Today I Am Drawing Christmas Card Designs. For Robots. #christmascard #christmas #xmas #merrychristmas

I am not here for the idea that humans > everything else.

Design With Cities, Not For Them

Robot Guides Soybean Plant To Light

by Karin Heineman, Inside Science

What happens when you combine a soybean plant with a robot?

You get a soybot!

Developed by researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, they’re on-the-go micro gardens that help indoor plants seek out light.

“They’re equipped with two sensors that measure light conditions, they move continually in the direction of the brighter light,” said Shannon McMullen, a sociologist at Purdue. Learn more and see a video below.

Keep reading

YouTube Wants Everyone To Watch This New Movie About Girls Who Code

“Codegirl” will stream for free on YouTube from Nov. 1 - 6.

Maps like these allow us to see the city in a new light – not just as a massive consumer of energy, but also as a potential powerhouse.

Dr Anne Maassan on the solar potential of cities.  (via thisbigcity)

I always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because he will find an easy way to do it.

Bill Gates

A 40-year-old man proposed to Salamatou when she was just 14. Every year, tens of thousands of girls are married before reaching their 18th birthday. 

They are some of the most vulnerable girls on earth. They are denied their rights, they are at risk of abuse, their health is jeopardized, and their future prospects are limited. 

From 25 November to 10 December, the world observes 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. 

In Niger, which has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world, 16 extraordinary girls refused to become child brides. Read their stories here: http://www.unfpa.org/16-girls-16-stories-resistance

An Urbanizing Planet

The video, entitled An Urbanizing Planet, takes viewers on a stunning satellite-viewed tour around our planet. By combining more than 10 datasets, and using GIS processing software and 3D graphic applications, the video shows not only where urbanization will be most extensive, but also how the majority of the expansion will occur in areas adjacent to biodiversity hotspots.

The video was produced to present the framework of a new book Global Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Ecosystems: Challenges and Opportunities — A Global Assessment. The scientific foundation of the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook project, the book presents the world’s first assessment of how global urbanization and urban growth impact biodiversity and ecosystems. It builds on contributions by more than 200 scientists worldwide.