Phil’s Peruvian adventure

TechKnow explores how the latest scientific discoveries around the globe are changing our lives.

The Peruvian Amazon is one of the world’s hotspots for biodiversity, and one of the last true remaining wildernesses with a population of endemic plant and animal species – meaning that they are found nowhere else on earth.

This week, contributor and entomologist Phil Torres travels to Peru to track two interesting spider species – one that builds a decoy in its own net, and another that could be constructing never-before-seen circular web structures.

Marita Davison then gets a taste of ‘Beyond Meat’ protein products, a type of faux-chicken striving to be completely indistinguishable from the real thing.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation forecasts global meat consumption will rise 73 percent by 2050, putting massive strain on the world’s water and grain supplies.

Marita explores the growth in the meat-alternative market, as studies show that meat may not be sustainable in the future.

Finally, Crystal Dilworth, who studies the brain to learn about nicotine addiction, heads to an e-cigarette convention to learn more about the alternative to traditional smoking that is gaining popularity fast.

She explores whether these electronic cigarettes are a way to get a nicotine fix without the harmful carcinogens that come with smoking, and if they are a gateway drug for young smokers. 

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