Around the World: Oysters vs. rising sea levels, marine recycling and robot penguins
From how oysters are tackling rising sea levels, to office chairs made from marine waste and the future of ocean research—discover the stories that caught our eye this week.
Oysters: the protector against rising sea levels
By 2050, up to 13.3 million Bangladeshis may become displaced due to climate change. Yet, just off Kutubdia Island's shore, a glimmer of hope is visible amid the waves. Oyster reefs have proven remarkably effective in protecting one of Bangladesh's most vulnerable islands from fast-rising seas and coastal erosion by calming waves before they reach the shore.
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Words by Aysha Imtiaz
Turning marine waste into sleek office chairs
Today Herman Miller company is launching an upgrade that makes for a cleaner tomorrow: With a new Aeron made from recycled ocean waste, The company is estimated to divert over 150 tons of plastic (or approximately 15 million plastic water bottles) from the ocean annually.
A comfortable desk chair is a key part of any office. And there may be no chair more ubiquitous in an office space than Herman Miller's top-selling Aeron Chair, which has graced countless offices (and now home offices!) since its ergonomic design by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick was first introduced in 1994.
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Words by Medgina Saint-Elien
Robot penguins and the secrets of our ocean
If it looks like a penguin and swims like a penguin–but it’s actually a robot–then it must be the latest advance in marine sensory equipment.
The Quadroin is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV): a 3D-printed self-propelled machine designed to mimic a penguin in order to measure the oceanic currents that influence all the animals and plants in the seas as well as the Earth’s climate - driving roughly 50% of all phytoplankton production.
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Words by Florian Sturm