global briefs
Waterborne Drugs Meds in Urban Streams Drive Microbial Resistance
A new study published in the journal Ecosphere con- firms that in urban streams, persistent pharmaceutical pollution can cause aquatic microbial communities to become resistant to drugs. Researchers evaluated the presence of pharmaceuti- cals, including painkillers,
stimulants, antihistamines and antibiotics, in four streams in Baltimore, Maryland. Then they measured the microbial response to drug exposure. Selected study sites repre- sented a gradient of development from suburban to urban. Emma Rosi, an aquatic ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and lead author on the study, ex- plains, “Wastewater treatment facilities are not equipped to remove many pharmaceutical compounds. We were interested in how stream microorganisms, which perform key ecosystem services like removing nutrients and break- ing down leaf litter, respond to pharmaceutical pollution. When we expose streams to pharmaceutical pollution, we are unwittingly altering their microbial communities, yet little is known about what this means for ecological function and water quality.”
Helping Hands
Recycled Plastic Transforms into Prosthetics The emerging technology of three-dimensional (3-D) printing can benefit the world in many ways. Re:Purpose for Good, in Australia, creates roboti- cally 3-D printed pros- thetic devices from recycled plastic and e-waste. It’s difficult to customize pros- thetics, so more invasive surgery is often needed to make standard sizes fit the patient. Other compa- nies produce 3-D printed prosthetic hands and arms, but Re:Purpose for Good customizes both hands and feet at a much lower cost.
The company’s robotics and prosthetics engineer Gerardo Montoya, who had been working on 3-D printing prosthetics for children in Mexico, merged the idea with a desire to do something about the 8 million tons of plastic entering the oceans. Along with plastic waste, they also use e-waste such as discarded smartphones that have all the circuitry and microprocessors needed for advanced features. The company even plans to teach their prosthetic-making process to children as part of their science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) curriculum, so they can learn 3-D printing skills. They’re making it open source so more people can get involved without patent restrictions.
Women Warriors Africans Unite to Save Rhinos
The Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit aims not only to protect rhinoceroses in South Africa by patrolling the Balule Nature Reserve, in Greater Kruger National Park, but to also be a role model in their communities. It’s the first majority-female, anti-poaching unit in the country.
Founded in 2013 by Transfrontier Africa NPC to protect the Olifants West Region of Balule, the Black Mambas were invited within a year to expand into other regions, and now protect all boundaries of the reserve.
These 32 young women and two men want their communities to understand that the benefits are greater through rhino conservation rather than poaching, as they address the local social and moral decay that results from poaching. Their concern is also for their children’s sake because the sham economy has corrupted morals and brought narcotics into their communities. To make a donation, visit
BlackMambas.org.
12 Hudson County
NAHudson.com
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