Lifeboat Foundation

COSPAR’s Planetary Protection Policy ensures scientific investigations related to the origin and distribution of life are not compromised.

Protecting the Earth from alien life sounds like the latest plot for a blockbuster thriller set in outer space. Whether it’s an invasion or a mysterious alien illness, the extraterrestrial threat to our planet has been well-explored in science fiction. But protecting the Earth from extraterrestrial contamination is not just a concept for our entertainment; as we explore further across our solar system and begin to land on our neighbouring planetary bodies, ensuring that we don’t bring potentially dangerous material home to Earth or indeed carry anything from Earth that may contaminate another planet is a responsibility we must take seriously.

So, who is responsible for ensuring that our space exploration is completed safely? Many nations around the world have their own space agencies, such as NASA and the European Space Agency, who run many different types of missions to explore space. States are responsible for their space activities under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, including governmental and non-governmental actors. The Outer Space Treaty, among several provisions, regulates in its Article IX against harmful contamination. One of the core activities of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is to develop, maintain, and promote a Policy on Planetary Protection, as the only international reference standard for spacefaring nations and in guiding compliance with Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty.

Continue reading “Planetary Protection Policy: For sustainable space exploration and to safeguard our biosphere” »

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested fresh radishes grown in space, opening new doors for producing food in microgravity to sustain future longer-term missions to the moon and Mars.

The radishes were grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) aboard the International Space Station. NASA shared a time-lapse video of the radishes as they grew inside the APH over the course of 27 days.

Waray Dwarf Burrowing Snake occupies its own branch on snake tree of life.

To be fair, the newly described Waray Dwarf Burrowing Snake (Levitonius mirus) is pretty great at hiding.

In its native habitat, Samar and Leyte islands in the Philippines, the snake spends most of its time burrowing underground, usually surfacing only after heavy rains in much the same way earthworms tend to wash up on suburban sidewalks after a downpour.

Landing pads, special mailboxes and more: A future where delivery drones buzz through neighborhoods could prompt architects and builders to rethink.

A three-floor apartment building is being constructed by Peri, a formwork and scaffolding maker, with the help of a 3D construction printer.

Germany-based Peri isn’t a newcomer to the ever-growing 3D construction printing segment. The apartment building is currently being printed in Bavaria, Germany, and the project was unveiled only two months after Peri announced i t was creating Germany’s first 3D printed two-story detached home.

Unlike the first project, this upcoming three-floor apartment building will contain 4, 090 square feet of occupiable space in the form of five apartment units and a basement. The units will be available in different sizes, good for both single occupants and families, Peri’s global business development manager of 3D construction printing Jan Graumann told Business Insider in an email interview.

Mushroom buildings! 😃

Using mycelium, Bay-area designer Phil Ross creates an 6X6 arch out of mushroom roots turned into bricks, and he wants to build a house next.

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A pyramid-styled housing complex was built in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. With a spacious balcony on each apartment, residents have found it difficult to cook inside the kitchen, because vent hoods cannot be installed in the flat.

Continue reading “Houses built like pyramids go viral in China” »

Video from Unilad. I want my own invisibility shield! 😃

This guy built an invisibility shield that actually works! 😱.

When Gabrielle Diamond and her boyfriend, Brian Cox, showed up for eviction court on October 15, they were more than a little nervous.

The two had been renting a bedroom in transitional housing for veterans in Kansas City, Missouri, since January, paying $600 per month for their month-to-month lease. Almost as soon as they moved in, Diamond says, the issues started. The building was unclean and attracted mice, and the landlord would make unannounced weekly visits; at one point, the couple were asked to move out temporarily for house repairs without any assistance, financial or otherwise.