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Saving Marine Mammals Through Bioacoustics

In 2000, the U.S. Navy acknowledged that loud blasts of its sonar helped cause a mass stranding of whales in the Bahamas. And in 2005, 37 whales beached themselves and died along the North Carolina shore after Navy vessels used powerful sonar as part of a training exercise.

Thus, the Office of Naval Research has awarded two three-year grants to advance research on the effects of man-made noises on marine life.

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Energy-Generating Waterfall Proposed for 2016 Olympics

Last year we reported on the sustainability efforts of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which made the games the greenest yet. Vancouver was outfitted with solar panels, green roofs, and mechanisms to collect and recycle rainwater. Award medals were made from re-purposed electronic waste.

Now, Rio de Janeiro is aiming to create the first games with a zero-carbon footprint when it hosts the Summer Olympics in 2016.

To help the city achieve this goal, Swiss-based RAFAA Architecture and Design has proposed a Solar City Tower, which features a visually stunning energy-generating waterfall.

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A Personal Submarine

Drivers often encounter wildlife along the road. But what if instead of the usual birds, deer, and squirrels,  you could cruise alongside fish?

That vision is now a reality with the electric submarine EGO, which literally puts you face-to-face with underwater wildlife.

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A Water-Powered Jet Pack

Dreaming about a beach break this spring?

A multinational company hopes you’ll soon be flying over water — and not just on an airplane to get there.  Jetlev, a new water-powered jet pack being piloted in Dania, Fla., has the potential to fly 30 feet in the air at 22 miles per hour, making it a lot more thrilling than a water slide or jet ski.

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Shipboard Lasers to Ward Off Pirates

Even though the laser is now over 50 years old, its technology and applications continue to advance and grow. Now we can add a new item to the laser’s already impressive list of accomplishments: warding off pirates.

Over the past few years piracy has been on the rise, with 430 attacks reported in 2010. These attacks, which mostly happen between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, as well as off the coast of Somalia, cost the United States an estimated $13-$16 billion annually.

To combat the growing piracy threat, defense technology company BAE Systems has developed a system to help ships detect and deter potential attacks. A laser is mounted to the side of the vessel, allowing crew members to shine a three-foot-wide bright green beam over dangerous waters, temporarily blinding and disorienting pirates up to a mile away.

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