Advances in Science and Technology (for future survival)

R1: How do you frame the process to avoid imaging the future's angsty turmoil, and aim instead for bright possibility?

Really good question.  The psyche does what it is asked.  I will be asking everyone's psyche to let us know the positive developments. Throughout history there have always been people who were enjoying the light side of life, even while others were focusing on the dark.  This is a practice in optimism which has been researched. Optimists see opportunities that pessimists miss. Even if it is hard for you, you can do this if you are connecting to a group of people. And if you want to do it!  A person's will is always a factor. You strike me as someone who has a great deal of positive energy so you'll be fine!  

I had this very vivid dream about the time of the eclipse, which hit where I live full on.  In it, I was looking out this window into the darkness and it burned my eyes.  I ran out of the room and away from the view screaming that I am light.  I've felt I am not supposed to look into the darkness, but I would love to participate in looking into the light.  Although I have no skills for doing so, I would like to try.  I often have book club meetings on Tuesday nights, but since I am on central time I could probably make arrangements to make that work, too.

Another example of science and technolognfinding ways to work towards our future survival.

An 87 year old scientist is looking at ways to grow rice in salt water:

http://www.businessinsider.com/yuan-longping-chinese-rice-scientist-growing-saltwater-rice-2017-11

New Zealand working towards tree planting and renewable sustainability.

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/New-Zealand-s-next-government-is-hoping-to-make-the-nation-greener-by-planting-trees-ensuring-the-electricity-grid-runs-on-renewable-energy-and-spending-more-money-on-cycle-ways-and-ra/id-21e3acc76ad94061a686644d5f8ee00a

Michele, These are wonderful!  Thank you!  Then we had the miracle of the elections yesterday - some light.  

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'd like to hold an evening of positive visioning.  My schedule is pretty booked up until the holidays.  I will have to find a time and it is possible it may not happen until January.  But I am putting it on my planning list!

We recently had elections in New Zealand and now have a centre left government after 9 years of centre right.  It is so wonderful seeing new policies caring about people and the environment.

I love hearing that, HereRight.  

The hole in Earth's zone layer is indeed healing!  A lovely positive as improvements in science and tecnology and in our aware consciousness as we realize our connection between action and manifestation. Everything we say, everything we do, every single thing we focus our lives on maker a difference. Now, proof through satellite imagery that all of the time decreasing carbon emissions etc (chloroflorocarbons) is making a difference.

The ozone layer is visibly improving. Do what you can, when you can to contribute to the positive and not the negative in all ways! Our actions create equal reactions. It's all about cause and effect and the ancient adage "as above, so below." (The Emerald Tablets of Hermes Trismegitus)

  https://www.livescience.com/61371-nasa-satellite-shows-healing-ozone-hole.html

Hello everyone.  After years of lurking here, I recently decided to register.  I also decided to make my first post about some positive science news. A possible new treatment for Dementia using ultrasound waves in the news.  Thank you Jeanne for creating such a wonderful community.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-07-dementia.html#nRlv

Hi Loveendures, Thank you for posting this.  And welcome to our community!  

I understand from a friend who is in the field of dementia research that most of the money goes towards pharmaceutical cures.  

He's involved in an electrical stimulation cure, which his research claims is effective and inexpensive.  I'm interested to see how the ultra sound waves method will fare in clinical trials.  My friend said that it's hard to get funding for trials that aren't Pharma related though, even though a non drug cure might be cheaper and less invasive. 

Thanks Jeanne.

So excellent news on the cancer front.  

Researchers discover method to deliver herbal supplement curcumin to cancer cells by solving its insolubility.  This has huge implications as curcumin kills cancer cells but is insoluble and can't reach the cancer cells well.

A research team has created a sophisticated metallocyclic complex using platinum that has not only enabled curcumin's solubility, but whose synergy has proven 100 times more effective in treating various cancer types such as melanoma and breast cancer cells than using curcumin and platinum agents separately.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-08-method-herbal-supplement-curcumin-cancer.html#jCp

A new device that sits inside a shipping container can use clean energy to almost instantly bring clean drinking water anywhere–the rooftop of an apartment building in Nairobi, a disaster zone after a hurricane in Manila, a rural village in Zimbabwe–by pulling water from the air.

The design, from the Skysource/Skywater Alliance, just won $1.5 million in the Water Abundance XPrize. The competition, which launched in 2016, asked designers to build a device that could extract at least 2,000 liters of water a day from the atmosphere (enough for the daily needs of around 100 people), use clean energy, and cost no more than 2¢ a liter.

While others have been using various ideas and approaches to get water from the air, the simplicity and portability added to the benefits of this plan and create a wonderful opportunity to actually be put into production and use in drought affected areas.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90253718/a-device-that-can-pull-drinking-water-from-the-air-just-won-the-latest-x-prize

Michele, this is really important.  We could end out needing this in the U.S. I am so glad you found it.

The research by scientists at Harvard and Yale universities, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, proposes using a technique known as stratospheric aerosol injection, which they say could cut the rate of global warming in half.

This is hypothetical to date but being published is a good step even for possibilities at this point!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=webhp&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjdlbfG0eveAhVDz1QKHWk8D4wQzPwBegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2018%2F11%2F23%2Fhealth%2Fsun-dimming-aerosols-global-warming-intl-scli%2Findex.html&psig=AOvVaw0RWbUFQIDvNP4nJOWd_3l6&ust=1543101061876402

Thanks for posting. I’m glad you posted this proposal.  I had heard about it several years ago and I’d hoped they’d dropped it because it is so dangerous.  

It is the kind of hubristic invasive tampering with nature that could get us all killed off in one year.

 It is man who abused Mother Earth and now it’s time for man to back off and show her some respect. 

These guys haven’t a clue how such a measure would mess with our weather — with drought especially.  We know so little.  So doing something like these guys are proposing is irresponsible and dangerous.  

Whoa, good to know, Jeanne. Well, I guess we need to know they're still putting it in the news, so other scientists can oppose it.

And that must be why I felt such strong feelings about posting it. I really debated about it! 

When I first heard about the aerosol idea about five years ago, and learned that the Bill Gates' foundation was providing a few million dollars to explore geo-engineering ideas, I got such a bad feeling. 

MotherJones wrote a counterstory this past February, Devil's Bargain, Why Aerosols pose a deadly climate change threat.  

The climate-denying Right wing loves these projects because it allows industry to continue polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gas then covering it all over with a "fix." 

The only problem is how dangerous the fix is.  These technocrats lack sensitivity to our earth, and should never ever be allowed to get traction with their foolish ideas.  From the looks of the media stories that are bombarding the Internet right now, the technocrats at Harvard have launched a public relations campaign to get more funding.  Fortunately they can't go ahead with projects without international approval 

Nature's smallest organisms could help us to combat rising CO2 levels and even oil spills according to recent discoveries of deep sea microbes.

The microbes which were collected in the Gulf of California around 2,000 metres (6,562 feet) below the surface of the water, live in conditions where subterranean volcanic activity increases temperatures to around 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit).

In the new study, a total of 551 separate genomes were identified (including 22 that had never been recorded before) and the microorganisms were observed harvesting hydrocarbons such as methane and butane as life-giving energy sources.

"This shows the deep oceans contain expansive unexplored biodiversity, and microscopic organisms there are capable of degrading oil and other harmful chemicals," says lead researcher and marine scientist Brett Baker from the University of Texas at Austin.

"Beneath the ocean floor huge reservoirs of hydrocarbon gases – including methane, propane, butane and others – exist now, and these microbes prevent greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere."

https://www.sciencealert.com/some-newly-discovered-deep-sea-microbes-could-be-our-secret-weapon-against-greenhouse-gases?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1