Global warming science 150 years ago

Back 150 years ago John Tyndall discovered the 'greenhouse effect' which is the basis of global warming. He also made other significant scientific discoveries. This BBC report describes this and mentions the Tyndall Conference taking place. This news item certainly highlights the importance of decision-makers understanding the implications of scientific discoveries.

3D printing

Have you heard of this? Most people have not but it is an exciting area of technology destined to have a major impact.
According to one definition it is "a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material".
Basically you take a digital file (e.g. from an email), give it to the 3D printer and it recreates an object from scratch out of a polymer.
Here is an article on it from Wikipedia.

Technologies for reducing carbon emissions

An article at NextBigFuture lists "Ten Technologies that should have a big impact on Green house gas Emissions".
See PhysicsSubset blog for this.

Wildlife survey

There was an interesting report on the BBC recently about a wildlife survey being done by asking ordinary commuters to make simple reports of sightings of wildlife. I recall also surveys being done through schools.
Given our limited human resources and our limited knowledge of local wildlife, could something similar be done here? May be a limited survey using school children? May be enough ordinary citizen would be interested. It could be limited to, say, birds or butterflies or garden insects or even plants. Enough young people have cell phones with cameras to be useful. At least it would increase awareness of local flora and fauna.

National Academies Press (USA) free downloads

The National Academies Press (which includes the National Academy of Sciences of the USA) now has many useful texts for free download as PDFs. Some seem to be very relevant to local needs especially in education and health. Note that not all their publications are free. Here are some random interesting titles in no particular order:
Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics: The Science of the World Around Us
Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security in Developing Countries
Strengthening High School Chemistry Education Through Teacher Outreach Programs
Health and Medicine:Challenges for the Chemical Sciences in the 21st Century
Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up
Surrounded by Science:Learning Science in Informal Environments
Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8
On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research
Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards
Finding What Works in Health Care