In the lead up to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, here’s some high-level information on what it takes to get more women to pursue careers as scientists and engineers. The US National Academy of Sciences affirms that “Women already show their proficiency with scientific content in fields like biology and medicine. They make […]
Female climbers have often faced enormous obstacles as mountaineers. But despite the difficulties she encountered, the first Everest female summiteer, Junko Tabei, epitomizes all that is remarkable in a successful, talented climber of any sex. Her impressive climbing accomplishments include the Everest summit, but that was just one of her many extraordinary feats. Committed mountaineers […]
Have you ever heard of forest therapy or forest bathing? Do you know anything about phytoncides? These are all about making you healthier in an incredibly simple way. Forest therapy is “healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments.” It’s about allowing your body and psyche to be at peace in the […]
Did you know? Hugging a tree, even touching it, will likely make you healthier. And just being around trees has beneficial effects. Nature & Health magazine reports that, “Tree-hugging has been shown to specifically benefit depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), headaches, muscle weakness, stress and poor concentration.” Studies especially in Asia have long suggested […]
In Japan, the city of Fukuoka is using human sewage to fuel hydrogen-powered cars. It’s part of the Fukuoka Hydrogen Leader City Project to achieve a hydrogen society. And it’s the first project in the world to produce sewage-powered cars. Fukuoka sends the human sewage produced by its 1.55 million citizens to a sewage treatment plant, where biogas generated from […]
Solar Impulse, the Swiss solar-powered aircraft, has set a new record. Pilot André Borschberg achieved the longest non-stop solo flight of 5 days and nights as part of Solar Impulse’s enterprising journey around the world. The plane took off from Nagoya, Japan, and landed in Kalaeloa, Hawaii, earlier this month. Without one drop of fuel! The […]
Iodine-131 and cesium-134/137 are radioactive isotopes that have been released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a consequence of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. Large amounts of this radioactive material have gone into the Pacific Ocean. That’s the bad news. The good news is that scientists at the University of Tsukuba in the Kantō […]
“This story is ultimately about how small acts of kindness can bring a little humanity, even in a tragedy that defies all imagination.” It’s an account of what a retired undertaker has achieved in Kamaishi, Japan. Atsushi Chiba took it upon himself to clean and tend to the dead bodies of hundreds of last year’s earthquake and […]
