RAINFOREST EXPLORER
12.1K views |
+2 today
New and noteworthy updates from the Amazon Rainforest & the Morpho Institute
Curated by
The Morpho Institute
 Your new post is loading...
Scoop.it!
" IBM has been charged by the Brazilian government with a tough sustainability problem: monitor and track biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest. The task is no small undertaking, considering there are at least 40,000 varieties of plant species that can be found in the Amazon"
The Morpho Institute's insight:
IBM creates a "citizen science" app that allows Amazon schools and communities to collect data on Amazon biodiversity - resutls in "massive data" collection and gives Amazon communities a new understanding appreciation of the world they live in! 
Scoop.it!
As you watch the NBA playoffs this spring, impress your friends with this fact: the idea for those Nikes worn by LeBron James and Kevin Durant was actually born in the rainforests of the northeast Amazon....
The Morpho Institute's insight:
More info on the history of rubber and source of image can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hevea_brasiliensis
Scoop.it!
Oil-Threatened Ecuador Is a Jaguar Hotspot Motherboard (blog) The Ecuadorian Amazon is officially one of the world's hotspots for jaguars and other big cats—a position that could become threatened as the government there considers expanding oil...
Scoop.it!
When Sarah duPont first visited the Peruvian Amazon rainforest in the summer of 1999, it was a different place than it is today. Oceans of green, tranquil forest, met the eye at every turn. At dawn, her brain struggled to comprehend the onslaught of morning calls and duets of the nearly 600 species of birds resounding under the canopy. Today, the director of the new award-winning film, Amazon Gold, reports that
The Morpho Institute's insight:
IMPORTANT! Watch the trailer of this new documentary about gold mining in the Amazon and lobby to get it into a theater near you....
Scoop.it!
In a move that would make Montgomery Burns proud, Chevron 'apologized' to the community for the massive explosion of their fracking well in rural Pennsylvania by offering each affected family a coupon for a free pizza.
The Morpho Institute's insight:
"Chevron, just in case you were wondering, the 30,000 Ecuadorians who sued you for polluting their homes and fouling their future will not be appeased by an order of empanadas and a six-pack of Inca Kola." ~Amazon Watch
Scoop.it!
Correspondent Dan Collyns joins a group of scientists for a bird's eye view of the Amazon Rainforest as they explain the latest technology they are using to ...
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Great Video of Amazon Rainforest and a new mapping technique that are helping scientists to understand the geography and diversity of the Peruvian Amazon.
Scoop.it!
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, claim the Mantaro River, which runs through central Peru, is the source the world's longest river.
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Geography Lives! New data reveals a new origin for the mighty Amazon river!
Jaime Aguirre's curator insight,
February 26, 2014 6:34 PM
I would like to see the word Columbia corrected on the map, as it does not exist. What it does exist is the South American country called ColOmbia, with an O.
Scoop.it!
On the most favored corner of the riverfront promenade in the Peruvian city of Iquitos, the Amazon Explorers Club stands as a gathering spot and lighthouse for explorers, travelers, botanists, authors and wildlife preservationists.
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Cool! Sounds like a great place to hangout and connect with very interesting people
Scoop.it!
Solving mysteries in the Amazon rainforest -- like the one about those small, silky towers -- is not easy. Working in such an unpredictable environment requires patience, the ability to improvise, and a whole lot of bug spray.
Scoop.it!
Most of us don’t give much thought to where our chocolate comes from. But it’s time we start. Why? Because the cocoa industry takes up 18 million acres of land and employs over 40 million people. Unfortunately, child labor, poor working conditions and environmental destruction are common. The purchasing decisions we make can have a …
Scoop.it!
The Primacy of Elder Trees The Roanoke Star Giant rainforest trees like the Ceiba are recognized as emergent species, trees that break through the forest canopy like colossal stalks of broccoli, sometimes as tall as skyscrapers, to bear the full...
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Old-growth forests are major-league teams in the global carbon cycle. And Ceibas, Redwoods, and other giant tree species are their star athletes. - See more at: http://theroanokestar.com/2014/02/10/the-primacy-of-elder-trees/#sthash.A3Kdd7Zm.dpuf
Scoop.it!
Helping the Amazon's 'Jaguar People' protect their culture and traditional wisdom Mongabay.com Today Fleck, working with Acaté Amazon Conservation, an NGO operating in Peru, is developing programs to generate sustainable livelihoods for communities...
|
Scoop.it!
Deforestation has long been cited as a problem, but a lack of accessible data meant that the general public had to take someone's word for the figures. As a result, its threat always seemed more abstract and nebulous than, say, climate change or rising sea levels.
Until now: Google has unveiled its Global Forest Watch, an online tool that monitors deforestation around the world in near-real time. Via Lauren Moss
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Yowzer! This is going to be a great tool. Basically Google is going to crowdsource forest monitoring!
Antonio Lopez's curator insight,
February 28, 2014 6:05 AM
One role of media should be to act like those speed monitors we see that tell us how fast we are going. Hopefully a program like Google's Global Forest Watch can help us monitor deforestation in real time. 
thinking peasant's curator insight,
February 28, 2014 6:51 AM
maybe they have not gone over to the dark side for good? 
Daniel LaLiberte's comment,
March 10, 2014 11:59 AM
Another writeup at: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26287137
Scoop.it!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PALM OIL -- IN ONE SHORT VIDEO Palm oil is an ingredient in products as diverse as shampoo, toothpaste, chocolate and detergent. But some palm oil is linked to forest destruction. This video tells the story you need to hear about palm oil...
Via pdjmoo
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Palm oil is not just a problem in Indonesia...it's affecting the Amazon too!
Scoop.it!
A conservationist is trying to save the frog, whose Colombia habitat is under assault by development and mining.
The Morpho Institute's insight:
The golden poison frog is both feared and coveted. Its scientific name, Phyllobates terribilis, includes “the terrible” because its toxins are so poisonous.
Scoop.it!
This full-color illustrated textbook offers the first comprehensive introduction to all major aspects of tropical ecology. It explains why the world's tropical rain forests are so universally rich in species, what factors may contribute to high species richness, how nutrient cycles affect rain forest ecology, and how ecologists investigate the complex interrelationships among flora and fauna.
The Morpho Institute's curator insight,
February 19, 2014 9:26 PM
Excellent - a new text from John Kricher - a great introduction to neotropical ecology!
Scoop.it!
As climate change increases the likelihood of drought in the Amazon Basin, farmers can reduce risk of wildfires by transforming the landscape into mosaics made up of both fields and forests, according to an expert with the Center for International Forestry Research.
The Morpho Institute's insight:
The Amazon and Climate Change...facing the challenges NOW!
Scoop.it!
How did a huge island of green in the Amazon become a fortress against ranchers, loggers, and miners? Answer: indigenous tribes.
Scoop.it!
For communities in Caquetá, Colombia, growing cacao beans--the main component of chocolate--is one of the few income-generating uses of forest land that does not damage the environment or support illicit industries....
Scoop.it!
Biologists recently documented one of nature's least-known, big events. On the banks of the Purus River in the Brazilian Amazon, researchers witnessed the mass-hatching of an estimated 210,000 giant South American river turtles (Podocnemis expansa). The giant South American river turtle, or Arrau, is the world's largest side-necked turtle and can grow up to 80 centimeters long (nearly three feet).
Scoop.it!
In December, we went deep into the Amazon rainforest with a team of scientists. Here's what we learned.
Scoop.it!
Our journey to a remote research center in southeastern Peru took us through some of the wildest -- and most threatened -- lands on the planet.
Scoop.it!
Armed agents from Brazil’s environmental protection agency, backed by police and military units, have cracked down on illegal lumber mills in remote regions of the Amazon rainforest. Via Mathijs Booden
The Morpho Institute's insight:
Crime Fighting - Amazon Style!
|
Can't wait to see this beauty during our next visit to the ACTS canopy walkway in Peru!