structures

In 2015, New Jersey began installing 40 oyster reefs along about 800 metres of Gandy’s Beach; the structures later supported more than 800 live oysters per square metre and cut storm-wave height by up to 51%

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In 2015, New Jersey began installing 40 oyster reefs along about 800 metres of Gandy's Beach; the structures later supported more than 800 live oysters per square metre and cut storm-wave height by up to 51%

The project included 27 concrete “oyster castle” breakwaters and 13 shell-bag reefs. In an unusual effort to protect an eroding stretch of New Jersey’s Delaware Bay shoreline, 40 constructed oyster reefs were installed at Gandy’s Beach Preserve between 2015 and 2016.A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science examined the project along with other … Read more

Joshua Tree wildlife crossings planned in California’s Mojave Desert to curb wildlife-vehicle collisions; two State Route 62 structures to protect bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats with $6 million-plus funding

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Joshua Tree wildlife crossings planned in California’s Mojave Desert to curb wildlife-vehicle collisions; two State Route 62 structures to protect bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats with $6 million-plus funding

Two wildlife crossings are planned over State Route 62 near Joshua Tree National Park. (Photo: KTLA) Wildlife crossings are increasingly being used across the United States to help animals safely navigate roads and highways, while reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions. Now, two new crossings are being planned in California’s Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree National Park, in … Read more

In 2021, researchers began placing concrete-block oyster reefs in bare eelgrass patches on Prince Edward Island; within two years biomass was about 45 times higher and 45 taxa had colonised the structures

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In 2021, researchers began placing concrete-block oyster reefs in bare eelgrass patches on Prince Edward Island; within two years biomass was about 45 times higher and 45 taxa had colonised the structures

Representative Image (AI-generated) What started as piles of concrete blocks on the seafloor off Prince Edward Island soon became a magnet for marine life. Researchers began installing the artificial oyster reefs in 2021 to test whether they could provide some of the ecological functions lost from areas where eelgrass no longer grew. Within two years, … Read more

Florida is sinking 3 million pounds of repurposed concrete culverts off Destin-Fort Walton Beach; the discarded structures will form three artificial reefs, each built from about 500 tons of concrete

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Florida is sinking 3 million pounds of repurposed concrete culverts off Destin-Fort Walton Beach; the discarded structures will form three artificial reefs, each built from about 500 tons of concrete

More than 1,300 tonnes of old concrete pipes are being dropped into the Gulf of Mexico to create a series of artificial reefs off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The project uses three million pounds of recycled concrete culverts to create three separate underwater habitats. Each site will receive about 500 tons of … Read more

An 82-year-old California tea importer spent 53 years on a 2-acre compound with 36+ structures; after decades of permit disputes and a 2024 National Register listing, a court ordered him to leave

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An 82-year-old California tea importer spent 53 years on a 2-acre compound with 36+ structures; after decades of permit disputes and a 2024 National Register listing, a court ordered him to leave

Hoffman has acknowledged that the buildings lacked proper permits but has maintained that they were not unsafe. Enforcement actions and fines did little to prevent continued activity at the property. For more than half a century, two acres in the hills of Lagunitas became the home, workplace and personal vision of California tea importer David … Read more

How animals build complex ‘cities’ without blueprints: The science of self-organizing structures

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African termites and other creatures construct sophisticated structures without a master plan, relying on local interactions. Research reveals how stigmergy facilitates the emergence of complex architecture, supported by studies on termite nests' intricate designs, showcasing simple behaviors leading to remarkable outcomes in nature. (Representational/Unsplash)

Some African termites build mounds that rise more than five meters above the ground, creating towering structures around their colonies. Coral reefs extend for many thousands of kilometers. Spider silk can be stronger than steel by weight. None of these creatures can draw blueprints, but they can still produce structures that are highly sophisticated from … Read more

Taiwanese students are turning discarded oyster shells and coral waste into 3D-printed structures for damaged reefs

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Taiwanese students are turning discarded oyster shells and coral waste into 3D-printed structures for damaged reefs

A group of students in Taiwan has found a way to give discarded shellfish waste a second life beneath the waves. Their project, named Reefvive, takes oyster shells and coral gravel that would otherwise be thrown away and turns them into 3D-printed bases for growing coral. According to the James Dyson Award, the structures have … Read more

Meet Jerry Xu, the 17-year-old Massachusetts student who built an AI program that turns protein structures into strings of numbers; he won $90,000

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Meet Jerry Xu, the 17-year-old Massachusetts student who built an AI program that turns protein structures into strings of numbers; he won $90,000

Jerry Xu’s AI model is designed to compare the structures of proteins and amino acids rapidly. The structure of proteins gives important clues to how these molecules function. (Images: istock and Society for Science) Imagine, what if a protein’s complex 3-D structure could be converted into a simple string of numbers—and that string could help … Read more