Chris+P

Week 4: June 9, 2017

Getting Rid of Weeds with Robots Farmers who desire to produce the most yield utilize herbicides to kill the weeds. These herbicides contain toxic chemicals that are not good for our environment long term. Instead of using herbicides, scientist innovated a robot that crushes and stamps the weeds to death. The robot is called "BoniRob" and is produced by Bosch's Deepfield Robotics division. This robot, with a tool of a 1 cm diameter, can kill two weeds in a second and moves around like a small, self-programmed car. The machines are getting better with more studies that the scientists do. When testing on carrot patches, the BoniRob killed 90% of the weeds. Also, current tests on real farmland showed that the robots can run for about 24 hours before running out of gas. Currently, Bosch hopes to rent or sell robots to farmers who want to cut down manual labor costs and diminish the use of pesticides. Ultimately, BoniRob is a healthy way for farmers who desires to grow their crops efficiently and safely.

This relates to the video we watched in class on alternative energy sources. Just as the video said we can utilize solar power (renewable sources) instead of fossil fuels (nonrenewable sources), farmers can use BoniRob in place of herbicides and pesticides. Although BoniRob is not an alternative energy source, it is still a method to alter the bad habits we have in our society's agriculture.

media type="youtube" key="drlmop0w91I" height="360" width="640" ^ This video shows what the robot consists of and how it works. AMERICA SHOULD INVEST IN THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY!! https://qz.com/553383/this-robot-kills-weeds-and-could-end-the-need-for-herbicides-on-farms/

Week 3: June 2, 2017

"Sustainable Shopping: here's how to find coffee that doesn't cost the Earth" I decided to choose this topic because Coffee has become a large part of American culture. Also, I did not know many plant species are in danger like the animals in the factory farms.

Demands for coffee results in the annihilation of the tropical forests worldwide. "Coffea arabica," the most popular type of coffee, has transitioned from shade plants to sun-tolerant coffee varieties to produce higher yields. However, this new type of coffee do not support native species, store less carbon, prone to erosion, and need more nutrients and resources (water, fertilizer). The best way to increase sustainability is to create a combination of traditional cultivation methods that maintain the shading plants and protecting forests and waterways. The traditional cultivation methods are more beneficial because they require minimal mechanization and less pesticides and fertilizers. We can protest by purchasing certain coffee brands. Customers should look for sustainability certification logos on the coffee product such as "The Rainforest Alliance" and "Australian Certified Organic." These organizations are focused on protecting natural habitats, efficient water use, biodiversity, and the minimization of chemicals.

This relates to the CAFO video we watched in class. CAFO uses methods such as "crowded farming" to produce as much as possible. Similarly, the new coffee cultivation method uses sun-tolerant coffee to produce higher yields. Also, both methods of production causes wastes that damage our water supply. For CAFO, cow dung and other animal wastes enter our water pipelines and contaminate them. The coffee cultivation causes many pesticides and chemicals to drift into nearby rivers and lakes through runoff which causes extra erosion.

Coffee is a $100 billion industry worldwide. Should economic growth be reduced to create eco-friendly coffee? Or is it not worth it because it costs too much or too late for the billions of people to change? https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-heres-how-to-find-coffee-that-doesnt-cost-the-earth-75284

Week 2: May 26, 2017

"Three Parent" Embryos

I decided to choose this topic because my nephew was born through in vitro fertilization but WITHOUT the "third parent." In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method to allow genetically defected mothers to bear healthy children. In normal cases of IVF, a woman's egg and a man's sperm are artificially put together in tubes outside of the body for fertilization. However, complications occur when the woman has a certain type of mitochondrial disease. Since mitochondria have many multiple functions in the cell, a defect in this region can prove to be detrimental. Most importantly, mitochondria has its own DNA outside of the nucleus. Since all the embryo's mitochondria comes from the mother, the woman's disease will be inherited by the offspring. Since the mother cannot undergo IVF, a "third parent" is utilized by donating an egg cell with healthy mitochondria. The DNA in the nucleus is extracted from the donor's egg cell and replaced with the mother's nucleus DNA. Also, the defective mitochondrial DNA is replaced by the healthy mitochondrial DNA. Therefore, the mother with the mitochondria defect would have a high chance to become pregnant with a healthy baby. This technique is very controversial because scientists and doctors are ambivalent about the procedure's safety. Few clinical tests were conducted. Also, ethics makes this method very controversial. In IVF, embryos are destroyed. Multiple embryos are created to make room for human error. The leftovers are them thrown out or frozen. In the United States, 600,000 embryos are currently still frozen.

IVF relates to the world of Wall-E. In the movie, people are seen in their levitating chairs at all times. They never leave the chair which indicates that sexual reproduction is not occurring. Therefore, sperm and egg has to be extracted and fertilized in tubes to create the future generation. Ultimately in Wall-E, in vitro fertilization is a necessity while in the modern world, it is an option.

Do you guys think in vitro fertilization is a good option for parents or should they just resort to other methods such as adoption?

http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2013/07/29/we_should_approve_three-parent_embryos_106610.html