Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News

January 15, 2015

NASA Satellite Set to Get the Dirt on Soil Moisture
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 13, 2015
A new NASA satellite that will peer into the topmost layer of Earth's soils to measure the hidden waters that influence our weather and climate is in final preparations for a Jan. 29 dawn launch from California. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will take the pulse of a key measure of our water planet: how freshwater cycles over Earth's land surfaces in the form of soil moisture. The mission will produce the most accurate, highest-resolution global maps ever obtained from space ... read more

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All instruments for GOES-R now integrated with spacecraft All six instruments that will fly on the NOAA's Geostationary Operational Satellite - R (GOES-R) satellite have now completed integration onto the spacecraft. The instruments are: the Advanced Basel ... more		Sizing up giants under the sea A team of scientists and undergraduate students have analyzed the body size for 25 marine species, including whales, sharks, squids, and other ocean giants. The project elucidates both the challenge ... more		World's oldest butchering tools gave evolutionary edge to speech Two and a half million years ago, our hominin ancestors in the African savanna crafted rocks into shards that could slice apart a dead gazelle, zebra or other game animal. Over the next 700,000 year ... more
				People conform to the norm, even if the norm is a computer Often enough it is human nature to conform. This tendency makes us follow the lead of computers, even if the machines give us the wrong advice. This is the finding of a study in Springer's journal P ... more		How to predict responses to disease Sometimes the response to the outbreak of a disease can make things worse - such as when people panic and flee, potentially spreading the disease to new areas. The ability to anticipate when such o ... more

Nuclear Decommissioning Conference Europe May 2015

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

New restoration focus for western dry forests Dry forests are low-elevation western forests with tall pines. The study used government records of insect and wildfire damage to compare current threats to dry forests and used records from land su ... more		Rainfall can release aerosols Ever notice an earthy smell in the air after a light rain? Now scientists at MIT believe they may have identified the mechanism that releases this aroma, as well as other aerosols, into the environm ... more		AALTO plans Zephyr stratospheric hub in northern Australia and seeks local payload partners Ancient guano drove Chincha coastal power UAH lands first DARPA award for biological sciences department		Climate and friends influence young corals choice of real estate Researchers in Australia have found that where baby corals choose to settle is influenced by ocean temperature and the presence of their symbiotic algae in the water. Warmer than normal maximu ... more
				More birds culled as Taiwan battles worst avian flu in 10 years A major outbreak of avian flu in Taiwan has spread to 19 more farms with a total of 160,000 birds slaughtered in the island's worst bout of the disease in a decade, authorities said Wednesday. ... more		Australia migratory bird levels plunge from Asia development Coastal developments in northeast Asia are threatening the survival of Australian migratory shorebirds, a study has found, with some species experiencing population declines of up to 75 percent over the last two decades. ... more

Families of China stampede dead demand answers Relatives of the 36 people killed in a New Year's Eve crush in Shanghai - who are now closely supervised by the government - have made a formal written demand for a proper account of the disaster, AFP has learned. ... more		Nepal risks return to conflict without constitution: UN Nepal risks a return to "confrontation and conflict" if its leaders fail to agree on a post-war constitution due next week, a senior UN official said Wednesday. ... more		Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge		Hong Kong leader warns of 'anarchy' in key speech Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying warned Wednesday that demands for fully free elections risked "anarchy" as he pledged allegiance to Beijing and pro-democracy lawmakers staged a dramatic walk-out. ... more
Gold mining devours S.American forest land: study Gold mining has gobbled up some 1,680 square kilometres (650 square miles) of tropical forest in South America in the 13 years to 2013, a research paper said Wednesday. ... more		China arrests Turks, Uighurs in human smuggling plot: report China has arrested 10 Turkish citizens and nine Uighurs over a plot to smuggle the members of the ethnic minority - including a wanted "terrorist" - out of the country, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday. ... more		Death toll in Malawi floods climbs 48 At least 48 people have been killed and nearly 70,000 left homeless by severe flooding in Malawi, the country's president announced during an appeal for international assistance. ... more		N.Z. navy in high-seas standoff with 'illegal' fishers The New Zealand navy was involved in a high-seas standoff with two suspected poaching ships in Antarctic waters Wednesday after the vessels used "evasive tactics" to thwart boarding attempts, officials said. ... more

	No benefit from nutrient additions to water and energy drinks A new study by researchers working at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University investigated the nutritional benefits of novel beverages (vitamin waters, energy drinks, and novel juices) sold ... more		Singapore navy finds main body of crashed AirAsia jet A Singaporean navy ship on Wednesday located the main body of the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea late last month, raising hopes that bodies of most of the 162 victims will now be found. ... more

CACI Wins 231 Million Dollar Task Order for Tactical Satellite Communications to US Special Operations Command

Starfighters Space and Blackstar Orbital Broaden F-104 SpaceDrone Integration Program

PlanetiQ Wins 15 Million Dollar Air Force STRATFI Deal for Next-Gen Space Weather Data

Two-faced fish clue that our ancestors 'weren't shark-like'		The devil is in the detail of life		A honey bee hive tells all		An ecological rule for animals applies to flowers		Newly discovered antibiotic kills pathogens without resistance
Summer no sweat for Aussies but winter freeze fatal		Hong Kong campaigners announce major democracy rally		Bashir riding high at launch of Sudan re-election bid		China steps up political prosecutions: rights group		India bans burning cow dung near yellowing Taj Mahal

Alleged Kenya poaching boss denied bail

Brazil coffee production struggles after drought

China linguist's 109th birthday wish: democracy

Floods kill at least 40 people in Malawi and Mozambique

Fewer Chinese parents than expected seek 2nd children

EU lawmakers pass controversial GMO food law

Campaigners urge UN to block Cambodia dam displacement

42 mastodon bones found in Michigan backyard

Ugandan LRA rebel commander to be tried at ICC, army says

Mountain system inflates temp increases at higher elevations

Salvaging the ecosystem after salvage logging

Hybrid 'super mosquito' resistant to insecticide-treated bed nets

Chitosan, a sustainable alternative for food packaging

Revealing the inner workings of a molecular motor

Research finds salt tolerance gene in soybean

Philippines buying C-130s from U.S. for security, disaster relief

Sea Shepherd in epic chase of Antarctic 'poaching' ship

Scientists discover hybrid insecticide-resistant mosquito in Mali

Haiti remembers quake dead amid political crisis

Robots learn to use tools by watching YouTube videos

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