As a science writer and reporter, I tend to read a lot of sci-news of great interest, but much of which never makes it into one of my articles. In addition to this small fraction that I am able to actually read, there is simply so much news being released on a constant basis that […]
7 Notable Eco News Items You Might Have Missed Read More 👉
According to the theory, an increase in atmospheric CO2 (the main GHG responsible for global warming) will have an enhancing effect on forest growth, since plants and trees require CO2 to synthesize fuel (sugar, via photosynthesis) and experience growth. Thus, this excess CO2 is “fertilizing” tree growth, which in turn means more growth, which means
Experiment Challenges 'CO2 Fertilization' Theory, Reveals Limit to CO2 Absorption Read More 👉
The development of stem cell science and the cultivation of embryonic stem (ES) cells has been marked by controversy due to the required destruction of the embryos from which the cells derived. Embryonic stem cells are valued because they are undifferentiated cells that, given the right biological prompts, can develop into almost any other type
New Stem Cell Technique is "Major Advance" Read More 👉
(Tri Cities, Washington) During the Cold War, liquid waste containing radioactive salts was routinely discharged into the ground near the central part of the old Hanford Nuclear Facility, in the State Washington. The salts tended to attract various animals, including rabbits. Prior to 1969, various animal interlopers had spread radioactivity through their droppings over a
Rabbit is Radioactive – Contaminated Bunny Bagged at Hanford Nuke Site Read More 👉
A recently completed analysis of a 2007 discovery of human remains in Zhirendong (Zhiren Cave), South China, has revealed that modern humans (the first true homo sapiens) emerged outside of Africa far earlier than was previously thought. In fact, 60, 000 years earlier! The fossil finds were rather modest: two molars and one partial, anterior
Modern Humans Emerged in East Asia Much Earlier than Previously Thought Read More 👉
By the 2030’s, more and more regions across our planet will be entering drought conditions, according to a recently published study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. This dryness trend, which encompasses much of the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere along with large areas of Eurasia and
Global Drought Predicted by Century's End – "Unprecedented Consequences" Read More 👉
[UPDATED: Sept. 27, 2013; see addendum at bottom] In the spirit of both Halloween and Environmental Awareness, I hereby offer thirteen environmental horror stories of anthropogenic origin. I have chosen to narrow my sample field to the post World War II time period. I have also excluded nuclear weapons tests and chemical weapons usage (such
Top 13 Human-Caused Environmental Horrors Read More 👉
This post is part of our participation in Blog Action Day 2010, which is on the topic of Water. As R. Buckminster Fuller reminded us, we are all traveling aboard “spaceship Earth”…all 6+ billion of us. What makes our spaceship so unique (as far as we know), and vital, is the presence of a great deal
Our Water Planet – How Much Do You Know? Read More 👉
According to a report that analyzed 450,000 responses from 151 nations, personal income is indeed related strongly to two categories of subjective experience: “life evaluation” and “emotional well-being“…but only up to an annual income of 75, 000.00. Beyond that level, subjective reporting of emotional well-being and “positive affect” do not change. Researchers sought to quantify
Money Does "Buy" Happiness, Up to A Point Read More 👉
In a first-ever “world-wide synthesis”, an international team of scientists has analyzed data on 23 “drivers of environmental stress” that impact the health and quality of the world’s major rivers. The findings: 65% of the world’s riverine ecosystems are “moderately to highly threatened”. The team’s assessment is the first to “jointly consider human and biodiversity
River Ruin – 80% of World's People Face Water Insecurity Read More 👉
A collaborative genetic analysis between civilian entomologists and military scientists has at last revealed the true cause of Colony Collapse Disease which has been decimating honeybee hives in the US, Europe and Asia since 2006.
Mystery of Honey Bee Colony Collapse Solved Read More 👉
An international team of climate and ocean scientists, led by Wei-Jun Cai (U of Georgia, Athens), predicts that the “Arctic Ocean basin will not become a large atmospheric CO2 sink under ice-free conditions.” Using data from a 2008 high-resolution survey of the entire Canada Basin, the team explains the complex “air-sea flux” and other reasons why sea-surface CO2 continues to increase.
An Ice-Free Arctic Ocean Will Not Absorb More CO2 Read More 👉
Fed by demand from growing markets in Asia, poaching of rhino horns in Africa has dramatically increased in the last three years, according to a recent article, as well-organized groups have started using high-tech equipment–including helicopters–to track and kill the endangered animals.
Rhino Poachers Go High-Tech, Rhino Kills Increase 2000% Read More 👉
Professors Christakis and Fowler explore the nature of Social Networks (SN) and reveal the rules that govern how these networks form. Knowing these rules allows us to predict, and possibly prevent, new disease epidemics.
Social Network Data Predicts Disease Outbreaks [VIDEO] Read More 👉
Environmental psychology researchers at the University of Michigan have confirmed what many have long-suspected: spending time in a natural setting is good for the brain (at least for its ability to retain important information). Study subjects learned better after a walk in nature that after a walk in a dense urban setting. Conversely, previous studies, also conducted by Berman et al, have shown that living in a dense urban environment actually impairs cognition and self-control.
Nature Walks Improve Learning More than City Walks Read More 👉
The decision by a Russian court to turn over 70 hectares of genetically unique species of plants to home developers caused an uproar world-wide, with scientists decrying the pending loss as “irreplaceable” and a major blow to agricultural biodiversity. Recently, however, the Russian government has stepped in and ordered a review of the decision — postponing the auctioning of land until at least October.
Threatened Russian 'Plant Bank' Gets Reprieve Read More 👉
Two ecologist discover that by adapting Google’s Page Rank algorithm they were able to “reverse engineer” the collapse of food webs, and thus determining which species in a given web are most critical to the web’s existence.
Googling for Extinction – Popular Algorithm Finds Food Webs' Critical Species Read More 👉
University of Guelph scientists have created a transgenic pig — the Enviropig — which better digests phosphorus compounds. This development came in response to concerns of negative environmental impacts from animal manure run-off causing algal blooms in waterways, and consequently killing fish and other aquatic creatures.
Meet 'Enviropig' – A Cleaner, Greener Transgenic Pig Read More 👉
NASA adviser and UCSF psychiatrist Nick Kanas, writing in an op-ed in Monday’s NY Times, lists the crucial factors needed to maintain good mental health in isolated, confined spaces for prolonged periods of time, based upon space and extreme habitation psychological studies…factors which will become more crucial to the Chilean miners as time passes.
NASA Shrink Offers Insight on Plight of Trapped Miners Read More 👉
In his alarm-ringing NY Times op-ed on Climate Change, professor Homer-Dixon* draws a comparison with the 2008 financial “meltdown” which finally led to new financial regulations, even though warnings of a housing bubble (and an emerging recession) were being made prior to the crisis. He advocates societies designing a contingency plan (‘Plan Z’ ) to deal with the immediate after-effects of one or more climate change disasters.
'Devastating Climate Shock' Needed to Spur Climate Change Policy Read More 👉
In a recent paper entitled ‘Robust growth of Escherichia coli’, published in the journal Current Biology, researchers discovered that E. coli bacteria are able to maintain a “steady state” growth rate despite the accumulation of genetic errors.
"Super' Bacteria Defy Normal Aging Read More 👉
A team of geoscientists working on a separate geological project in South Australia accidentally stumbled upon the oldest evidence of animal life yet found. Previously, the oldest fossil evidence of non-unicellular, “hard bodied” life forms dates to about 550 million years ago. This new discovery pushes back the clock on animal life by 80 to 90 million years.
Oldest Fossil Creatures Found, Preceded Ancient Ice Age Read More 👉
Wasted food energy in the U.S. totals some 2150 trillion kilojoules per year–more than the U.S. could produce in ethanol (grain) biofuels. Further, an article in the New Scientist asserts that this amount is greater than the energy produced annually from all the oil and gas extracted from the Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. Wastes More Food Energy than Gained from Gulf Oil & Gas Read More 👉
In an interview posted on the Big Think website this past Monday, August 9, famed physicist Stephen Hawking declared that “Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space.”
Hawking Declares ‘We Must Abandon Earth’ – Commentary Read More 👉
Costco has responded positively to its shareholders’ suggestions in a letter posted on its website last month. Costco has, as of 2009, voluntarily disclosed more information about its seafood suppliers.
Additionally, Costco has begun working with suppliers of farmed salmon to insure compliance with the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue and will partner with the World Wildlife Fund to monitor Thailand’s compliance with the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue.
Costco Adopts Sustainable Seafood Policy (correction) Read More 👉
The ‘bearded goby’ (Sufflogobius bibarbatus), a small, common, prey species of fish, has become adapted to the “toxic” conditions near the sea floor of this pelagic zone. Analysis of the fish’s gut has shown that up to 60% of its diet consists of jellyfish–a marine creature few animals prey upon due to their venomous stings. Remarkably, the fish has become the pivotal player in a newly emergent ecosystem.
'Harmless' Fish Species Survives 'Dead Zone', Turns Predator & Restores Ecosystem Read More 👉
Engineers at MIT–lead by Jongyoon Han–have developed a promising nano-tech system for separating charged salt ions from water, and which also separates out unicellular contaminants. But more challenges remain.
New Nano-tech Device Takes Salt Out of Sea Water Read More 👉
Phytoplankton–tiny, marine plants that formthe basis of our oceans’ food chain–absorb and sequester large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and generate half of the world’s oxygen supply. Given such an important ecosystem service as this, one would hope that our oceans’ algae numbers stay high…but, the results of a three year data analysis are anything but encouraging.
World's Marine Plankton in Peril – 40% Decline Since 1950 Read More 👉
From 1946 to 1958, the Bikini Atoll–a Micronesian, volcanic island group in the Pacific Ocean (part of the Marshall Islands)–was “home” to twenty three, U.S.-conducted, nuclear detonations, including the first true Hydrogen bomb test, in 1954. This latter detonation produced an explosion far more powerful than originally predicted and caused wide-spread contamination from radioactive fallout.
Bikini Atoll, Nuke Test Area, Listed as 'World Heritage' Site Read More 👉
The resurgent interest in alternative fuels has propelled interest in using biomass “feedstocks” as an energy source for liquid fuel and bio-electricity generation. But bio-fuel (and other ‘commodity chemicals’) derived from biomass faces one big technical challenge: how to separate the useful constituents of cellulose-based biomass (i.e., its its six-carbon, building block sugars) from the not so useful ones (such as lignin and hemicellulose)? REcetn research has confirmed that the key to biomass conversion to fuel is a fungus with the less-than-appealing name of brown rot fungus.
'Woody' Biomass Breakthrough: Fungus is the Key Read More 👉
A new text service provided by the USGS offers real-time updates on water conditions and quality in over 9000 rivers and streams (and more) across the country.
Text Me A River – Real-Time Water Alerts Read More 👉
Genetic barcoding is a technique that involves identifying segments of animal DNA (genomes) that are unique to each species. These unique genetic sequences are preserved in a database (the iBOL library) that anyone can access for free.
'Bar Code of Life' Project Gears Up for Global Test Run Read More 👉
The key to achieving sustainable, global population growth, according to Doctor Hans Rosling in a recent TED Talk, is raising the standard of living of the world’s poor. But, isn’t a higher living standard correlated with increased use of energy and raw materials (the ‘factor 32’ effect) and thus bad for the planet? While the
TED Talk: Hans Rosling on Global Population Growth Read More 👉
Lizards are fairly robust and adaptive creatures owing to their ability to tolerate high body temperatures and resist water loss, but warming trends seem to be pushing temperatures past the thermal threshold that these reptiles need for successful reproduction and long-term survival.
40% of Lizard Populations World-Wide Face Extinction from Global Warming Read More 👉
When it comes to highly intelligent sea creatures, dolphins, whales tend to get most of the cerebral credit. But the “lowly” octopus—a popular dish in many Mediterranean cuisines—may be one of the most intelligent creatures in the sea, and is the only invertebrate (animals lacking bones) that has been conclusively shown to use tools…Possessing both a short and longer-term memory capacity, octopuses exhibit a wide range of fascinating behaviors, many of which have led some scientists to describe them as “highly intelligent”.
Are Octopuses Psychic? No, but They Are Darned Clever [VIDEO] Read More 👉
Its official name is Strata SE1, and it’s the first “skyscraper” to integrate wind turbines into its original facade. The 42 story, energy-producing building is hopefully representative of a not-too-distant-future trend in large-scale, urban structure design and development.
The Strata: World's First Skyscraper with Built-in Wind Turbines Read More 👉
Researchers Overpeck and Udall cite a litany of troubling trends to support their prediction: “soaring temperatures, declining late-season snow pack, northward-shifted winter storm tracks, increasing precipitation intensity (note: not total rainfall), the worst drought since measurements began, steep declines in Colorado River reservoir storage, widespread vegetation mortality, and sharp increases in the frequency of large wildfires.”
Dry Times for Western North America, Climate Trends Forecast Read More 👉
Two Cornell bio-engineers, Faping Duan and John C. March, successfully transformed a strain of E. coli into a ‘commensal communicator’ that blocked the virulence of V. cholerae, the bacteria that causes cholera, in mice.
Bioengineered 'Bacterial Communication' Blocks Cholera Spread Read More 👉
Our Sun is experiencing the most prolonged period of minimal sunspot activity in nearly a century. The puzzling absence of these spots, whose build-up commonly signals the occurrence of large solar storms and flares, has space scientists and solar physicists searching for explanations.
ESA
A Solar Mystery: The Case of the Missing Sunspots [Media] Read More 👉
In a recent paper published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences website (Greenhouse gas mitigation by agricultural intensification, by Jennifer A. Burney, Steven J. Davis, and
David B. Lobell), the authors estimated the GHG emissions from U.S. agriculture for the period from 1961 through 2005–a period of great agricultural intensification–and show a massive decrease in GHG emissions as a result of this intensification.
Question: How to Curb CO2 Emissions and Feed the World? Read More 👉
Although there has been some local, positive improvements in stemming or reversing biodiversity loss (primarily in protected areas), globally, the findings in this aggregate analysis show that the rate of increase in biodiversity loss is stable.
World's Biodiversity Loss Not Slowing, Major Analysis Finds [Video] Read More 👉
The recent Gulf oil spill threatens the habitat of two species of sawfish–the smalltooth and largetooth sawfishes–as it works its way into the loop current and into the Gulf Stream, passing by Florida’s treasured marine habitats.
U.S. Endangered Species Listing Proposed for Florida's Sawfish Read More 👉
The National Research Council reports that the use of genetically engineered crops results in less harm to wild life, less soil erosion, and greater cost savings. Its findings could impact agricultural practices in other nations.
Biotech Crops Benefit Environment & Farmers, Research Group Finds Read More 👉
The UN’s Millennium Development Goal of ending global under-nourishment by 2015 will not be met, but a new set of “mega” initiatives are being implemented to achieve more efficient delivery of “research outputs” to speed agricultural development.
'Millennium Goal' to End World Hunger Will Not Be Met Read More 👉
Earlier this Spring, 200 climate science experts and policy makers gathered in Pacific Grove, California for ‘Asilomar 2’ (named after the first conference on bio-engineering held there in 1975), a pivotal conference for the emerging science of geoegineering. It was a meeting that many attendees regretted was even necessary. [social_buttons] 2009 was a big year for
Geoegineering Ethics – Getting Serious & Humble About Climate Intervention [Video] Read More 👉
In this talk, Jackson continuously returns to the three major factors that are dramatically altering our oceans: over-fishing, pollution, and climate change. These factors, he notes, do not arise and operate in isolation, but rather, they feedback into each other and “synergize” to make for a major, impending, ecological disaster.
How We Wrecked the Ocean – Ecologist Jeremy Jackson Spells It Out [VIDEO] Read More 👉
A controversial new proposal would allow nations (i.e. Japan, Norway and Iceland) to kill endangered whales. Quotas will be based on politics, not science. In 1986, commercial whaling was officially banned by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), an entity established to protect dramatically declining whale stocks. Despite this ban, certain nations, most notably Japan, Norway
Controversial New Whaling Quotas Proposed by IWC Read More 👉
Since its inception in 2000, some 2500 companies from 60 countries have joined in on the Carbon Disclosure Project and begun reporting their estimated carbon emissions and other climate change related policies. This also provides a strong public relations incentive for said companies to set reduction targets and implement improvements such as stronger energy efficiency standards.
Carbon Disclosure Project: Green Data for the Eco-Investor Read More 👉
