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Its no secret that warming temperatures, wildfires and flash floods are increasingly affecting lives across the United States. With the U.S. government now planning to ramp up fossil fuel use, the risks of these events are likely to become even more pronounced. That leaves a big question: Is the nation prepared to adapt to the consequences? For many years, federally funded scientists have been developing solutions to help reduce the harm climate change is causing in peoples lives and livelihoods. Yet, as with many other science programs, the White House is proposing to eliminate funding for climate adaptation science in the next federal budget, and reports suggest that the firing of federal climate adaptation scientists may be imminent. As researchers and directors of regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers, funded by the U.S. Geological Survey since 2011, we have seen firsthand the work these programs do to protect the nations natural resources and their successes in helping states and tribes build resilience to climate risks. Here are a few examples of the ways federally funded climate adaptation science conducted by university and federal researchers helps the nation weather the effects of climate change. Protecting communities against wildfire risk Wildfires have increasingly threatened communities and ecosystems across the U.S., exacerbated by worsening heat waves and drought. In the Southwest, researchers with the Climate Adaptation Science Centers are developing forecasting models to identify locations at greatest risk of wildfire at different times of year. Knowing where and when fire risks are highest allows communities to take steps to protect themselves, whether by carrying out controlled burns to remove dry vegetation, creating fire breaks to protect homes, managing invasive species that can leave forests more prone to devastating fires, or other measures. The solutions are created with forest and wildland managers to ensure projects are viable, effective and tailored to each area. The research is then integrated into best practices for managing wildfires. The researchers also help city planners find the most effective methods to reduce fire risks in wildlands near homes. In Hawaii and the other Pacific islands, adaptation researchers have similarly worked to identify how drought, invasive species and land-use changes contribute to fire risk there. They use these results to create maps of high-risk fire zones to help communities take steps to reduce dry and dead undergrowth that could fuel fires and also plan for recovery after fires. Protecting shorelines and fisheries In the Northeast, salt marshes line large parts of the coast, providing natural buffers against storms by damping powerful ocean waves that would otherwise erode the shoreline. Their shallow, grassy waters also serve as important breeding grounds for valuable fish. However, these marshes are at risk of drowning as sea level rises faster than the sediment can build up. As greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels and from other human activities accumulate in the atmosphere, they trap extra heat near Earths surface and in the oceans, raising temperatures. The rising temperatures melt glaciers and also cause thermal expansion of the oceans. Together, those processes are raising global sea level by about 1.3 inches per decade. Adaptation researchers with the Climate Adaptation Science Centers have been developing local flood projections for the regions unique oceanographic and geophysical conditions to help protect them. Those projections are essential to help natural resource managers and municipalities plan effectively for the future. Researchers are also collaborating with local and regional organizations on salt marsh restoration, including assessing how sediment builds up each marsh and creating procedures for restoring and monitoring the marshes. Saving salmon in Alaska and the Northwest In the Northwest and Alaska, salmon are struggling as temperatures rise in the streams they return to for spawning each year. Warm water can make them sluggish, putting them at greater risk from predators. When temperatures get too high, they cant survive. Even in large rivers such as the Columbia, salmon are becoming heat stressed more often. Adaptation researchers in both regions have been evaluating the effectiveness of fish rescuestemporarily moving salmon into captivity as seasonal streams overheat or dry up due to drought. In Alaska, adaptation scientists have built broad partnerships with tribes, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to improve temperature measurements of remote streams, creating an early warning system for fisheries so managers can take steps to help salmon survive. Managing invasive species Rising temperatures can also expand the range of invasive species, which cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year in crop and forest losses and threaten native plants and animals. Researchers in the Northeast and Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers have been working to identify and prioritize the risks from invasive species that are expanding their ranges. That helps state managers eradicate these emerging threats before they become a problem. These regional invasive species networks have become the go-to source of climate-related scientific information or thousands of invasive species managers. The Northeast is a hot spot for invasive species, particularly for plants that can outcompete native wetland and grassland species and host pathogens that can harm native species. Without proactive assessments, invasive species management becomes more difficult. Once the damage has begun, managing invasive species becomes more expensive and less effective. Losing the nations ability to adapt wisely A key part of these projects is the strong working relationships built between scientists and the natural resource managers in state, community, tribal and government agencies who can put this knowledge into practice. With climate extremes likely to increase in the coming years, losing adaptation science will leave the United States even more vulnerable to future climate hazards. Bethany Bradley is a professor of biogeography and spatial ecology at UMass Amherst. Jia Hu is an associate professor of natural resources at the University of Arizona. Meade Krosby is a senior scientist for the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
Its one thing to invent something cool within controlled laboratory environments. Its entirely another to scale that new baby for sale. The tension between innovation and commercialization is something we regularly wrestle with at Abstrax. Every morning, we don lab coats and ask the same question: “How do you make money from research done in a lab?” Balance innovation with commercial reality Discovery for its own sake isnt enough. Many R&D-heavy companies discover that brilliant ideas can languish for years if they dont have a system for bringing them to market. We decided early on to build that bridge proactively. This meant investing heavily not just in research, but in the systems and machinery that connect lab work to real-world products. Our scientists dont concoct in ivory towers, they work hand-in-hand with product developers to ensure (most) experiments align with market needs. This pragmatic approach focuses our curiosity. We poured resources into advanced analytical technology. Among other exquisite toys, we operate an ultra-sensitive aroma analysis platform nicknamed OMNI. With it, we can break down a complex flavor into hundreds of molecular components and pinpoint the ones that matter. By capturing a “3D metabolite fingerprint” of a material (cannabis flower, hop varietals, etc.), we get a complete map of that samples aroma chemistry. Why go to these extremes? Because understanding a flavor at that granular level is the key to replicating it, enhancing it, and ultimately monetizing it. We can identify over 500 distinct compounds in a single hop strain. That level of resolution lets us see opportunities others might miss, like the trace molecules that round out pineapple, or a sulfur compound responsible for skunky notes. From breakthrough to beer glass To illustrate how lab research turns into revenue, take our recent work with Citra, one of the most celebrated hops in craft brewing. Citras appeal lies in its remarkably juicy, complex flavorthink grapefruit, lime, peach, and passionfruit steamrolled into one. This tropical medley makes a Citra-hopped beer delicious. But heres the rub: Achieving that same flavor consistently at scale is hard. Hops are agricultural products, subject to the whims of weather and yearly variation. The Citra you get this year might not taste exactly like last years crop. This is where our lab-to-market philosophy shines. Using OMNI, we profiled Citras chemical makeup in exquisite detail. Armed with that blueprint, we developed an Omni Hop Profile extract that mirrors Citras flavor profile with uncanny accuracy. For brewers, this is a game-changer. Instead of being at the mercy of Mother Nature, they can rely on our Citra extract to deliver the exact same flavor in every batch, forever. And because its made from botanically derived ingredients, it stays true to the clean-label standards brewers abide by. We even worked with veteran brewmasters on pilot brews to fine-tune the extracts performance in different beer styles. By the time our Citra profile hit the market, it was brewer-tested and production-ready. Our Citra victory highlights our core principle of reasonable innovation. We didnt stop at discovering what makes that hop special, we pushed to make it a tangible solution to a real problem. That is the essence of monetizing R&D: moving from Eureka! to a viable SKU. No fluff, only real solutions In avant-garde industries like cannabis and craft beer, its easy to get caught up in hype and bold claims. We prefer a different tack: Let the results speak. If we say our new formulation improves a beers shelf-life or an extract boosts an IPAs aroma, weve got the data to back it up. Grounding innovation in evidence keeps us credible and ensures we stay focused on real market value. We also recognize that not every experiment will pan out, and thats okay. Part of our system is knowing never to become 100% pot committed. Well test 10 ideas, then swiftly double down on the one or two that show commercial promise. By failing fast and smart, we conserve resources for the innovations that count. The new R&D playbook Our journey from lab to market hasnt been quick or easy. It took patience and a willingness to invest up front. But that patience is paying off. Today, Abstraxs approach is turning niche scientific insights into mainstream products. What others consider to be a cost center is our engine for growth. When scientists and strategists work in sync, every discovery is viewed through the lens of real-world impact. The healthy tension between invention and commercialization keeps us sharp. As it turns out, the lab and the market are pretty good at balancing each other. Kevin Koby is CEO and cofounder of Abstrax.
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E-Commerce
The Ford Pinto. New Coke. Google Glass. History is littered with products whose fatal flaw whether failures of safety, privacy, performance, or plain old desirabilityrepelled consumers and inflicted reputational damage to the companies bringing them to market. Its easy to imagine the difference if these problems had been detected early on. And too often, businesses neglect the chance to work with nonprofits, social enterprises, and other public interest groups to make product improvements after they enter the marketplace or, more ideally, upstream, before their products have entered the crucible of the customer. For companies and consumer groups alike, this is a major missed opportunity. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, partnering with public interest groups to bake an authentic pro-consumer perspective into elements like design, safety, sustainability, and functionality can provide a coveted advantage. It gives a product the chance to stand out from the crowd, already destined for glowing reviews because problems were nipped in the bud thanks to guidance and data from those focused on consumers interests. And for the nonprofits, working proactively with businesses to help ensure that products reflect consumers values from the outset means a better, safer marketplace for everyone. Zoom, in a nutshell Weve already seen the difference working together can make, especially if its early in a products introduction to consumers. Just look at Zoom. The videoconferencing platform, while launched as a tool for businesses, had not been introduced to a wide consumer audience before the COVID-19 pandemic made its services a global necessity. In early 2020as Zoom was poised to explode from 10 million monthly users to more than 300 million by AprilConsumer Reports (CR) testing experts went under the hood in our digital lab to assess it from a consumer well-being perspective. CR uncovered serious flaws. These included a protocol allowing the company to collect users videos, call transcripts, and chats and use them for targeted advertising, as well as features that allowed hosts to record meetings in secret and alert them when a participant clicked away from the screen. At the precipice of a moment when elementary school classrooms to therapy sessions would be conducted over Zoom, theres no telling what the fallout might have beenfor the company or its customershad these problems persisted. But CR reached out to the businessand the business reached back. Within days, Zoom had worked with CR to solve a wide array of problems, helping strengthen its case as a lifeline for users all over the world. Partnerships require new ways of thinking Now imagine what could be possible if such a partnership began even earlier in the process. This is the relationship CR has worked to build with businesses, providing companies our testing expertise and data about consumers needs and desires. Our advisory services have led to us providing feedback on prototypes, and with feedback implemented earlier in the product development lifecycle, weve seen immediate impact for consumers: improved comfort of leg support in vehicles; privacy policy changes for electronics; reduced fees for a basic checking account; an improved washing machine drying algorithm for one brand; improved safety of active driver assistance systems; and strengthened digital payments app scam warnings before users finalize transactions. These partnerships have proven productive, but they remain the exception to the rule. Building more of those cooperative, upstream relationships will require new thinking on both sides. Advocacy organizations must adopt an entrepreneurial spirit, leveraging their insights and expertise as a collaborator to companies theyre more accustomed to critiquing. Businesses must embrace these relationships as a central part of their research and development process, understanding that embedding pro-consumer values gives them a real edge in todays hyper-social marketplace. This cooperation is especially important in the modern digital era, when many consumers are making choices that reflect their principles and where products and services are growing increasingly complex. As the rise of AI-fueled products brings a new wave of threats and vulnerabilities in its wake, it is critical that businesses and public interest groups make an effort to forge strong relationships. By coming together early and often around their common interestthe consumerthey can improve products, craft strong industry standards, burnish the reputation of companies that act responsibly, and help maintain the health and integrity of the marketplace. Phil Radford is president and CEO of Consumer Reports.
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E-Commerce
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