- It’s that time again, as it’s time for our monthly review of cool technological advances! Here we go without delay:
A biodegradable plastic that is stronger than today’s plastics.
This plastic consumes CO2 at the end of its life.
Light-powered computer chip could make AI far more efficient.
Cleaning laundry with blue light.
Coffee might weaken antibiotics.
Diamonds might help in the battle against cancer.
Microbes can fight forever chemicals in nature.
New way to make medicines more sustainably.
Climate change drives evolution.
A mineral could help make rice farming more sustainable.
Biochar can clean water at a low cost.
In fact, you can produce biochar from the toxic sludge of biomass production.
This new rocket fuel packs a huge punch!
Diamonds could make electronics even faster.
- Given the ongoing US government shutdown, unfortunately there is no updated NOAA global climate change report to offer this month. We hope to get back on track in December, sorry readers!
- When the calendar flips over to November, it’s time to start thinking about the big Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday shopping. Family and friends gather round the table to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal brimming with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. But do you know where these staples for your Thanksgiving meal are grown? This GIS map shows the geographic origins of turkeys, sweet potatoes, and cranberries within the United States. Cranberries are cool-weather wetland plants, which partially explains why Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon lead the pack in cranberry production. Minnesota raises more turkeys than any other state, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana. According to the map, a single state – North Carolina – accounted for more than half of the sweet potatoes harvest in the United States. The state’s sweet potato trade association credits a hot, moist climate and rich, fertile soil for such high crop yields. While the majority of harvested potatoes are destined for use in fries, chips, and the like, many end up on Thanksgiving dinner tables as steaming heaps of mashed spuds. Just two states – Idaho and Washington – provide more than half of the total U.S. crop, this GIS map shows. A relatively small number of farms account for a large proportion of green bean production. Green beans are also called snap beans or string beans – although the latter is a misnomer, since the fibrous “string” has been largely bred out, as this GIS map indicates. If you’re consuming pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, chances are that its filling will have originated in Illinois. The state has at least twice as many acres in pumpkin production as any other, and nearly 80 percent of Illinois’ pumpkins are processed into pie fillings and other products, as this GIS map illustrates. Pecans are a nut (seed) from pecan trees, that are used as a snack food as well as a part of Southern cuisine, including pecan pie. Along with pumpkin pie, pecan pie is a common dessert at Thanksgiving tables. Pecans grow best in regions with warm and humid climates. According to this GIS map, the top states for pecan production include New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia, as well as other states in the southeastern USA. Green peas are often served as a side dish at the Thanksgiving table. Green peas grow best in regions with cool damp weather and moderate temperatures (55°F and 65°F). The top states for green pea production include California, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York. This GIS map shows where there are at least 5-acres of land devoted to green pea production.
Brock Adam McCarty
Map Wizard
(720) 470-7988
brock@apollomapping.com
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