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Tagged with “plants” (6) activity chart

  1. Long Now: The World’s Oldest Living Organisms

    Creative photographer Sussman showed beautiful slides of very elderly organisms. The captions were as crucial as the images—-naming the species, the place, and the approximate age. You can see many of them here: http://rachelsussman.com/portfolios/OLTW/main.html

    The series began with the only animal—-an eighteen-foot brain coral in the waters of Tobago, thought to be 2,000 years old. An enormous baobob in South Africa might be 2,000 years old. Then there is the astounding welwitschia mirabilis of the Namibian desert, a conifer that feeds on mist, with the longest leaves in the plant kingdom.

    http://www.longnow.org/seminars/02010/nov/15/worlds-oldest-living-organisms/

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  2. KQED Forum - Biodiversity and Our Future (w/ E.O. Wilson)

    Harvard entomologist E.O. Wilson joins us to discuss his new book, "The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies." Wilson is faculty emeritus in the department of entomology at Harvard University and two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction.

    http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R905110900?itemMD5=ae221a42440d262171d77ea407e7ca58

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  3. Futures in Biotech 39: Food: Genetically Modified!

    So if we can design crops that reduce pesticides, grow more effectively in poor soil, bring nutrients such as vitamins A to populations with high incidences of blindness, or even just taste better, why are we hesitating? Why isn’t there a wide consumer acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods?

    http://futuresinbiotech.com/blog/2009/2/24/futures-in-biotech-39-food-genetically-modified.html

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  4. Quirks & Quarks - Happy Birthday Mr. Darwin

    February 12 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, certainly the most important biologist in history and one of the great figures in science. Darwin, of course, spent his life developing the theory of evolution by natural selection, which has become the foundation for the understanding of biology. In the 1960’s evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky said that "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution," and that’s a statement with which few biologists would argue.

    To honour Darwin’s birthday, we’re devoting our program to a discussion of the life and work of Charles Darwin, and to a discussion of his impact on modern science, with three special guests.

    http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/08-09/qq-2009-02-07.html

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  5. Drew Endy & Jim Thomas “Synthetic Biology Debate”

    Synthetic biology will be one of the driving technological forces of this century. By transforming the complexity and diversity of life into a technology malleable by man, it simultaneously offers some of science’s highest hopes and gravest threats. Like splitting the atom, synthetic biology holds a great wealth of power that must be wielded with care.

    Bioengineer Drew Endy is the leading enabler of open-source biotechnology. Technology historian Jim Thomas is the leading critic of biotech, based with ETC Group in Ottawa. Moderated by Stewart Brand, they will meet to discuss how the emerging and potentially revolutionary capabilities of synthetic biology can be utilized safely, equitably and openly.

    Synthetic biology is swarming ahead all over the world, at a self-accelerating pace far greater than Moore’s Law, with a range of impacts far greater than genetically engineered food crops. Jim Thomas raises the question: "Is Synthetic Biology reckless or wise from the perspective of ‘the long now?’. I feel the synthetic biology community is driven by immensely short term assumptions and motivations, and as a result the medium term prospect for this platform holds both predictable problems and nasty surprises."

    http://blog.longnow.org/2008/11/18/drew-endy-jim-thomas-synthetic-biology-debate/

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  6. Darwin Days 2008: Are We Changing Evolution?

    Dr. Warren Allmon, director of the Paleontological Research Institution, leads a panel discussion about the future of evolution

    As part of the Museum of Natural History at Noon series, Dr. Warren Allmon, director of the Paleontological Research Institution, led a panel discussion on Feb. 14, 2008 about how human activities are changing the direction and rate of future evolution. Discussion ranged from species classification debate to the impact of modern medicine on the evolutionary advancement of humans.

    Darwin Day is an annual international commemoration of the birthday and ideas of Charles Darwin, a British naturalist born Feb. 12, 1809, and author of the seminal book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection."

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