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Most recently published stories in Earth.
Dr. Matthew Primous, Horn Fellows' Climate Change Invitational
Since the beginning of droughts, nations have risen to the occasion of finding sources of water. They thought of numerous ways to replenished their source. Ancient Egypt used an efficient concept, they irrigated their land to cause it to flourish. They dug deep trenches into the ground and leveled them to flow water to their crops. Today, we have much more complicated technologies. Why can't we simply change the oceans' water into freshwaters that we can use? This world is made up of two-thirds of water and it is about time we use the technology to sustain our life on this planet. It just does not make any sense that children are dehydrated and nations are still trying to figure out how to end droughts? Nations would even consider buying water to sustain their nation. Water is chemical anyways, made of oxygen and hydrogen. I believe we should try to irrigate the land but also in a way that preserves the territories. We cannot simply destroy beautiful forests and leave homeless millions of animals in exchange for our self-sufficiency. We must think of all the world. We got to think bigger than our matters even national interests. And then we can fight for harmony among living beings when all our needs and wants are considered. Each animal brings to the table, necessities to balance an ecosystem. Humans are a part of the ecosystem and we must play the role of custodian of the ecosystem. We cannot simply force an animal out of the ecosystem because that instability will wreck the culture of the system. We must find our place and every animal place. I believe, in theory, that water is also a filter, it can catch other elements and we should develop it to catch and remove our carbon print. Nothing clears a smug more than the rain that pours down, we must understand nature's strategic courses to plan our technological advancements. The more we rely on nature's tests, the more we avoid making the mistakes of the past. Nature has been managing the world for many years, way before our time and our ancestors' time. There are lessons that we have not understood and have not completely fathom. It is necessary to study them again and again to prevent future ignorance. The minds of the future must understand that the knowledge of science, that science's highest and greatest purpose goes beyond biological, and chemical science. We can no longer blind ourselves in the utopia of previous acclaimed science, we have to venture out and test those hypotheses. We must do the work if we want a sustainable future. It requires like Socrates said, "Question and question and when in doubt question again until you find your answer." It is not enough to gain knowledge, we have to use it appropriately. We don't have to start from scratch, we can build on others' successes to succeed in the universal space of intelligence. Even the Ancient Romans' complicated others' discoveries, they used salt water to make salt by creating salt wells in Africa and used it for currency. We cannot give up on tough discoveries. We must be willing to flex our opinion and flex our experiment. We have to consider others' opinions and filter for reasonable ones. Our reasoning is what makes us different than the animals. Human beings can figure out what they want to do and do it to the best of their knowledge. We must not be mean all and end to all. We must be the preserver and protector of all living beings now and further on
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous5 years ago in Earth
Trash Art
Reusable period panties, remembering our reusable bags at the grocery store, shutting off water between soaping and rinsing, keeping unnecessary lights off, wearing pants a few extra times before washes, buying sustainable products, walking the extra few steps to the recycling, unplugging electronics in disuse, swapping out for energy saving appliances, and on and on and on. There are many ways to slash our carbon footprint. Some methods fulfilling while others can feel downright nerve wracking especially here in the U.S. where recycling and consumption reduction is not a social precedent. It can even be disheartening when you have gone that extra mile and news still tells you it's not enough. We are still burying ourselves in trash and suffocating ourselves in carbon. Hope and change always start on the smallest of levels, though. It starts with the individual and spreads like an idea until it becomes a movement. So how do we turn a ripple into a wave? I think the simple answer is Trash Art.
By E. J. Strange5 years ago in Earth
The distance from Earth to the Moon
The distance between the Earth and the Moon is not constant, but varies over the course of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth, which is not a perfect circle but an ellipse. The point at which the Moon is furthest from Earth is called the apogee, and the nearest point is called the perigee. These points do not coincide with the phases of the Moon (i.e. when there is a full moon, or crescent moon, etc), and they vary from year to year.
By John Welford5 years ago in Earth
“Untanked“
I’ve always found the ocean to be a hidden treasure, a place of wonder. A never ending maze filled with surprises. I’ve always wanted to explore the deep blue sea and all of the creatures that call the water their home. I can admit that even though I admire the creatures of the sea, being in close contact with them seems extremely scary. The aquarium is the closest place that would allow me to see the creatures up close. I remember when I went and got a chance to see the creatures, I wasn’t the same person I was when I came in. Seeing all of the creatures and their relationship with the water made me so intrigued. I remember choosing to take pictures of the jellyfish specifically. There were so many interesting animals that I deemed as beautiful, whether it was the patterns on their skin, or their eyes, or their fur. However, the other animals' looks were what stuck out to me, they were just sitting, miserable, with cute faces. I remember looking out and seeing the jellyfish, doing as they pleased. They weren’t putting on shows, they had no eyes to distract the viewers, they had no fur or even cute faces, to be exact they had no faces. The characteristics that the jelly fish displayed was what captured me. It reeled me in and I had no choice but to photograph them. Some were fast, others slow, some liked to be in the crowd, others shy. As I snapped the jellyfish I longed for their freedom. Though the tank was humongous, I felt that there wasn’t enough space for them to be free and explore. I walked up to the glass because the jellyfish reminded me of myself. They too would not get to see the ocean and all of its wonders because they were stuck in the tank and I was stuck with my fear of getting stung by one of them. I saw their beauty and so I decided to capture it so I could remind myself to take advantage of all the opportunities I had at hand, thinking maybe one day I’ll venture out in the ocean. In that moment I no longer saw them as creatures that would harm me, I saw them as peaceful interesting creatures. The process of me taking the picture was simple, but I believe the picture showcases how complex the jelly fish are. They are not just beings in the water, but they are creatures who travel together, who have different parts to them and I think that’s what makes them exceptionally wonderful. I remember feeling a splash of joy along with guilt throughout my experience . I loved being able to see the animals that I would have ran from in person up close and personal but that feeling of wanting them to be able to explore too came back. I don’t think animals should be put on display, they should be free and able to roam around, not fearing the glass that contains them. But then I felt confused because I enjoyed seeing them. I enjoyed learning about them and learning about ways to protect the ocean. I realized that in order to help make the ocean better, some animals would have to give up their freedom in order for the animals in the ocean to be free, so that we can learn how to help them in the wild. Then I realized that the animals in the aquarium were somewhat heroes and the good thing about it was that maybe the animals behind the glass didn’t even know that they were on display, but I knew and that’s what bothered me. So I wanted to capture their beauty and show their beauty to other people, because even if the jellyfish were put into tanks, at least they were safe. Safe from the evils of humanity. Safe from all kinds of pollution, they were safe and they were seen. By capturing their picture, I could show that they aren’t just creatures from cartoons, but real animals, animals who are heroes, animals who make the seas interesting. They are complex creatures that deserve to be seen. When I took the picture, I didn’t think to wait until they were in a good or cool position, I wanted to capture them as they were. I wasn’t looking to find beauty or something magical, I wanted to capture the jellyfish as is, in their natural existence, their natural habitat. I didn’t care if the shot looked amazing, I wanted to capture them as if they were in the ocean free and happy. No glass, not on display, “untanked" if you will. By capturing them this way, I could imagine a peaceful world with a clean ocean, filled with jellyfish. So the process was heartbreaking, I felt as if I went through hell. My heart yearned for the animals, because I knew that even though I could make it look like they were in the ocean, they would still be in the tank when I left. Once I got home, I touched up the lighting a bit and then I left it how it was. There wasn’t much editing to do because it was real, a real picture that showcased the jellyfish, to once again show that though they sit in a simple picture, they are quite complex creatures that the world should see. Maybe seeing them “untanked” would show them as creatures who didn’t deserve to be in tanks. If I could get people to see them as free, then maybe having animals in their natural habitats will seem normal again and maybe just maybe one day they can be free one day, “untanked”.
By Aria Isabella5 years ago in Earth
This will be the end of our kind if we don't start now.
In the late 1900s, we created more and more garbage, sewage, radioactive waste, and different chemicals. Generating these things was good for furthering our planet. But one thing we did not take into consideration was where we would put our extra waste. So we started dumping our trash in the ocean. Since the 1900s, our ocean just got worse and worse. Recently there have been people who dedicate their lives to cleaning out the salt waters. But thanks to us humans being so careless, we can never clean out our ocean. Sure, we can try removing all the waste. But after all of that, there will still be trash in our ocean. The plastic that is in the seas has broken down so much we physically cannot see it. It is a circle of trash drifting in our sea because we are downright careless with our waste.
By Ceo Of Dying5 years ago in Earth
Who's afraid of a fat-ass wombat?
First of all, let me lay my cards on the table and unashamedly declare my bias. I absolutely adore wombats (vombatus ursinus) and, until a family holiday to Tasmania, in 2017, I'd never actually encountered or seen one in the wild.
By Shirley Twist5 years ago in Earth
Do you know?
Our Earth is a very unique planet of our solar system, which gets to learn as much as it tries to learn. There are many parts on earth about which scientists have not been able to find anything till now, and one such interesting fact is that why the Earth is called a blue planet. You all know that a very large part of our planet is surrounded by water and the question comes to everyone's mind that from where did all this water come to the earth? So we will talk about this today.
By Russel Jim5 years ago in Earth
THAT’S A FUNNY LOOKING BIRD
This picture was taken by my niece, Mandy Banik, in 2012 when she was home visiting her parents. This bear was enjoying a morning snack at the bird feeder, which is right outside her parents’ dining room window. Most of my family live in or near the woods in western Pennsylvania. My middle sister probably lives the furthest distance inside the woods so her family sees the most wild animals. It is not uncommon for there to be large groups of deer and turkey in her yard and maybe a bear just passing through. But normally only birds or deer stop at the bird feeder...not the bear! I guess the bear might stop at the bird feeder but it is not usually in broad daylight.
By Margie Anderson 5 years ago in Earth
