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  Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 18, 2017 While engineers have had success building tiny, insect-like robots, programming them to behave autonomously like real insects continues to present technical challenges. A group of Cornell University engineers has been experimenting with a new type of programming that mimics the way an insect's brain works, which could soon have people wondering if that fly on the wall is actually a fly. The amount of computer processing power needed for a robot to sense a gust of wind, using tiny hair-like metal p ... read more |
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French to ban oil, gas production by 2040Paris (AFP) Dec 19, 2017 France's parliament on Tuesday passed into law a ban on producing oil and gas by 2040, a largely symbolic gesture as the country is 99 percent dependent on hydrocarbon imports. ... more 
Asphalt-based filters sequester greenhouse gas at wellheadHouston TX (SPX) Dec 19, 2017 Rice University scientists have found a way to make their asphalt-based sorbents better at capturing carbon dioxide from gas wells: Just add water. The Rice lab of chemist James Tour discovere ... more  
Top polluter China unveils nationwide carbon marketBeijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2017 China, the world's biggest polluter, unveiled plans on Tuesday for a national carbon market likely to become the world's largest exchange for emissions credits. ... more 
Heavy-petroleum fuels raising vanadium emissionsDurham NC (SPX) Dec 19, 2017 Human emissions of the potentially harmful trace metal vanadium into Earth's atmosphere have spiked sharply since the start of the 21st century due in large part to industry's growing use of heavy o ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Dec 20 | Dec 19 | Dec 18 | Dec 15 | Dec 14 |
 
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Microbes help turn Greek yogurt waste into fuelWashington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2017 Consumers across the world enjoy Greek yogurt for its taste, texture, and protein-packed punch. Reaching that perfect formula, however, generates large volumes of food waste in the form of liquid wh ... more  
Malaysia's last female Sumatran rhino gravely illKuala Lumpur (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 The last surviving female Sumatran rhino in Malaysia is seriously ill, a wildlife official said Wednesday, with vets racing to save the critically endangered creature. ... more  
North Atlantic Oscillation dictates timing of tree reproduction in EuropeWashington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017 Trees synchronize their reproductive schedule with the North Atlantic Oscillation, a climate pattern that influences zonal winds and the strength of storms. ... more  
Delhi tests 'anti-smog' mist cannon; Smog keeps schools closed in TehranNew Delhi (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 India on Wednesday unveiled a new weapon against air pollution - an "anti-smog gun" which authorities hope will clear the skies above New Delhi but which environmentalists say amounts to a band-aid solution. ... more  
Pesticides, poor nutrition deadly one-two combo for honey beesWashington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017 Lack of nutrition and exposure to pesticides are a deadly combination for honey bees, new research shows. ... more  
Remote Hong Kong island holds nuclear emergency drillsHong Kong (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 Workers in protective suits, decontamination tents and a staged evacuation were part of a large-scale nuclear emergency drill carried out Wednesday on Hong Kong's farthest-flung island, which stands near mainland Chinese reactors. ... more |
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 Magnitude 5.2 earthquake felt in Iran capital  
UN to close four bases in DR CongoBunia, Dr Congo (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday announced the closure of four military bases in the restive north east of the country. ... more 
Liberia's wartime ghosts return to haunt electionGbarnga, Liberia (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 Dekergar Duko, a lean father-of-two who crushes rocks for a living, often reminisces during his days of backbreaking labour about his life under Liberia's warlord-turned-president, Charles Taylor. ... more  
Once taboo, China listens to US contingencies on N.KoreaBeijing (AFP) Dec 18, 2017 It was the kind of sitdown that China had long resisted: Top US officials telling Chinese counterparts how American troops would enter North Korea if the hermit regime collapsed. ... more 
Plants used to variability most likely to adapt to climate changeWashington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017 Studies suggest changes in precipitation patterns and an increase in the prevalence of prolonged droughts, not rising temperatures, are the greatest threats to plant health. ... more |
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  Miami (AFP) Dec 20, 2017  Fierce hurricanes, heat waves, floods and wildfires ravaged the planet in 2017, as scientists said the role of climate change in causing or worsening certain natural disasters has grown increasingly clear.
It was also the year the world's second largest polluter, the United States, turned its back on the 196-nation Paris climate deal meant to limit global warming to under two degrees Celsius ... more Paris (AFP) Dec 18, 2017France takes in first refugees screened in Africa Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 20, 2017Remote Hong Kong island holds nuclear emergency drills  San Juan (AFP) Dec 18, 2017Puerto Rico governor orders review of hurricane deaths |
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 Providence RI (SPX) Dec 18, 2017 
Even as autonomous robots get better at doing things on their own, there will still be plenty of circumstances where humans might need to step in and take control. New software developed by Brown University computer scientists enables users to control robots remotely using virtual reality, which helps users to become immersed in a robot's surroundings despite being miles away physically.
T ... more Durham NC (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Seeing through walls of unknown materials  Washington (UPI) Dec 14, 2017Boeing tapped to sustain Space-Based Space Surveillance system  Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 19, 2017NASA laser communication payload undergoing integration and testing |
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 Fort Collins CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017 
Humans have been altering natural waterways for centuries, but only in the last several decades have dams raised ecological concerns.
N. LeRoy Poff, professor of biology at Colorado State University, studies the ecological impact to rivers from human-caused changes, such as dam building, and how these modified river systems can be managed for resilience.
In a Dec. 8 Perspective piece ... more Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 14, 2017New mechanism to explain how El Nino influences East Asian and WN Pacific climate  Washington DC (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Southern Ocean drives massive bloom of tiny phytoplankton  Washington (AFP) Dec 16, 2017Ouch! Sea lions attack swimmers in San Francisco Bay |
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 Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2017 
In temperatures that can drop below -20 degrees Fahrenheit, along a route occasionally blocked by wind-driven ice dunes, a hundred miles from any other people, a team led by two NASA scientists will survey an unexplored stretch of Antarctic ice.
They're packing extreme cold-weather gear and scientific instruments onto sleds pulled by two tank-like snow machines called PistenBullys, and on ... more Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2017A dynamic East Antarctic ice sheet has repeatedly grown and shrunk  Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Tiny ice losses at Antarctica's fringes can accelerate ice loss far away  Hobart, Australia (SPX) Dec 14, 2017World-first uses satellites and ocean models to explain Antarctic seafloor biodiversity |
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 Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017 
Heat plays an important role in flower-pollinator interactions. According to new research, heat patterns serve as signatures for flowers, advertising their availability to passing bees.
When scientists at the University of Bristol analyzed the dispersion of heat across the petals of common garden flowers, like poppies and daisies, they found heat patterns reflect the visual patterns pro ... moreWashington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017Pesticides, poor nutrition deadly one-two combo for honey bees  Basel, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 18, 2017How much soil goes get washed down the drain  Cincinnati OH (SPX) Dec 12, 2017Archaeologist says fire, not corn, key to prehistoric survival in arid Southwest |
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 Jakarta (AFP) Dec 18, 2017 
Eight miners were killed and at least three more were missing following a landslide Monday on the slopes of a volcano on the Indonesian island of Java, officials said.
An avalanche of sand and rock cascaded down the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java about 10:00 am, burying a group of miners digging through the rocks and sand.
"The landslide happened suddenly and immediately buried t ... more Tehran (AFP) Dec 20, 2017Magnitude 5.2 earthquake felt in Iran capital  Matnog, Philippines (AFP) Dec 17, 2017Thousands stranded after storm lashes Philippines Jakarta (AFP) Dec 16, 2017Toll rises to three dead after Indonesia quake |
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 Gbarnga, Liberia (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 
Dekergar Duko, a lean father-of-two who crushes rocks for a living, often reminisces during his days of backbreaking labour about his life under Liberia's warlord-turned-president, Charles Taylor.
Living in a hovel metres (yards) away from the so-called "College of Knowledge" where the dreaded strongman trained child soldiers to kill, Duko recalls when times were so much more comfortable. ... moreBunia, Dr Congo (AFP) Dec 20, 2017UN to close four bases in DR Congo  Harare (AFP) Dec 18, 2017Zimbabwe army chief retires for possible vice-presidency Gbarnga, Liberia (AFP) Dec 20, 2017Liberia's wartime ghosts return to haunt election |
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 Madrid, Spain (SPX) Dec 18, 2017 
A neutral genetic mutation - a fluke in the evolutionary process that had no apparent biological purpose - that appeared over 700 million years ago in biological evolution could help explain the origin of complex organs and structures in human beings and other vertebrates, according to an article published in Nature Communications by a team led by CRG group leader Manuel Irimia, university profe ... more London UK (SPX) Dec 12, 2017Scientists show how Himalayan rivers influenced ancient Indus civilization settlements  Washington (UPI) Dec 8, 2017Scientists revamp 'Out of Africa' model of early human migration  Copenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Dec 11, 2017Archaeologists revise chronology of the last hunter-gatherers in the Near East |
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 New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017 
Just in time for the holidays, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions are rolling out a new satellite-based drought severity index for climate watchers worldwide.
Relying on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission, the index adds terrestrial water storage (groundwater) to drought assessments, augmenting commonly used tools most o ... more London, UK (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Space Climate Observatory agreed ahead of One Planet Summit in Paris  Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017BHP defends climate positions and Paris support  Paris (AFP) Dec 12, 2017'We're losing the battle', Macron tells Paris climate talks |
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 Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2017 
Each year, ozone-depleting compounds in the upper atmosphere destroy the protective ozone layer, and in particular above Antarctica. The ozone layer acts as Earth's sunscreen by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation from incoming sunlight that can cause skin cancer and damage plants, among other harmful effects to life on Earth.
While these different compounds each release either reactiv ... more Los Angeles AFB CA (SPX) Dec 18, 2017Air Force Secretary unveils final DMSP satellite at SMC  Washington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2017Arctic and mid-latitudes in complex weather interplay  Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Space Mystery Solved by Student Satellite |
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 Austin TX (SPX) Dec 14, 2017 
Geologists use zircon mineral grains to reconstruct what the Earth and its landscapes looked like in ancient times. These microscopic grains, commonly the width of a human hair, record detailed information on when and where they formed, making them a standard tool for studying how our planet has changed through the ages.
A new study led by The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School o ... more Chicago IL (SPX) Dec 14, 2017How much can 252-million-year-old ecosystems tell us about modern Earth? A lot  Washington (UPI) Dec 11, 2017Nuclear technology helps scientists study Australia's prehistoric ecosystems  Edinburgh UK (SPX) Dec 11, 2017530-million-year-old fossil has look of world's oldest eye, study suggests |
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 Beijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2017 
China, the world's biggest polluter, unveiled plans on Tuesday for a national carbon market likely to become the world's largest exchange for emissions credits.
Environmentalists praised the move as an important step in the battle against climate change as China burns more coal than any other country, giving it the ignominious title of top greenhouse gas emitter.
Although the long-delaye ... more Baoding, China (AFP) Dec 17, 2017China shivers as shift from coal to gas sputters  Paris (AFP) Dec 12, 2017US void hard to miss at Paris climate summit  Paris (AFP) Dec 7, 2017To save climate, stop investing in fossil fuels: economists |
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 Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Dec 19, 2017 
Before scientists can effectively capture and deploy fusion energy, they must learn to predict major disruptions that can halt fusion reactions and damage the walls of doughnut-shaped fusion devices called tokamaks. Timely prediction of disruptions, the sudden loss of control of the hot, charged plasma that fuels the reactions, will be vital to triggering steps to avoid or mitigate such large-sc ... more Waterloo, Canada (SPX) Dec 18, 2017Battery research could triple range of electric vehicles  Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 18, 2017Laser-boron fusion now 'leading contender' for energy  Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Research dispels misconception of superconductivity in niobium compound |
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 Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 
When life gave one Chinese company giant panda poop, it decided to make paper - and profits.
The Qianwei Fengsheng Paper Company in southwest Sichuan province has teamed up with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda to recycle the animal's faeces and food debris into toilet paper, napkins and other household products, state media reported Wednesday.
The goods, s ... more Washington (UPI) Dec 18, 2017Fossil shows ancient bear had a sweet tooth Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017Plants used to variability most likely to adapt to climate change Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Dec 20, 2017Malaysia's last female Sumatran rhino gravely ill |
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 Beijing (AFP) Dec 18, 2017  Thousands of spectators filled a stadium in China to watch 10 suspects be sentenced to death for crimes ranging from drug-dealing to homicide before they were taken away to be executed at the weekend.
An online video of the rare public trial, held in southern Guangdong province on Saturday, showed the handcuffed suspects paraded around a track by uniformed police officers as onlookers watche ... more Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 15, 2017Three men jailed over Hong Kong explosives plot  Beijing (AFP) Dec 15, 2017Bustling Beijing migrant area turns into ghost town  Beijing (AFP) Dec 14, 2017Chinese dissident's widow sends desperate letter |
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 Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017 
Trees synchronize their reproductive schedule with the North Atlantic Oscillation, a climate pattern that influences zonal winds and the strength of storms.
The NAO describes fluctuations in the region's air pressure differences. Shifts in the region's pressure gradients affect atmospheric circulation and Europe's climate patterns.
And according to the latest analysis, the oscill ... more New Haven CT (SPX) Dec 14, 2017African deforestation not as great as feared  Munich, Germany (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Cascading use is also beneficial for wood  New York NY (SPX) Dec 14, 2017New maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril |
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