Category Archives: Evolution

The first time I came across the hash key was as a child when I saw it on a landline. It was sitting right there, at the bottom corner of the keypad, and it remained unused for as long as I can remember.

The era of mobile phones brought with it the use of the hash key. Remember the code on recharge coupons that you had to enter into your phone to get the recharge done? We always had to use the hash key for the same. The hash key was now being used but still not enough to really make a difference.

The hashtag has been there since the time of the Romans. It was an abbreviation for pound in weight and then, the Englishmen modified the abbreviation a bit and it looks much closer to the hashtag that we see today.

The rise of the hashtag, as we know it, comes with the rise of various social media platforms. Chriss Messina, a technologist and product designer introduced the hashtag for the very first time on Twitter but Twitter didnt really buy it. Then, in 2007, there was a wildfire in San Diego and Chris saw his friend tweeting constant updates about the wildfire. Chris had an idea and he asked his friend to use the hashtag for all of his tweets on the raging fire. Upon using the hashtag, people on social media started posting about the San Diego wildfire with the hashtag and the hashtag became an overnight star!

Watch the video below to find out the evolution of the hashtag.

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The Evolution Of The Hashtag - Mashable India

Evolution Recruitment Solutions has been named as Investors in Peoples Employer of the Year: Platinum (50-249 people) at the 2019 IIP Awards. They were the first company to ever be Platinum accredited by the initiative.

The recognition follows the companys last IIP assessment which ensured they were reaccredited until 2021. In that assessment, Investors in People described Evolutions commitment to its employees as a very strong performance against an internationally recognised business transformation framework.

The awards ceremony, was held in London on 19th November, hosted by Russell Kane, and saw some huge names in business being nominated in the same category as Evolution, including Brother UK and Hermes Airport Limited.

We are absolutely thrilled to be named as the 2019 Platinum Employer of the Year by Investors in People, said Gareth Morris, Evolutions CEO, UK & Europe. After being recognised as the first business in the world to achieve the Platinum standard in 2016, Evolution has gone from strength to strength to remain accredited up until 2021.

It is Evolutions 20th birthday in 2020, and our objective for next year is to attract new talent to the business to support our growth plans, so this award is a fantastic ending to 2019.

Originally posted here:

Platinum Employer of the Year for Evolution Recruitment Solutions. - The Global Recruiter

We need to revolutionise agriculture in the next 30 years. In 2050 we may have almost 10 billion people to feed. Farmland is already degraded by existing agriculture, and climate change is putting new pressure on crops and livestock.

With the tools we have now we cant create new breeds and cultivars fast enough to cope with the rapidly changing conditions. How will we get strong yields in uncertain environments and make more food without using more land?

Part of the answer is synthetic biology: using cutting-edge genetic technology to build organisms that evolution never did. Synthetic biology has already had some successes, such as turning yeasts into tiny chemical factories and giving cotton the qualities of synthetic fibres.

At CSIRO, we have already used synthetic biology to produce energy-rich feed for livestock. Our scientists have switched on high oil production in the stems and leaves of plants, which could potentially triple the amount of oil they produce.

But these examples are just the beginning.

Synthetic biology applies engineering theory to biological systems. It relies on a standard kit of biological parts such as genes that can be combined to generate complex subcellular machines, circuitry, devices and even whole cells and complex engineered organisms.

This means cells and other biological systems can be designed like electrical circuit boards. Methods that have been successful in other areas of engineering such as design-build-test-learn cycles, robotic assembly systems and using artificial intelligence algorithms to extract meaning from large data sets can now be used on life itself to rapidly improve engineered organisms.

Read more: The synthetic biology revolution is now here's what that means

Evolution allows plants and animals to explore various different solutions to problems they encounter via random mutations and natural selection.

For example, breathing can work in several different ways, and some of these are much more efficient than our lungs. Evolution doesnt necessarily deliver the best solution to a problem it just delivers one that lets an organism survive in a given niche.

So, for any given problem, better solutions may exist than the ones already available in biology. Synthetic biology lets us explore this untested solution space much more quickly than evolution on a timescale of weeks or months, rather than years or millennia.

Synthetic biology therefore allows us to explore places where evolution has never gone and in some cases, probably never would go. It means we can reach outcomes chosen to meet human needs, instead of evolutionary pressures.

To make the most of synthetic biology, there are several systemic challenges that need to be addressed.

I recently met with colleagues from around the world to explore these challenges for agricultural synthetic biology and we have just published our conclusions in Nature Plants.

We agreed that synthetic biology is changing not just what we deliver but how we do this kind of science.

Designing high-throughput bioengineering experiments is quite different from the bespoke, master-craftsperson approach we have used previously. It requires a conceptual and cultural shift that has to happen in a relatively short time frame. Universities will need to modernise their teaching programs to keep pace.

Read more: A fresh opportunity to get regulation and engagement right the case of synthetic biology

We also need to build robotic infrastructure (known as biofoundries), create faster analytical systems to handle testing, and develop new data-analysis methods and machine-learning algorithms. A global alliance of biofoundries was recently established to help push this science forward rapidly.

Basic research into the fundamental principles of the systems that we aim to engineer must also be supported. We cannot engineer effectively unless we understand the system we are modifying. Engineering a system effectively in turn aids our understanding of that system.

Finally, we must ensure the social, legal, ethical, regulatory and institutional issues surrounding synthetic biology are addressed in parallel with development and deployment of these technologies.

Australia has recognised the importance of synthetic biology. CSIRO, Australias national science agency, established the Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform in 2016 to build our synthetic biology capability. This is now a A$60 million research and development program with 45 partners nationally and internationally.

It includes a strong investment in social sciences and responsible innovation. The Australian Council of Learned Academies published a roadmapping report for synthetic biology in 2018, and the Australian Research Council has just invested A$35 million into an ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology.

At CSIRO, synthetic biology is being used to create cotton with the properties of synthetic fibres, such as being stretchy, non-creasing and even waterproof. This avoids the use of petrochemicals, and the cotton remains biodegradable.

And at The University of Queensland we are engineering yeast the same yeast used to make beer, wine and bread to make sustainable agricultural chemicals. The chemicals can alter crops and their associations with microbes in the roots so they take up nutrients more efficiently. The aim is to increase the yield of crop plants.

We have much to do and a relatively short time to do it in. We need to explore uncharted territory beyond evolution to solve the existential problems that agriculture faces. The synthetic biology tools and techniques we are developing will be critical to deliver the agriculture we need in a challenging future.

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To feed the world in 2050 we need to build the plants that evolution didn't - The Conversation AU

Sam Brooks reviews the latest generation of thePokmongames which finally hits the big-ish screen.

I love Pokmon but I wish I could play it on my TV.

Ive been playing Pokmon for 20 years and thats been the main thing Ive heard from my fellow Pokmon friends/fans. The games have been engrossing, addictive and entertaining ever since they were released, on three different handhelds now, but theyve always been that handheld experiences. Thats not to say that handheld games are any less or any worse than console games, but theyre intimate, portable experiences by design.

But what I wanted (and Im not alone here) was to play an episode of the Pokmon anime the best marketing tool a video game series has ever had. I wanted to be in the brightly coloured, full-size world of the cartoon. Sprites were fine, but they were representations not of the real world, but of the anime. Even as the graphics got gradually better, they were still largely 2D sprites. There wasnt the range of colour, the scale or the depth to feel immersed. These were experiences that got within your head, but you often felt like you were scaling down your fantasy to meet the screens.

A city in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Not so withPokmon Sword and Shield. Thanks to the Switchs ability to well, switch, between being a home console and a portable handheld one, for the first time (not including the console games), you can play a Pokmon game on your big screen. And it really, really matters, you guys.

Its still the same Pokmon. You still play a child set loose in a wild world to catch monsters who can potentially ruin the world many times over, and set those monsters in recreational matches against each other. There are still several hundreds of Pokmon to catch, although in a controversial move, theyve slashed the available Pokmon from 800 to 400, which is still, in my opinion, far too many Pokmon. Your ten-year-old avatar wanders around this world (and in a crucial change, Pokmon roam around the world with you, theyre not random encounters anymore), collecting Gym Badges and fighting to be the Pokmon Champion. You know, like the anime.

There are minimal changes to the gameplay, the most notable of which is Dynamaxing, where you can turn your chosen Pokmon be it a fluffy cloud, a living teapot or a fire-breathing dragon into your very own city-stomping kaiju.It doesnt change up the actual battle system hugely, but it leads to a shot of excitement in a gym fight here and there.

Theres also the addition of camping where you can bond with your chosen Pokmon, which in turn leads to them being better in fights. There are also some general shakeups of the battle system that will be unrecognisable to the casual player, but a huge change to the more devoted gamers. For most of us, its Pokebusiness as usual, which is a very good thing.

Running into an Onix in the Wild in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

The biggest change to the gameplay is the addition of the Wild Area, an open world area that resembles in philosophy the Safari Area of the previous games, and in design the open world ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.You can run into the vast majority of the games 400 Pokmon here, including some very high-level ones, and even mess around in Pokmon dens to fight Dynamaxed Pokmon alongside other trainers. Its a little bit shallow, as you might expect from the franchises first foray into open world, but if theres a game with the breadth to support an open world, its this one.

Despite minimal changes to the gameplay, this feels like the biggest evolution in what is, frankly, gamings biggest franchise in two decades. You could make a very boring argument that Pokmon Sun and Moon was more experimental, and honestly, Sword and Shield undoes a lot of those changes. But the most crucial evolution is how you, as player and protagonist, are placed in the world.

For two decades now,Pokmonhas done a great job of making a big world feel intimate. It makes the tallest peaks feel scalable, and theres an undeniable thrill in that. But the initial wonder has worn off. With each generation the Pokmon universe gets bigger, but the games dont scale up to meet that size. They dont fill the world theyve built. I cant remember the last time this franchise had the thrill of revealing an entire new Kanto region in Gold and Silver; the world getting bigger around your tiny sprite. The graphics have improved, the gameplay has gotten deeper, but the scale has stayed the same. It might get bigger, but it still feels like different paint on the same canvas.

Not so withSword and Shield.With a simple perspective change, it reinstates the wonder that the old Pokmon games used to have, a wonder that was frankly very much borrowed from the anime. It replaces it with its own.

The rolling hills of Galar in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

A big part of that is that this game is available on a bigger screen. We can see the gorgeous scenery of Galar in big, beautiful HD rather than scaled-down on our screens. GameFreak has definitely made use of this, right from the time you crest the hill of your first home village and see the green-and-yellow hills beyond. Rather than the fairly small scope of vision of the previous games, youve got a world rolling out ahead of you. That wonder is even present when youre playing on the smaller screen, but it really inspires that awe.

But its more than just the graphics, its the way that Galar, the UK-based region of Sword & Shield is built and presented to us. Rather than the usualPokmon rigamarole of being a ten year old going on a journey to the Pokmon league, its presented to us immediately in the very first cutscene as a massive deal (yes, this game has cutscenes that justify being called that). People watch in stadiums, its broadcast all over TV, and the people who take on the Gym Challenge usually the backbone of the structure for any of these games are special people. They have to be endorsed and chosen.

This gives the protagonist and by proxy, the feeling of actually being someone special. If anything, thats the thing that this game does better than anything else in the series so far. You feel like an important part of this world, and the Pokmon that you raise with you feel equally important. For the past few generations youve been able to build relationships with your chosen six Pokmon, but now you can send them out on jobs (not even monsters are free from capitalism) and play around with them in the camp. These are small but significant touches that pull you into Galar.

I cant say if its the best Pokmon game out there. Ive played far too many, and Ill never be as fully invested in them as I was as a child. There are still the usual flaws (why on earth is there only one save slot still?) and repetitiveness, namely that once youve figured out your team youre pretty much set, but this is the first time in well over a decade that Ive played a Pokmon game and felt wonder.

Sword and Shield didnt make me feel like a kid again, but it made me wish I was a kid so this could be my first Pokmon game. For the first time, maybe since the first or second generation, weve got a game that doesnt feel like just another game, but thenextPokmon game.

Pokemon Sword and Shield on Nintendo Switch out now.

The Spinoff Weekly compiles the best stories of the week an essential guide to modern life in New Zealand, emailed out on Monday evenings.

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Review: Pokemon Sword and Shield finally reach the next stage of evolution - The Spinoff

Superbugs are germs that have become resistant to the drugs that should destroy them. These drug resistant bacteria and fungi are difficult to control and treat.

Often, superbugs are bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. They can also be fungi.

Antibiotics are a vital class of drugs that help save many lives. They treat a wide variety of infections, from mild urinary tract infections to life threatening sepsis.

However, the recent rise in superbugs is partly to do with the overuse of antibiotics, which contributes to antibiotic resistance.

There is no way to stop antibiotic resistance entirely, as it is part of the natural evolution of germs. Yet, it is essential for both doctors and patients to take steps to avoid antibiotic resistance.

In this article, learn more about antibiotic resistant germs, including how they have developed resistance and what we can do to prevent their spread.

A superbug refers to a germ that has formed resistance to multiple drugs that once treated the infection caused by the germ. The term "superbug" was developed by the media.

While any germ may become a superbug, bacterial and fungal strains that routinely infect humans, animals, and crops are most likely to do so.

As these bacteria and fungi adapt to the way a drug works, they may begin to resist treatment. Treating these infections may then take multiple doses of different and stronger drugs.

Antibiotic resistant infections lead to more than 35,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Antibiotic resistant bacteria may be more present in certain areas that require regular sterilization, such as hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Regular sterilization is key to combating infections in these settings, but it may also be making some germs stronger.

In addition, these dangerous germs may be more present in some foods, such as in animal products that farmers have treated with antibiotics.

The CDC recently released a report called Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019, which classifies resistant germs based on risk.

The highest risk germs include:

Doctors traditionally use carbapenems to treat severe or otherwise high risk bacterial infections.

Meanwhile, other infectious germs can pose serious threats to health, including drug resistant versions of:

The CDC report also includes a watch list of three pathogens that have the potential to become resistant and spread. These include:

Hospitals are major sources of drug resistant infections. A certain group of bacteria cause most of the antibiotic resistant infections in hospital settings. This group, called the ESKAPE bacteria, includes:

Stronger strains of these bacteria have become antibiotic resistant and have little or no response to antibiotics.

Some have even developed resistance to sanitizers, such as the alcohol-based disinfectants that many hospitals use.

The authors of a 2018 scientific report noted that strains of E. faecium isolated after 2010 were 10 times more tolerant to alcohol disinfectants than older isolates.

The list above does not give a comprehensive picture of all of the potentially drug resistant pathogens. With regular exposure to antibiotic or antifungal treatments, almost any bacteria or fungi may develop resistance.

The pathogens listed above, however, currently pose the greatest threats to health.

No special symptoms indicate that a person has an infection with a superbug. The person will likely experience the same symptoms that they would if they had a regular infection.

However, time can help indicate that a person has a superbug infection the infection will not respond well to treatment, and the person's symptoms will likely get much worse.

If the infection is not responding well to treatment, the doctor will ask about the person's medical background and travel history. They may also run tests to help determine whether the germ causing the infection is drug resistant.

What people call "superbugs" have appeared partly because of the natural evolution of germs. Infectious germs, such as bacteria, multiply very quickly. This allows them to overpower the body's immune system and cause an infection.

When a person introduces an antibiotic into their system, the antibiotic attacks and destroys the infectious germs.

However, they also adapt in response to their environments through mutations in their DNA. This helps them continue to multiply.

While the antibiotic kills the more susceptible germs, a small number of resistant germs may survive the treatment. These stronger bacteria then multiply and become dominant, passing on their antibiotic resistant genes.

These resistant bacteria can spread and cause an infection that is more difficult to treat with the same antibiotics.

Eventually, a person may have an infection that does not respond well to the initial antibiotic. The doctor may then try a different antibiotic. Any bacteria that survive this second treatment may slowly develop a resistance to it, as well.

As this cycle continues, the germ's ability to adapt allows it to survive many different antibiotic treatments, and it becomes a superbug.

Also, some germs have phenotypic resistance, which means that they are resistant to certain antibiotics without genetic mutation occurring.

Preventing infection is one of the most crucial ways to fight against superbugs. This involves practicing safe hygiene in various ways. For example, by:

Also, people can minimize the risk of illness in general by eating a healthful diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

Antibiotic resistance is a natural process. As such, there is no way to stop it completely. However, it is possible to slow down the development of resistance.

On a personal level, people can take steps to reduce widespread antibiotic use. These include:

On the medical side, researchers are working to create new and more effective antibiotics, and in the search for ways to combat antibiotic resistance, they are casting their nets wide.

For instance, a 2019 study in the journal Advanced Science found that an antioxidant from cranberries may help prevent antibiotic resistance, in some cases. This antioxidant, proanthocyanidin, may help make some antibiotics more effective by getting around bacteria's natural resistances.

New research shows promise in improving treatments and decreasing the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Superbugs have become a serious issue. These germs are often bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. They can also be fungi.

Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally over time, and this is usually a very slow process. However, the overuse of antibiotics has led to a sharp increase in resistant bacteria, which can be challenging to eliminate.

While different drugs can still help eliminate resistant bacteria or fungi, the focus should be on keeping these germs from developing.

It is crucial to take steps to prevent infections and to avoid using antibiotics unless it is absolutely necessary.

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Superbugs: What they are, evolution, and what to do - Medical News Today

There are plenty of new and exciting Pokemon to discover as you work your way across the Galar region, but one of the headliners is Galarian Obstagoon. Evolving from Galarian forms of first Zigzagoon, and later Linoone, the entire Pokemon family is inspired by the band Kiss - complete with black and white fur and long tongues. But while Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone are both quite common in Pokemon Sword and Shield, getting Galarian Obstagoon takes a little more work. So then, how do you evolve Galarian Linoone into Obstagoon in Pokemon Sword and Shield?

Well, the answer is less than straightforward. On the Pokemon Sword and Shield website, it states that "the Linoone of the Galar region live in harsh conditions compared to those found in other regions, with fierce competition against others of their species. Their survival instincts have been honed as a result, leading to their Evolution into Obstagoon." Doesn't seem to tell us much does it?

However, there's a clue in there and it's in the words 'survival instincts'. It turns out that the only way to evolve Linoone into Obstagoon is Pokemon Sword and Shield is to literally make it keep on surviving, by battling with it. My Linoone evolved from Zigzagoon at Lv. 20, but only evolved into Obstagoon at Lv. 56, and I quote from the Pokedex here, "after experiencing numerous fights". From memory, that was somewhere in the region of 50-100 battles, but it's unclear whether Linoone needs to participate in all battles or simply be in your party.

For now, if you want a Galarian Obstagoon, keep it in your party and use whenever possible, as much as possible, in order to guarantee the speediest route to evolution. We'll update this guide as soon as we have more concrete information.

See the original post here:

How to evolve Galarian Linoone into Obstagoon in Pokemon Sword and Shield - GamesRadar

Acosta Danza is a Cuban- based dance company founded by Carlos Acosta, the great Cuban ballet dancer and choreographer. He is the Artistic Director of Evolution and also makes a guest appearance as dancer in the final work.

Evolution is a terrific show.

The first piece of the evening is Satori. Choreographed by Raul Reinoso its mysterious and surreal in a display of sumptuous vibrancy, intriguing in its confusion of gender certainty. Its here we first meet the extraordinary dancer, Zeleidy Crespo, what a find she is.

Paysage, Soudain, la nuit, the second ensemble dance piece of the evening, choreographed by Pontus Lidberg, is lent enchantment by the lighting of Patril Bogardh which transforms a soft strip of golden barley into crops growing in a field by moonlight. Initial concern that this might be just a pretty work describing young people as a crop running their romantic activities at night was dispersed by the choreography which was distinctive, sourced from Cuba.

The duet Faun was the dance highlight of the evening. Performed with sensuous athleticism by the superb Carlos Luis Blanco and remarkable Zeleidy Crespo theres a palpable sense of danger communicated by these two dancers as they depict the coming together of beings of equal strength. Emphasising this aspect rather than vulnerability.

From forest spirits floating free these two transform into pin point precise insect type creatures scurrying in the woodland floor in pursuit of each other capturing something primeval within all nature, including ourselves.

The juxtaposition between this erotic battle and Debussys most romantic music ( with additional music by Nitin Sawhiney) is very satisfying. The combined effect of all the individual components of Faun is visceral theatrical magic. Poetry is found and lingers.

Coming down from this wonder is problematic for the audience who are confronted by a change of tone from high art to popular culture in the final piece, Rooster. Choreographed by Christopher Bruce and performed to the music of the Rolling Stones and the voice of Mick Jagger, it captures the awkward way some men approach sexual intention. Head first, body sliding forwards, ungainly, fearful maybe or just concealing. The key posture describing the Rooster is simple genius.

Carlos Acosta performs, having positioned himself in the ensemble rather than as a principal he looks to be enjoying himself hugely. His charm and musicality, his ability to manage an audience are second to none. Notably while the other dancers of his company smoothly cross dance genres from ballet to contemporary to Cuban his chest proud stance on stage remains balletic.

Watching Mr Acosta dance as part of an ensemble offers an opportunity to analyse the small ways in which he stands out as an extraordinary dancer beyond grand gestures, the perfect angle of his head and, particularly, the ever so knowing and beautiful positioning of his hands.

The female dancers may be pert, amused, untouched at the antics of the ungainly roosters in this piece but they also seem too anodyne and uniform to be as interesting as the awkward peacocking males. This is dance as style. The female dancers costumes were too redolent of cheerleaders and did not assist in dispelling this impression.

Rooster was therefore the antithesis to Faun while also being about romantic intentions. Perhaps they were supposed to be read together, compare and contrast.

The programme of dance selected by Carlos Acosta describes a purposeful interest in moving beyond conventional portrayals of romance in dance having so often been cast as romantic hero in his balletic career. His interest in the truth of human relationships is enriching his work at this point in his career. He has found an exceptional group of dancers to communicate his vision while he himself is utterly charming, enjoying himself dancing to the lyrics of the Rolling Stones on stage.

Dont miss it. Enjoy it.

Review by Marian Kennedy

After a critically acclaimed national and international tour, Carlos Acostas eclectic Cuban company bring a second programme of new and existing works to Sadlers Wells. Acosta himself makes a guest appearance in the iconic Rooster, choreographed by Christopher Bruce to music by the Rolling Stones. The Company also perform new works, Paysage, Soudain, la nuit by visionary Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg and Satori, by breakthrough Cuban choreographer Ral Reinoso.

Inspired by Vaslav Nijinskys Laprs midi dun faune, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui completes the bill with masterpiece Faun, set to Debussys original score with additional music from Nitin Sawhney.

Acosta Danza Evolution18 23 November 2019Sadlers WellsRosebery Avenue, London, EC1Rhttps://www.sadlerswells.com/

Summary

Reviewer

Marian Kennedy

Review Date

2019-11-21

Production

Acosta Danza - Evolution

Author Rating

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Review of Acosta Danza - Evolution at Sadler's Wells - London Theatre 1

Every game has a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type, and it's Pokemon Sword and Shield Dreepy you're after in Galar. Dreepy is a Dragon/Ghost-type hybrid in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and it evolves into Drakloak first, followed by Dragapult. As you'd expect, it's one of the strongest Pokemon in the game when you level it up and evolve it, so people are wondering how to get Dreepy in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and where its location is. Worry not, for we've got all the Pokemon Sword and Shield Dreepy information you need to fill your boxes with endless Dreepys. Dreepies?

If you want to catch Dreepy in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you need to head to one specific location. Go to the very north-west corner of the Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area and visit the Lake of Outrage. You'll need to have unlocked the surf modification for your Rotom Bike first though, so make sure you've completed Circhester Gym and explored Route 9.

Cross the body of water and you'll reach a small area of land which has a lot of rare Pokemon spawns. One of these can be Dreepy, but it's not going to be easy to get one. Dreepy has a 1% chance of spawning as a non-overworld encounter (so as an exclamation point in the tall grass) in Overcast weather, and a 2% chance in Heavy Fog and a Thunderstorm. Yeah, those aren't brilliant odds.

Thankfully, you can also encounter Drakloak, its first evolution in the wild. That one is a standard Overworld encounter so you'll see it appear before you engage with it, and it has a 1% chance in Overcast and Rain, and a 2% chance in Heavy Fog and a Thunderstorm. Not much better, but at least you can look for both Pokemon simultaneously. Of course, if you manage to catch a male and a female Drakloak, you can leave the pair at the Pokemon Nursery in order to breed a Dreepy.

If you catch a Dreepy, you thankfully don't need any special items to make it evolve. It will evolve into Drakloak at level 50, followed by Dragapult at level 60. When you do get Dragapult, it can learn some incredibly powerful moves like Phantom Force at level 48, Dragon Rush at level 63, and Last Resort at level 78.

In terms of the best Dragapult nature in Pokemon Sword and Shield, that has to go to Adamant. Since Dragapult is likely to have a higher speed than whichever Pokemon you're up against anyway, the attack bonus is vital for physical attacks. Keep breeding Dreepy with Ditto to search for a high IV Dreepy with the best abiliies and before long, you'll have one of the best attackers in the game.

Continue reading here:

Pokemon Sword and Shield Dreepy: Where to catch Dreepy and evolve it into Drakloak and Dragapult - GamesRadar

Urbanization and the spread of artificial light are transforming life for all of earth's species, bringing about a host of unintended consequences.

By: Christopher Preston

In 1800, only two percent of the human population lived in cities. A century later, that portion grew to 15 percent. Then, sometime in 2007, a person was born in a city somewhere on the globe who tipped the proportion of Homo sapiens that lives in cities over the 50 percent mark. Despite the fact that cities cover only two to three percent of terrestrial surface area, more than half of humanity is now urban-dwelling. There is no going back.

For a species that spent close to 200,000 years living in grasslands and scrubby forests, hunting and foraging, and using skins, wood, and grasses for shelter, we are increasingly occupying an evolutionarily unfamiliar niche, where the sensory and physical dimensions of a life lived in daily contact with the natural world have been replaced by a whole set of alternate experiences: Cement and traffic, 90-degree corners, bars, sirens, glass, and streetlights increasingly dominate our senses. As far as our genes are concerned, we live in an alien world. Phobias about snakes slithering out of toilet bowls, coyotes snatching children out of strollers, and diseases infiltrating city water supplies reveal the location of our biological roots. The shadow of the wild continues to haunt the psyche of even the most entrenched urbanite.

Alongside us, fast-breeding and opportunistic species are changing their behaviors and their genomes so that they will fit better in the urban world. City-dwelling swallows are evolving shorter wings that allow them to avoid the traffic better, and sparrows and starlings have raised the pitch of their calls to compensate for the background urban noise. Moths are gaining different color patterns so that they have more suitable camouflage in their new concrete habitat. Evolutionary forces are turning city-bound mice into separate subspecies in different city parks, unable to exchange genes with cousins who live a few blocks away.

Evolutionary forces are turning city-bound mice into separate subspecies in different city parks, unable to exchange genes with cousins who live a few blocks away.

A second and related agent of evolutionary change is the progressive banishment of darkness from the world at the hands of electric light. Paul Bogard has written poignantly of his deep regret at the end of night. He points out that the spread of electricity across many parts of the globe has condemned real darkness to the planets history. This lack of night comes with sizable biological consequences. Excessive illumination is disrupting the natural rhythms created by millions of years of the earths steady axial rotation.

The first photos of the earth from space taken by lunar-bound astronauts revealed a spectacular blue marble poised in front of a star-speckled expanse. The individuals lucky enough to see the planet from this vantage point were all transformed. American astronaut Edgar Mitchell memorably described his impression of it as a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery. The planets finitude, its swirling beauty, and its apparent fragility gave our species its first clear sense of our lack of astral significance. Norman Cousins later remarked that what was most significant about the lunar voyage was not that man set foot on the Moon but that they set eye on the Earth.

More recent photographs of the earth taken at night have revealed a pearl that is increasingly crossed by spider webs of yellow light projected from cities and the transportation corridors between them. The world is now comprehensively illuminated. Thanks to the ubiquity of electric light, less and less of the planet falls genuinely into darkness any more. Power shunted through incandescent filaments, the gases of fluorescent lights, and a billion light-emitting diodes means that darkness is being pushed off the landscape by this electric interloper. Synthetic light races through the air for miles beyond its intended destination, leading to a diffusion rate that far exceeds that attainable by the bulldozers and diggers that make its spread possible.

Prior to Thomas Edisons design of the first commercially viable light bulb, nighttime illumination came only from flames fueled by imperfect sources, such as wood, whale oil, paraffin, and natural gas. The light from these sources danced unpredictably and was always mottled by the smoke of imperfect combustion. The spread of the light was limited by available fuel, environmental conditions, and a basic lack of penetration. Many still feel attached to the light provided by a cavorting flame, seeking it out from wood and wax when wishing to disappear into memories or create venues for intimacy.

When the limited light cast by these flames was overtaken by that of incandescent bulbs, the nighttime started to change its color from a deep inky black to various shades of orange, yellow, and white. The carefree spreading of megawatts of unused light into the night sky has led to a pale dome of illumination above every population center. This glow refuses to leave the citys vault even when most of its residents are asleep. Bogard quotes an Iroquois writer who told him we have the night so the Earth can rest. As electrification has spread across the world, the amount of rest available to the earth has diminished. This loss to the planet also appears increasingly to be a loss of our own.

Human bodies have natural circadian rhythms. These rhythms are adjustments to the waxing and waning of light during the earths daily rotations. Evolution lodged such patterns deeply inside of us. The circadian rhythm has an influence on hormone production, body temperature regulation, blood pressure, and other key functions. Plants, animals, cyanobacteria, and fungi all have similar rhythms that are their own evolutionary adaptations to the rising and setting of the sun. Leaves turn to face the sun and drop in the fall, petals open and close daily, animals rest, and bacteria fix nitrogen at rates that are direct responses to periodic and predictable changes in light. When patterns of light and darkness change, organisms must rapidly adapt or pay the price.

When patterns of light and darkness change, organisms must rapidly adapt or pay the price.

Consider that more than a fifth of all mammal species are bats. In addition to these well-known lovers of a dark world, 60 percent of invertebrates and 30 percent of vertebrates are nocturnal. This means that a large number of the living forms that share the planet with us have evolved so that darkness is an essential factor in their well-being. Of those species that are not fully nocturnal, a large number are crepuscular, a word that has exactly the right sound to describe the creeping and partially hidden character of activity that takes place at twilight.

The swapping out of darkness for light across much of the planet affects all of these species. Sea turtles emerging from the surf and no longer able to navigate by the moon due to beachfront floodlights are perhaps the best-known victims of artificial illumination. But in addition to the turtles, countless other species are shifting their behavioral patterns to accommodate a planet that is increasingly lit up.

Peregrine falcons, for example, are adapting to the new frontier of urban living by figuring out how to hunt pigeons, ducks, and bats in the city at night. The nocturnal hunt no longer involves the 200-mile-per-hour stoop from above that has made peregrines famous as the fastest birds on earth. Illumination provided by the glowing city means that the nighttime ambushes involve a new type of stalk. Peregrines fly upward toward the illuminated bellies of their unsuspecting prey, rotating at the last second to pierce the hapless victims feathered breast with their deadly talons. Like Homo sapiens adapting to the city, peregrines are figuring out ways to live, feed, and rest in a world that no longer resembles the one their genes prepared them to find.

Meanwhile, in developed countries, up to 20 percent of the workforce is employed in service industries that require employees to be awake for large portions of the night. Night-shift workers such as janitors, health care attendants, and those who labor in 24-hour manufacturing facilities are some of the people who bear this burden. Those who work the graveyard shift seldom replace the number of hours of sleep they missed at night with the same number of hours of sleep during the day.

In a striking indication that the end of night has consequences, the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded in 2007 that shift-work that involves circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic to humans. It is thought that this may have something to do with disruption to the production of the hormone melatonin, but at the moment, this is little more than a guess. It should come as no surprise that the human body has a deep biological connection to the earths diurnal rhythm.

The World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that shift-work that involves circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic to humans.

One of a growing number of local and national organizations concerned about the loss of darkness in America is the National Park Service. This agency has created a night sky team to raise awareness of the importance of darkness as a new type of resource, pointing out with impeccable logic and federally approved rhythm that half the park happens after dark. In 2006, the Park Service committed itself to preserve the natural lightscapes of parks, which it described in ethical language as resources and values that exist in the absence of human-caused light. Artificial light is now deemed an intrusion into the park ecosystem, suggesting that the distinction between what is artificial and what is natural is not yet completely moot.

Astronomers too are obviously miffed. Light pollution from cities is making optimal conditions for star gazing harder and harder to find. This is not only the concern of a few professionals with big budgets. Astronomy may be one of the most widely enjoyed arts on the face of the planet, ranging in its practitioners from Ph.D. scientists with multi-million-dollar telescopes to five-year-old children trying not to topple to the ground while craning their necks upward to wonder at the night sky. Seeing the moon and the stars above is one of the most orienting of human experiences, yet it was recently determined that more than a third of the worlds population can no longer see the Milky Way due to the presence of light pollution.

There may be no reason to lament the urban path we have taken given its many positive contributions to our humanity. But there is no doubt it is a path causing an unstoppable shift in who we, as well as the species that like to live alongside us, essentially are. After all, If we never see the Milky Way, asks Bogard (quoting science writer and poet William Fox), how will we know our place in the universe?

Christopher Preston is professor of philosophy at the University of Montana in Missoula, and the author of, among other books, The Synthetic Age, from which this article is adapted.

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The Evolutionary Power of Cities and Light - The MIT Press Reader

Not every Pokemon in the game has two evolutions, so its always great to find ones that do in each new game. Pokemon Sword and Shield has introduced multiple new ones into the mix, with Rolycoly being one of those new Pokemon to have a full evolution chain. This Pokemons evolutions have very useful typing and this guide will detail how you can get that next form.

Rolycoly is not a Pokemon you should come across right away in Pokemon Sword and Shield, but it wont be too far into the game. Once you do have Rolycoly in your possession, go ahead and add it to your party and start raising it up. Depending on when you get Rolycoly, it should be able to slot right into your team based on its level.

Geting Rolycoly to evolve to its next form should be rather easy, as all you have to do is raise its level up to a certain level. Once Rolycoly hits level 18, it will turn into Carkol, which is not a Rock/Fire type instead of Rock type. Unless you have Scorbunny in your party, this is definitely a good Pokemon to have with you moving forward.

Upon evolution, Carkol also learns Flame Charge, which is definitely worth learning since it is now a Fire type as well.

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Pokemon Sword and Shield - How To Evolve Rolycoly Into Carkol - Attack of the Fanboy