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Sorry, you can't plant enough trees to offset fossil fuels
Ever planted a tree to feel better about your environmental footprint? It's a good idea, but it might not have as much of an effect as you'd hope. A simulation-based study has determined that it would be utterly unrealistic to plant enough trees to offset humanity's CO2 emissions as they are -- the plantations would need to be so big that they'd "eliminate most natural ecosystems" or cut into food production. Even under the reductions from the Paris Climate Agreement, you'd still have to replace natural ecosystems on an area more than a third the size of the world's forests. The most viable option involving trees would require both "ambitious" emissions reductions and improvements to both nurturing the plants as well as capturing their CO2.
Satellite maps provide a new way to track deforestation
There's no question that deforestation is a problem, as it affects everything from climate through to biodiversity. But gauging the severity of deforestation isn't easy -- simply measuring lost forest cover doesn't tell you the effect it can have on a given area. That's where technology might save the day. Researchers have developed a new technique that uses satellite maps to track forest attrition distance, or the widening gaps between forests that can affect the environment. The overhead data can show whether tree losses are relatively mild, occurring in patches among other trees, or whether they're serious enough to create larger distances between forests.
ICYMI: Studying the 1700's clouds for pollution clues
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Scientists at CERN constructed a large chamber to replicate the cloud environment before the world's Industrial Revolution got its start after 1750. The thought had been that there were far fewer clouds on Earth then, but already results are pointing to a different reality that could help guide present day modeling of global climate change. If you want to take a peek at the continent colonizing study showing we were taught lies in history class, that's here. The toaster of your five-year-old's dreams? That's here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
ICYMI: Trees rest their branches at night
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: There's no doubt you'll be well-acquainted with everything that happened with LinkedIn, Apple and XBox, so today's show will look just a little different. I focused the show on just one story to get a little more into the details on a study out of Europe that tracked how trees relax their branches at nighttime. We also threw in the video of the first child-sized exoskeleton suit, just because. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Mechanical 'trees' generate energy by swaying in the wind
What if windmills looked more like trees? Well, a team of engineers at Ohio State University is looking for answer to that question with structures that resemble trees, but actually create energy when they move in the breeze. That swaying motion from the wind, and the resulting structural vibrations, is converted into electricity with electromechanical materials such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The project isn't merely concerned with those tree-like structures, though. It also looks to harvest the energy generated from the vibrations of buildings and bridges.
Floating Bonsai trees are better than floating speakers
Floating things on magnets makes most things cooler. Bonsai trees are certainly no exception. Kickstarter project "Air Bonsai" combines together magnetic levitation, wee plants and traditional Japanese "monozukuri" (craftsmanship). Using the same magnetic floating trick we've seen in speakers, everything that the tree -- or plant of your choosing -- needs is contained within the floating ball. The team has already passed its goal of $80,000 but you can still add to the money pot, with $200 enough to land you a basic starter kit.
Politician wants to give 200 NYC trees email addresses
You read that right: Upper West Side Councilmember Mark Levine plans to give 200 trees in New York City their own email addresses. His spokesperson, Tyrone Stevens, told Gothamist that the goal is to deepen "public engagement with the trees" -- we're guessing the politician believes residents can connect more personally with them that way. People, however, are welcome (encouraged, even) to report a tree's plight, such as broken branches, blight and rotting parts, by sending it an email. Levine himself told the publication that the project's only expense should be the creation of the signage that will display the chosen specimens' email addresses, prominently installed on or near them.
Camelot Unchained discusses resource systems, BOP gear, and housing
The Camelot Unchained devs have just released issue seven of their Piercing the Veil series, blog posts dedicated to answering player questions about the upcoming PvP sandbox. The highlights? Not every tree in the game will be harvestable, but the devs are considering (not promising!) a dynamic resource ecosystem. There will be expandable storage, but inventory management annoyances will be downplayed. The team isn't planning NPC cities beyond the starter cities. The players will be creating that part of the world. Bind-on-pickup gear "does not make good sense for [the] game given that all but the starter gear will be crafted, rather than dropped." Housing will differ in format based on whether it's in the open world or safe zones, and you won't need to be a crafter to set up a basic home yourself. Non-stat player clothing will be in the game. The devs will most likely put limits on guild sizes. Solo play will probably be a viable option. You can read the complete Q&A on the official site.
Google offers its help to monitor deforestation in near-real-time (video)
Google is no stranger to humanitarian work, and its latest effort is helping keep an unflinching eye on the world's trees. For its part in the Global Forest Watch, the search giant is providing tech (namely, Earth and Maps) that allows virtually anyone to monitor deforestation on a massive scale. Let's say you want to peek at how much of Brazil's rain forest has been clear-cut in since 2008. You can do that. Even better, you can look at how much has been replanted -- sadly, not a lot -- if the mood strikes. The website's interactive map also allows users to see just which industries are doing the damage, the extent of tree-top cover and a whole lot more. No, Google making data visible isn't exactly new, but this application might be the first to have a lasting impact on the environment.
Chemical sensors could detect plants' cries for help, reduce need for pesticides
It's a terrifying thought, but science suggests that when under attack, plants cry for help. Invisible and, often odorless, green leaf volatiles emitted from vegetation act as a defense mechanism, communicating to other foliage that danger is near. One researcher at the University of Georgia, however, is developing a chemical sensor to use these distraught emissions for good. Working in a similar fashion detecting glucose in the blood, the sensor would be able to alert farmers to when crops are under attack from pests, allowing them to trigger defenses reactively, and in a localized area. The net result being less chemicals on our food, and potentially lower costs for producers. Other suggested uses include helping us keep our produce at home fresher for longer by -- literally -- weeding out bad apples in a bag, before they affect the others. The technology is still being optimized for field use, but a testing device should follow once complete. In the meantime, we'll never feel the same about mowing the lawn again.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Q&A talks story, balance, and species experimentation
Another installment of BioWare's weekly ritual of enlightening the masses is up! The first question of this week's community Q&A touched on the selection of races available in Star Wars: The Old Republic. If the future introduction of the Cathar is successful, the team would like to introduce a broader spectrum of species for player characters, balancing things out by adding "clear positives and negatives" for playable species. On the story side of things, lead writer Alex Freed addressed a question about the timing of storylines. Class stories have roughly the same timing across the board, but aren't completely in-step, while world stories are split up by faction and can have much more significant time differences. For the most part, it's best not to worry too much about ordering individual world events unless they actively reference one another--and if they contradict one another, you can assume that we won't be writing future stories that depend on one faction's participation at the exclusion of the other. Senior designer Austin Peckenpaugh tackled some class and skill questions. Recent patches have made some fairly substantial changes to the Marksmanship and Sharpshooter trees; Peckenpaugh says these tweaks are intended to bring the specs closer to the team's original vision and encourage playstyles better fit to the peculiarities of those trees. He also talked about the delicate balance of player control and kiting and anti-kiting in the game. He says that "given the amount of skills and abilities that break and cleanse roots and snares at the moment," the team is not "very concerned" about the possibility of chainable roots.
What if trees could be used as batteries?
Yes, our bark-skinned friends are nice and beautiful and we shouldn't mess with them too much. But here's the thing: we already chop them down for paper, so why not use their spare woody meat for batteries too? Like previous attempts at organic energy storage, it all hinges on mimicking photosynthesis. Up to the a third of the biomass of a tree is a pulpy substance called lignin, which is a by-product from paper production and which contains electro-chemically active molecules called quinones. With a bit of processing, Professor Olle Inganäs at Linköping University in Sweden reckons he can turn lignin into a thin film that can be used as cathode in a battery, and he believes it's efficient enough to start industrial-style development of the technology. "Nature solved the problem long ago", he says, and "[Lignin is] a source that never ends". Meanwhile, if you imagine Inganäs as having a long white beard and cloak, then, er, snap.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: trains speed up, paint improves planes, and the CO2-scrubbing artificial trees
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat saw high-speed railways pick up steam around the globe as China announced plans to build a trans-continental railroad in South America and Japan began developing the world's fastest high-speed train. We also saw eco transportation reach new heights as a kite-powered car completed an epic 5,000km journey across Australia and researchers developed a nanotech paint that will increase the fuel efficiency of airplanes. The automotive world is also gearing up for the Geneva car show as Toyota is getting set to roll out an all-electric IQ and Porsche pulled back the curtain on its Panamera S Hybrid and Boxster EV. In other news, this week we brought you an exclusive video interview where celebrated environmentalist Stewart Brand argues that nuclear power could save the world. We also explored several other alternative energy sources that are decidedly less controversial - PurposeEnergy is transforming beer brewing waste into a source of clean-burning biofuel, and a design duo has proposed a series of beautiful solar-powered artificial trees that scrub CO2 from the air. Roughly one in every six people do not have access to safe drinking water, so we were excited to learn about a pedal-powered water purification system based on the bicycle that holds great promise for the developing world. Speaking of cleaning up dirty water, this week Stephen Baldwin sued Kevin Costner over the oil-separating technology that cleaned up the BP oil spill. And last but not least, we were wowed by this hydrofloor system, which can save space and energy by concealing a swimming pool beneath your living room floor!
RIFT looks at Scarwood Reach
Whether or not you're looking forward to RIFT, it's hard to deny that the game makes great use of setting. The latest region revealed, Scarwood Reach, is haunting and evocative in both backstory and current events. Once an enchanted forest covered in the majestic granitewood trees, the woods have been logged to their demise, with only scattered pockets of trees remaining as a testament to what once was. But the servants of Greenscale seek to undo the damage in the only way possible -- by opening a portal to the Plane of Life that might swallow Telara whole. Aside from the abandoned shrines and local creatures harmed by the mad rush for wood and the abandonment of old traditions, the explosion of unfiltered Life at the heart of what was once forest is equally toxic. Even apart from the rifts that occasionally blossom, the forest is beset by creatures unseen in this land, coupled with crawling roots that bring searing and unwelcome new life to the barren landscape. Take a look at the gallery for a quartet of preview images, a fine preparation for the maddening environment that RIFT's damaged forest remnants are poised to deliver. %Gallery-101448%
Google releases Google Earth 6 beta for Mac, introduces 3D trees
Google released Google Earth 6 beta for Mac, PC and Linux today. Google Earth 6 includes several beefed up features, including a better integration of Street View with Google Earth's 3D environment that lets users seamlessly navigate streets across the world. And speaking of 3D environments, perhaps the biggest (and most unexpected) feature of Google Earth 6 is the introduction of 3D trees. Yes, trees. The 3D trees (over 50 different species) are included in several parks, forests and neighborhoods from around the globe. According to the Google Earth blog, Google Earth 6 includes 80 million trees worldwide. No word yet on how Google has accurately placed the trees inside Earth, but if they can make a car that drives on its own, I'm betting they've adapted the GPS-enabled cameras from Street View cars to fit on squirrels' heads. Google Earth 6 beta is available now as a free download and requires Mac OS X 10.5.0 or later.
Proposal would put a solar garden on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
If you've ever spent any time on New York City's finest roadway, the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, garden is not one of the first words that comes to mind. That could change on one particular strip in Brooklyn if a concept -- which you see above -- gets approved and built. The concept is part of a project calling for solutions to a trench that runs from Carroll Gardens to the Columbia Street Waterfront in Brooklyn. Starr Whitehouse Landscape architects floated three possible solutions for improving the stretch, which would cost between about $10 and $18 million, very cheap in comparison to other projects of this type. The Green Canopy proposal calls for a massive plant covered canopy with solar panels to stretch over top of the entire area making it self-sustaining and reducing noise in the area. Hit up the source to check out the other proposed projects.
Cataclysm Beta: Death knight talents and specializations
The huge, earthshaking 31-point talent overhaul has hit the Cataclysm beta servers, taking the death knight class to new ground, back to the old vanilla era of 31-point trees. It may be for this reason that Blizzard's specifically said that our trees are far from done. With that in my mind, the trees and specialization skills we see can and will change pretty extensively between now and release. That said, there's no harm and certainly some good to be had in sizing up the trees as they stand right now and seeing how they pan out.
Cataclysm class and mastery systems explained
Everything we knew about talents have changed. Some highlights: You choose one tree at level 10 and then can only add talents to that tree until you have put 31 points in it. Then the other trees open up. At level 78 and above, items will start dropping with Mastery as a stat. Once Mastery is learned from your class trainer, the stat will give bonuses based on the tree specialized in. The Mastery bonuses will be flat percentages and will no longer be based on the number of talents spent in a tree. Talents will alternate with skills when leveling. So you will get a talent point "about" every other level. The full blue post is after the break.
Building MMO landscape scenes
Landscapes have been a staple component of almost every MMO in recent memory. With the exception of some sci-fi titles, most MMOs take place on the land of some imagined island or continent. Some use stylised fantasy landscapes that run smoothly on even low-end computers while others have managed almost photo-realistic visuals at the cost of performance. But have you ever thought about what's going on behind the scenes in your favourite MMO? Most of us don't think about how the computer is actually drawing the terrain we run around on. We don't give much thought to the different ways each MMO renders the water in lakes, rivers and oceans. And just how does your computer render so many trees and plants without grinding to a halt? As part of my masters degree in computer science, I got to grips with a number of these techniques and found it a fascinating thing to learn about. Now when I play a new game or see MMO screenshots, I can't help but think about what the computer is doing in the background and how particular visual effects could have been achieved. In this technical article, I talk about some of the components of an MMO landscape scene and a few of the techniques used in creating the graphics behind them.
Building MMO landscape scenes, part 2
From oceans and rivers to ponds and puddles, water is one of those things that really improves an MMO's visual quality. Practically every fantasy MMO makes use of water in one way or another and they all do it a little differently. This gives the appearance that the water is moving and I've seen the technique in World of Warcraft, EverQuest 2 and a few other MMOs.
