointed to the presence of an unknown type of microalgae, which the researchers named picobiliphytes ("pico" means "a trillionth of a part of") because of their miniscule size.
But the discovery may be huge—scientifically speaking.
"These organisms represent a new evolutionary lineage," said team member Fabrice Not. Not is a marine biologist at the Institut de Ciències del Mar, a part of Spain's National Research Council.
"The discovery didn't provide any sister relationship to any other groups of organisms known to date. It means that this new group is probably a high-rank taxon [group] in terms of classification," Not added—hinting at the huge amount of diversity in sea life.
"In fact, the divergence of this group from known organisms is as great as the difference between land plants and animals," Connie Lovejoy, a biologist at Universit Laval in Canada and another member of the research team, said in a statement.
The find will be reported in tomorrow's edition of the journal Science.
Inside Track
Over the past year the research team has used various techniques to see and count the tiny picobiliphytes, Not said, though the scientists have not yet been able to grow the microalgae in the lab.
The scientists believe the organisms are widely distributed in the northern seas.
The researchers also found that picobiliphytes contain pigments called phycobilins that give off orange fluorescence when bathed in blue light.
The picobiliphytes, like most microalgae, probably acquired their pigments through an evolutionary act of cooperation, Not added.
Another organism probably lived inside the picobiliphytes and provided them with an energy supply in the form of the light-absorbing pigments, Not said.
In this case, judging from the type of pigments involved, the picobiliphytes probably got their pigments from a reddish microalgae, he added.
Food for the Future
While the discovery is a potential boom for biodiversity, it isn't likely to attract investors just yet, Not said.
"This is primarily pure fundamental research with no commercial application," he said. "The main fields of research impacted by this discovery are the microbial ecology and the evolution of eukaryotes"—organisms that contain cells with a nucleus.
But Robert Andersen, director of the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Culture of Marine Phytoplankton in Maine, says the discovery is "terrific" and may turn out to have "considerable value" commercially.
Andersen said other phycobilin-producing algae are commercially grown for their pigments, which are used in products such as cosmetics.
"Phycobilipigments are also rich sources of protein, and they are used as a food source in aquaculture hatcheries," he said.
If the new picobiliphytes can be grown in sufficient quantities to provide such a nutrient source, he added, "they will really be valuable."
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Nice thread..
This would be very educational and informative.
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I posted a thread on a documentary sometime last year (click here).
If you could spare some time, you might save yourself for the next 30, 40 years.
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006)
It's the most important film of the year!
You OWE IT TO THE PLANET to see the truth!
LET'S TAKE ACTION:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/
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ARCTIC ICE MELTING, POLAR BEARS DROWNING
Arctic Ice Melting, Polar Bears Endangered, Govt. Says
December 28, 2006
The Bush administration wants to add polar bears to the endangered species list as a result of the ice melting in the Arctic. Global warming is being blamed for harming the bears' habitat, but global warming skeptics are unconvinced.
"We are making this proposal because scientific review of the species by the Fish and Wildlife Service found that populations may be threatened by receding sea ice, which polar bears use as a platform for many activities essential to their life cycle, including hunting for their main prey, arctic seals," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Wednesday.
"There is concern that their habitat may literally be melting," he said.
Speaking during a conference call briefing, Kempthorne said the current number of polar bears worldwide stands at 20,000-25,000.
Continue Here:
http://www.cnsnews.com/.../200612/NAT20061228a.html
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MELTING ARTIC ICE, PUSHES POLAR BEAR POPULATIONS CLOSER TO THE EDGE
December 28, 2006
WASHINGTON: The Interior Department has proposed listing polar bears as a threatened species, saying that the accelerating loss of the arctic ice that is their hunting platform has led biologists to believe that bear populations will decline, perhaps sharply, in the coming decades.
Many experts on the Arctic say that global warming is causing the ice to melt and that the warming is at least partly the result of the buildup in the atmosphere of heat-trapping gases emitted from automobile exhausts and industrial smokestacks.
The plight of the polar bear has been pointed out by environmentalists as a symbol of global warming caused by humans.
Continue Here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/28/news/bear.php
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More Articles on this Melting Ice and Polar Bears:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en& … tnG=Search
Last edited by Padme (2007-08-20 03:49:07)

nice thread, I'll also put something here next time,, cause I'm a greenpeace member, ^_^ 


^
Wow Lois!
That's really cool, cos I am too.
I just registered last year.
They had a fun run sometime last November at UP i think.
I wasn't able to join. 

^yeah. yeah! I love greenpeace, I like their project about the whales thingy!
yeah, they visited our school last year.. and it was great! 
Last edited by '-'LoisFuLL'-' (2007-01-20 12:59:21)

^ Hello, may I join? What's that all about? I'm curious kc eh. Lol
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FINALLY!! 
It's rather late, and were running out of time.
But I'm glad Bush finally realized the real Global Threat!
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ABOVE: shows a massive rushing torrent of fresh melt ice due to Glabal Warming.
WASHINGTON WAKES UP TO GLOBAL WARMING
By MATT CRENSON
NEW YORK Jan 28, 2007 (AP)— Maybe it's the weird winter weather, or the newly Democratic Congress. Maybe it's the news reports about starving polar bears, or the Oscar nomination for Al Gore's global warming cri de coeur, "An Inconvenient Truth." Whatever the reason, years of resistance to the reality of climate change are suddenly melting away like the soon-to-be-history snows of Kilimanjaro.
Now even George W. Bush says it's a problem.
For years, the president and his supporters argued that not enough was known about global warming to do anything about it. But during last week's State of the Union address Bush finally referred to global warming as an established fact.
Continue Here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireSt … SFeeds0312
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ABOVE: shows the scale of melting in Greenland, orange color indicates melted ice.
GREENLAND'S MELTING ICE SHEET, MIGHT FLOOD NATIONS
By Juliet Eilperin
Two new scientific studies measuring Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet and the pace of Antarctic snowfall suggest that the sea level may be rising faster than researchers previously assumed.
The papers, both published yesterday in the journal Science, provide the latest evidence of how climate change is transforming the global landscape. University of Texas at Austin researchers, using twin satellites, determined that the Greenland ice sheet, Earth's second-largest reservoir of fresh water, is melting at three times the rate at which it had been melting over the previous five years. A separate study by 16 international scientists concluded that Antarctic snowfall accumulation has remained steady over the past 50 years, with no increases that might have mitigated the melting of the ice shelf, as some researchers had assumed would occur.
Continue Here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co … 01557.html
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ABOVE: shows how fast the ice is melting in Greenland (2002).
ABOVE: shows satellite images on the scale of melting ice in Greenland.
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THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Get yourself up-to-date with the latest on Global Warming! (click here)
Please Visit:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co … 00853.html
Last edited by Padme (2007-01-29 07:47:29)

that is S0 SAD...!
why are people so cruel to mom? argh..
..and that includes me.
unconsciously.

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Oh no! The seal level is rising faster!!
We are so cruel to mother earth, aren't we?
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^
And mother earth is so cruel to us now.......too bad....she is just punishing us like any mother would....
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COOL TIPS TO FIGHT GLOABAL WARMING
The Good News, Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- Whether you drive a gas-guzzling Hummer or take a jeepney to school or office, you let carbon dioxide loose into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
But you can actually help offset this. Greenpeace has drawn up a laundry list of practical tips to allow you to take part in the worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The earlier Filipinos realize that they contribute to global warming, “the sooner everybody can do something about it,” Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Abigail Gay Jabines said in an interview.
“People should realize that this is an urgent issue. It’s not just a whim -- ‘OK, I’ll do it today, and I won’t do it tomorrow.’ You need to check your lifestyle, what you can do short-term, medium- or long-short term,” she said.
Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, among developing countries after China and India, according to Greenpeace.
The tips from Greenpeace, as explained by Jabines, are quite easy to follow:
Buy local
The effects will be felt in the long run.
“If consumers get products that are local, that are produced in the Philippines,” they reduce the importation of products and lessen the use of fuel to transport these goods. “Every time we import something, we transport it. Every time we transport, we release carbon dioxide.”
Reduce, reuse and recycle
“There’s more energy used to produce a new product. The more we recycle, or reuse materials, the less energy we use.”
Dry your laundry on a clothesline
“[Each of the] 365 days in a year, we have the power of the sun to help us dry our clothes. But every time we use a dryer or washing machine, we consume energy, we consume electricity. If we use coal to get our electricity, the more gas emissions we make.”
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which provide as much light but use 75 percent less power. “A 100-watt incandescent bulb is comparable to a 20-watt CFL bulb.”
When not in use … always switch off lights and appliances, such as TV and stereo sets and microwave ovens. “If you know that electricity use is one of the major contributors of greenhouse gases, you’ll make sure that you don’t use energy. As much as possible, switch off lights, [but only] if you’re not using them. We’re not saying that you should go back to the caveman period.”
Buy and use energy-efficient appliances that consume less power but provide the same output. “There are energy-efficient appliances, and you don’t have to forget about comfort. You need to check the yellow card to see the energy-efficient rating. It helps to choose the appliances you want.”
Set your refrigerator temperature at 5 degrees Celsius, and leave sufficient room at the top and back to let the heat escape.
Always clean air-conditioning units
Insulate water heaters
Conserve water
Consider the environment in planning and designing your house
Plant trees in your yard to add shade and regulate the temperature. Make sure to maximize natural lightning and air flow. Consider solar lighting for your porch and garden.
Read the Complete Article:
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures … y_id=59662
^
Wow, that's a very helpful tip. ü.
Gotta apply these.
Thanks for sharing ate Pad! 
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Padme wrote:
Nice thread..
This would be very educational and informative.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I posted a thread on a documentary sometime last year (click here).
If you could spare some time, you might save yourself for the next 30, 40 years.
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006)![]()
It's the most important film of the year!
You OWE IT TO THE PLANET to see the truth!
LET'S TAKE ACTION:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ARCTIC ICE MELTING, POLAR BEARS DROWNING
Arctic Ice Melting, Polar Bears Endangered, Govt. Says
December 28, 2006
The Bush administration wants to add polar bears to the endangered species list as a result of the ice melting in the Arctic. Global warming is being blamed for harming the bears' habitat, but global warming skeptics are unconvinced.
"We are making this proposal because scientific review of the species by the Fish and Wildlife Service found that populations may be threatened by receding sea ice, which polar bears use as a platform for many activities essential to their life cycle, including hunting for their main prey, arctic seals," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Wednesday.
"There is concern that their habitat may literally be melting," he said.
Speaking during a conference call briefing, Kempthorne said the current number of polar bears worldwide stands at 20,000-25,000.
Continue Here:
http://www.cnsnews.com/.../200612/NAT20061228a.html
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http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1715 … 550it8.jpg
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MELTING ARTIC ICE, PUSHES POLAR BEAR POPULATIONS CLOSER TO THE EDGE
December 28, 2006
WASHINGTON: The Interior Department has proposed listing polar bears as a threatened species, saying that the accelerating loss of the arctic ice that is their hunting platform has led biologists to believe that bear populations will decline, perhaps sharply, in the coming decades.
Many experts on the Arctic say that global warming is causing the ice to melt and that the warming is at least partly the result of the buildup in the atmosphere of heat-trapping gases emitted from automobile exhausts and industrial smokestacks.
The plight of the polar bear has been pointed out by environmentalists as a symbol of global warming caused by humans.
Continue Here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/28/news/bear.php
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More Articles on this Melting Ice and Polar Bears:![]()
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en& … tnG=Search
I already saw the film, An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore during our NSTP and English 23 class.
It is indeed a shocking film which is really happening..
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I stumble this awareness message forwarded to me in imeem. It's just so despicable for those people doing these things. Heartless is the perfect word to say.
WARNING DISTURBING IMAGES ARE POSTED BELOW...
This barbarism shouldnt be possible in our society..
Dont turn your back on us, we are defenseless..
I know these images seem painful for you, but we feel the pain. We are being slaughtered and its going on RIGHT NOW...
What gives him the right to kill us? Who is he to decide about life and death?
What kind of sport is this? I didnt harm anyone. I was just swimming around..
Please help me and my friends...
You cant just ignore these images.. Keeping silent and doing nothing makes you guilty...
Please dont leave us alone...
STOP THE KILLING OF SEALS
You can make a statement by
reposting this to get as many people as you can
to repost this.
Bring these murderers to the attention
of world leaders.
Thank you!!!!

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^
It's heart-breaking, specially when you see the video.
It's sooo sad, I couldn't even watch it.
Below is a video, hosted by Paul McCartney who supports the SEAL Protection campaign.
Please note that the video below contains graphic images and blood.
![]()
If you do not want to feel awful, don't watch this.
Save the Seals (Paul McCartney)
http://www.paulmccartney.com/features/seal_hunt/
Last edited by Padme (2007-08-07 02:42:16)

oh theyve been hit by a baseball bat.. so harsh.. 
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oh my i didnt kno there were too mean canadian people whose into seal pup slaughtering just to use it in making fashionable items..thats really off by humane standards i mean how can they wear pretty clothes and eat those seafoods not bearing in their mind those poor baby pups..grabe nakakaawa cla..and i kno that place its the ice coast of st.laurent..hmm this is real awful.. 


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There's a cool section in yahoo now that focus on helping stop global warming. They even have some green house system that helps you do your part in at home in a fun way of learning..
Check it out >> http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=action

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Here's some great news! 
It's the release of Leonardo di Caprio's documentary film, "The 11th Hour".
Check this link:
http://friendstertalk.com/viewtopic.php?pid=183548