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These robotic 'trees' can turn CO2 into concrete
Climate change is killing our planet. The excess production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are filling the atmosphere and warming the Earth faster than natural processes can effectively negate them. Since 1951, the surface temperature has risen by 0.8 degrees C, with no sign of slowing. So now it's time for humans to step in and rectify the problem they created -- by using technology to suck excess CO2 straight from the air.
'Beyond Blue' is an educational game about saving the ocean
Our oceans are in trouble. Climate change, plastic waste and overfishing are all causing tremendous damage to underwater life around the world. Inspired by the BBC's Blue Planet II series, developer E-Line Media is making a video game that focuses on the scientists who are trying to understand our impact. It's called Beyond Blue and will put you in charge of a research team with stunning technology designed to unlock new insights about the sea. Your task is simply to gather information and learn what you can about these fast-changing, human-made threats to the sea.
BBC to release ‘Blue Planet II’ on iPlayer in 4K and HDR
It's the moment we've all been waiting for: the BBC has announced it will soon release a full series on iPlayer in 4K and high dynamic range (HDR). Nature documentary Blue Planet II will get the ultra HD treatment on December 10th, after the final episode airs on BBC One. It's the first time a complete show has been available in the format, following a four-minute Planet Earth II teaser last year and various trials behind closed doors. Like almost everything on iPlayer, it will be available to stream for 30 days. Beyond that, you'll need to fork out for the inevitable 4K Blu-ray disc.
BBC iPlayer to host a ton of TV box sets this Christmas
Nippy mornings and early sunsets. The British winter is here, bringing with it the perfect weather for TV bingeing. For many, that means Netflix, Now TV and Amazon Video, however this year the BBC is embracing the box set culture too. A huge collection of programming will soon return to iPlayer, including the first three seasons of Peaky Blinders, the Tom Hardy drama Taboo and the Golden Globe-winning Wolf Hall. The BBC is also adding crime hit Line of Duty, Happy Valley and a bunch of modern Sherlock, including season three, four and the 2016 special, The Abominable Bride.
BBC nature series 'Blue Planet' will return later this year
Planet Earth II has only just started airing in North America, but already the BBC is working on its next big-budget nature doc. Blue Planet II, a successor to the original Blue Planet series from 2001, will be broadcast in the UK later this year (a US release will probably come a little later.) It'll be narrated by veteran presenter Sir David Attenborough (who else) and return to the world's mysterious oceans, capturing and explaining the various creatures that lurk beneath the surface. These include water-spitting snub fin dolphins, hairy-chested Hoff crabs and a reef octopus.
Blu-ray movie releases for the week of July 30th
This week's release list may as well only have one title, because what a title it is. 300 hits Blu-ray this week to rabid pre-orders and has been getting ecstatic reviews for its top-notch digital transfer. Audio in particular is supposed to be amazingly bombastic and satisfying. The title has been one of the top-requested Blu-ray releases since it broke onto the scene earlier this year in all its muscly Spartan glory. Some other movies are coming out too, but come on -- nobody cares. Here's the list anyway: 300 Shooter Blue Planet (IMAX) Roving Mars (IMAX) See? Nothing else but 300. If the rest of the releases were Spartan children they would have never come back from the wilderness. Instead there'd just be a very fat and happy wolf.
