1440 http://www.islaearth.org/ en-us 2006 Catalina Island Conservancy Isla Earth Exploring Environmental Issues of Global Importance. Isla Earth, a production of the Catalina Island Conservancy, is a radio series exploring environmental issues of local, national, and global importance. Our mission is to increase ecological awareness, deepen understanding, and encourage environmentally sustainable choices. no Catalina Island Conservancy The environmentally polite thing to do in the future might be to give your battery the flu. That's right: Batteries may soon run on a virus. Researchers at MIT developed the battery. It's so cool, that the president of MIT showed off the battery to President Obama. It's powered by a common, harmless virus called a bacteriophage. The battery is non-toxic, isn't produced with harmful solvents, and has the same energy capacity as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries being tested for plug-in hybrid cars. MIT says manufacturing the battery would be an environmentally benign process. Lead researcher Angela Belcher got the idea after she engineered viruses to coat themselves with metal, like tiny suits of armor, and form microscopic wires. After that, her team developed viruses that first coat themselves with iron phosphate, then grab hold of atomic-sized carbon filaments. Combined they create an extremely conductive material that transfers energy as fast as any battery on the market. The batteries can't be re-charged as many times as conventional batteries. Yet. But still, it's a promising advance in clean battery technology. And arguably, it's the first virus to be formally introduced to a President. Script by Gail Davis http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1268208000 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 02:58 Catalina Island Conservancy For many who are environmentally-minded, the mere mention of DDT sets them on edge. After all, it disrupted ecosystems around the globe crashing bird populations and nearly eliminating our national symbol -- the bald eagle -- from wild places including California's Channel Islands. Yet, like so many environmental issues, there is another side. According to US AID, there are 1.2 million mosquito-related malaria deaths each year. And for countries struggling to manage diseases like malaria, DDT can be an inexpensive and efficient insecticide that, when combined with other mosquito eliminating measures, can save lives. The World Health Organization recommends that in countries like Africa, where malaria is taking a great human toll, DDT should be applied to the inside walls of homes once a year. It not only kills mosquitoes when they come into contact with it, but they are also repelled. This recommendation is a very different scenario than what happened in the 1940s. In those days, DDT was sprayed by crop dusters over thousands of acres and waterways. With proper training for users and careful application, residue in the environment could be minimized while saving human lives -- one household at a time. Script by Pat Florez http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1268121600 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 03:00 Catalina Island Conservancy You've heard about following your bliss. Well, here's a creature that's simply following dinner. The Humboldt is a large squid sometimes called the "red devil" by fishermen in the Gulf of California because of its reddish skin and aggressive predatory behavior. Their diet includes lanternfish, and hake -- small fish that live in oxygen-depleted waters with hardly any sunlight. Lately, there's been an invasion of Humboldt squid just off the California coast. Some suggest it's because there are fewer fin-fish like sharks to hunt them. But sperm whales, a key Humboldt predator, appear to have doubled their numbers in the last 15 years. So, then why are there more Humboldt squid? Stanford biologist William Gilly says that since 1984, oxygen levels at all depths have dropped up to 20 percent. This could be in part due to both climate change and fertilizer run off. Since squid prey thrive in low-oxygen areas, more habitat has meant more prey fish, and presto! A boom in the Humbolt population. There's no direct evidence yet, but scientists suspect the swelling squid population may eventually translate to fewer fish available for human consumption... Hmm. Calamari anyone? Script by Pat Florez http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1268035200 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 02:59 Catalina Island Conservancy One architecture professor is giving trailer parks a good name. Michael Berk of Mississippi State University has developed award-winning mobile homes so structurally sound and energy-efficient that they could potentially increase in value. They're equipped with energy-efficient appliances and roof-top solar photo-voltaic cells. And, they cost just about $50,000. Berk calls them "Green-Mobiles" or "Eco-Cottages." He designed them with the sultry Mississippi Delta in mind: affordable and environmentally friendly homes, with south-facing windows and attached decks for outdoor living. Then along came Hurricane Katrina. FEMA noticed Berk's creations and awarded him a $5 million grant to design disaster relief housing. FEMA also awarded him first place in its inaugural Lifecycle Building Challenge competition. But Berk says his Green Mobiles aren't just interim housing. They're a solution for any home buyer seeking reasonable housing that's easy on utility bills and the environment. He's getting the word out to conventional home builders: It's time to put that trailer park reputation, well, in the recycle bin. Script by Gail Davis http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267776000 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 03:00 Catalina Island Conservancy The parrot fish with its colorful, multi-patterned designs and parrot-like beak is credited with being the sandmaker of the sea -- perfectly suited to crushing and eating coral. Parrot fish don't set out to eat coral. Their sharp beaks pulverize the coral to get the tender animal tissue and the algae that grows on it. When parrot fish excrete the ground-up coral, it ends up on the ocean bottom as sand. The Caribbean reefs need parrot fish now more than ever as disease has all but eliminated the long-spined sea urchin, another algae eater. Research based on computer modeling by marine biologists show that when it comes to quashing algae, parrot fish are now the key protectors of the Caribbean reef ecosystem. But now, parrot fish are disappearing too. Why? Grouper and snapper have been over exploited by Caribbean fishermen. Parrot fish, although not as tasty, were more available and by default, are now a popular choice in restaurants. Now they are being overfished. Learn how some islands have begun sustained conservation efforts to protect the parrot fish. Script by Bob Rhein http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267689600 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 03:00 Catalina Island Conservancy Gassing up new family cars with green, clean hydrogen is edging closer to reality. Case in point: Researchers at Purdue University, working with General Motors, recently tackled one of the trickier challenges to making a mass-market hydrogen car. That is, how to fill-er-up... fast! Hydrogen storage gets tricky. Its molecular structure -- and volatility -- require more complicated devices to transfer and store the fuel in the tank. To address that, the Purdue prototype uses a powder called metal hydride. It absorbs hydrogen and stores enough for a 300-mile drive. Great! But like most hydrogen storage methods, hydride creates heat as it absorbs, and too much heat stops the hydrogen absorption process. Slowing things down enough to keep the hydrogen cool would require car owners to spend an impractical 40 minutes at the pump to fill up. So the researchers took something from conventional engines and adapted it. They designed a heat exchanger that uses everyday, automotive coolant. Their aluminum exchanger contains a network of thin fins. Coolant runs past, transferring heat away from the hydrogen, for a consumer-friendly five-minute stop at the pump! Leaving plenty of time to grab a Slurpee. Script by Gail Davis http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267603200 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 03:01 Catalina Island Conservancy Holy algae, batfish, we need you to clean up that reef! When researchers wanted to know what fish on Australia's Great Barrier Reef was best at removing algae that can kill coral reefs, they got a surprise. A rare, pancake-shaped fish called the batfish did what the parrotfish and surgeonfish could not do -- that is, not only control the algae, but remove even the most problematic blooms. There are lots of fish that can eat algae. When those fish are gone, algae overgrow a reef and smother all of the corals. Algae grow really well, especially when there are extra nutrients in the water, like what happens in reefs that are near developed coastlines. And so, it's nice to know that Mother Nature has her own fish to help out. And what a fish it is. David Bellwood at James Cook University said most fish are like law mowers that can keep algae under control, however, the batfish was like an underwater version of a chain saw. While not quite a "caped" crusader, the batfish, along with many other algae-eating fish species, is a true super-hero of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Script by Bob Rhein http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267516800 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 02:58 Catalina Island Conservancy In 1997, thirteen Duke University residents went to Madagascar where they literally went wild. Today, several of them are still running amuck with the locals and their faculty sponsors couldn't be happier. These Duke residents are critically endangered Black and White Ruffed Lemurs who were raised in captivity at the University's Lemur Center. Their mission in Madagascar was to enrich the gene pool of the native lemur population. These lemurs are native only to the island of Madagascar, where habitat loss and predation had reduced their numbers to around 35. It's believed at least 50 adults are needed to prevent inbreeding and maintain genetic diversity. Duke scientists were uncertain how well lemurs raised in captivity could adapt to their natural environment. But not only did they thrive, members of the group have produced at least six offspring so far. Publicity generated by the success of Duke's lemurs-gone-wild has called attention to the animals' plight. The notoriety has been a boon to efforts to prevent further deforestation and preserve habitat for the lemurs and other rare and endangered species. Which should give us all a reason to celebrate. Party on, lemurs. Script by Stephen Webb http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267430400 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800 02:58 Catalina Island Conservancy Who's more environmentally responsible? Seniors? Young Adults? Men? Women? When it comes to recycling glass at least, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Granada observed that housewives are more likely to do it than university students. So why do they recycle glass? In this study, the housewives recycled because they'd made a "personal rule" to recycle. It was a behavior based on an ethical or moral obligation. True, recycling glass isn't as convenient for students who spend much of the day away from where they live. But with academic training, wouldn't ecological awareness increase? Apparently not. Educational programs designed to raise environmental consciousness seemed to have had no influence on the students' glass recycling behavior! So, while increasing environmental awareness among young people seems important, this study suggests it simply isn't enough. Environmentally responsible behaviors like recycling glass, paper and other products, isn't just something to learn about. Housewives in the study seem to have internalized that it's something we should practice daily -- because it's the right thing to do. Script by Stephen Webb http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267171200 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 01:28 Catalina Island Conservancy American's have been hitting the bottle a lot lately -- to the tune of 9 billion gallons of water in 2007. It took one and one-half million barrels of oil to make the plastic bottles for all that water -- four-fifths of which wound up in landfills. But in spite of that, it's better water, right? Maybe yes. Maybe no. With a few exceptions, the FDA applies the same standards for purity to bottled and tap water. Tap water, for example, can contain more lead -- but it also contains fluoride which dentists recommend. Bottled water, on the other hand, isn't regulated with regards to removing pathogens and, can even contain minute levels of fecal debris! (Ichy!) Plus -- while it's typically treated in some manner -- a quarter of all bottled water comes from the tap, anyway. But if you still insist on bottled water, read the label carefully and always recycle your bottles. You might also consider getting a filter to improve the taste and appearance of your own tap water. Last but not least, try tasting your tap water. It's possible you'll discover the biggest difference between it and the bottled kind you've been buying is the price tag. Script by Stephen Webb http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1267084800 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 01:30 Catalina Island Conservancy The black plague once decimated human towns in Medieval Europe. Today it's hitting prairie dog towns on the grasslands of the northern Midwest. The plague comes from a bacteria called Yersinia pestis. It infects its victims through flea bites. No longer a major threat to humans, the plague kills only a few hundred people each year worldwide. And, in the U.S., hardly any. But in the wild, it's a different story. The plague reached the U.S. a century ago, and occasionally erupts in wild areas. Most recently it's threatened prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets, an endangered species rescued from near-extinction through captive breeding programs. In South Dakota's Conata Basin, the plague wiped out a third of the ferrets. And in two recent outbreaks, prairie dog mortality rates hovered around 90 percent because they have little natural immunity against it. But federal wildlife scientists are hopeful. In the Conata Basin they've captured and vaccinated about 60 ferrets. Nearby they're strategically spraying insecticide into a percentage of prairie dog burrows. Similar programs in Central Asia indicate targeted burrow spraying contains the disease and limits its spread. This is great news for Prairie Dog Town. Script by Bob Rhein http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1266998400 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 01:28 Catalina Island Conservancy To prepare for climate change, sometimes it's good to get down to the bare bones. Fish bones, that is. Scientists in Scandinavia are trying to predict how climate change will effect fish populations in the northern oceans. Ecologists and historians have been working together to analyze records, registries, and ancient fish bones to see which fish might become more common as the world and its waters continue to warm. They've identified more than a hundred thousand fish bones from as far back as nine thousand years ago. The bones belong to fish like anchovies and black sea bream that thrived during the previous warm periods in our prehistory, and are now returning to northern waters as the ocean loses its chill. They also found that cool-water cod lived happily in the warmer waters of the past, and may do just fine in the future. As marine ecosystems continue to change with the climate, conservation strategies will have to change as well. The final volume on fish bones -- 14 papers, edited by Henn Ojaveer and Brian R. MacKenzie -- is one more tool for us to better manage precious marine resources. By Elizabeth Katt-Reinders http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1266912000 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 00:33 Catalina Island Conservancy You know the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" Well, looks like it holds true for long-established species coping with deforestation. On the tropical island of Borneo, species of mammals that have been around the block awhile -- oh, say 5 million years and longer -- were less able to survive when their habitat was logged. Newer kids on the block were able to take logging in stride. Erik Meijaard of The Nature Conservancy found that the older the lineage of a mammal, the harder time it had adapting to logging. He thinks that newer species arose at a time of great evolutionary change in the region, when cooler temperatures made forests more fragmented. So, these more recently evolved mammals are better able to handle habitat changes than species living in tropical rainforests 5 million years ago or more. The study will help ecologists pinpoint which species may need more protection from logging and other habitat-changing activities. In Borneo, they now know the older species that will need extra protection. For some of these species, it will mean maintaining completely protected areas. No changes, at all, please. Thank you. By Andrew Porterfield http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1266825600 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 01:28 Catalina Island Conservancy "Pygmy possum" and "giant rat." They sound like rock groups, but no! These are two mammals new to science found recently in a pristine jungle in the Foja Mountains in Indonesia's Papua province. Earlier, we reported on walking sharks and supersonic shrimp that were discovered in the same region. It seems that this Lost World just gets more and more interesting. According to reports from Conservation International, leading the expedition, the pygmy possum is one of the world's smallest marsupials. And the giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat, they say, and has no fear of humans. Conservation International vice president Bruce Beehler, said "It's comforting to know that there is a place on earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature." Scientists agree that protecting this region is critical for two reasons. First, it provides fresh water, clean air, food and sources of medicines. Second, the cutting and burning of tropical rainforests to clear land for agriculture generates at least 20 percent of the greenhouse gases warming earth's climate. Pygmy Possum may sound like a new rock group, but Pristine Jungle is music to our ears. Script by Bob Rhein http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1266566400 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 01:27 Catalina Island Conservancy To get rid of fleas, there may be an alternative to poison, and that's a simple vacuum cleaner. Most people think poison is needed as a second punch. However, according to researchers at Ohio State University the very act of applying strong suction is enough to kill fleas dead. Apparently, the brushes on a vacuum attachment wear away the waxy outer layer on insects known as the cuticle. Without their cuticle scientists found, fleas, larvae and pupae just dry up and die. They said a typical vacuum cleaner roughs up fleas so much that "96 percent of adult fleas" and "100 percent of younger fleas" don't stand a chance. And, not to worry about those fleas inside the vacuum bag. As one entomologist put it, no matter what vacuum a flea gets sucked up in, it's most likely a one-way trip. The trick is to vacuum well: rugs, sofas, drapery - oh yeah, don't forget pet beds -- all of the places the little blood suckers might hang out. Now, all scientists have to do is figure out a way to get a vacuum close to your cat. Good luck! Script by Bob Rhein http://www.islaearth.org/radio/show.php?_sid=1266480000 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 01:28