Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Lionfish Decimating Tropical Fish Populations, Threatening Coral Reefs
The invasion of predatory lionfish in the Caribbean region poses yet another major threat there to coral reef ecosystems -- a new study has found that within a short period...
Icelandic Volcanoes Help Researchers Understand Potential Effects Of Eruptions
For the first time, researchers have taken a detailed look at what lies beneath all of Iceland's volcanoes -- and found a world far more complex than they ever imagined....
Invasive Species Get Expensive
Foreign species that slipped into the Great Lakes in ballast tanks of oceangoing cargo ships cost the regional economy at least $200 million a year.
Outlook For Air Quality In Beijing For Olympics Is Borderline
The outlook for air quality in Beijing during the Olympics is borderline, and there's little that the Chinese government can do to improve it. That's the conclusion drawn by atmospheric...
Mitigating Climate Change By Improving Forest Management In The Tropics
Botanists argue that by ignoring evidence that better forest management practices can substantially reduce carbon emissions, negotiators are missing an obvious and cost-effective approach to mitigating the effects of global...
British Showers Most Wasteful And Inconsiderate In Western Europe, Survey Suggests
Water-wasting and uncaring about gels, shampoos and soap going down the plughole: that's how the British emerge from a survey on showering habits of western Europeans. The Royal Society of...
California Wildfires As Seen From Remotely Piloted Aircraft
A remotely piloted aircraft carrying a NASA sensor flew over much of California earlier this week, gathering information that will be used to help fight more than 300 wildfires burning...
New Report: Greatest Value of Forests is Sustainable Water Supply
(PhysOrg.com) -- The forests of the future may need to be managed as much for a sustainable supply of clean water as any other goal, researchers say in a new...
The Science Behind the Aug. 1 Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse Aug. 1 will be seen only by a handful of observers.
Climate change: Warming may cause increase in kidney stone cases, say US scientists
Endangered species. Economic decay. Extreme weather. The list of climate change's destructive costs is long, but US scientists today proposed adding one more: millions of new kidney stone cases
Crop Residue May Be Too Valuable to Harvest for Biofuels
In the rush to develop renewable fuels from plants, converting crop residues into cellulosic ethanol would seem to be a slam dunk. However, the stems and leaves left over after...
NASA Mission To Be Crystal Ball Into Oceans' Future, Mirror To The Past
Imagine the lives that could be saved from flash floods and drought, the millions of dollars in fuel costs that could be avoided for fishing vessels, and the homes that...
Tropical depression could form in Atlantic: NHC
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The low-pressure system about 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles may still develop into a tropical depression over the next day or two, the U.S....
Undersea Volcanic Rocks Offer Vast Repository For Greenhouse Gas, Says Study
A group of scientists has used deep ocean-floor drilling and experiments to show that volcanic rocks off the West Coast and elsewhere might be used to securely imprison huge amounts...
New Coral Bleaching Prediction System Calls For Low Level Of Bleaching In Caribbean This Year
A new coral bleaching prediction system indicates that there will be some bleaching in the Caribbean later this year, but the event will probably not be severe. The system also...
Seismic Waves From Mine Collapses Can Now Be Distinguished From Other Seismic Activities
Researchers have devised a technology that can distinguish mine collapses from other seismic activity. Using the large seismic disturbance associated with the Crandall Canyon mine collapse last August, scientists applied...
Summer Storms Could Mean More Dead Zones
It's summertime and people are flocking to the coasts around the country. But when summer storms arrive, it's not only beach-goers who are affected; the rains can also have an...
Special Preview of "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil" Exhibition
Special preview of new soils exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Thursday July 17, 9:30 a.m.
New Guns N' Roses song to debut on game sequel Rock Band 2
Devoted Guns N' Roses fans awaiting the long-postponed album Chinese Democracy could finally be seeing it in the near future, after a new song from the band was unveiled as...
Bush lifts offshore drilling ban
US President George W. Bush on Monday lifted a White House ban on offshore oil drilling and urged lawmakers to follow suit amid an election-year fight over painfully high gasoline...
K-State's Konza Prairie A Candidate Site for Scientists to Study Effects of Global Change
A Kansas State University grassland holds the potential to help scientists better understand the effects of global change on the earth's ecosystems.
Batter Up: Shattering Sticks Create Peril in MLB Ballparks [News]
Witness the following: On June 24, home plate umpire Brian O'Nora was hospitalized after the broken barrel of a bat hit him on the head during a game between the...
Israeli lifeguard discovers 2,500-year-old relic
An Israeli lifeguard taking his regular morning swim off the Mediterranean coast in southern Israel discovered a 2,500-year-old marble talisman to ward off the evil eye, the Israel Antiquities Authority...
Seas Striped With Newfound Currents
Sailors and scientists have been mapping ocean currents for centuries, but it turns out they've missed something big.
Killer Phytoplankton from Hell
Human and natural activity are to blame for the excess growth of phytoplankton causing "Dead Zones" of aquatic life. Credit: NASA/GSFC
Ecology, Economics and Soil Societies Brief Congress on Post-Wildfire Resource Management
On Wednesday, 9 July, three prominent scientific societies sponsored briefings on Capitol Hill to inform lawmakers about how to manage natural areas after they have been impacted by wildfire.
Projected California Warming Promises Cycle Of More Heat Waves, Energy Use For Next Century
As the 21st century progresses, major cities in heavily air-conditioned California can expect more frequent extreme-heat events because of climate change. This could mean increased electricity demand for the densely...
Marine bill 'can strike balance'
Energy investment in Scotland's seas can be balanced with protecting marine wildlife and seabirds, the Scottish Government claims.