Archive for the ‘food’ category: Page 277
Feb 1, 2017
Space Farming: Satellite’s Greenhouses to Simulate Moon, Mars Gravity
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: food, satellites
A satellite that’s scheduled to launch later this year will conduct plant-growth experiments in both lunar and Martian gravity, as a way to help prepare for future human settlement of these worlds.
The Eu: CROPIS spacecraft will rotate around its own axis in low-Earth orbit, at an altitude of over 370 miles (600 kilometers). The satellite will initially produce the gravitational force of the moon on its inside for six months, and will then replicate Martian gravity for another six months.
During this time, tomato seeds will germinate and grow into small space tomatoes; 16 onboard cameras will document the plants’ progress. [Plants in Space: Photos by Gardening Astronauts].
Jan 31, 2017
When the Mother of Invention Is a Machine, Who Gets Credit?
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: computing, economics, food, policy
What do the Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush, about a thousand musical compositions and even a few recent food recipes all have in common?
They were invented by computers, but you won’t find a nonhuman credited with any of these creations on U.S. patents. One patent attorney would like to see that changed.
Ryan Abbott is petitioning to address what he sees as more than a quirk in current laws but a fundamental flaw in policy that could have wide-ranging implications in areas of patent jurisprudence, economics and beyond if his proposals are adopted.
Continue reading “When the Mother of Invention Is a Machine, Who Gets Credit?” »
Jan 29, 2017
Scientists Identify A Brain Hormone That Can Trigger Fat Burning
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: food, neuroscience
Scientists, have identified a brain hormone that can trigger fat burning in the gut.
Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in the US found a brain hormone that specifically and selectively stimulates f at metabolism, without any effect on food intake.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, in animal models could have implications for future pharmaceutical development.
Continue reading “Scientists Identify A Brain Hormone That Can Trigger Fat Burning” »
Jan 29, 2017
MIT’s Food Computers Set the Stage for Open Source Agriculture
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: climatology, computing, food, sustainability
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LEx6K4P4GJc
Most of us probably don’t think too much about the foodstuffs we buy in the supermarket. But behind the scenes, today’s food production system relies on a centralized, industrial-scale supply chain that’s still dependent upon soil-based agriculture for the majority of our food crops.
In many instances, that means that food has to travel long distances from farm to table, meaning that food has lost much of its freshness and nutritional value by the time it reaches your table. There’s also a growing awareness that this model isn’t sustainable: the pressures of increasing urbanization and loss of arable land, rising populations and the increased frequency of extreme weather events like droughts and floods — brought on by climate change — means that slowly but surely, we are going to have to change the way we grow our food.
Continue reading “MIT’s Food Computers Set the Stage for Open Source Agriculture” »
Jan 29, 2017
Choosing a New System Architecture
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: business, food, sustainability
The food retail, foodservice and industrial cooling industries are in the midst of a momentous transition in refrigeration system architectures. Regulations are driving the need to implement sustainable systems with options growing exponentially. Emerson’s natural refrigerant expert, Andre Patenaude, provides advice on the best alternatives to future proof your system.
To get to what many call the “end game” of achieving compliance and meeting corporate sustainability objectives, more businesses are looking at systems based on natural refrigerants to help them achieve these goals.
The term “natural refrigerant” refers to substances that naturally occur in the environment. Unlike the synthetic refrigerants that have commonly been used in refrigeration applications — including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — ammonia (NH3 or refrigerant name R-717), propane (refrigerant name R-290) and carbon dioxide (CO2 or refrigerant name R-744) are three naturally occurring refrigerants that pose very little threat to the environment.
Jan 27, 2017
Vertical Farming Brings Fresh Produce to Cities
Posted by Shane Hinshaw in categories: food, sustainability
Jan 22, 2017
Learn How This Family Grows 6,000 Lbs Of Food on Just 1/10th Acre – Urban Homestead
Posted by Montie Adkins in category: food
There 7.68 billion acres of arable land. if everyone did this and lived one one tenth of an acre then that’s room for 76 billion people just on the arable land where there is actually 36 billion acres of land on the planet.
If farming were turned into vertical farming building with ten floors a piece at 1/10th and acre per level that’s 760 billion. At 100 floors that’d be 7.6 trillion. I would need to review an Isaac Arthur video about the maximum occupancy of the planet, there may be heat problems with trillions of people on the planet.
Jan 21, 2017
Exploring the environmental impact of quantum dots
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biological, food, nanotechnology, quantum physics
The speed with which microbes in a simplified ecosystem absorb the nanomaterials is raising concerns about the effect on organisms higher in the food chain.
Jan 20, 2017
KFC China Is Using Facial Recognition To Recommend Menu Items
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: food, robotics/AI
The fast food franchise is leveraging a special device to help customers choose their meal by age, mood, and gender.