Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News

June 01, 2015

Supercomputer unlocks plant cell secrets - paves way for resilient crops
Melbourne, Australia (SPX) May 31, 2015
Scientists from IBM Research and the Universities of Melbourne and Queensland have moved a step closer to identifying the nanostructure of cellulose - the basic structural component of plant cell walls. The insights could pave the way for more disease resistant varieties of crops and increase the sustainability of the pulp, paper and fibre industry - one of the main uses of cellulose. Tapping into IBM's supercomputing power, researchers have been able to model the structure and dynamics of c ... read more

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For pollock surveys in Alaska, things are looking up Shelikof Strait, in the Gulf of Alaska, is an important spawning area for walleye pollock, the target of the largest--and one of the most valuable--fisheries in the nation. This year, a team of NOAA ... more		Study shows how GM crops can have diminishing success fighting off insects A new study from North Carolina State University and Clemson University finds the toxin in a widely used genetically modified (GM) crop is having little impact on the crop pest corn earworm (Helicov ... more		NOAA's GOES-R satellite begins environmental testing The GOES-R satellite, slated to launch in 2016, is ready for environmental testing. Environmental testing simulates the harsh conditions of launch and the space environment once the satellite is in ... more
				Japan evacuates island after volcano erupts A violent volcanic eruption in Japan forced the evacuation of an island on Friday, as a huge column of ash was shot high into the sky. ... more		Far from the madding crowd: China's rich seek own islands As sunset falls on his private island in the South China Sea, entrepreneur Lin Dong likes few things better than to lounge on a hammock strung between two trees as waves lap the shore. ... more

The World's Largest Commercial Drone Conference and Expo - Sept 9 - Las Vegas

Next Generation Integrated ISR 2015 - Washington DC - July 27-29

Japan vigilant for 'Big One' after powerful quake Seismologists Sunday warned Japan to stay vigilant for the next "Big One" after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the quake-prone nation, injuring a dozen people. ... more		Rain brings relief as India heatwave death toll tops 2,200 Scattered rain on Sunday brought much-needed but only temporary relief to parts of India hit by a long heatwave as the death toll from the blistering temperatures crossed 2,200, officials said. ... more		Renewables outpace fossil fuels despite US policy shift: IEA At COP30, senator warns US 'deliberately losing' clean tech race with China Wallets, not warming, make voters care about climate: California governor		Hurricane Andres tracks far off Mexico's Pacific coast: forecasters Andres, the first hurricane of the season in the Pacific, tracked far from Mexico's west coast Sunday, packing 169 kilometer (105 mile) an hour winds but posing little threat to land, forecasters said. ... more
				Schools reopen in quake-devastated Nepal Thousands of children, many still traumatised from losing homes and loved ones, returned to class Sunday as Nepal's schools formally reopened following a devastating earthquake that claimed more than 8,600 lives. ... more		Myanmar navy stops reporters approaching migrant island Myanmar's navy refused on Sunday to let journalists approach a remote island where more than 700 migrants are said to be held following their rescue last week. ... more

Army Network Modernization 2015 - Washington DC June 23-25

French soldiers stalked by invisible enemy in Mali Based in Mali's inhospitable northern desert, French troops are waging an attritional campaign against a ghost-like, invisible enemy - a master in the guerrilla art of hit-and-run. ... more		Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker barred from Malaysia Malaysia barred a veteran Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker from entering the country Friday branding him a "troublemaker", days after student leader Joshua Wong was denied entry over fears he would threaten ties with China. ... more		Five European NATO powers vow to tackle 'hybrid threats' Colombia inks $4.3 bn deal to buy Swedish warplanes US to hold new military exercises with Trinidad and Tobago		Paris chefs hit the roofs with wave of gastro gardens In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, a chef in a tall white toque bobs between great bushes of herbs as busy as the bees buzzing through beds of strawberries and tomatoes. ... more
S. Korea confirms 12 MERS cases South Korea confirmed five MERS cases Friday, bringing the total number of patients infected with the potentially deadly virus to 12, including a man who defied a quarantine protocol and travelled to China, health officials said. ... more		Mass deaths of rare antelopes in Kazakhstan stir conservation fears The sudden deaths of tens of thousands of endangered antelopes in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan over the past two weeks have left scientists scrambling for answers and conservationists worried about the animal's future. ... more		India reels under heatwave as death toll tops 2,000 India's brutal weeks-long heatwave has killed more than 2,000 people, authorities said Saturday, as the government launched a mass education campaign to help people cope with scorching temperatures. ... more		Hurricane Andres strengthens off Mexican coast Andres, the first storm of the Pacific season, strengthened Saturday to a Category Two hurricane as it churned hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Mexico, the National Weather Service said. ... more

	Australia welcomes UN call on Great Barrier Reef Australia welcomed a draft decision by the United Nations to keep the Great Barrier Reef off its endangered list Saturday, but environmentalists warned of ongoing risks to the natural wonder. ... more		China crushes half a tonne of ivory in symbolic gesture China destroyed more than six hundred kilograms of ivory in front of media and diplomats Friday, as it seeks to shed its image as a global trading hub for illegal elephant tusks. ... more

Record doubleheader: SpaceX launches 2 Falcon 9 rockets from Florida

ESA pinpoints 3I/ATLAS's path with data from Mars

Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission achieves key flyby milestones

Powerful 7.8 quake shakes Japan		Who you gonna call? Beijing smokebusters to go on patrol		Mid-year talks to shape fate of climate pact		UN rights chief seeks wider probe into C.Africa peacekeeper abuses		Cairo yearns for liberal heyday of its park of romance
Planktonic world: The new frontier		Sudden onset of ice loss in Antarctica detected		New model predicts fish population response to dams		Savannahs slow climate change		Global ocean microbe-virus interactions, drivers of Earth's ecosystems

What would it take to limit climate change to 1.5C?

Green oasis rises in heart of Rio slum

UN nations agree to action to save Iraqi cultural sites

Hospitals overwhelmed as India heatwave deaths top 1,700

'Little spaces' make big difference in megacity Lagos

Poland's love affair with allotments

18 labs may have received live anthrax samples: US officials

Our bond with dogs may go back more than 27,000 years

US expands protection for streams, water supply

Bride and prejudice: rare ethnic marriages reflect China tensions

First Pacific hurricane forecast for Friday

Hong Kong leader clashes with democrats ahead of key vote

Russian NGOs fear fresh crackdown after 'undesirable' law

Seoul elevates gardening to high art

Drought-hit Californians paint their lawns green

Less active North Atlantic hurricane season forecast: US

Deaths from major heatwave sweeping India top 1,100

Houston submerged as wild weather kills at least 28 in US, Mexico

Ethiopia's ruling party wins election landslide

Corporate sponsorship of climate talks sparks NGO ire

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