When we think of engineers, making a machine, like car. Are there engineers for ecosystems? an organism can make big changes to its environment, call it ecosystem engineer. In aquatic ecosystems the San Francisco Estuary, underwater plants be important because they change water flow and clarity. plant called Brazilian waterweed, which was introduced by humans, is one most engineers. With leaves...

Animal welfare has become a growing concern affecting acceptability of agricultural systems in many countries around the world. An earlier Judeo-Christian interpretation of the Bible (1982) that dominion over animals meant that any degree of exploitation was acceptable has changed for most people to mean that each person has responsibility for animal welfare. This view was evident in some ancie...

WE CAN EXPECT, then, a conference such as this in fifty years (a hundred years, no need to frame it precisely) to fcst,urc as its centerpiece a panel discussion among computers on the fascirlating topic of whcthcr humans can really be said to think. Picture three computers, named for no particular reason, ICdward, Marvin, and Seymour, dobating before a lcarncd group such as yourselves [SYNTHESI...

Gerald Fischbach: Richard Axel is a University professor at Columbia and was, seems to me, born and educated at Columbia, has been an extraordinary influence not just in neuroscience but I think in American biomedical science. He had a career in molecular biology—and still does—that has enormous influence over the way we think about genes and gene expression, and it is the infusion of new talen...

According to Paracelsus (1493-1541) everything from this planet is poison, only the dose makes the poison to be harmless. Even the essential elements for life support are toxic for all organisms in high amounts. Mercury, cadmium, metalloid arsenic and lead were responsible for poisoning and death of many humans and life forms from this planet for centuries. Cadmium forms different compounds tha...

Humans are deeply social animals. Our beliefs, desires, and behaviors are affected by social preferences, our relationships, and the social contexts in which we live and make decisions. We are “group-minded individuals” who see the world from a social as well as an individual perspective; we understand what is in the minds of others and often act as if our brains are networked with the brains o...

While in the past design focused on products, our new challenge is to focus on people. An understanding of perceptions and the emotional connections people form with products and services is critical factors in advancing the practice of design. This paper will begin by discussing our background at Smart Design in exploring design and perception. It will then discuss our current methods that hel...