Plus: The Vanishing Island, Robotic Hummingbirds and Nature by Numbers.

Disputed Island Vanishes
International conflicts are rarely resolved by having the source of the problem simply vanish, but rising water levels recently eliminated a potential military threat for two nations, sinking their dispute under the waves.

An uninhabited island in the Bay of Bengal that has been a contested territory between India and Bangladesh for decades was this week discovered to have become submerged below water, eliminating it as a strategic concern for either country, BBC News reports. Indian scientists attribute the island’s disappearance to climate change and erosion.

“There’s no trace of the island anymore. After studying satellite images, I confirmed this from fishermen,” Sugata Hazra, a professor from the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University in Calcutta, told Agence France-Presse. “Climate change has obliterated the source of dispute.”

Although there were no permanent settlements established on the island, which measured roughly 2 miles long by 1.9 miles wide, territorial disputes led to visits from naval vessels and temporary deployments of military personnel.

While the island’s sinking was an instance of a peaceful resolution to a problem, experts have warned that deteriorating environmental conditions could have more harmful effects in the future. Studies have predicted that Bangladesh will be one of the most severely affected countries from rising seas, with 17 percent of the country’s landmass disappearing by 2050, displacing 20 million people, if water levels rise by an expected 3.3 feet in the next 40 years, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Robot Hummingbirds to the Rescue
Rather than pollinating mechanical flowers, the recently developed robotic hummingbird, from Chiba University in Japan, is a biomimicry device designed for information gathering in challenging environments, Popular Science explains.

The robot features four tiny wings, weighs only 2.6 grams and is controlled by an infrared sensor, flying as high as 10 meters for up to six minutes at a time. Developers hope to use the hummingbird for search and rescue operations in disaster zones or to perform reconnaissance in areas too difficult for humans to reach. Here’s a clip of the bird-bot in flight:

Entrepreneurship by Accident
While necessity may be the mother of invention, its paternal roots can often be traced to accidents. Not every business is created with public demand in mind; some inventions and start-ups are created simply as a pet project or an attempt to solve some of life’s everyday problems. In the process, they may tap into a non-existent market.

Investopedia’s Financial Edge this week published a list of seven businesses started by “unintentional entrepreneurs,” regular folks who started businesses as a way to solve some of life’s everyday problems. Among the examples:

• During a business trip in Reno, Nevada, Mario Moretti Polegato punctured holes in his rubber-soled shoes as a way to relieve his sweaty feet. The idea gave birth to Geox shoes, a worldwide company that produces “breathable” shoes.
• Joseph Semprevivo was a 12-year-old diabetic when he concocted sugar-free ice cream in his parents’ restaurant kitchen. With his father’s help, they expanded the business to oatmeal cookies and other products. Positive reactions to the cookies led the Semprevivos to focus solely on cookies. Catering not only to diabetic but also to health-conscious consumers, Joseph’s Lite Cookies has become a multimillion-dollar business, serving 42 countries and approximately 140,000 U.S. stores.
• When Christine Poirier was nursing her newborn daughter, she designed a nursing top to feel comfortable breastfeeding in public. After her friends and midwife expressed interest in her nursing wear, Poirier partnered with her brother Vincent to create Momzelle, a business specializing in nursing wear. Momzelle has grown from Poirier’s eureka idea into an online and retail business that continues to grow.

In times like these, it’s important to remember that some of America’s most iconic companies began and flourished during down economies. “Tough job markets like the one we’re facing now are a breeding ground for start-up businesses just like these,” Financial Edge states.

Short Film: Nature by Numbers
Created by Etérea’s Cristóbal Vila, this short movie “manages to explain how everything, from snails to flowers, is built according to predictable mathematical principles,” science and sci-fi blog io9, says. “Numbers have never been more sublime.”

IMT agrees.

Have a great weekend, folks! Cheers.