"Dust blows from what was once the Aral Sea floor. Tragic mismanagement of a natural resource."
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Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
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Seth Dixon
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Seth Dixon's insight:
The collapse of the Aral Sea ecosystem is (arguably) the worst man-made environmental disaster of the 20th century and 21st century has seen the continuation of the desertification set in motion. Soviet mismanagement, water-intensive cotton production and population growth have all contributed the overtaxing of water resources in the Aral Sea basin, which has resulted in a the shrinking of the Aral Sea--it has lost more of the sea to an expanding desert than the territories of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg combined. The health problems arising from this issues are large for the entire Aral Sea basin, which encompasses 5 Central Asian countries and it has profoundly changed (for the worse) the local climates. Compare the differences with some historical images of the Aral Sea on Google Earth or on ArcGIS Online (also see this article from GeoCurrents) Tags: environment, Central Asia, environment modify. Delete the scoop?
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What would John Snow's famous cholera map look like on a modern map of London, using modern mapping tools?
Seth Dixon's insight:
John Snow's cholera map is often noted as a prime example of using spatial thinking to solve a scientific problem. Here are a variety of resources to explore this classic example. Here is an article that highlights the spatial thinking that produced this map, with KML files and in Google Fusion Tables. See also these online GIS layers of Dr. Snow's famous map. Delete the scoop?
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A handful of AIDS cases were first recognized in the U.S. at the beginning of the 1980s. By 1990, there was a pandemic. In 1997, more than 3 million people became newly infected with HIV.
Seth Dixon's insight:
The spread of AIDS/HIV since the 1980s has varied greatly over time and space. The red lines represent Sub-Saharan countries and the dark blue line on this interactive is the regional average of Sub-Saharan African countries. The regional trend was on the rise at the end of the 20th century, but is now on a slight decline (but still an major impact on the continent). Countries such as Botswana and Zimbabwe have made some significant strides in limiting the spread of AIDS (Zimbabwe is the country that 'peaked' in 1997 and has had the steepest decline). Tags: Africa, medical, development, infographic, diffusion. Delete the scoop?
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Cancer is often considered a disease of affluence, but about 70% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Explore this interactive map to learn about some cancers that disproportionately affect poorer countries. With this interactive map, users can explore cancers that disproportionately affect poorer countries. How do these spatial distributions correlate with other developmental, consumption or economic patterns? What surprises you about this data? Delete the scoop?
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AIDS is a global issue, but clearly this impacts Sub-Saharan Africa far more than any other region. Tags: Africa, medical, infographic, development. Delete the scoop?
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Extreme poverty in the United States is giving rise to a group of infections known as the neglected tropical diseases, which we ordinarily think of as confined to developing countries.
Poor Americans are more likely to contract tropical diseases such as Chagas disease and dengue fever. Question to ponder: what geographic factors (physical and human) lead poor people in the United States to be more heavily impacted by the spread to these diseases? 
Mary Burke's comment,
April 14, 7:37 PM
I don't understand why the drug companies can't help this situation. These are the richest companies in the country. These poor people need help. I don't think they can help themselves. They need a boost. Because of where they live in remote areas and no access to ready help its even more difficult for them. It's going to take some charitable organization or company to step in. We need another Mother theresa.
Kimberly Hordern's comment,
April 25, 6:23 PM
I think it is absurd that the pharmaceutical companies don't see it beneficial enough to produce the vaccines necessary to prevent outbreaks of the potentially harmful diseases. These people may be low-income, but they are still humans and there is no barrier stopping the spreading to middle-class higher income families.
Brianna Simao's comment,
April 30, 10:23 PM
With the level of development in the United States and the amount of technology there is, it is a little surprising to see such a large number of people living in poverty, but at the same time it is almost expected. Minorities make up the bulk of those living in poverty, which are the biggest targets for these rapidly spreading diseases. Since these people unfortunately receive a below average salary, if any at all, they don’t get the proper health care needed and their symptoms are often overlooked or neglected. They are basically prone to get infected because either their health care provider does not have the knowledge to diagnose and treat these diseases before they spread or the patient does not have the money to pay for treatment and vaccines. These prolonged and chronic diseases are what cause them to stay in the financial situations they are in. Helping these people get better healthcare and providing the doctors with the education needed for these diseases would definitely help. I do find it absurd that some pharmacists believe it is unnecessary to make vaccines when this could easily be passed down from a pregnant woman to her offspring, creating another generation of health disasters.
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Public health crises of the past decade — such as the 2003 SARS outbreak, which spread to 37 countries and caused about 1,000 deaths, and the 2009 H1N1 flu p...
The spread of infectious diseases is inherently connected to the mobility of infected. Airports are important nodes in this complex transportation network. Which airports would have the greatest potential to spread diseases? At MIT, they've gathered data that incorporates variations in travel patterns among individuals, the geographic locations of airports, the disparity in interactions among airports, and waiting times at individual airports to create a tool that could be used to predict where and how fast a disease might spread. To read more, see the associated article. Delete the scoop?
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How we die (in one chart)...
This infographic shows the main causes of death in 1900 in the United States and compares that with the 2010 figures. The United States, during that time underwent what many call the epidemiological transition (in essence, in developed societies we now die for different reason and generally live longer) What are the geographic factors that influence these shifts in the mortality rates? What is better about society? Has anything worsened? How come? 
Roland Trudeau Jr.'s comment,
July 9, 2012 12:36 PM
Of course medicine has changed a great amount in over a century, but the fact that they were concerned with cannon balls back then? Were there that many pirates, and circus acts?
Kim Vignale's comment,
July 9, 2012 10:33 PM
In the 1900s, there were more "natural" caused illnesses but not enough medicine or technology to alleviate these diseases, hence, the greater mortality rate. Presently, medicine and technology has changed for the greater good. Many of the diseases are cured and more people living longer due to this. However, mortality caused by heart disease and cancer have increased in 2010; this is probably due to higher calorie diets and exposure to preservatives and radiation.
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 10, 2012 7:17 PM
Looking back and comparing the 1900’s to 2010, I think it is becoming quite evident that our surrounding environment and what we consume impacts our health. Honestly what kind of cancer are you not at risk of getting today? Factors can vary from the genetically altered food we consume, radiation emitted from our cell phones or even prolonged exposure to the sun. While combating harmful pathogens and bacteria may have been a critical health concern and challenge of the early 20th century, finding remedies to an increasingly toxic environment may characterize the medical needs of the 21st century.
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What is the geography of medical practicioners? Why are doctors concentrated more in certain parts of the country? "If anything, this map illustrates how much where you live matters for how much health care you have access to. The 17,000 residents of Clark County, Miss. do not have a single primary care doctor in the area. Up in Manhattan there is one doctor for every 500 people." Click on the link for an interactive ESRI-produced StoryMap. 
's comment, April 9, 2012 2:31 PM
It makes me wonder what is preventing doctors from relocating to areas with high need more medical care... If not income, then what is preventing them from benefiting from the high need for supply?
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After a crisis, how can we tell if water is safe to drink? Current tests are slow and complex, and the delay can be deadly, as in the cholera outbreak after Haiti's earthquake in 2010.
The 'Water Canary' is a device to quickly and affordably test if a water supply is contaminated or not. By geocoding the data, when can map out medical outbreaks of malaria and contain the spread of diseases. This seems simple, but it can be revolutionary in how humanitarian aid and emergency relief work is done. Delete the scoop?
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How is drought in East Africa impacting the spread of diseases? Is flu season hitting your city particularly hard this year? Where are the disease problems the worst? All of these question can be answered (in part) by these helpful maps. This site, which depends on crowdsourced data, may need to few more users before it's database is robust enough, but the idea of it is quite amibitious. Delete the scoop?
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Documented by an aid worker, millions of spiders took to the trees to spin their webs after heavy floods inundated Pakistan in 2010.
Besides being an aesthetic wonder, this image is a great way to start a discussion about so many distinct issues. The floods of 2010 devastated the human population, killing over 2,000. These same floods also altered the ecosystem as spiders have needed to adapt to their new inundated landscape as well. For the human population, this has had the shocking benefit of lowering the incidents of malaria since the spiders have more effectively limited the mosquito population. Interconnections...geographic information are a spider web of interconnections between nature and humanity. 
Lisa Fonseca's comment,
November 8, 2011 10:20 PM
The images on that website are astonishing! I had a hard time believing that was a real life image. These floods took many peoples lives and altered the ecosystem but, didn't is also change something for the better? For example the millions of spiders spinning webs on the trees lowered the mosquito population which then limited the cases of malaria so in a sense this helps the human population. Now another question since these spiders have now moved to spinning webs on these trees will they continue to do this?
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 7, 2012 3:29 PM
This is crazy! It's a great thing that the spiders help by eating the disease filled mosquitos....but i still hate spiders.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 10:28 PM
I thought that was such a beautiful picture until I learned the tree was covered in spider webs and then it creeped me out. However it is such a good thing for the people there. Those webs will help trap the diseased mesquites. Delete the scoop?
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More about this programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wgq0l Hans Rosling's famous lectures combine enormous quantities of public data with a sport's ...
If you haven't seen this video, it is an incredible data visualization to explain the correlation between income and life expectancy. He uses temporal and spatial markers to show changes from 1810 to the present. If you discuss it in your course, this would help to explain the epidemiological transition. Delete the scoop?
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A cholera outbreak in New York in 1832 led to broad efforts to clean up the city and others like it. Delete the scoop?
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The inhabitants of a small Greek island live on average 10 years longer than the rest of western Europe. So what's the secret to long life in Ikaria?
Seth Dixon's insight:
As more countries have entered the later stages of the Demographic Transition, we expect people to live longer than ever. On this island and other "blue zones" they attribute their long life to a traditional diet and an unpolluted environment. Tags: aging population, medical, population, demographics, unit 2 population, Greece, Europe.
Mary Burke's comment,
April 28, 6:31 AM
I think it's wonderful that this man knew enough to go back to his roots. He thought he was going back to die but he actually gave himself a new lease on life. It's funny how he settled in the US and did pretty well for himself, making a good living but the hectic pace in this country, especially in the New Jersy area, was too toxic for him. Living on that lovely island like he does I could see why he would get better. They say cancer is moslly strees related. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all retire to an island and eat olives and drink wine in our retirement.
Brittnie Helgerson's comment,
April 28, 10:40 AM
This article contains a fantastic story Stamatis, a man who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and was told he had nine months to live. He moved back Ikaria, where he was born, and forty-five years later he is still alive and healthy. While the timeline you are given when you have a terminal illness is not always correct, it is not often that a person lives almost fifty years longer than predicted. So is it the case that the island has magical powers or is it that the way of life on the island can have that big of an impact on your health. Based on the article, it’s obviously that the residents of Ikaria live healthier lives than many others. There aren’t many smokers are the island, there is a huge bustling city near-by, they eat a lot of fish and vegetables, and don’t have a lot of stress. So their way of life is as close to ideal as you can get. But it’s mind-blowing to me that changing the environment you live in could allow you so much longer than was expected. But given that there are studies and articles making it public that the lifestyles on cities like these, why aren’t there more people flocking to these places in hopes of living healthier lives? And what is “protecting” these places like Ikaria from turning into an average city with less healthy lifestyles?
John Peterson's comment,
April 30, 10:39 AM
In today’s society, it is very common for people to search for different things that will help them to extend their lives. This can include different practices, diets, and occupations, along with many other things. Once it is discovered that something can help achieve a healthier and/or longer life, people from all over will be drawn to this and attempt to utilize it for themselves. This makes it very interesting when there is an area of the world that is supposedly home to healthier people with longer lives and even more intriguing when there are healing properties that are claimed. The island in question in this article is supposedly home to wine that is special because of its natural aspects and the fact that it has no artificial additives. While it cannot be said for sure whether this wine is indeed special, or if it is just a matter of dumb luck, these claims will always draw the intrigue and attention of other places in the world.
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The stunning drop in global child mortality is proof that poor countries are not doomed to eternal misery. Here's how it happened.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Global health has substantially improved in the last two decades. This article explores the improvements in global health that have been made this year, and the attached interactive feature allows users to explore the changes in global health risks. Click here for the Guardian's version of this same data and interactive. Tags: medical, historical, spatial, technology, development. 
diana buja's curator insight,
December 27, 2012 3:44 AM
Seth Dixon, Ph.D.'s insight:
Global health has substantially improved in the last two decades. This article explores the improvements in global health that have been made this year, and the attached interactive feature allows users to explore the changes in global health risks. Click here for the Guardian's version of this same data and interactive.
vimlesh kumar's comment,
December 27, 2012 4:05 AM
Hi, Great to see a new list of top travel blogs. With over 8000 uniques per month, I feel mine should be in there somewhere. Could you take a look at http://www.honeymoonpackagesindia.org.in/ ? Thanks
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View Full Lesson on TED-ED BETA: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-pandemics-spread In our increasingly globalized world, a single infected person can board a pl... This is a great demonstration of why spatial thinking is critical to so many fields, including medicine. Tags: diffusion, medical, historical, spatial. Delete the scoop?
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From technology to equality, five ways the world is getting better all the time... This article by former President of the United States Bill Clinton, outlines numerous ways that globalization can improve the world, especially in developing regions. He uses examples from around the world and includes numerous geographic themes.
Tags: technology, medical, economic, gender, class, globalization, development, worldwide. Delete the scoop?
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Robyn shares her personal story and how it inspired her current path as a "Real Food" evangelist. Grounded in a successful Wall Street career that was more i...
Robyn authored "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It." A former Wall Street food industry analyst, Robyn brings insight, compassion and detailed analysis to her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of our children. As new proteins are engineered into our food supply to maximize profits for the food industry, childhood food allergies are on the rise. What are the connections between cancer and modern consumption patterns? The correlation is clearly there; is causation also present? How have the economics of agriculture shaped this situation? How will the future economics of agriculture reshape food production? Delete the scoop?
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A decade ago, Botswana was facing a national crisis as AIDS appeared on the verge of decimating the country's adult population. Now, the country provides free, life-saving AIDS drugs to almost all of its citizens who need them.
This is a great example, and possibly a template on how to tackle the AIDS/HIV crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Botswana was as hard hit as any country, but they fully invested their economic initiatives into tackling this and actively changed cultural attitudes and behaviors that faciliate transmission. Not all is 'doom and gloom' when looking at poverty and disease-stricken countries. Delete the scoop?
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The neighborhoods in which children and adolescents live and spend their time play a role in whether or not they eat a healthy diet, get enough exercise or become obese, concludes a collection of studies in a special theme issue of the American...
Spatial analysis shows that numerous disciplines can utilize the 'geographic advantage' to improve research. Delete the scoop?
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The Guardian's health editor introduces our health factfile - and the full dataset behind it...
Discussion questions: What regional patterns are there in the per capita healthcare spending? What connection would you expect between per capita health care spending and the quantity of doctors? What areas spend the least on healthcare? How come? Delete the scoop?
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The collapse of the Aral Sea ecosystem is (arguably) the worst man-made environmental disaster of the 20th century. Soviet mismanagement, water-intensive cotton production and population growth have all contributed the overtaxing of water resources in the Aral Sea basin, which has resulted in a the shrinking of the Aral Sea--it has lost more of the sea to an expanding desert than the territories of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg combined. The health problems arising from this issues are large for the entire Aral Sea basin, which encompasses 5 Central Asian countries and it has profoundly changed (for the worse) the local climates. Delete the scoop?
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From http://www.witness.org | "Awaiting Tomorrow" tells the story people living with HIV/AIDS in the war-torn Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo...
This video provides a chilling glimpse into the struggle of Africans with AIDS/HIV without sufficient medical care. 
's comment, November 22, 2011 8:50 PM
i think this video is very important to aware people of the lack of medical attention these people of congo have. she also made a point that the government isn't doing much, that if they would she could be an example of getting the word out that they too can get help and medical support for the disease.
Lisa Fonseca's comment,
December 5, 2011 12:49 AM
Many more people should be aware of this clip. Here is a twenty five year old with four children, and now has been dealing with aids for one year. The likely chance of him surviving being that he is living in such poverty, is very low. It is awful to see his four children watching their father slowly die of aids, but it also can be seen as a lesson to the children to learn and become aware of aids and learn how to avoid them. This young adult not only wanted to survive but also wanted to survive to be a spokesperson to the world. I think more and more people need to be aware of situations like these. Yes, many people know Africa has a high percentage of aids but 2.6 million people in just Democratic Republic of Congo are living with aids. If people became more aware of this situation by watching videos like these and seeing how they could make an impact I think this number could be lowered. Possibly we can start by showing videos like this to adolescents and getting them knowledged in this area at a young age.
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Justine Ojambo, co-founder of the SLF-funded project PEFO in Uganda, talks about losing his mother to AIDS and PEFO's work to support children orphaned by AI...
THis is a great video on AIDS/HIV in Africa. So many show Africans as passive victims of global and environmental forces beyond their control, this one is of empowered and inspiring people seeking to change the world. For more inspiration AIDS/HIVS videos from Africa, see: http://stephenlewisfoundation.org/news-resources/multimedia/video-clips 
Peter Siner's comment,
November 16, 2011 10:08 PM
it seems as though there is little we can do to help help end this horrible plague in africa besides donate money or food , relgion is such a huge factor in their decision making process
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 9:31 PM
One thing that stuck out to me in this video is when he spoke about the making sure the children’s basic needs are met so they can concentrate on school. That is such a problem in our education system today that people don’t wish to address. I wonder how our education system would be if we made sure our children also had their basic needs met. Delete the scoop?
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A wonderful resource to boost the EFL students' skills.
This image taken from the International Space Station is just one of hundreds taken by @Cmdr_Hadfield that can be used in the geography classroom. See image gallery http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/default.asp