Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News

January 07, 2016

Leaf-mimicking device harnesses light to purify water
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 07, 2016
For years, scientists have been pursuing ways to imitate a leaf's photosynthetic power to make hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight. In a new twist, a team has come up with another kind of device that mimics two of a leaf's processes - photosynthesis and transpiration - to harness solar energy to purify water. Their development, reported in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, could help address issues of water scarcity. More than 1 billion people around the world live in areas ... read more

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Humans adding less nitrogen to oceans than models predict A new study finds that human activities are likely contributing far less nitrogen to the open ocean than many atmospheric models suggest. That's generally good news, but it also nullifies a potentia ... more		Twenty new freshwater fish species uncovered in Australia It is the single greatest addition to the country's freshwater fish inventory since records began and boosts the total number of known species in Australia by almost ten per cent. The research ... more		Redirected flood waters lead to unintended consequences An intricate system of basins, channels, and levees called the Headwaters Diversion carries water from the eastern Missouri Ozark Plateau to the Mississippi River south of Cape Girardeau. The system ... more
				Human activities trigger hypoxia in freshwaters around the globe A new study shows that the increase in human activities and nutrient release have led to the current rise in the number of hypoxic lakes worldwide. This finding has just been released in the j ... more		Deep-water ocean circulation may have awakened marine biodiversity climate change The great increase in biodiversity took place during the geological period known as the Ordovician. This was a time in Earth history previously believed to be characterized by extreme CO2 levels. ... more

Florida Indian tribe's last alligator wrestler bows out On billboards across the Florida Everglades, a burly Native American man pries open an alligator's mouth, pressing his face dangerously close to the reptile's 80 glinting teeth. "Adventures Await," the ads promise, as motorists whiz by. ... more		India court challenges Delhi to show car ban cuts smog An Indian court on Wednesday challenged the Delhi city government to prove that its restrictions on cars were improving air quality in the world's most polluted capital. ... 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		NASA image: Haze hovers over Indo-Gangetic Plain A new image from NASA's Earth Observatory mission shows what happens when widespread pollution meets a temperature inversion. ... more
				Biological 'clock' discovered in sea turtle shells Radiocarbon dating of atomic bomb fallout found in sea turtle shells can be used to reliably estimate the ages, growth rates and reproductive maturity of sea turtle populations in the wild, a new st ... more		Taiwan's Tsai urges answers on Hong Kong booksellers Taiwan's presidential frontrunner Tsai Ing-wen urged authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing Wednesday to explain the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers feared detained by mainland Chinese authorities. ... more

Military Radar Summit 2016 - Washington DC - February 29

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Heavy rain pounds California Heavy rain caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon drenched California Wednesday, but it will be nowhere near enough to reverse a historic drought. ... more		WRONG SLUGGreek dig reveals past glories of Europe's oldest city Archaeologists working on the Greek island of Crete have uncovered artifacts and structures that suggest the ancient city of Knossos was bigger and richer than previously thought. ... 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		Almost 60 confirmed dead in China landslide The number of people confirmed killed in a huge landslide last month in China has risen to 58, authorities said Wednesday, with several more still missing. ... more
China's Wanda plans $2.3 bn investment in hospitals Chinese conglomerate Wanda is venturing into healthcare, it said Wednesday, with a $2.3 billion investment in three hospitals in China, to be managed by a British company. ... more		China bus arson suspect threatened violence: media A man suspected of setting a public bus on fire in northern China, burning 17 people to death, had told friends he planned violence, reports said Wednesday, citing social media postings in which he agonised over unpaid debts. ... more		Drought, heat slash grain crops: study Drought and heatwaves depleted grain harvests by 10 percent from 1964 to 2007, with sharper losses in the latter two decades and rich nations, reports a study released Wednesday. ... more		Australian giant monitor lizards trained to avoid eating toxic toads Australian scientists Wednesday said they had devised an "innovative method of conservation" through feeding giant monitor lizards small cane toads so they won't be killed by larger-sized amphibians. ... more

	Malaysia bans bauxite mining for three months amid pollution fears Malaysia Wednesday announced a three-month ban on bauxite mining in its rural state of Pahang from mid-January amid mounting concern over hazardous dust and pollution. ... more		Over 160 killed in Madagascar cattle theft clashes: army At least 161 people, including nearly a dozen soldiers, were killed in cattle-rustling violence in Madagascar last year, authorities announced on Wednesday. ... more

China's Shenzhou-20 astronauts return to Earth after delay

Blue Origin launches NASA Mars mission and nails booster landing

Race for first private space station heats up as NASA set to retire ISS

Let's go wild: How ancient communities resisted new farming practices		What a 'CERN' for agricultural science could look like		Enough oxygen long before animals rose		NUS study shows the causes of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia		Lake Erie Asian carp could hurt walleye; boost smallmouth bass
The origins of abiotic species		Irradiation preserves blueberry, grape quality		Mental synthesis experiment could teach us more about our imagination		An apatite for progress		First ever digital geologic map of Alaska published

Bad air plagued Beijing for nearly half of 2015: report

Oregon standoff reflects decades-long fight on land rights

First major El Nino storm hits California

Missing Hong Kong bookseller is British citizen: UK

Italy opens bidding for polluting steel giant Ilva

Giant statue for China's Chairman Mao

Suspect held after China bus fire kills 17: media

Antarctic clouds studied again after 50-year break

Japan sushi boss pays $117,000 for threatened tuna

Antarctic sea ice melt released carbon from oceans as ice age ended

Why the real King Kong became extinct

Blizzard kills 15,000 cows in Texas

US towns at risk as levees fail amid rare winter floods

Guatemala warily monitors erupting volcano

Nine dead as strong quake hits northeast India

Natural catastrophe losses total $90 bn in 2015: Munich Re

Sub-zero weather kills 21 in Poland over weekend

Restoring natural habitats across farms will boost CO2 sinks

The Amazon's future

NREL research advances hydrogen production efforts

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