Rise Of The Robot Bees: Tiny Drones Turned Into Artificial Pollinators
Bee deaths have been on the rise, with losses outpacing colonies' ability to regenerate. Last year, the U.S. lost 44 percent of all honeybee colonies — a species essential to commercial pollination in this country. Other species of bees have neared mass extinction, including the rusty patch bumble bee and seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees.
A world without bees may seem far-fetched, but experts are looking for ways to help plants survive without them. Eijiro Miyako, a researcher at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, has designed what he believes could one day be a partial solution: an insect-sized drone capable of artificial pollination. Coated with a patch of horse hair bristles and an ionic liquid gel, these pint-sized robots can collect and transfer pollen from one plant to another.
58 comments:
teach them to eat mosquitoes and I'd really be excited...
Why automate this process? This sounds like a great job for those with degrees in Social Justice, Women's Studies, and Alternative Sexuality...
The degree holders mentioned would object to the demeaning way the female recipients are treated in the pollination process and refuse to touch the stamens.
Hmmm... Slow day on the blog
listening to the Mariners Spring Training game on the radio while noodling around on my guitar + kind of keeping track of NFL combine news..
I can fill the gaps with uninteresting stuff.
Seriously. I want to stimulate areas of discussion not direct.
Bee colony collapse is IMO a very serious concern. Drones are not even a stopgap.
how do flowers grow indoors (like greenhouses) without bees??
I am still working on my rent a wreck house. The stupidity never ends, fun is over, now it's work.
when a mommy flower and a daddy flower love each other very much... lol
Listening to part of Hamilton. With the words in front ofme and still sometimes difficult yto understand. Don't see how the audience understands it.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-going-to-mars-will-do-to-our-bodies/
Yes and the bee thong is serious. But I have no answers.
Thing
Have pollination works in China, and it's perfect fit the without skills...i.e. those with dubious degrees like Social Justice, etc...
Hand pollination... DYAC
Bee thong... Lol
LL, your Typos are great.
Sorry LL but "bee thong" is likely to become EN canon. Still laughing.
I really enjoyed this long article on keeping thousands of bee hives.
NB: It's long and a New York Times article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/business/a-bee-mogul-confronts-the-crisis-in-his-field.html?_r=0
Thanks for the link Trader W. it's also good to be reminded that even "failing" outlets still have value.
Heterocentist!
Groan
See the ZH article about earthquakes after emptying & refilling reservoirs, etc.?
Nope but I am also not unaware as to how the Central Valley go to be so darned flat.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-03/california-floods-trigger-big-one-geologists-warn-quake-risks-snowpack-rising-reserv
Lake Oroville had been filled before. What made the winter of 1974-75 unusual was that water levels had to be reduced to their lowest level since the reservoir was first filled to repair intakes to the hydroelectric power plant.
Months later, there was an unprecedented refilling of the lake that ended in June 1975.
Then the earthquakes started.
The Big One will happen. In the meantime, people like to scare each other.
4°F at my place today around sunrise. Brrrrrrrrrr
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/10-arizona-dumb-laws-that-are-complete-horse-s-t-6666052/2
Vox sez repeal of O care is diminishing ingredients because people like it aND are saying so to their congress persons.
Damned spellcheck.
Where are you?
ACA will die without subsidies and mandates. No need to give it a push.
It's too early. Not sure what woke seeing as it is Saturday. Three warm dry days in a row. Seems like forever.
I told y'all a long time ago... ACA is welfare for insurance companies, big pharma and the AMA... It's not going anywhere
Amusing that the Repubs can't repeal it.
"ACA will die without subsidies and mandates. No need to give it a push."
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/health/utah-obamacare.html?_r=0
In red state Utah people are changing their minds about Obamacare.
"But something surprising is happening here. Despite deep uncertainty about the law’s future, Utah recorded one of the biggest increases of any state in residents who signed up for coverage under the act this year. Now, the state is seeing a surprising burst of activism against repealing the law — including from Republicans.
Well, yeah. It could be improved, but it doesn't seem that's in the cards.
Well, yeah. It could be improved, but it doesn't seem that's in the cards.
Good Morning!
ACA is here to stay. Change the name and fix it (in their view) but no way in hell will they let go of the cookie jar.
High of 74F today!
We should just continually expand Medicare down age. Say 4months earlier every year to give everyone time to transition.
Ok with me.
yeah...probably should lower Medicare age to 50 + anyone with pre-exisitng conditions (high risk pool)...it will cost money..but so will every other option I've heard..
Just noticed that the stream behind my house is freezing, almost right before my very eyes. There has been noticeable freezing between breakfast and now... About two hours.
What ever services are given the taxpayer will pay. Hard to take the candy bowl away once they have tasted it. I am curious as to the illegal immigration effect on health cost. That is why a wall and immigration control should be first. IMO
yeah..the medicaid rolls need to be run thru the E-verify system. States aren't supposed to enroll non-citizens..but they have a financial incentive to do so..since Fedgov is picking up 100% of the tab right now..
Government like Corporations are people. It has become a self serving business that wants growth with job protection.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/voters/
The polls of likely voters are most favorable with only a negative 4-5% deficit for Trump... It'd be nice to see similar for swing States only...
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-big-question-why-were-sessions-and-other-trump-officials-talking-to-russia/
A pretty decent discussion... It looks to me like 538 may be the only place to get fair, even handed discussion on the subject of Trump
Slate absolutely hates him. I hate him too, but I've never seen anything like this before, not even Fox. I expect at least the appearance of farirness.
Off to work and cheat somebody out of making a buck.
Muddyecon seems to have become an echo chamber.
I frankly don't understand any of any of the "Russia" concerns. Heck, the Russian ambassador sat in the Democrat section during Trump's speech.
Heck, the Russian ambassador sat in the Democrat section during Trump's speech.
Yup, in full view of millions of Americans watching on TV. This is in stark contrast to Sessions' calling and some say plotting with the Russians and then denying doing so in sworn testimony before Congress and millions of Americans watching the youtube video.
It looks to me like nothing much will happen during his term, as he tangles himself up with the help of the Dems and even the Repubs.
He borrowed money from them, no?
I have no objections to not having a knee jerk reaction to the word Russian.
However I think there are conflict of interest issues here. (Not for the Russians who are pursuing their interests.)
I would prefer to pretend he doesn't exist.
Word.
Heck... If Putin himself did the hacking he should probably get a statue somewhere. All that occurred is that the truth about HRC was exposed. Assange says it wasn't a state actor so even better... What we're witnessing is a slow motion Deep State coup, and if it succeeds then democracy in America is Dead
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