- Threat to existence
Biodiversity is the most complex and important feature of our planet without which life would not exist as it is. Over the decades of the last century, the definition of this term has taken various forms. As early as the 1960s, the term "biodiversity" was first used by the American biologist and conservationist Raymond F. Dasmann. However, it was not until twenty years later that the term found broader use. - Biodiversity has many names
You may be asking yourself: what is "biodiversity"? And there is no clear answer to them. It can be presented by a lush, lively meadow, but also by what is on the plates as part of everyday food. It can be weeds or animals, as well as currently unfashionable plants, the old varieties cultivating genetic diversity also have a lot in common with biodiversity. - Plants also have their language
The stethoscope, existing since 1816, enables the examination of human health. Thanks to him, the doctor can hear, among others heart rhythm, lung noise and possibly detect the onset of the disease. In recent years, prof. Hazem M. Kalaji from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, directed research in the field of photosynthesis towards the assessment of plant health in a quick and non-invasive way using the so-called fluorimeter . It is a stethoscope-like instrument that only measures the signals from the photosystem II (PSII), which he called "the heart of plants". - Counteracting climate change and geopolitics
The Russian invasion of Ukraine makes it necessary to revise the current energy policy in Europe. How can the previously set climate goals be maintained in the new reality? Participants of the debates of the International Climate Summit TOGETAIR 2022, which took place at the University of Warsaw Library, spent 3 days looking for answers to questions how to build and on what to base an independent and competitive energy policy of the European Union and how to build a better climate future. - The archetype of Paradise is created in the Botanical Garden in Powsin
Paradise described in the Old Testament was a garden that God set aside on Earth because of its wonderful conditions. Though perfect and shaped by the hand of God, it did exist in the real world. For years, researchers have located it in various places, guided primarily by geographical indications, while for prof. Arkadiusz Nowak, a biologist and plant ecologist, the most important were the botanical guidelines contained in the Bible. The director of the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences - Center for the Preservation of Biological Diversity in Powsin, fascinated by the flora of Central and South-Western Asia, locates the archetype of Paradise there. - What led the professor to the trail of Paradise in this part of the world? - Comparison of biblical descriptions with the enormous wealth of extremely varied vegetation found in the mountains of Central Asia. - Do you need economics to protect the environment?
Economics is the science of how people choose. Economic knowledge turns out to be necessary in order to create instruments thanks to which these choices would achieve socially necessary goals. An important challenge is being able to evaluate costs and benefits impartially. But an even more important challenge is knowing how to create mechanisms by which people's spontaneous actions get what is expected. In both of these cases, the economy is an indispensable condition for effective environmental protection, giving a chance for social approval. - Spring conflagrations
Spring and again the sirens in the watchtowers began to signal the danger caused by the human handicap to arson. Our ancestors once conquered land for farming by burning down the forest covering the country. Now there are no such large forested areas. There are, however, dry grasses that, if one looks at them from their perspective, resemble vast stretches of forests. And so, not the tinder box is moving as it used to be, but the matches, then the fumes obscure the Polish landscape, a country in the European Union, where such a view is unthinkable. - Old lime trees and the Parish Botanical Garden in Bujaków
Mikołów is one of the towns of the Upper Silesian agglomeration. It is bordered by, among others with Katowice, Tychy and Ruda Śląska. Mikołów consists of several smaller districts of Paniowy , Borowa Wieś, but we will be interested in Bujaków, especially the parish in Bujaków, because there are many valuable natural elements. - Bioethics in a nutshell
Bioethics is a section of specific ethics, which establishes assessments and moral norms important in the field of human activities consisting in interference in borderline situations related to the initiation of life, its duration and death. Bioethics is an interdisciplinary science, it combines natural knowledge and knowledge of human values to protect and promote all life: plants, animals and humans. In the era of rapid development of genetic engineering, the ethical evaluation of activities in the field of creating and using genetically modified organisms in medicine and agriculture is a necessary and responsible task. - Taboo, or why don't we eat certain foods?
In the process of cultural and religious evolution, mankind has developed various prohibitions regarding food which, although edible, are excluded from the menu. Food taboos may be suspended only in the event of a threat of starvation. In another situation, people who break the ban must take into account social exclusion. Most restrictions apply to meat, blood and other animal products. Some of them are related to religion, some are due to ethical, legal or economic reasons. This phenomenon is mainly researched by anthropology, ethnology and dietetics. - How do we use the richness of fruit in today's world?
Fruits along with vegetables are the basis of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, we eat them too little and too rarely. Poland is one of the most important producers of temperate climate fruit. It ranks third in the EU in terms of yield. A disturbing trend is that a dozen or so species of the temperate zone (including apples, pears, peaches, strawberries) dominate the markets of the northern countries and the tropics. Taking into account the concern for the state of the environment and climate change, we should remember that our diet consists of local and seasonal products, including fruit harvested as close as possible to our place of residence, grown in a given season of the year. Climate change has an increasing influence on what fruit, in what quantity and price we eat. Many fruits are on the list of endangered species. - New perspectives for the cultivation and use of sea buckthorn in Poland
Sea buckthorn is a valuable source of many bioactive compounds that have a beneficial effect on human health. This plant has been used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries for many years. In Poland, the interest in the cultivation of sea buckthorn is slight, although it is slowly and steadily increasing. This positive trend may continue due to the favorable soil and climate conditions for the cultivation of this plant in our country and the growing interest of consumers in new, natural sources of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants and other bioactive compounds. - Local government news
Bytom Where nature won The area of the former "Verona" calamine mine located in the Stolarzowice Forestry , by the decision of the City Council in Bytom, gained the status of a valuable natural area. This means that this post-industrial area will be under protection. At first glance, it is a mid-forest clearing, like many. Meanwhile, the greenery hides mounds and dunes, old reservoirs and workings. The protected area covers approximately 15 hectares. There are rare species of plants in its area closely related to the zinc-lead ore mining activities carried out here in the past. In addition, the area itself has retained a specific post-industrial relief, which also makes it unique and of historical value for the region.
AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - the whole list