Reality is finally catching up with Hollywood; Safe Gun Technology is close to beginning production of guns that use fingerprint recognition to restrict functionality of the weapon to only those users who have been given access. Considering that each weapon can store up to 20,000 fingerprints, potential applications are not limited to just homeowners; this technology could be of interest to military and police forces worldwide. Read more at Smartplanet.
Roundup herbicide linked to cancer, autism, parkinson’s alzheimer’s
Well I think the title says it all…Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide is really nasty stuff that studies are showing has a link to some really nasty human diseases. Add to that the increased use of crops that have been genetically modified to be roundup-resistant, and you should start being concerned about the safety of your food supply. Do yourself a favor and either buy organic foods, or grow your own vegetables! (read more at The Good Human)
Atmospheric CO2 reaches 400ppm
The levels of CO2 in our atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million, a slightly arbitrary red flag point. Scientists have been warning that anything about 350ppm will lead to dangerous global warming, so this is pretty bleak news though not surprising. When this planet last experienced conditions like this, temperatures were 3-4 degrees Celsius higher, and sea levels were between 16 and 131 feet higher than today. Perhaps the worst news, though, is that the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2 has been increasing slightly, so we’re not even on the right path to fix this problem. (link)
Passive House Design
Ah, leave it to the French to make a TV advert about passive house design that’s mildly NSFW but also humorous and entertaining. It talks about all sorts of energy efficiency strategies, and, well, some other stuff. Check it out below.
Sora electric motorcycle
Range anxiety may be an issue with some electric cars, but not this motorcycle! At a bit over $40k it’s not cheap, but it’ll go around 185 miles on a single charge. One nice feature is that, if you input your destination into its GPS, it can calculate the energy required and adjust operating parameters to help ensure you’ll reach your goal. Seems like a great commuter vehicle!
(via Smartplanet)