Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News

November 16, 2015

Fossil wasps show little change in Southern California habitats since Ice Age
New York NY (SPX) Nov 15, 2015
The La Brea Tar Pits, the world's richest Ice Age fossil site, is famous for saber-toothed cats, mammoths, and giant sloths, but it also has numerous insect and plant fossils. New research on fossil galls--abnormal plant growths caused, in this case, by tiny wasps--helps reconstruct the local habitats of Southern California at the end of the last Ice Age. The work, led by Anna R. Holden of the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History and the La Brea Tar Pits and Mus ... read more

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Computer model developed for predicting the dispersion of vog A paper published this month in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society details the development and utility of a computer model for the dispersion of volcanic smog or "vog," which forms ... more		Freshwater fish, amphibians supercharge their ability to see infrared light? Salmon migrating from the open ocean to inland waters do more than swim upstream. To navigate the murkier freshwater streams and reach a spot to spawn, the fish have evolved a means to enhance their ... more		Marine invasive species benefiting from rising carbon dioxide levels Ocean acidification may well be helping invasive species of algae, jellyfish, crabs and shellfish to move to new areas of the planet with damaging consequences, according to the findings of a new re ... more
				Implantable wireless devices can trigger and block pain signals Building on wireless technology that has the potential to interfere with pain, scientists have developed flexible, implantable devices that can activate - and, in theory, block - pain signals in the ... more		Hair increases surface area for animals by 100 times Georgia Institute of Technology researchers combed through more than two dozen studies and did surface measurements for 27 mammals and insects to better understand how animals are able to clean them ... more

Solar systems for home and business installations

Wheat disease-resistance gene identified, potential to save billions A gene that can prevent some of the most important wheat diseases has been identified--creating the potential to save more than a billion dollars in lost production in Australia alone each year. ... more		Large landowners key to slowing deforestation in Brazil Brazil once had the world's highest rate of deforestation. And while land is still being cleared at an alarming rate, the country has been successful in reducing its deforestation in recent decades. ... more		Rise of the robots: the promise of physical AI Amazon robotics lead casts doubt on eye-catching humanoids 'Western tech dominance fading' at Lisbon's Web Summit		Study unlocks faster way to assess ocean ecosystem health A new study published last week identifies a set of features common to all ocean ecosystems that provide a visual diagnosis of the health of the underwater environment coastal communities rely on. T ... more
				Research links tundra fires, thawing permafrost Wildfires on Arctic tundra can contribute to widespread permafrost thaw much like blazes in forested areas, according to a study published in the most recent issue of the online journal Scientific R ... more		Cold threatens 700,000 children in eastern Ukraine: UNICEF Damaged pipelines in war-torn eastern Ukraine are threatening to cut off water, heating and electrical supplies at a time when temperatures are plunging, putting some 700,000 children at risk, UNICEF warned Friday. ... more

Nuclear Operations and Maintenance Efficiency Summit USA 2015

Madrid sets speed, parking restrictions to fight pollution Madrid city hall on Friday for the first time banned non-residents from parking in the centre of the Spanish capital and reduced speed limits on access highways in an effort to reduce air pollution levels. ... more		Mongolian herders reined in by government For thousands of years Mongolia's Dukha ethnic minority have depended on their reindeer herds to survive the bitter winters, but now their nomadic way of life is threatened by new government restrictions introduced on environmental grounds, they say. ... more		'The war of tomorrow will begin in space': Macron UN watchdog calls on Iran to urgently allow 'long overdue' uranium stockpile verification How drones are altering contemporary warfare		Yemeni PM on cyclone island as part of government 'return' Yemen's prime minister, exiled in Saudi Arabia because of the conflict raging in his country, arrived Sunday on the island of Socotra and announced his government's return. ... more
10 Cambodians arrested over illegal logging patrol murders Ten people, including a soldier, have been arrested over the murders of a forest ranger and a policeman who were investigating illegal logging in Cambodia, officials said on Friday. ... more		Flood-sparked landslide kills 16 in China A landslide that engulfed homes in China killed at least 16 people, with 21 still missing, as heavy rains brought misery across a swathe of the country. ... more		France tightens borders ahead of climate summit France reintroduced border checks on Friday as it tightened security ahead of UN climate talks that start in Paris at the end of the month. ... more		German minister cautions against terror-refugee link Germany's defence minister Sunday sought to quash speculation in the wake of the Paris attacks that radicals bent on violence could slip into Europe among a flood of asylum seekers arriving on the continent. ... more

	Strong 7.0-magnitude quake hits off Japan coast; no major damage A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the southwestern coast of Japan early Saturday, authorities said, with a small tsunami observed on one island but no major damage reported. ... more		Suu Kyi landslide leaves Myanmar ethnic parties behind Myanmar's diverse ethnic minority parties were counting their losses Saturday after Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party won a landslide victory in historic polls. ... more

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A giant fullerene system inhibits the infection by an artificial Ebola virus		New drought atlas maps 2,000 years of climate in Europe		An arms race among venomous animals		Ancient brains turn paleontology on its head		Senior US lawmaker tours Tibet six years after Beijing 'refusal'

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GBissau releases ex-military chief charged over coup bid

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Police torture rife in China despite reforms: Amnesty

Pakistan asks Supreme Court to overturn ban on hunting rare bird

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Shipping fears as Rhine falls to lowest level in 40 years

Climate summit: 'considerable task ahead', says France

China's Singles Day sparks baby formula shortage in Australia

Fuego Volcano eruption subsides in Guatemala

Kenya army involved in sugar smuggling racket: report

Cyclone killed 14 on Yemeni island, officials say

Strong 6.9-magnitude quake hits Chile: USGS

Wildfires may double erosion across western US watersheds by 2050

Ground-level ozone reduces maize and soybean yields

Jellyfish highly efficient swimmers

Novel 'crumpling' of hybrid nanostructures increases SERS sensitivity

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