Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News

December 12, 2016

Capuchin monkeys produce sharp stone flakes similar to tools
Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Dec 12, 2016
In addition to using rocks for various purposes, such as cracking open a seed or fruit to extract the edible part, the Bearded or Black-Striped Capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus), a species of wild monkey found in Serra da Capivara National Park in Piaui State, Brazil, makes sharp stone flakes by strongly and repeatedly hammering one rock against another embedded in an outcrop with a clear intent to smash it. Monkeys observed performing this activity then lick and sniff the quartz dust resulting from the fr ... read more

Previous Issues

Dec 10

Dec 09

Dec 08

Dec 07

Dec 06

Who needs a body? Not these larvae, which are basically swimming heads Graduate student Paul Gonzalez at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station recently became a hunter, breeder and farmer of a rare marine worm, all to fill in a considerable gap in our understand ... more		Scientists examine bacterium found 1,000 feet underground Pioneering work being carried out in a cave in New Mexico by researchers at McMaster University and The University of Akron, Ohio, is changing the understanding of how antibiotic resistance may have ... more		Smallpox, once thought an ancient disease, may have emerged in more recent times New genetic research from an international team including McMaster University, University of Helsinki, Vilnius University and the University of Sydney, suggests that smallpox, a pathogen that caused ... more
				Macaques have the anatomy, not the brain, for human speech Monkeys known as macaques possess the vocal anatomy to produce "clearly intelligible" human speech but lack the brain circuitry to do so, according to new research. The findings - which could apply ... more		Why cryptophyte algae are really good at harvesting light In an algae-eat-algae world, it's the single-celled photosynthetic organisms at the top (layer of the ocean) that absorb the most sunlight. Underneath, in the sublayers, are cryptophyte algae that m ... more

Critical zone, critical research at the weathering zone The Earth's critical zone isn't called critical for nothing. Known as our planet's outer skin, it is essential for human survival. The critical zone extends from the top of the tallest tree down thr ... more		Meadow restoration studied for potential to build carbon credits in California Turning meadow restoration into cleaner air is the goal of researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Soil Science Laboratory at the University recently partnered with the Earthwatch Institu ... more		China emissions flat in third quarter as solar surges: study Conference travel emissions exceed research energy use Eyes turn to space to feed power-hungry data centers		How miniature predators get their favorite soil bacteria Tiny predators in the soil can literally sniff out their prey: soil bacteria, which communicate with each other using scent. A team of researchers from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNA ... more
				Atlas of the RNA universe takes shape As the floor plan of the living world, DNA guides the composition of animals ranging from unicellular organisms to humans. DNA not only helps shepherd every organism from birth through death, it als ... more		ISRO launches earth observation satellite, Resourcesat-2A An Indian rocket named Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off successfully on Wednesday morning with the country's earth observation satellite Resourcesat-2A. The PSLV-XL variant roc ... more

Develop commercial strategies for the global deployment of SMRs and Advanced Reactors

NASA Announces First Geostationary Vegetation, Atmospheric Carbon Mission NASA has selected a first-of-its-kind Earth science mission that will extend our nation's lead in measuring key greenhouse gases and vegetation health from space to advance our understanding of Eart ... more		NASA's AIM observes early noctilucent ice clouds over Antarctica Data from NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, spacecraft shows the sky over Antarctica is glowing electric blue due to the start of noctilucent, or night-shining, cloud season in the S ... more		Geopolitical instability and AI drive transformation in EO market 'Western tech dominance fading' at Lisbon's Web Summit European Response to Escalating Space Security Crisis		Urgent appeal for supplies after strong Indonesia quake Aftershocks rattled the survivors of a devastating Indonesian earthquake that killed more than 100 people, as officials urgently appealed Thursday for medicine and doctors to treat the hundreds injured. ... more
Chinese man who wrote online post given one-year prison sentence A man who wrote a social media post critical of China's decades-old land reform policies was sentenced to a year in prison, reports said Tuesday, amid a tightening of civil liberties and free speech. ... more		Canada buys new Airbus search and rescue planes for Can$2.4 bn Canada's air force will buy 16 Airbus C295W aircraft modified for search and rescue to replace its aging fleet, at a cost of Can $2.4 billion (USD$1.8 billion), the government announced Thursday. ... more		Tibetan self-immolates in China: rights group A man has self-immolated in protest against China's presence in Tibet while calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, a rights group said Saturday, the first Tibetan to set themselves on fire since March. ... more		Second strong quake hits off Solomon Islands: USGS A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the Solomon Islands, one day after a major quake, raising the threat of hazardous tsunami waves, officials said. ... more

	Anti-China protesters rally in Hong Kong as vote looms Around a thousand protesters rallied in Hong Kong Saturday against a crackdown on pro-democracy lawmakers and an electoral system skewed towards Beijing ahead of elections for a new city leader. ... more		French doctors urge action over pollution levels French doctors on Friday seized on a winter pollution alert in Paris to draw attention to year-round smog levels which they said killed tens of thousands of people a year. ... more

Dust and Sand Movements Reshape Martian Slopes

Early Matter-Dominated Universe May Have Spawned the First Black Holes and Exotic Stars

SpaceX Starlink launch breaks record for Florida spaceport

Study: Peripheral vision vulnerable to uniformity illusion		Hong Kong's unpopular leader says will not run again		45,000 left homeless after Indonesia quake		The world needs Canada 'very, very badly': Biden		Fukushima costs to double to nearly $190 bn: government
Australia's Rinehart, China group win cattle empire bid		Climate change battle heats up for Australian winemakers		Captive elephants help save wild cousins on forest frontline		Polar bear numbers to plunge a third as sea ice melts		Environmentalists mobilize for battle with Trump

Benin clinic battles mother-to-child HIV transmission

Rescuers scrabble for survivors as Indonesia quake kills 97

Greenland's ice-free past exposes sea level rise danger

Thousands of geese die after landing in toxic US water

Common pesticides more harmful to 'good' insects than thought

Paris chokes under worst winter pollution in decade

UN experts urge China to investigate case of missing rights lawyer

Solomons escape serious damage after powerful 7.7 quake

Paris rat catchers deployed to tackle rodent scourge

Unruly drivers undermine Paris pollution ban

Lost and found: Japan tags dementia sufferers with barcodes

'Everything destroyed': Indonesians face quake destruction

Tumor found in fossil of 255 million-year-old mammal predecessor

Giraffes 'threatened with extinction'

Feathered tail of baby dinosaur found preserved in amber

DiCaprio, Trump discuss green job creation

DigitalGlobe releases first high-resolution image from WorldView-4 satellite

East Asian dust deposition impacts on marine biological productivity

Geoscientists find surprising variation in early dinosaurs

Geophagy: "soil-eating" as an addictive behaviour

Buy Advertising

Media Advertising Kit

Editorial & Other Enquiries

Privacy statement

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.