Florida monkeys are excreting an infectious disease fatal to humans

Non-native rhesus macaques in Florida's Silver Springs State Park have tested positive for herpes B, a potentially fatal disease that can be spread to humans through bodily fluids. According to a recent study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal Emerging Infectious Diseases,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/florida-monkeys-are-excreting-an-infectious-disease-fatal-to-humans
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Scotland to ban plastic cotton swabs - potentially cutting ocean plastic pollution in half

Scotland is set to be the first country in the United Kingdom to ban plastic-stemmed cotton swabs. Both the manufacture and sale of the polluting items - hundreds were found during a recent Gullane beach clean-up - would be banned. Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said, "...people are continuing to flush litter down their toilets and this has to stop. Scotland's sewerage infrastructure collects and treats some 945 million liters of wastewater each day. These systems are not designed to remove...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/scotland-to-ban-plastic-cotton-swabs-potentially-cutting-ocean-plastic-pollution-in-half
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New thermal battery soaks up heat energy like a sponge

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have created a new unconventional material that is very effective at storing and releasing heat energy and could be used in a new kind of battery. Called AzoPMA, the new plastic-like polymer is capable

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-thermal-battery-soaks-up-heat-energy-like-a-sponge
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Seattle's new Angle Lake Transit Station looks like a long-exposure photo of a dancer in motion

The design of the recently completed Angle Lake Transit Station and Plaza at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was inspired by dance. Architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa wrapped the structure an undulating transparent envelope that mimics the motion of the human body. The team drew inspiration from an improvisational dance piece by famous contemporary dance choreographer William Forsythe, where dancers connect their bodies by matching lines in space that could be bent, tossed or otherwise...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/seattles-new-angle-lake-transit-station-looks-like-a-long-exposure-photo-of-a-dancer-in-motion
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Salesforce Tower to include largest blackwater recycling system in a US commercial high-rise

7.8 million gallons of drinking water will be saved every year with a blackwater recycling system at the growing Salesforce Tower. The LEED Platinum-certified skyscraper will be equipped with the system onsite - it will be the first commercial system in California and the biggest in any commercial high-rise building in the United States. Inhabitat spoke with senior director of sustainability Patrick Flynn to hear more about blackwater recycling and other sustainable features of the tower. ...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/salesforce-tower-to-include-largest-blackwater-recycling-system-in-a-us-commercial-high-rise
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Tetra is a brilliant see-through dishwasher that fits in even the tiniest apartments

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from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/tetra-is-a-brilliant-see-through-dishwasher-that-fits-in-even-the-tiniest-apartments
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China is planting 6.6 million hectares of new forest enough to occupy Ireland

The government of China has announced its plans to plant forests in 2018 that will occupy at least 6.6 million hectares, equivalent to the size of Ireland. As the United States forfeits its leadership on climate change, China has been eager to seize the moment by taking bold action to mitigate the impact of climate change. The State Forestry Administration of China is working towards raising the total percent of the country's territory covered by forests from 21.7% to 23% by 2020, then to 26% by...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/china-is-planting-6-6-million-hectares-of-new-forest-enough-to-occupy-ireland
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