Architecture firm Atelier Riri has reaped the energy-saving benefits of Indonesia’s tropical climate in their design of the House at Serpong, a climate-responsive suburban house in Jakarta. After conducting solar studies and site analyses, the architects crafted the four-story home with strategically placed voids, windows, elevated gardens and solar shading devices to reduce unwanted solar gain and take advantage of natural cooling. The home was built primarily of natural materials that give the building a warm and tactile feel.[...]

Thomas Roche Jr., the Murray Professor of English, Emeritus, and a foremost expert in epic and Renaissance poetry, died May 3 after a long illness in Beachwood, Ohio. He was 89.

Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

iSimangaliso Wetland Park In the afternoon the VESA African Unearth group headed of to the nearby iSimangaliso Wetland park for a nature walk with Johan one of our group leaders at the Crocodile Centre in St. Lucia. Johan is very k

The Los Angeles Times' accomplishments in 2016 included winning its 44th Pulitzer Prize, and attaining record growth in digital readership and subscriptions.

As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, Earth is becoming cleaner and more wild.

Some women are giving their hair a break, while others are learning the basics.

Wildlife scientists say we can bring our new delight in nature to the other side of the pandemic, if we're willing to keep the romance alive.

The fight for access to open space and natural landscapes has a long history, and it's taken a new turn in the coronavirus outbreak.

Books about nature to read while avoiding the coronavirus — from classics by John McPhee and Annie Dillard to the upcoming "Book of Eels."

Zellweger, who won at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and British Academy Film Awards this year, has stuck to a flattering sartorial script.

TEXTILES: brace yourselves. We have a new hate crime on our books.

WHITE-TAILED eagles have been spotted in England for the first time in 240 years.

QUIZ night can still take place even while the UK is on lockdown. Express.co.uk has compiled some of the best natural world questions for your family quiz night.

THE summer that just keeps giving had the swallows all in a flutter last week. On the south coast of the Isle of Wight hundreds streamed past me and my family as we walked over the downs, enchanted by dart-like birds racing over the white cliffs and the green sward. Yet they were flying north-east instead of south towards Africa. Some were even coming in from the sea instead of heading out over the Channel.

I CAN'T help feeling that this is all a long-delayed return to normal. I know the lockdown feels abnormal, and I suppose it is, in that we've never seen anything like it before. But beyond that, I have a powerful sense that normal relations have merely been resumed; the age-old see-saw relationship between man and planet re-established.

How the outside world can be good for body and mind - with expert tips on making the most of it.

An Ontario judge has dispensed with the need for a signature on a probation order due to the risks of COVID-19.

We here at Patriot Depot have mastered the art of creating the perfect cup o' joe: no cream, no sugar, and one Donald. (You can alter the first two according to taste.)

You will brew the perfect cup of coffee with..

Price: $14.95

If you’re not put off by its low-key, text-centered nature you're likely to fall for this thoughtful, serene game.

Whatever meager gains Trump’s trade deals represent hardly look worth the pain we endured getting here.

I think it is pretty amazing how nature alone can teach us so many things and can make us realise the real beauty and meaning of life. For some, it may be boring and for some it is the answer they have been longing for. Whether it is an old tree or a clear blue […]

The post To All Those Who Love Nature And The Ones Who Don’t appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

The calendar may say May, but that didn't stop Mother Nature from blasting some wintry weather in Muskoka on Friday.

The 2019 Chatham House Prize is awarded to Sir David Attenborough and Julian Hector, head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, for the galvanizing impact of the Blue Planet II series on tackling ocean plastic pollution.

Christian Tagwerker
Apr 1, 2006; 5:737-748
Research

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) is the etiological agent of acute porcine pneumonia and responsible for severe economic losses worldwide. The capsule polymer of App serotype 1 (App1) consists of [4)-GlcNAc-β(1,6)-Gal-α-1-(PO4-] repeating units that are O-acetylated at O-6 of the GlcNAc. It is a major virulence factor and was used in previous studies in the successful generation of an experimental glycoconjugate vaccine. However, the application of glycoconjugate vaccines in the animal health sector is limited, presumably because of the high costs associated with harvesting the polymer from pathogen culture. Consequently, here we exploited the capsule polymerase Cps1B of App1 as an in vitro synthesis tool and an alternative for capsule polymer provision. Cps1B consists of two catalytic domains, as well as a domain rich in tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs). We compared the elongation mechanism of Cps1B with that of a ΔTPR truncation (Cps1B-ΔTPR). Interestingly, the product profiles displayed by Cps1B suggested processive elongation of the nascent polymer, whereas Cps1B-ΔTPR appeared to work in a more distributive manner. The dispersity of the synthesized products could be reduced by generating single-action transferases and immobilizing them on individual columns, separating the two catalytic activities. Furthermore, we identified the O-acetyltransferase Cps1D of App1 and used it to modify the polymers produced by Cps1B. Two-dimensional NMR analyses of the products revealed O-acetylation levels identical to those of polymer harvested from App1 culture supernatants. In conclusion, we have established a protocol for the pathogen-free in vitro synthesis of tailored, nature-identical App1 capsule polymers.

Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, infrastructure development and exploitation of wild species have created a 'perfect storm' for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people.

Sovereign nations typically measure economic success in terms of GDP (income) but this approach is risky as it fails to track and measure the impact of this on nature. Inclusive wealth, on the other hand captures financial and produced capital, but also the skills in our workforce (human capital), the cohesion in our society (social capital) and the value of our environment (natural capital).

The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future. ~ Marya Mannes Each species represents a thread in the closely woven fabric of Nature. For centuries, we humans have prided ourselves on being the most 'evolved' species. Superior intelligence and technological capability have bred this arrogance.

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, any economic stimulus measures must safeguard nature or governments risk exposing humanity to further pandemics.

http://www.biodiversityislife.net/