This is a collection of articles dealing with organic gardening, ecology, environmental restoration, news items of interest, travel and just about anything else I find of interest and willing to share with others around the globe. - ENJOY!
Meandering Floodplains provide Real World Biomimetic Blueprints for Infrastructure Designs vrs Engineering Inspireded by Ambitious Human Business Venture Schemes
Image - ourwellnessway.com
The iconic classic movie, Chinatown, makes it abundantly clear that humans have always disrespected designs found in Nature, especially when their wouldview (based on blind faith) believes that such designs are an impedement to their economic business successes. This is certainly true with the history of Los Angeles where business development and growth hinged on aquisition of water, both it's abundance and controling it. LA’s legendary water superintendent William Mulholland was driven towards channeling this water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles. But stealing water from far away north wasn't enough. Vast floodplains in Southern California had potential economic value for both agriculture and the creation of an industrial infrastructure. So the natural meandering physics of flowing water on floodplains had to be tamed and harnessed. Take for example this photograph above with the meandering switchback pattern of the river. From a politics and businessman perspective, this impedes quick transportation of both people or goods. Logically (from a flawed human perspective) a straight channel direct line would seem to be the obvious choice. Same logic for getting rid of stormwater quickly from cities to prevent flooding, straight channeling seems the better choice. This is evident by all the straight floodcontrol channel infrastructure you can find throughout all of Southern California like the Los Angeles River below. Unfortunately, the path of least resistance hasn't always been the safest or most efficient route for moving human economic goals forward.
Photographed by Lane Barden
Industrial corridor of the Los Angeles River at the Seventh Street bridge in downtown Los Angeles, California
Image - Nature Conservancy - Stream Restoration
In my other post on Beavers and slow water movement, I had a cartoon at the top of the post of a beaver/builder constructung his dam. Other Beavers in the cartoon were on the river bank looking like eco-activists with protest signs demanding to have the dam torn down so that ALL of the river water could be used to irrigate the Pacific Ocean. But that really is no joke, because that is exactly how southern California has mandated it's floodcontrol infrastructure be designed for quick water movement supposedly to prevent flooding and endangering human beings and their businesses. But how well has that really been working for us ??? Often times channeled rivers, especially those in agricultural valleys channeled by earthen levees have been breached on many sides during high flood waters due to exceptional rainfall years. Like the photo here on the right where human modifications to the landscape strongly influences triggers to instability, accelerating the erosion potential and altering sediment transport and flow regimes of channels. Pay close attention to this picture of the Walla Walla River back in December of 1964 which defied human attempts at channelization and re-created it's former meanders, point bars, pools, and riffles. Can you click on the image and count how many right and left breaces there are ? That's just the nature of water and physical natural laws. By their very nature many people not only resent laws by humans, but also disrespect natural laws. These disastrous events are not so much the fault of nature as they are exposure of inept decision making by the elites among humans who believe they are above fault. After all, most of the scientific orthodoxy believes nature is flawed, imperfect and badly designed. (Okay, I won't go there, but you know it's true) In their worldview's paradigm the floodwaters should be managed as a waste product as something that should be gotten out of the system as quickly as possible. And so all floodcontrol infrastructure is really being considered as a greywater infrastructure with it's system of concrete pipes, culverts, channels, etc to facilitate water out of the urban environment as fast as possible to it's final destiny, the oceans. In reality, this is simply gross scientific ignorance where researchers have bought into their flawed worldview. Here's one man who battled the prevailing scientific orthodoxy in Germany & Austria while championing natural designs based on Nature most all of his life.
Institute of ecological Technology
In the early 1920s, Austrian Forester, Viktor Schauberger, also a self taught physicist and river engineer, was given the task of helping an Austrian Prince who became broke after World War I to improve his economy by finding a way to bring valuable virgin Timber down from remote mountain properties he owned which had no easy access. Timber in those days would had to have been hauled out with mule teams on less than ideal narrow roads through rugged country. Viktor Schauberger had a nature based scheme for building a unique log flume for transport which was very unconventional for the times. As with anything, logging flume design then consisted of straight walls and flat bottoms or at best flat bottoms with 'V' shaped design for the sides. But the flow dynamics were horrible. Schauberger's design was to be biomimic designs he had observed in Nature. He went with a half egg shaped design in which the flume would twist here and there like a snake in biomimicry of the meandering habit of a large river on a massive floodplain.
Very crudely designed log flume Quebec, Canada
As the story was been told, Viktor Schauberger acquired the contract for building the flume caught the attention of the Estate Administrators and the Institute of Hydraulics at the University of Vienna. He was considered an anti-science Luddite by the science orthodoxy of his day. They hated the man. The day before it was due to be commissioned, Viktor decided to make a preliminary test of the flume's performance. An average-sized green beech log was ushered into the mouth of the flume and to his horror it stranded on the bottom after a few metres and would not budge. This wasn't supposed to happen according to he Natural designed flume calculations. Important dignataries, including his mocking critics were all going to be there at the grand celebration. After his workers were sent away to give himself some space to think, Viktor sat on a rock to ponder the situation. As he sat down he felt something scrabbling underneath his leather trousers and sprang up to his feet to find a snake. Grabbing it quickly, he flung it into the log holding basin, which supplied the flume with water and where the logs were to be assembled before being guided into the flume. As he watched it swim to the other side, he wondered how it was able to swim so fast.
Illustration - giewasser.ch
Then he suddenly became aware of its peculiar serpentine 'S' shaped movement. It appeared like Nature had again came to his aid again. Calling his workers back, he ordered the holding basin to be drained and the log jammed up withing the flume removed. He then gave them instructions on how to attach thin wooden slats to the curved sides of the flume walls, which would act like the rifling in gun-barrels and cause the water to rotate anti-clockwise at left hand bends and clockwise at right hand bends. You can see the illustration blueprints here on the left. Working all through the night with the promise of double wages, the work was finished by early next morning ready for commissioning at the Grand Opening. The pond holding basin for the logs was refilled the next day in preparation for releasing the first logs. His critics were said to be dumbfounded by his unconventional flume design. Eventually the time came for the flume sluice-gates to be opened and the logs guided into the mouth of this half-egg-shaped channel. One particularly large beech log (which they did not want to test) managed to get itself included with the first few logs and, half way into the flume it suddenly jammed and the water began to back up behind it. While everyone there watched with anticipation, all at once with a loud gurgling sound it was sucked forwards and departed round the first bend. The other logs followed, passing easily down the flume, being kept away from the sides at the bends by those longitudinal vortices induced by the rifling slats which they installed the night before. Needless to say, it was a success, but maybe too much of a success. The Prince and his Princess got greedy and clear cut almost all the forest to increase their fortunes. Funny, nothing's changed one iota since the 1920s. Well, that's not true, it's actually worse.
Image - LifinLapland.com - Nellim Log Flume
While the early history of true biomimetics regarding hydrology is interesting, how does any of this benefit the average person today, especially in view of the further degradation of our planet's natural world that has been accelerated through the misuse and abuse of science ??? While there are some who truly believe in biomimicry of Nature, they are still greatly outnumbered by those who would trash Nature through the worldview argument of Nature being badly designed and only intelligent free-thinking humans can fix those flaws through scientific shortcuts. Okay, so change of pace here. There is an organization whose mission is to revitalize the contrete channelized L.A. River bed. who are known as the "Friends of the L.A. River". That's a tough assignment they've given themselves. Even during the lightest rainstorms, the greater L.A. infrastructure is human designed & engineered to rapidly facilitate storm water off the streets, parking areas, rooftops etc and efficiently send it rapidly on it's way down to the Pacific Ocean. This is an incredible waste of valuable freshwater resources. But believe it or not there are viable real world natural solutions to reduce runoff and redirect water into public and private landscapes and possibly percolate much of in into the subsoil layers of the ancient floodplains to be used later as well water. How much depends really on people being interested in change for the better. Below I'll provide a gallery of photos demonstrating how street rainwater harvesting techniques through biomimetics can change the present Hydraulic infrastructure and save disappearing fresh water resources from the outside of the region. Take a look, much of where this is already practiced is from areas with higher rainfall averages than Southern California like up north and back east.
Large City Street Landscaped Medians
Image - svrdesign.com
This is the central California city of Paso Robles, who are successfully positioning themselves at the leading edge of this municipal rainwater harvesting technology which biomimic's nature by the use of "baffles" which creates a switch back motion replicating the meandering pattern in the design & using periodic low dams called weirs (replicates beaver dams on small scale) which deliberately slows & backs up water raising the water level behind the weir in the planting bed that allows a good percentage of water to percolate deeper into deeper subsoil layers. Top photo illustrate what happens during storms and lower photo reveals an attractive look when dry. Utilizing native plants and having knowledge of how to encourage one gallon containerized seedlings to develop deeper root systems would truly help such plants make it without any further water assistence the rest of the year. There could be a minimal irrigation infrastructure of deep irrigation designs, which would be utilized only in emergency summer situations to supplement and apply water three or four foot below the soil surface where most healthy California native plants want and prefer it.
Image - svrdesign.com
Here in this picture above you can see the baffles which look to be recycled small guage railway track with a center concrete guide on top of a bed of cobblestones which allows the waters to slow down and remain clean prior to easing into the actual planting beds. Further cobblestones downstream are both functional for keeping soil intact, allowing further percolation and have a decorative purpose that biomimics a dry streambed which are common in California.
Image - hawkinspartners.com
Curb and Gutter Rainwater Harvesting for Landscapes in Business Areas and Residential Main Streets
Image - State Collage Pensylvania
Curb cut-out inlet to rain garden on west side of Allen Street near Pennsylvania State College. Just like a forest with meandering water courses and beaver dams, the goal here would not be to prevent water from reaching the oceans, but slow it way way down and make it work for the benefit of all sorts life along the way down.
Image - State Collage Pennsylvania
This rain garden is demonstrating weir flow during rain event. For those who may not understand what the word "weir" means. The term "weir" is a Dam-like barrier across the horizontal width of a landscape bed that alters the flow characteristics of the water and usually results in a change in the vertical height of the water level. There are many designs of weir, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level section of the landscape bed. Again, the purpose here is not to prevent water movement down stream, but rather to slow water movement down and percolation with drainage at the end for major storm runoff.
Image - State Collage Pennsylvania
Now here is the full entire length-wise view of rain garden on west side of this Allen Street. Everything here is functional and decorative all at the same time. The concrete weirs again back the water up in a small pond behind the artificially replicated beaver dam. With a series of weirs, this would also prevent erosion of planting bed materials just the way a series of beavers dams would accomplish on a real life floodplain in the wild.
Residential Neighbourhoods and other low Traffic Side Streets
Image - progress-project.eu
Image - greywateraction.org
Sidewalk bioswale treats street runoff in Portland, Oregon
In cities like San Francisco California and Portland Oregon, their storm drains are connected to their sewer treatment plants, and the potential for hazard for such infrastructure design is that heavy rains cause the sewer plant to overflow with raw and partially treated sewer water into the bay or river. Other cities connect their storm drains to underground creeks, and the polluted oily water runs straight into the bay or nearby river. By cutting curbs and digging sunken basins into the “right-of way” or “parking strip” area of the sidewalk, you can turn street rainwater from a problem into an actual resource. Diverted rainwaer that falls on streets can nourish plants, protect creeks, and contribute to cleaner cities as a result of the planter bed's healthy microbial community taking care of the pollutants & turning them into safer elements.
Image - svrdesign.com
Preventing and reducing water pollution can be as simple as building a rain harvesting curb cut for the garden. Once again, this runoff water from streets can come in contact with various substances to pollute it like chemicals from fertilizer, oil from cars and garbage, etc. Before this polluted water makes its way into storm drains and our riparian ecosystems, we would filter it through a natural rain collecting garden with a strong healthy microbial soil community to digest & process it. Rain gardens can also add to a home’s curb appeal and allow runoff water to filter naturally and deeply down through your yard’s soil. Keep in mind also that many of these structure as also designed with outlets and/or drains into runoff water pipes to allow for those extreme weather downpour events.
Commercial Parking Lot Medians and Dividers
Image - landskapsarkitektur.no
What amazes me with many of the beautifully designed landscape medians in many places like these parking lots is the fact that they exist in mainly higher rainfall areas like the northern & eastern parts of the USA, Canada and Europe, like this example above in Norway. What about Southern California where it is even more needed because they lack water ? Free water that is otherwise facilitated rapidly down the drain so that they basically are forcing themselves to use public utility provided clean drinking water to irrigate their commercial and home landscapes.
Bioswale parking lot created by Lynn Capouya Landscape Architecture
This is the kind of thing that really makes sense. Love the plant selection for the area and keep in mind that mulch is an important part of this bioretention system to really work effectively. Rocks and other smaller cobblestones are perfect for the slowing down of water movement and work perfectly as a mulch to keep the ground cool and retain moisture levels in soils. This is extremely important in parking lots where they create a massive heat islands.
Image - grownative.org
These Natives plants within the planter accompanied by a species abundant microbial community within the soil system are able to filter the runoff and protect streams. They can recycle the pollutants & turn them into nutrients that the plants can use. No stream or river pollution to kill aquatic critters in the water environment. Also runoff volume is greatly reduced (not stopped) which prevents the violent scouring of the natural local creek or riverbeds which allows the system to be stable, much like it was prior to human pavement. I would love to do something like this picture (minus the parking lot) for my mother's property with street curb back in El Cajon California. Unfortunately I'd have to be living back there permanently to maintain it. However having said that, look below at this Walmart parking lot in Santee California.
Image - Google Earth
Walmart parking lot in Santee California
Last year in May/June 2016, my wife and I went back to my home town area of San Diego California and visited my mother who lives in the El Cajon/Santee area. Ignore the 2017 dates on the Google Earth picture, I just posted this to illustrate how illustrative it is of ir's improper design when they took this parking lot photograph. When we visited this exact parking lot (May 2016), it was 100+ F (40+ C) and I waited in the car while mum and wife went shopping. Half of those trees, irrigated by inefficient bubblers in a tiny planter median were dead or dying because they stopped watering them. Why did they cut back the water ? Because prices out there are outrageous, even when people have cut way back on watering like they were asked to in order to help buffer the shortages create by drought, the Water agency went and raised the water rates big time. Hence, the management decided the landscape was not worth the effort and expense. so the parking is nothing more than functional in purpose. Too bad and every customer who visits fights for that small shady spot for their car because of the effect of direct sun in 100+ degrees pushes inside temps 160+ degrees.
The Landscape median mechanism designs for Successful Water Harvesting
Image - Empowerhouse
These are just some simplified animated illustrations to help provide an easy way to comprehend the design of the soil system withing the planter. Water enters into the cells through curb cuts and flows to an area planted with native plants (preferably native to the region that are attractive and ornamental looking) & a microbial community system that are known to remediate heavy metals and toxins that vehicles usually leach on to the street, not to mention the totally unnecessary Agro-Chemical products used by commercial & home owner landscapers. The water is filtered through the topsoil where most of the roots are and then into a type of mixed gravel bed which will hold and store the bulk of the floodwater only then to seep slowly back into the subsoil layers and possibly as far as the moist ground water supply which helps to alleviate runoff to local waterways. Usually this rain water runoff would enter directly into the storm system, where it could lead to an increase in combined Sewer Overflows that contribute significantly to the pollution in our rivers and streams.
(Image courtesy of GeoSyntec Consultants)
Stormwater runoff flows into this type of bioretention area like the other one above, percolates through the soil (which acts as that bio- filter) and eventually drains into the groundwater; some of the water is also absorbed by the plants. Bioretention areas are usually designed to allow ponded water and with an overflow outlet to prevent flooding during larger storm events which are becoming more common. Where soils have low permeability or where faster drainage is desired, designers may incorporate a perforated underdrain that routes to a storm drain system. If you have a soil profile like my mother's place which is built on top of an ancient alluvial floodplain, then such drains may not be necessary. But if you have a clay or adobe type soil profile, then I'd recommend the drainage.
Nice Video Resources
This video surprisingly comes from the State of California. I say it's a surprise because you cannot see very much in the way of people practicing this water harvesting technique out there, with the exception of the Palm Springs & Coachella Valley areas.
This video below is excellent as it provides a how to for boring a hole through the curb and sidewalk to allow a inlet for stormwater to enter into the landscape strip.
This final link comes from Arizona. Actually it is a separate post I created because Arizona is much further along on this biomimicry and their climate almost mandates such a practice be done over there. And besides I thought it would have cluttered this post up with more info than it already has. 😏
Fact: Trashing Designs found in Nature for the biased purpose of scoring Brownie Points against conventional Religious Fundies has had a Degenerative Trashing effect on the Earth's natural world
The online 'Book of Bad Arguments' link above is an interesting read if you've got the time. It really illustrates just how twisted this world has become when it comes to people coming up with all sorts creative ways to justify another failed worldview. The lengths and idiocy to which many people use to win arguments or pimp a worldview is nothing but time wasting because it so often falls well short of reality. Today I watched a video posted by the California Native Plant Society's chapter of San Diego. It's an organization which is dedicated to the promotion of native California plants. But only Cal-Natives. That's kool, I love cal-native plants. But like so many organizations championing any kind of cause today, they are generally intolerant of any other types of ecosystem plants being introduced into the urban landscape within California. Okay, I get not wanting something to escape into the wild and becoming a terrible invasive problem, but not every exotic plant is going to be a problem plant. Well anyway, watch the video below, it's only about a couple of minutes.
I understand the benefits of planting natives into the historical range for the purpose of attracting all manner of native wildlife to your landscape. My mum's yard has both natives and non-invasive non-native plants accompanying them which have similar environmental requirements. The various local wildlife (birds, insects, reptiles, animals, etc) also utilize them as well. We've never experienced any problems. But now take special note here of what the narrator in the video, Lisa Novick, stated in this quote below:
"What if people said, 'We should just wait for the Monarchs to throw a random gene that will make their caterpillars be able to eat something other than Milkweed. I'm not willing to take that chance."
Seriously, a random mutated gene ??? Do people still think this way now ??? This old archaic dogma is so outdated in view of newer understanding. Unbelievable, especially in this day and age with regards the increased study and understanding of how the genome really works and the part of genetics termed "epigentics" which in actual fact purposefully engineers incredibly ordered changes influenced by any number of stimuli from environmental cues as opposed to the past historical ignorant belief of random copying errors caused by dumb luck creating wonderful amazing outcomes for no logical reason or goal oriented purpose. But why would she use such unscientific nonsense terminology which started out decades ago as nothing more than some group minority's worldview ??? Brilliant scientific research by dedicated serious scientists have long since proven this to be false. Random copying errors do not innovate, they cause sickness, diseases, cancers & death. Nevertheless, such religious dogmas diehard. This thinking is so ingrained into the average psyche of many folks as a consequence of early indoctrination at elementary school. Clearly many people later in life need to go through some type deprogramming therapy before being re-educated about how our natural world really works. The big question here is, how does one go about experimenting or testing for random mutations caused by dumb luck and expect to obtain any beneficial innovation which results in practical application ??? You don't and that's why we experience a natural world where various ecosystems that are completely unraveling before our very eyes because we have a Scientific Orthodoxy out there promoting nature as flawed, imperfect and badly designed and that only the superior intellect of humans can fix those flaws and save us. But insisting Nature is flawed only seems mask the gross imperfection of human ignorance on the subject about how our natural world really works. Take for example the world's biotechnology industry. Biotechs justify their existence and methods of technology because they say changes in life happen all the time by means of something called Horizontal Gene Transfer. Hence their transgenic manipulation of organisms is justified in their worldview because it happens in Nature anyway. Except that leads to the assumption that their services really are needed or the world fails. Take the following example below of this subject, "Argument from Poor Design" which like Junk DNA, does nothing more than hide and sweep under the rug the scientific community's past ignorance and stupidity from decades past. Take note of the first person most responsibe about Argument from Poor Design. His writings in his first book are loaded with what he imagined as perfect examples.
One would have to ask, what scientific experiment the Father of Evolutionary Theory, Charles Darwin, use or create in arriving at this conclusion ??? Indeed, how could any scientist have created a verifiable repeatable empical data laced experiment to get into the mind and motivations of an intelligent agency which he already has a bias against in believing a Creator doesn't even exist ??? And by what code of morality is Darwin using ??? By what authority does his version of morality equate truth ??? Really Chuck ??? His followers have grabbed hold of this same strategy and taken this narrative to new lows. I hope everyone understands Nature cannot be judged by human views of morality or in other words, what's right and what's wrong. For example take this grossly flawed blind faith assertion, CRISPR Co-Inventor Jennifer Doudna:
"It amazes me to realize that we are on the cusp of a new era in the history of life on earth—an age in which humans exercise an unprecedented level of control over the genetic composition of the species that coinhabit our planet. It won’t be long before CRISPR allows us to bend nature to our will in the way that humans have dreamed of since prehistory."
In that very same interview which contains that quote above, Jennifer Doudna, also spoke about ridding the planet of disease carrying mosquitoes thru CRISPR where sterilized GMO Mosquitoes would make sterile eggs and kill off the majority. Since then and against protest they have already done their dirty work and released their Franken-Mosquitoes despite angry cries not to release. And the results ???
Today's GMO apologetics are also based and indeed justified on this unscientific dogma, "Argument from Poor Design," which is exactly why these geneticists, biologists and other researchers employed by the various biotechnology companies confidently justify all their valuable time playing the gene manipulation game because in their corrupted view of the natural world, it's Nature that is flawed, poorly designed and only their collective credentialed genius can fix those glaring imperfections. The reality is, very few of these Biogeneticist engineers have any clue or understanding of how whole plant ecosystems actually function and maintain themselves out in the wild. Yet, in their worldview, Nature is still flawed and only their collective genius can provide a correction. Seriously ??? 😨 Take a look at this promotional advertisement below on Monsanto's work to gene manipulate crop plants to withstand the present and future global warming.
Advertisement - Monsanto
This is Monsanto's latest development of their infamous "Droughtgard Hybrid" crop seeds. They've informed the public that they only want to feed the world and there's this new problem that hinders this goal and it's called Global Warming. Okay, I understand that. But take a look again at their promotional advert above. They explain that in order to create drought resistant crops like maize or corn or soy, they need to acquire a special stress response gene for encoding cold shock protein B (cspB) from a soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, and then insert it into some corn variety's genome. It's also known as “RNA Chaperone” RNA Chaperone from Bacillus subtilis. Yet one wonders why they went to all that time and expense in developing such drought tolerance when Nature has already had these drought resistance tools for countless 1000s of years ??? 😲 Research time is lengthy and expensive because the seed patenting most often runs into the millions of dollars for biotechs. The real problem is that these researchers are in charge of providing their corporations with a regular consumable product. That ensures an annual profit year after year. Utilizing a practice and tool from Nature is free and that is unacceptable. These transgenic seeds are also engineered to work in conjunction with a plethora of other consumables like synthetic science-based fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, miticides, etc. This further ensures huge annual profits for their employers. Yet nature while complex, takes an easier road and is far more sustainable when left alone. Take this mycorrhizal Corn field experiment below by the University of Florida on drought resistance and heat stress with Corn. Here, nutrient and water uptake are improved between 200% to 800% depending on environmental soil conditions and drought tolerance is achieved in one single season, not decades of transgenic manipulation and cross breeding.
Image - Mycorrhizal Applications Inc
So what do you observe above here. Clearly there is a stark contrast. lower left and upper right are Corn whose root systems are colonized by mycorrhizal fungi and creating a network or grid of mycelial strands extended well beyond the plant root zone. At the upper left and lower right is the science-based conventionally grown corn which as been fertilized with synthetic fertilizers. This soil also is a sandy soil which is not known for it's water holding capacity. Do you notice the fungal strands moving under the soil ??? No ??? At the bottom right look at the first two corn rows in the control corn. Notice how thet have improved in vigor over their partners in the conventionally grown field ??? The mycorrhizal fungi has move from the healthy field square on the left and colonized their rot systems. There is no elusive drought gene for Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta or any other Biotech to acquire and insert in the genome of crop seeds. It's a scam and it effects the health of our planet,
I have absolutely no problem with any kind of business venture researching, developing, manufacturing and selling a product for profit. But at least when a company like Mycorrhizal Applications Inc develops, manufactures and sells a product for profit, their product doesn't trash our planet. This reminds me of that discussion line of debate from a scene in the Sci-Fi film Jurassic Park. 😆
John Hammond: "All major theme parks have delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked!"
Dr. Ian Malcolm: "Yeah, but, John, if The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists."
Oddly enough, most all of these biotechs know and understand that the microbial community within the soil is the most efficient and safest way to accomplish good farming, but until now have refused to admit this to the public just how dirty their formula for industrial farming really has been to our natural world. Interestingly, some are now attempting a public relations stunt to colour green their image as promoting thatthey were always on board with microbes all along, but they then spin how it may not have always looked that way at the beginning. It's all about smokescreen folks. It's about public relations green washing. The facts bare out that their version of worldview about nature being inept and flawed has brought incredible ruin to our planet through their industrial rose coloured vision of things. Now while many are now just starting to admit designs copied from nature really have brought incredible advancement, economical savings and enhanced ecological benefits, more has to be done in a hurry. Here are just three more examples of incredible design copying from Nature which has saved some industries millions of dollars and helped vastly improve the environment.
Airbus A380 winglets, inspired by the Steppe Eagle
During an Eagle's flight, the feathers on the tips of it's wings are practically verticle. This configuration gives maximum lift with minimum wing length. Engineers have studied such soaring birds such as eagles with a view of designing more efficient aircraft. The introduction of modified wing design that includes winglets has improved aircraft performance by as much as 15%. Planes can now fly farther and carry more passengers while saving fuel. In the decade following the introduction of up turned wing tips, airlines worldwide saved six thousand seven hundred million liters or two billion gallons of jet fuel. But the eagleäs amazing design is not limited to flight. As the eagle descends upon it's prey, it's eyes continuously adjust to maintain sharp focus throughout the approach. What man made camera ever comes close to this rapid refocus ?
Mercedes-Benz bionic car
"The concept models of the Mercedes-Benz bionic car are appearing as part of the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which showcases innovations in the fields of design and science.
Bionic Car ConceptOne of the highlights of the exhibition is the Mercedes-Benz bionic car, which was first unveiled in June 2005 at the Innovation Symposium organized by Daimler AG in the US capital, Washington DC.
Engineers, designers and biologists at Mercedes-Benz worked hand in hand to develop the Mercedes-Benz bionic car. Its template was a sea dweller from tropical latitudes: Ostracion Cubicus – more commonly known as the boxfish.
Despite its unusual-looking shape, the fish is extremely aerodynamic and can therefore move using a minimal amount of energy. It is also able to withstand high pressures and, thanks to an outer skin consisting of hexagonal bone plates, can survive unscathed following collisions with corals or other sea dwellers."
"The Shinkansen Bullet Train which belongs to the West Japan Railway Company is the fastest train in the world which can travel up to 200 miles per hour.
While they were designing the bullet train, they had a massive problem. The train was very noisy. Every time the train came out from the tunnel, the air pressure changed which resulted in large thunder claps. This noise caused residents a quarter of a mile away to complain.
The train’s chief engineer and a keen bird-watcher turned to nature to see if they could find something travels quickly and smoothly between two very different substances. They found out that the shape of a kingfisher’s beak was ideal for this situation. Their beaks were ideal because a kingfisher will dive into a body of water to catch a fish with very little splash.
Once they had copied the shape of the kingfisher’s beak, they modelled the front of the train from that design. Not only did this design result in a quieter train, it also made the train use 15% less electricity while travelling at a speed 10% faster than what it was originally designed for."
Suddenly now we are seeing a surge in all types of Biomimcry organizations claiming they've known all along about the benefits of designs found in nature, but they often refuse to disassociate themselves from the "Argument from Poor Design" dogma. When I've read some of the nature design celebratory articles published by the Biomimicry Institute and their author Janine Benyus, and asked this question aout past worldviews, all I ever get are 'cricket sounds.' Any time I've ever pressed any of the other so-called Biomimicry organizations about this same subject, they too simply refuse to respond. It would appear that deep down inside there is just a little bit of nostalgia for that old time religion. But that old time religion's days are numbered. The Earth can't handle their worldviews anymore. While there has been some push forward in a positive direction from the examples above, it's more than likely not enough. This respect for natural designs in nature should have been followed decades ago. Now for those who think I'm kidding or exaggerating about the degenerative side effects of pimping one worldview over another causing a serious infection within the Scientific Community, take real close look back at an old well known animated TV commercial from 1977 by Chevron promoting their Ortho Agro-Chemical Division's products which were created & justified based on the blind faith religious concept of Nature being poorly designed until their industrial science White Lab Coats stepped in and saved the day. Seriously, pay real close attention to an example of their twisted worldview they had of nature back in the 1970s where they actually marketed to the public that Nature was completely harsh, unforgiving and inept at growing things and making the consumer wonder how life was even able function prior to these guys at ORTHO coming along and saving the day with their synthetic chemical wonders.
Those of us who are old enough to remember these worldview re-programming indoctrination infomercials saw this barage of propaganda day in and day out for a couple of decades. This infection came out of World War II when bomb producing chemical corporations could use those same bomb chemicals to grow plants. In the 1950s this was called the Green Revolution and everybody fell for it because Scientists said it was okay. Nobody questioned anything. For many today the answer for correcting the mistakes of the past is unbridled angry Eco-Activism protesting everything and anything that they imagine to be offensive. But that isn't a viable answer either. I'm finding that eco-activism is turning more and more people off towards an ecological stewardship of the earth far more than it's converting the public to get on board. Why ??? Because we are now living in a time where people find it hip to promote themselves as overly sensitive and outraged at the drop of a hat. Any little news report item today that even remotely has the mere appearance of being out of place according to the new rules of definition shell gaming, must be watered down, because even if it's the glaring in your face factual indisputable Truth people still freak out. There are however many sincere ecology minded people who genuinely do care about the environment, but they are paying the price for some of the people they've invited or have allowed to come on board their Cat Stevens "Peace Train" to fight the evil industrialists. Here's one glaring spotlight example below that's recently been in the News and caused incredible anarchy which has resulted in terrible ecological destruction.
Trust me, many of the Native Americans did not feel the same way about the white outside protesters who took the initiative and invited themselves to the Dakota 'Burning Man Festival', I mean Standing Rock Pipeline Protest. Actually the Native American tribal elders were so upset by the outrageous conduct of all the white protester who came out from New York, California and Oregon who brought in loud music, booze, drugs and sponged off the donated food. When the protesters left they left abandoned 200+ plus junk cars they used to get there and many cars even ended up leaking oil in the very river they were supposedly claiming to want to save. Not a happy outcome when the Natives were left with the responsibility and cost of cleaning up their filth. And amazingly these anarchists are supposed to by the ultimate Ecology People.
Here's an interesting observation by Dr. Michio Kaku and the Problem with the learning system in school especially where science is concerned.
Unfortunately, recent News from the Biotech Industry itself says that we live in a world without purpose, therefore GMOs are necessary. Seriously folks, this is exactly what motivates & justifies their actions
I wasn't going to make anymore mention on this topic, but I had this draft post for some time now and haven't done anything with it. However, with the recent revelation from the Biotech Industry that our natural world has no purpose and the collective intellect of Geneticists & Biologists employed by the Biotech Industry know how to correct this problem, well, who could resist. I've changed the title because some fascinating things have been discovered in the natural world that have important practical application in maintaining the Earth can be made and helping serve mankind in general. However, often times the only roadblock in such wonderful amazing discoveries is reasoning like this, "Yeah, sounds great. But can we make money with it ?" What I'll do is highlight two of the most spectacular biomimicry news reports lately out of the 100s which seem to be coming through the science news feeds lately and make comparison to what else is needed with regards balancing many of Earth's ecosystems. Keep in mind, there is no one fix-it-pill cure all for what ails our planet.
Opossum-Based Antidote Provides New Route For Treating Deadly Snake Bites
"Researchers from San Jose State University recently presented the findings of a new study at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, in Denver. Lead investigator Dr. Claire Komives explained the initial research into the opossum’s immunity was done in the 1940s, but since then the data has remained mostly stagnant. With new evidence that a certain peptide can be utilized in an antidote, fatal snake bites could one day be a thing of the past."
Previously last year, I reported on the research work done by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies who found that Opossums are quite literally tick magnetics. Of what importance is this ? Opossums are meticulous in keeping themselves clean, despite their notorious habit of digging in rubbish bins for food. Sadly their other claim to fame is often roadkill. But the researchers found that because of both being a magnet for ticks and their fanatic hygiene grooming allows for a large part of their diet to include eating ticks as this was discovered in their feces. This revealed an extremely important reason for their purpose within any ecosystem. Now it appears that Opossums are a super source of antivenom: Medical Daily reported that “Opossum-based antidote to venom from snake bites could save thousands of lives.” Sure enough, it does appear that the opossums are immune to some forms of snake venom. They make a peptide that binds to the venom protein, rendering it harmless. This could lead to antivenoms that are easier to produce and have no side effects. Dr Claire Komives said that the Mice she injected with the peptide showed no signs of being sick. Below is a 17 minute video of a conference earlier this month in Colorado with the American Chemical Society. I'll let her talk more on what they have found, but I'll have a further comment about the usual critics who no doubt are jealous of both the discovery and results.
Video: "Opossum-based antidote to poisonous snake bites could save thousands of lives"
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Common weed (Cattails - Typha dmingensis) revealed to diminish water pollution
"Francisco Delgado Vargas, from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS), researches the use of the plant Typha domingensis in reducing bacterial contamination of water for agricultural use. This plant helps to reduce up to 98 percent of pollution by enterobacteria (usually found in the intestines of mammals) involved in the development of disease."
Cattail, Bulrush, Corn Dog Grass, Cumbungi (Typha domingensis)
image: Gerry Ellis
This report revealed that a common weed that most people globally are very familiar with can reduce water pollution. The plant, which they mistakenly are labeling a weed is the common Cattail or Bulrush or Typha domingensis which already grows in polluted waterways. “This plant helps to reduce up to 98 percent of pollution by enterobacteria (usually found in the intestines of mammals) involved in the development of disease,” the Mexican researcher found. No doubt somewhere out there, we have other so-called weeds we should learn to love not only for their uniqueness when under control, but the beneficial roles they play in nature. Of course we are also aware that under the right circumstances, this plant can become weedy and choke vast waterways, but this is mostly due to human caused pollution which creates excessive nutrients for which the plant responds by excessive multiplying. While they are great at removing nutrients, there must also be strategies for removal as a means of harvesting the biomass for other intended purposes. Here are a couple more quick paragraphs from the article.
"Vargas Delgado indicates that mankind has an impact on the drains, "most pollution comes from fecal waste; this indicates that there is other bacteria that can affect health." He adds that Typha domingensis is considered a pest in the drains, and is therefore removed; however, proper management helps the ecosystem. "We are invading the places where these plants develop, removing them, and don't see the great ecological benefits that they provide."
"Properly designing drains so that there is space for plants to help reduce pollution without affecting the free flow of water would allow the agricultural drains to play their role in the evacuation of excess water from the mainland and also lessen the impact of pollutants that are thrown into these channels.
Dwarf Cattail (Typha minima)
Most people are probably unaware that there is a cute mini-variety of Cattail which can be used for small ponds in your urban landscape to keep was nutrients in check. Aside from the fact that unlike it's large standard relative, it won't invade and overwhelm the pond. This Dwarf cattail [Typha minima] - (also miniature cattail or least cattail) is native to marshes and wetlands here in Europe and Asia. So great for colder climates. As with most all cattails, their root tubers over winter very well. This is the smallest of the cattails, typically growing to only 18” to 24” tall. Its dwarf size makes it an ideal marginal aquatic perennial for smaller water gardens, natural swimming pools and tubs. It features narrow, upright, grass-like, linear, mostly basal, green leaves and a stiff, unbranched central flower stalk. You know, so much biodiversity has been lost where large animals are concerned. I am continually pondering over and over in my mind just what has been lost from a vegetation maintenance perspective where large herbivores have been removed from certain ecosystems, just what the impact has been on overgrowth of many plants, especially aquatic environments. What was lost by the removal of the Grizzly and other bears, not only as far as a chaparral scenario, but also an aquatic one. Bears love the Cattail tubers, which as also edible for human consumption. But as many studies warn, stay away from the polluted environments when harvesting.
image: Robert Weselmann
These are just two excellent examples of where biomimetics not only promise to improve human life and health, but also improve biology around the Earth overall. The inspiration for biomimicry requires focusing on the plants and animals to understand them better even when some may often viewed in a negative light. That almost guarantees vast improvement with science education, updated & improved textbooks, and inspiring a new generation to enter biology. On the other hand, the present biotechnology needs a massive overhaul and clearly there should be laws or rules on the books requiring the employment of several full time staffed bioethicists in each Industrial Biotech company. Below are just a couple of examples of things probably most people do not know have happened in the past with GMO experiments or have been forgotten with these horrible biotech failures [which thankfully did not hit the markets] and one wonders, how many other things haven't even seen the light of day ?
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The earliest known public GMO which turned out to be more of a bio-hazard was unleashed on mankind around 1990. A Japanese Biotech company named Showa Denko genetically engineered an amino acid Tryptophan which is used as a food supplement. The process of using GMO technology was to cut corners and time on the fermentation process. This product was actually placed on the market in the late 80's, and within three months, 37 people died and 1500 were permanently disabled from using this product. A Lawyer named William E Crist took up the cause of investigation. Another Lawyer is Steven Druker has also written about this incident in history. Recently there was an GMO proponent named Wes Neilson of Onalaska Washington whom I had a discussion with on this very thing. He demanded that lawyers were inadequate to test safety and that only molecular biologists were qualified to examine possible problems. Here are his exact recorded words on the Missouri Organic Association's page:
"Wouldn't a molecular biologist have provided far more insight into GMO crops than a lawyer like Steven Druker who has no scientific background?"
Well, there is a huge hole in Mr Nielson's religious belief on this. The Geneticists and Biologists at Showa Denko deliberately destroyed any and all evidence that could have been used to determine scientifically the actual cause of the problem. They destroyed the genetically engineered bacterial stock samples, along with any potentially surviving specks that investigators might have recovered from the walls or on the equipment in their facilities. Clearly these molecular biologists and geneticists were less than honest. I don't have any doubts that they also may have been ordered to destroy such materials by their superiors at the Biotech Lab. I once wrote a piece of how important such negative data and research which generally never sees the light of day, could in fact be beneficial to other researchers so as not to make the same mistakes. But lo and behold there was more to this story. They concocted and fabricated some ridiculous story of the hazard being nothing more than a bad filtration problem with their new coal filters. However, the attorney William Crist actually demonstrated that this argument was totally false, because he found that hundreds of cases of eosonophil myalgia syndrome (EMS) occurred before reduced filtration was introduced. See here, it took an actual Attorney and not a Biotech Micobiologist or Geneticist to uncover the truth. And the so-called scientific consensus experts and Media wonder why people don't have faith in science [or rather their version of it]. So much for science being self-correcting. Clearly what goes on is not so much a correction as it is a cover up. That's all I'll say on this, but this is not a remote unique example of lab experiments gone wrong with Biotechnology and I'll post some more links at the bottom of this article.
There have been other incidents of gmo experiments gone terribly wrong, but fortunately these as far as we know of never saw the light of day in that they were mass produced and sold to the public. There was a past decade long genetic engineering project for developing a superior Pea with a transgene that would produce a toxin that would kill a common Weevil (Bruchus pisorum) pest in peas. This was a decade long project which revealed the same exact dangerous trend as the L-tryptophan fermenting process with the GM Bacteria by Showa Denko. However, this experiment with the peas and the transgene insertion was abandoned after tests showed it caused an allergic reaction in mice which also caused lung damage. Like other tests and studies done with experiments in toxicity of a certain protein extract from say, Organism A [in this case a bean], it had zero toxic effect on mice or humans. However, once this same protein producing gene is expressed within the context of Organism B [the Pea], it had just the opposite effect. In fact there were structural changes within the protein which did indeed cause certain allergic reactions. The informational content of this protein producing gene didn't jive well within the entirely different context of it's new host, the lowly Pea.
"The researchers - at Australia's national research organisation, CSIRO - took the gene for a protein capable of killing pea weevil pests from the common bean and transferred it into the pea. When extracted from the bean, this protein does not cause an allergic reaction in mice or people."
"But the team found that when the protein is expressed in the pea, its structure is subtly different to the original in the bean. They think this structural change could be to blame for the unexpected immune effects seen in mice."
Then there is also the case of Dr Árpád Pusztai, a Hungarian-born biochemist and nutritionist who spent 36 years at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, who bucked the Scientific Religious Orthodoxy and came out against GMO Potatoes as a result of his own developmental research on them. He discovered through identical experimentation that when he isolated the prtein lectin from the Snow Drop which was to kill Aphids on potatoes, that no harm at all came from animals eating the purer natural form of the toxin. However, once inserted into the potato's genetic informational context, structural changes clearly took place within the gene's newer genetic context. For revealing his team's findings and exposing the flaws of the technology, he was fired and black balled from working anywhere else. Some of his research team members were likewise treated the same. But there was one statement in the Guardian's interview with him that stands out identical to the two statements in the other pea study I quoted above:
"The results that Pusztai had hinted at in his interview were a comparison of rats fed ordinary potatoes and potatoes that had been genetically modified with a lectin from snowdrops. The rats on the GM diet grew less well and had immune problems even though the lectin itself caused no adverse effects at high concentrations. His conclusion was that the GM process had somehow made the potatoes less nutritious. The GM potatoes were not a commercial variety and were never intended for human consumption, but the lectin modification - which made them poisonous to insects - was an experimental model for other GM varieties."
Clearly, the informational content of the Lectin producing gene of the Snowdrop was expressed entirely different within the context of the information contained within the potato. What many geneticists are discovering is that much of the non-coding genes within DNA which do not contain known instructions for the manufacturing of a specific protein, do however contain blueprinted instructions for guidance, regulation and purpose for which that protein under any certain specific situation or circumstances are to be used and directed. What apparently happens is that certain genetic switches are either turned on or off by the mere simple act of inserting the new gene. The trouble is knowing what those other genes are, what their switches turned on or off, do or don't do. The new field of Genetics, called Epigenetics, is revealing how far more complex DNA of living organisms really are. But Scientific discovery and moving forward in the field of genetics has been horribly held back because a handful of religiously driven ideologues within the prevailing scientific orthodoxy have in the past insisted that this non-coding DNA must be labeled Junk DNA for no other reason than because these geneticists decades ago found no function or purpose for it's existence within DNA. For no other reason than their own human ignorance and personal arrogance in admitting publicly that they had no clue as to what exactly that function was, instead gave the label Junk DNA and was supposed to be proof positive of being worthless evolutionary holdover from times past. Hence, one wonders how such religiously driven dogma has actually hindered rather than helped the Biotech industry who have used this as an excuse for taking shortcuts in the production, manufacture, patenting, packaging and labeling of a product to be sold on the global market as quickly as possible. There was another interesting quote at the end of that article. It was from Greenpeace Australia's campaigner on genetic engineering, Jeremy Tager. He said:
"It is rare for an investigation of the potential health effects of a GM product to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, he adds. "If it had been a private company doing this, it might never have seen the light of day"
Jeremy is absolutely correct. Had this Pea Research been some internal study & experiment conducted inside of a Monsanto, Bayer or a Syrgenta Lab, as opposed to a publicly funded organization like Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), none of the paperwork and other research papers would have ever seen the light of day. None of us would have known about the failures of such a technology and it's unintended consequences or inconvenient truth for that matter. This is not Biomimetics which replicates nature based on an actual understanding of knowledge based on facts of how nature operates by means of observation. This is Sci-Fi stuff based on a flawed blind faith religious beliefs that Biological information within DNA is not really true information as understood by humans. Now, how does that dogma go again ? Oh yeah, Biological information within DNA can be compared to rocks in a landslide or pebbles strewn along a beach or patterns of a snowflake. This information is not true intelligent information as we humans understand & know it, it's actually nothing more than meaningless patterns. As long as there are people like this in positions of power, obsessed with the pursuit of wealth and acquiring a global food monopoly at any cost, the entire planet will always be in serious danger. They are correct about one thing, DNA is NOT real information as humans know and understand it. In actual fact it is far more complex and sophisticated than all the collective thinking and understanding of things humans have ever invented or devised from the beginning, irrespective of what anybody with an opinion believes how that all originally happened. But never underestimate the power of religious blind faith and the Clerics which claim to be the guardians of such knowledge.
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Detour Towards Epigenetic Switches
For those with a further deeper interest in the subject of Epigenetics, I'll provide a couple of interesting links to videos which will illustrate and highlight what the Biotechs refuse to admit. The first is a documentary produced by Horizon referencing British Geneticist Marcus Pembry and Swedish Geneticist Dr Lars Olof Byrgen, who are considered heretics in the field, but found by accident how epigenetics switches can be triggered by environmental cues to turn on or off with the resulting effects being the different expression of the genetic information contained within a sequence of DNA. In fact the the documentary even reveals an example of where the mere act of placing a mouse embryo in a Lab dish actually caused two switches in that embryo to be turned off. Why ? Who knows. No one really understands why. Does the same happen in humans within the procedure of In Vitro Fertilization which is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish, and then transferring the embryo to the uterus. Is there also potential for switches here to be either turned on or off and if so what genes and what do they do when switched on or off ? Is such information important to understand ? Who knows. Does anyone really care ? Again who knows. Remember, this is also another big business model within the Biotech Industry. With that said, here is the BBC documentary and you may wish to bookmark it for later as it is 48 minutes long, but well worth the watch.
Here are a couple of entertaining short videos illustrating the recent research work of the team of Scientists at ENCODE who have discovered that non-coding DNA does actually have function and purpose after all. Much to the religious outrage of the prevailing orthodoxy which claims to represent science today. Junk DNA is a dogma that will NOT go away any time soon.
So the next time the Biotech Industry puts out another publicity P.R. stunt by either themselves or any of their Rent-A-Scientists and anonymous sock puppet trolls who will name call you an anti-science Luddite, you need to first remember who the anti-science people really are.
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Important Illustrative Update May 8, 2015
Here is an important update which was published by the University of Buffalo Scientists who are working on Stem Cell research. What they basically have stumbled upon is that there is a hierarchical structural arrangement within genomes and they have found a protein they have labeled as, nFGFR1, which is a protein that regulates the regulators. Wow, who would have thought ? But who or what are these Regulators ? Basically they are the non-coding genes within the genome are those genes which did not code for the manufacturing of a specific protein, hence the term non-coding. However they do contain codes for regulation, instructions tec for other functions like what happens with those manufactured proteins by other gees. Actually, it's far more complex than that. But the fact that they didn't code for proteins, researchers mistakenly stamped the label - "non-coding". Rather than admit that science new nothing of their purpose within any genome and let the public aware they they were still going to research, study, experiment and find out what tasks these genes do perform within the genome, they took it upon themselves to provide these Genes with the label, "Junk DNA". Why ? Because it was religiously assumed that these genes must be useless evolutionary experimental mistakes which they called leftovers from some mystic historical past. for no other reason than a powerful collection of powerful influential religiously driven Scientists couldn't find any function or purpose to it's existence. Hence it was just leftover evolutionary baggage. As I stated, the only respected genes traditionally have been those genes that they know of which code for the manufacture of proteins as a necessary product for life and MOSTLY, these are the genes with which the Biotech industry are interested in identifying and inserting from one organism into the genome of an entire foreign organism. Yet further discoveries are proving that there is a hierarchical organization made up of the more important regulatory parts and lesser parts which code for the proteins. These protein coding genes are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Layered on top are those extremely important regulatory or control genes. This is where the Biotechs have blundered in their disrespect of the instructional components within the entire context of the gene when they place emphasis and importance only on the coding protein manufacturing genes, such as the BT Cry gene which manufactures the BT Toxin protein for killing insect pests inserted into Maize and Soybean which had an entirely different set of regulatory instruction than the bacteria from which the trans gene was taken. This is likely what went terribly wrong with the three experimental examples I referenced above. Below are some partial quotes and a link to the entire article:
Opening Summary:
"New research shows how a single growth factor receptor protein programs the entire genome. The study provides evidence that it all begins with a single "master" growth factor receptor that regulates the entire genome."
" Now we think we have discovered what may be the most important player, which organizes this cacophony of genes into a symphony of biological development with logical pathways and circuits."
"We found that this protein works as a kind of ‘orchestration factor,’ preferably targeting certain gene promoters and enhancers. The idea that a single protein could bind thousands of genes and then organize them into a hierarchy, that was unknown. Nobody predicted it."
Below was an article from PBS website from 2010 where previous discoveries were just revealing how ignorant that Junk DNA dogma really was. They had one fantastic illustration which stood out to me and here it is along with the link:
“It’s like a recipe book,” Wray said. “It tells you how to make the meal. You need to know the amounts. You need to know the order. The noncoding DNA tells you how much to make, when to make it and under what circumstances.”
So how do such new science revelations expose the glaring flaws within the Biotech Industry's technology ?
So how does one make sense of the subject of just how genes work and function within any genome to an otherwise uninformed public ? It's not the public's fault really. Traditionally Scientists have never been the best communicators to the common people they view and label as "Layman", which is also a term used by those of the conventional religious leaders for the people who make up their so-called flocks who they view as ignorant of the more important matters that only they are capable of grasping. This is why I often make comparison between religion and science because in so many ways their behaviour and actions are identical, despite the promoted differences espoused by both sides of the argument. This is also why this world's massive Biotech and Pharmaceutical Corporations, Academic Institutions, etc use Public Relations firms and journalists to take up the scientific data from the research and serve it up as a tasty meal for the average person to hopefully enjoy and benefit from. Unfortunately Journalists and PR Firms are prejudiced and biased too. Like other human beings with flaws and imperfections, these journalists and PR Firms are often shackled and committed to the business goals and aspirations of the business interests who employ them.
So now, how exactly do this world's intellectuals go about explaining how genes work and function to the common man and woman on the street who are otherwise viewed as an ignorant "Layman" public ? The art of teaching here doesn't come easy for an intellectual. First, you should understand that most people who come off as intellectual are not geniuses in the communication game. The problem is when attempts are actually made to justify why GMOs are so simple and safe, the kooky explanations given are the result of the Biotech scientists believing that the public in general are idiots. Take Biotech Scientists, Monsanto's Chief Science Officer, Rob Fraley and UC Davis' Alison Van Eenennaam. Remember the opening statements made at that silly "Intelligence Square Debate" back on December 4th, 2014 (HERE)? It was the, "Hey folks, Legos are just Legos and Tinker Toys are just Tinker Toys" justication argument. We are simply taking a lego block from Red Lego Man and inserting it in with the other white blocks of Lego Man. It's just that simple, except it's not that simple. So please folks, don't be so stupid. If you'll recall, Ms Van Eenennaam insisted GMOs were no big deal and there was nothing for anybody to worry about.
"We're just talking about genes, genes are genes, you take one gene from one thing and you put it with some other genes"
That was nothing more than one of those typical lazy "Just Add Water" quips to an audience they believed were basically morons and yet, from the voting at the end of that debate, who's to argue they were wrong in their appraisal of people in any audience. This was identical to what Geneticist David Suzuki said about his fellow geneticist colleagues, remember ?
"In discussions I've had with my fellow Geneticists, they say, Listen Suzuki, we're just talking about DNA. DNA is DNA [Alison Van Eenennaam - "Genes are just Genes"], what difference does it make what organism it comes from. We pull DNA from one organism and put it into another organism, it's just DNA."
Now these geneticists employed by Biotechs are either totally ignorant [which I doubt] or they are holding back because there is so much at stake financially [which is stupid]. The revelation in the recent finds I just posted expose everything they are doing as nothing but a money making scheme which does nothing but cause consequences which the rest of mankind and the natural pay for. When it comes to the common person's understanding of a gene, couple with the cupcake explanation Fraley, Van Eenennaam, Folta, Wager, Entine and others are feeding them, it's no wonder that the average person thinks of a single gene as no more than downloading a simple App for insertion into your iPad. But it's not. Genes work and operate within a context of information as that article on May 8th revealed. Genes are NOT just Genes and DNA is not just DNA, it's all about informational content. Clearly the average person have heard of genes, but they generally have no idea how they work. Most organisms have 1000s of genes with some of them having more or less than others. But apparently all these genes can have the ability to code for different proteins, especially when working within a context. The idea the biotechs are pimping to the public is that the gene inserted is just making a simple protein toxin to kill the bad evil bugs, it's as simple as that. But that is dead wrong as the three examples I gave above that we are aware of clearly illustrate how things go dangerously wrong. When proteins are manufactured, they are done so from several different stretches of many different genes within DNA, not just a single gene. In other words, our genes are often a collection of smaller segments that are separated within our DNA. Think about your own body, how many different kinds of proteins do you suppose there are for constructing the various of components which make you ? Different proteins make up different parts. Proteins for heart cells, lung cells, brain cells, muscle cells, live cells, kidney cells, bone cells, blood cells, etc, etc, etc. See, like DNA and Genes, proteins are not just proteins. I love illustrations. I use them all the time. I find them more effective in teaching than all the "intellect speak" used in most scientific papers for teaching people. So let me illustrate what is happening when *cough-cough* consensus science backs the less than intelligent bio-technology behind Genetically Modified Organisms:
Let's imagine for a moment that a single Cell is like a Skyscaper building. Many many buildings represent all the cells which make up a living organism. Buildings of course need building materials and the intelligent instructions from skilled organizational teams. Let's say that factories which manufacture raw materials for the construction of a skyscaper are like protein coding genes. Let's also say that all of the general laborers, crane operators, concrete masons, steel workers, welders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, insulation installers, sub-contractors, foreman, supervisors, inspectors, Architects, Engineers, etc, etc, etc all represent "non-coding genes" [Junk DNA] Now in a real world construction project there is a vast array of intelligent educated people with specific trade skills and experience which which are necessary to cooperate in a sequence of of skilled specific timing in constructing various stages of this building project. It is the same in the real world of microbiology. There really is no such thing as non-coding DNA, let alone "Junk DNA". Nevertheless, this is what we are all force fed as truth. But in reality it's religious dogma.
We also need to keep in mind that all materials for building are not equal. Steel, bolts, nails, concrete, grades of lumber, brands of electrical, plumbing, etc, etc, etc components are not equal. There is a lot of input of ideas, experience and understanding which comes from the people from various background assignments involved with the building project. Their input as to the actual grade and quality of materials is imperative or there could be disaster later on. The collective leadership of this building project may even require a factory to create special specific formulation of the concrete or steel to be used for this particular architectural design to actually succeed. After, they are following rules and regulations of building codes and other safety laws which are also legally required by the hierarchy which demands strict adherence to these rules. This is also what goes on with non-coding genes where regulation, guidance, strict direction of the exact type of specific protein to be contracted all must be obey or the project is abandoned.
Now lets say that the the projects main building contractor [a Donald Trump type guy] who is also the owner of the property wants to cut corners with regard costs and speeding up the project to a finish so he can start making money off long term lease tenants and any other services he'll offer to Joe/Jane Q-Public. So he insists that expensive high quality structural bolts and Rivets are not necessary for fitting together the building's horizontal and vertical steel I-Beams which make of the strong skeleton of this building. Instead he insists upon the construction workers utilizing wooden pegs. He reasons that if it was good enough for wooden post and beam barn construction in the old days, than it's good enough for his project. I know it sounds ridiculous and asinine, but roll with me here. This Donald Trump building contractor represents the Biotech Corporations and their aspirations for having a monopoly on the food industry. Can you imagine the disarray and organizational collapse of all the construction workers, sub-contractors, supervisors, foreman, inspectors, architects, engineers, code enforcement officers etc, etc, etc, if this Biotech Donald Trump is allowed to move forward with his irresponsible plans ?
This is the same chaos which actually did happen within the organizational collapse of the three examples [Tryptophan, Peas & Potatoes] experiments I referred to above. And science really doesn't understand what truly went wrong with any of them in any intricate detail, although they do have a general idea. And that's what stinks, they know full well the potential of consequences, but a good public relations sugar coating smoke screen can just seem to make it all blow away, even if it's convincing their own minds. The Biotechnology being used is like taking a collection of tradesmen and those of oversight from a 3rd world developing country whose experience is in Bamboo Construction and asking them to build Trump's Tower. There never has been any such thing as Junk DNA and the term "non-coding DNA" is a lousy label for those amazing sophisticated genes which code for regulation, guidance, direction, and ultimately when brought together with the protein coding genes, create an incredible blueprint schematics for any beautiful organism in our natural world. The Biotech world has no respect whatsoever for a natural world where everything has purpose and function. Seriously, this is true as I have referenced below an article by some Belgian Philosophers and Biotechnologists where they adamantly admit their flawed worldview of the natural world being nothing more than a mistake ridden bundle of compromises and make fun of every anti-gmo person who doesn't accept their technology because they supposedly are all right-wing Fundies. Hardly. You know they are losing ground when they come up with rubbish like this. Everybody who purchases any and all of the Junk Foods which contain GMOs and those proponents who will go to their dying breath defending them are allowing this taxpayer publicly funded religious cult to release onto our natural world a degenerate blueprint which eventually given enough time will collapse the perfection out there in the natural world which up until now has lasted for countless thousands of years. The video below beautifully illustrates just exactly what it is they are offering us as our future.
Stay tuned, I'll continue to add to this
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Why Biomimetics or Biomimicry are more important than ever Now!
As far as Biomimicry goes, there is some hope if it is done correctly. First, there is the hopeful antivenom from Opossums. There are of course a few hurdles to overcome such as corporate competition with competing researchers. This is true of the Pharmaceutical industry and exposes why they are so closely wedded to the biotech industry. There was a similar article in the National Geographic which was more skeptical. The National Geographic article referred to supposed snake expert, Jack Zoltan, who slammed Dr Claire Komives on several points he considered pertinent, all of which she actually addressed in that video conference interview in Colorado. Despite the criticism [which I generally chalk up to celebrity envy and jealousy], Dr Claire Komives and other researchers actually stand by their findings.
"It was like a miracle, that this peptide really has this activity"
She also may have upset another apple cart as you may well understand. In that video, she revealed what most corporate exces would consider privileged insider information and that of course was the subject of Patents and the low cost for production. As she stated, cost of production per 1 gram would be about $1:00. But of course the Biotechs and Pharmaceuticals are definitely kool with that, but that is not generally information they like the public to be privileged in knowing. In their warped worldview, the public is only entitled to understand the retail costs of the wares they produce and sell. Go figure! These corporate giants and the research people who work for them are not really interested in finding cures to help people or feed them as their public relations departments feed the media. Their very nature is not doing something purely out of the goodness of their dear sweet hearts. The other issue as I stated above is that people need to understand that these researchers and other scientists are shackled to the same failings of jealousy, covetousness and adolescent pride as every other human being, despite the promotion that they as a group are above all that.
And there are issues too with the Cattail as a solution for cleaning up water pollution. Humans cannot keep doing what they are doing as far as dumping filth into waterways and agriculture is the worst offender. As with most Eco-Green Solutions being promoted for cleaning up the environment, often times these solutions don't require a change of behaviour with regards industrial filth output or average world citizen consumption changes. Frankly I understand why because there ultimately is no profit in it. Humans excel at creating massive amounts of filth and contaminants on Earth and no amount of ideas for ridding the Earth of this filth is ever given which also at the same time requires for provisions in lessening the pollutants to begin with. With newer improved greener technology should also come responsibility of Joe/Jane citizen to also clean up their act.
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Biotech Public Relations strikes again: Update April 24, 2015
Defending the Business Model by Bluffing#1: Definition Shell Games continue to mutate
Recently an article came out from the Ghent University, or should I say last year on October 13, 2014, but only now are we really hearing about this in many of the well known Science journals like Science Daily. It's curious that it should come out now, especially with the negative climate surrounding GMO Technology and the Biotechs behind them. In a nutshell, they are attempting to assert that Sweet Potatoes which contain DNA from what they have termed Agrobacterium which they assume, assert and speculate proves GMOs are natural. There is absolutely nothing to quote, but you may read the article from the link I post below. Clearly it is an attempt by the Biotech industry to normalize their less than clean technology. Frankly, from these lame attempts at looking for justification arguments being invented for GMO Technology, all other examples in nature which can be infected with Agrobacterium like Oak Galls are apparently to be also considered natural gmos. This is further definition shell gaming at it's lowest. I guess the fact that humans have gut bacteria with foreign DNA would qualify humans as natural gmos. Or perhaps the photograph above of a human suffering from the infection of foreign DNA from a parasite which causes "elephantiasis" of the leg tissues would qualify this poor soul as a natural GMO according to the new warped definition we are all now to be force fed ? Oddly enough the bacterium symbiosis referenced in the article below is common in nature, but as I provided above, this has zero to do with their obscene profiteering business model that is attempting to monopolize the food supply around the globe. Here is the link:
Bluff Defense #2: The Religious Component Argument
So why ? you ask, am I seeing a picture of Richard Dawkins and his famous quote ? Because the Biotechs are now using his religious affirmation here to justify genetic modification and to fabricate a lie as to why anti-gmo people are against GMOs. The same team of Belgium researchers apparently believe that MOST ALL anti-GMO people around the world [especially Americans] must be religious folks who have a belief that nature is something sacred and has a purpose that must not be messed with in any way. Take a look at these researcher's imaginary findings below:
“Anti-GMO arguments tap into our intuitions that all organisms have an unobservable immutable core, an essence, and that things in the natural world exist or happen for a purpose,” Blancke explains
“This reasoning of course conflicts with evolutionary theory–the idea that in evolution one species can change into another. It also makes us very susceptible to the idea that nature is a force that has a purpose or even intentions that we shouldn’t’ meddle with.”
Now I find this odd that they would make such a desperate argument utilizing religion to blame for the opposition against GMOs, but I'll address this at the bottom here. First, it illustrates just how much the official Scientific view of Nature has been warped by these Secular celebrity icons and their obsession with changing worldviews. Frankly, I could care less what anyone believes as to origins of the incredible complex sophisticated mutualistic components found within any ecosystem which allows life to fire on all pistons as a well oiled machine. The fact is irrespective of how one believes Nature became that fine tuned piece of machinery in the first place, the fact is that is exactly what Nature is. The fact that this disturbs some secular religious ideologues out there is not my problem. Richard Dawkins and others of his kind are by the way, staunch Biotech supporters for no one reason than it sounds sciencey and must therefore be correct. In fact his warped view of nature is well illustrated in a conversation he had with an American Medical Physician and Evolutionary Biologist, Professor Randolph Nesse, who actually said this about what was holding back in his view, true progress in medical research:
Nesse says that progress is being hampered by the fact that many medics still think of the body as a machine designed by an engineer, when in fact it is a "bundle of compromises ... designed to maximise reproduction, not health".
Unbelievable! Seriously, what kind of medical doctor would you choose to work on you ? You know, in my profession of market research with well known giant pharmaceutical companies where we have projects for collecting data on side effects of various drugs for any assortment of medical conditions where I interview Doctors, Specialists and Scientists, I have run a cross a majority who unconsciously use Dice Theory when prescribing drugs. I had one doctor who switched a patient over 8 times. He just randomly selected a different type of drug for no other reason [knowledge of the drug had zero to do with decision to prescribe] than to see what it would do in correctly what ailed the patient. Sounds like the kind of Doc Professor Nesse and Richard Dawkins would approve of. But there is more behind this philosophy than things medical for Professor Nesse. Here he laments that most medical doctors and researcher just aren't getting his religious philosophical take on the matter when it comes to utilizing evolutionary philosophy when doing research and how damaging this is in guiding politicians who regulate and pass laws:
"There is no question about the importance of applied evolution. The trouble is, if biologists themselves are only just waking up to how relevant and crucial evolution can be, what hope is there of educating influencing the leaders and policy makers who need to understand and act upon this research? Not much, I fear."
Can you see the similarity between these ideologues and the purpose of Biotechs ripping pages out of their religious playbook to get what they want ? This has nothing to do with science. This is an obsession with power and wealth of Corporations under the cloak of "Science" and challenging anyone who dares go against them and their product as anti-science religiously driven Luddites and that is just a flat out lie. The anti-GMO stance is about people who actually do respect science, but want it conducted responsibly. The fact is, far from an anti-science Luddite problem, this is a moral problem. But wait, there is more from Ghent University:
"While religious beliefs, particularly those that hold a romantic view of nature, have been accused of generating some of the negativity around GMOs, Blancke and his co-authors argue that there's more to the story. Using ideas from the cognitive sciences, evolutionary psychology, and cultural attraction theory, they propose that it is more a matter of messages competing for attention--in which environmental groups are simply much better at influencing people's gut feelings about GMOs than the scientific community."
There were a number of misleading and actually bizarre statements made by suspect sources being used to champion this Business model. Take a look:
"A team of philosophers and plant biotechnologists have turned to cognitive science to explain why opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has become so widespread, despite positive contributions GM crops have made to sustainable agriculture"
"A team of Philosophers" ??? I understand the presence of Biotechnologists being there marketing their Wares, but what do philosophers have to do with ecological, biological and psychological issues ??? The Biotechs are clearly casting their fishing lines around hoping to hook other kinds of so-called expert opinion on the matter aside from the usual suspected "rent-a-scientists" they are most often known to employ. Maybe we should be also asking some famous poets and well known fiction novelist [hey how about Steven King?] to chime in with their take on GMOs and why most people dislike them so much. Then there was this quote in that same paragraph:
"despite positive contributions GM crops have made to sustainable agriculture"
Seriously ??? The genetically modified crops and the chemicals created by Industrial Agri-Business for them may have allowed for a time higher yields for nothing more than monoculture commodity crops for brokers on the Global Stock Markets to play price war games with, but at what cost environmentally ??? There is nothing sustainable agriculturally or ecologically about their Industrial business model. The main strategy being used here by the Biotech industry and their largely ignorant supporters is to muddle things up and make the educational landscape nothing more than a gray area. For example, have you noticed something largely bizarre about their labeling of all anti-GMO people as religious nut cases ? Let's just take the United States and those who are on the side of Biotechs like Monsanto. Does anyone realize that most of Monsanto's support comes from the pro-business rightwing side of politics who represent the very nut cases they are making fun of ? The God & Country flag waving GMO Farmers and those religious folks who support them ? A good majority of these pro-GMO gang who in reality have a strong scientific disconnect because they either don't believe in climate change or if they do, they also believe it has zero to do with any type of human activities ? So again, why the religious component being used here ? Because there appears to be two types of opposing factions here who both support GMOs. There is the rightwing pro-business side I just mentioned and there is the Sciencey side that feels an obligation to defend Biotechnology because after all, it's Science. Now under normal circumstances, these two side absolutely hate each other, but for some strange reason come to bed with each other on the subject of GMOs. The other thing I find peculiar and at the same time interesting, is that the Sciencey types are also the "Occupy Wall Street" people who protested big evil corporate America and yet the very institutions they hate, are what they support when it comes to Industrial Agriculture who are a large part of what is wrong with business and politics. Again, strange bed fellows here. But why this article now ? For the simple reason that it was created by ideologically driven European secular minded researchers whose concept of all Americans is that they are mostly all religious anti-science Luddites. This will backfire big time because the anti-GMO crowd comes from ALL global backgrounds and do indeed have a healthy respect for nature, something the Biotechnology industry lacks big time. Just one more important bit of news before I sign off here. The Biotech Industry utilizes a number of misinformation websites to propagandize and pimp their products.
One of these is the Genetic Literacy Project website which I sarcastically refer to the "Genetic Illiteracy Project" because it's true purpose is to attack and dumb down, not teach real science. It is run by a collection of Rent-a-Scientists and a gaggle of sycophantic internet sock-puppets who dare not dispute the ignorant rantings of the Biotech authors for fear of being excommunicated from the collective. Most have zero experience in observing and understanding how the natural world is put together and operates smoothly. They don't understand that all commercial farm ventures should be put together and maintained like any other ecosystem on Earth and maintained as such through responsible and sustainable practices. Unfortunately, this completely ruins the profiteering business model of Biotechs & Industrial Agrichemical companies. Hence we see the reasons behind the vicious opposition against their opposers. It's these attacks will never convince people against their business model that they are legitimate and the reason is the low quality caliber of the proponents involved. Most are incapable of civil discourse. It would seem the new way to promote and champion science now days is to be as fouled mouthed, derogatory and annoyingly insulting as possible. Can anyone reading help me out to understand how this degenerate behaviour is suppose to help the cause of Science ?
But there is something even more insidious and hidden here about that "Genetic Illiteracy Project" that most people don't know unless they actually research their archived articles and recent articles on a subject called "Eugenics". Originally, Eugenics was created and promoted as an obscene scientific practice starting in the early 1900s, was further perfected by the Nazis from the late 1920s to 1945 and even further perfected by the Allies after WWII. Of course the degenerate motivation behind this is the ideological religious belief that certain flawed human beings do not deserve to pass on their DNA to future humankind and in the past were gas & murdered or later forced sterilized. But we now have the modern Eugenics movement which champions an even kinder and friendlier version of eugenics, thanks to the modern biotech industry who still believes in the original purpose of eugenicists of the past that in order to save the planet, we need to reduce human numbers, especially in the developing third world countries where birth rates are highest. This is where GMOs, which in some experiments have been found to reduce birth rates in lab mice or even sterilize, are a gentler method and solution to reverse the climbing birth rate trends globally. Hence this would make some sense of the reasons behind the strategy of giving out free samples of GMOs to those countries who don't actually have the funds to invest in them. This is a business strategy more commonly known to be employed by drug pushers who give out free samples at the neighbourhood elementary schools hoping to cultivate future clients. In turn they most likely learned their trade from the British Empire who gave out free opium samples from farmed Poppies in Pakistan and India to potential Chinese markets. Once an addicted clientele was established, the British could save their gold and silver and trade drugs for Chinese goods. This is what was behind the well known Boxer Rebellion for those who know their history. Isn't it incredible how people in positions of power and authority over mankind can manipulate the wealth for a small select few ? Ultimately when it comes to GMOs, I am against them not only because of the great ignorance which still exists within the geneticists world which promotes itself as otherwise, but also mainly because GMOs were never necessary in the first place. Biotechs have never attempted to biomimic our planet's ecosystem functions on a commercial scale. Every thing hinges on massive amounts of chemical sales. Irrespective of it being herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or fertilizers. Their entire concept is based on profiteering by off killing something. Not once have they considered looking for balance and working with nature instead of against it. To sum up, it's all about public relations, propaganda and misinformation being parroted over and over until they think their gamble has paid off by an ignorant public finally accepting them. It's all been done before, so why fix it.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”Joseph Goebbels
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Was Beethoven was a Biomimeticist ?
"Beethoven’s journals and letters reveal his love of nature, as when he wrote in 1810, “How delighted I will be to ramble for awhile through the bushes, woods, under trees, through grass, and around rocks. No one can love the country as much as I do. For surely woods, trees, and rocks produce the echo that man desires to hear.” Recognizing and appreciating the natural world was a cornerstone of the Romantic sensibility, as espoused by Enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau. With the Sixth Symphony, Beethoven joined a common thread in music, art, and literature of the early nineteenth century that rhapsodized on the beauty and grandeur of the natural world, with a reverence that was in no small part spiritual."
In an odd twist, at the end of the 1972 film, Soylent Green, there is a moving death scene, Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson in his final film role) final wishes of experiencing a painless and suicidal death in a euthanasia clinic's bed. He was put to rest in the assisted-suicide facility (within Madison Square Garden) with orange-hued lighting, classical music playing (Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony No. 6, Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony No. 6, and segments of Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite") and projected video of a peaceful and "beautiful" green Earth ages ago when animal and plant life thrived and there was no pollution. It's also a fitting end in describing where this world is headed without biomimicry's having any influence whatsoever on the consensus science.
