Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News

February 20, 2015

Igniting the air for atmospheric research
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Feb 20, 2015
It looks a bit like a lightsaber from Star Wars: when an extremely intense laser pulse is sent through the air, it can focus itself, creating a narrow filament of light. By shooting such filaments into the sky and analysing back-scattered light, it would be possible to trace pollutants in the atmosphere. To achieve this, lasers with mid-infrared wavelengths are required. However, reaching the critical power to produce such a filament with mid-infrared laser beams is very difficult. At these wavele ... read more

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Animals tend to evolve toward larger size over time Does evolution follow certain rules? If, in the words of the famed evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, one could "rewind the tape of life", would certain biological trends reemerge? Asked anot ... more		Urbanization may affect the initiation of thunderstorms A study that assessed the impact of urban land use on the initiation of thunderstorms from 1997 to 2013 in the humid subtropical region of the southeast United States found that so-called isolated c ... more		Cold-blooded animals grow bigger on land, but smaller in water The findings strongly support the idea that reduced oxygen availability in water causes aquatic animals to reduce their body size much more with warming than those on land. The new research, w ... more
				Mutant bacteria that keep on growing The typical Escherichia coli, the laboratory rat of microbiology, is a tiny 1-2 thousandths of a millimeter long. Now, by blocking cell division, two researchers at Concordia University in Montreal ... more		Discovery: Tropical fire ants traveled the world on 16th century ships Thanks to a bit of genetic sleuthing, researchers now know the invasion history of the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata), the first ant species known to travel the globe by sea. Their st ... more

Nuclear Decommissioning Conference Europe May 2015

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Iconic graph at center of climate debate The "Hockey Stick" graph, a simple plot representing temperature over time, led to the center of the larger debate on climate change, and skewed the trajectory of at least one researcher, according ... more		Cattle damage to riverbanks can be undone Simply removing cattle may be all that is required to restore many degraded riverside areas in the American West, although this can vary and is dependent on local conditions. These are the findings ... more		South Korea pledges to phase out coal plants at COP30 Wearable Lets Users Control Machines and Robots While on the Move Gold electron spins mapped in full resolve decades-old surface debate		Lab-in-a-box takes aim at doctors' computer activity San Diego CA (SPX) Feb 15, 2015 They call it "the Lab-in-a-Box." According to Nadir Weibel, a research scientist in the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department at the University of Califo ... more
				White sharks grow more slowly than previously thought A new study on white sharks in the western North Atlantic indicates they grow more slowly and mature much later than previously thought. The findings, published online in Marine and Freshwater Resea ... more		'Nature's medicine cabinet' helps bees reduce disease load Researchers studying the interaction between plants, pollinators and parasites report that in recent experiments, bees infected with a common intestinal parasite had reduced parasite levels in their ... more

Is urbanization pushing Earth's evolution to a tipping point? That humans and the cities we build affect the ecosystem and even drive some evolutionary change in species' traits is already known. The signs are small but striking: Spiders in cities are getting ... more		Clearing up Europe's air pollution hotspots Current air quality legislation in Europe will lead to significant improvements in particulate matter pollution, but without further emission control efforts, many areas of Europe will continue to s ... more		Zelensky meets Macron seeking air defence deal for Ukraine: AFP New Laboratory Showcases Advanced Satcom Capabilities for Australian Defence Force Polish PM denounces 'sabotage' of railway line to Ukraine		Toxic 'Tet' kumquats highlight Vietnam's pesticide problem At Lunar New Year, most Vietnamese families buy a kumquat tree - a symbol of prosperity - but where once its fruits were candied and enjoyed as a delicacy, now they are left uneaten as food safety scandals batter consumer confidence in local produce. ... more
Myanmar aid group urges ceasefire to evacuate trapped civilians Aid workers called Thursday for a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of people trapped around a town at the centre of fierce fighting between Myanmar's army and ethnic rebels, after the deaths of two more civilians in an area cloaked in a state of emergency. ... more		UI engineers find switchgrass removes PCBs from soils University of Iowa researchers have found a type of grass that was once a staple of the American prairie can remove soil laden with PCBs, toxic chemicals once used for cooling and other industrial p ... more		Turning smartphones into personal, real-time pollution monitors As urban residents know, air quality is a big deal. When local pollution levels go up, the associated health risks also increase, especially for children and seniors. But air pollution varies widely ... more		Potential new breathalyzer for lung cancer screening Researchers from Chongqing University in China have developed a high sensitive fluorescence-based sensor device that can rapidly identify cancer related volatile organic compounds - biomarkers foun ... more

	Researcher finds evidence of climate change in ancient Northern China Using a relatively new scientific dating technique, a Baylor University geologist and a team of international researchers were able to document--for the first time--a drastic climate change 4,200 ye ... more		Size matters to adapt to diverse environments and avoid extinction A new University of Toronto study may force scientists to rethink what is behind the mass extinction of amphibians occurring worldwide in the face of climate change, disease and habitat loss. ... more

Can America Beat China Back to the Moon?

Copernicus Sentinel-6B begins mission to advance ocean science

PLD Space expands rocket subsystem testing leadership in Europe

Heavy snowstorm causes travel chaos in Istanbul		New map of human epigenomes is most expansive ever		New drug shields monkeys from AIDS: study		Pygmy attacks on Bantu rivals in DR Congo leave 27 dead: UN		MIT creates self-assembling underwater chair
Dutch 'put production before safety' in quake-hit area		Chinese MH370 relatives protest at Malaysia PM's office		Flu shot protects against new strain H7N9: study		Chinese cosmetic tourists reap regret in South Korea		Shanghai gets muted Chinese New Year after crush

Nigerian military claims success, civilians killed in air strike

Australia mulls tougher food screening after China hepatitis scare

Capturing and storing carbon in soil: Is it real and can it scale?

Distant species produce love child after 60 million year breakup

Thames study: Rivers can be a source antibiotic resistance

Complex nerve signaling traced back to common ancestor

Finding winners and losers in global land use

Large scale study warns of unsustainable ecological decline in rural China

World crop diversity survives in small urban and rural farms

Genetic evidence shows penguins have 'bad taste'

Harm and response

NASA measures frigid cloud top temps of the Arctic air outbreak

Going negative

Plants survive better through mass extinctions than animals

More infectious diseases emerging because of climate change

Yet another blizzard hits US east coast

Snow, ice, cold: Winter piles on in eastern US

Lengthy tails of luna moths deflect bat attacks

Scientists sound storm warning on African climate change

Renewable energy project is making waves

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