Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Whale meet ends with peace agenda
The International Whaling Commission's annual meeting ends with members agreeing to try and resolve their differences.
Dry Tortugas Show Positive Trends: Protected Area Slowly Rebounding
Thirty-eight research divers recently completed a successful 20-day biennial census to measure how the protected status of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Tortugas Ecological Reserve and Dry Tortugas National...
Abandoned farms might be key to bioenergy
STANFORD, Calif., June 25 (UPI) -- U.S. bioenergy scientists say abandoned or degraded agricultural land might be the key to biofuels becoming a sustainable part of the world's...
Acid rain studied in Adirondack lakes
TROY, N.Y., June 25 (UPI) -- U.S. environmental scientists say they have created one of the most comprehensive databases on the effects of acid rainfall.
Flooding plan 'needs improvement'
Flood defence must be taken more seriously if communities are to be protected, a report on last summer's flooding says.
Life On The Edge: To Disperse, Or Become Extinct?
The hardiest plants and those most likely to survive the climatic shifts brought about by global warming are now easier to identify. Plants existing at the edges of their natural...
Brian Beutler: James Hansen's climate change activism is hurting his own cause
Brian Beutler: James Hansen's scientific expertise has sparked action on climate change, but his demagoguery is hurting his own cause
NASA creates climate change info Web site
WASHINGTON, June 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it's created a Web site devoted to educating the public about Earth's changing climate.
Canadians argue for polar bear hunt
(AP) -- Officials from northern Canada were in Washington on Monday to make an unpopular argument: Let U.S. hunters continue to kill polar bears for sport.
Microbes Eating Away at Pieces of History
Micro-organisms are threatening Angkor Wat and other historic landmarks.
Follow the Silt
Stream restoration is big business but some scientists are wondering if it’s being done right.
Black flies thriving in cleaner rivers
BOSTON, June 23 (UPI) -- Scientists said black flies are thicker than ever in Maine this year, thanks in part to efforts to clean up lakes and rivers.
Reducing Impact Of Climate Change On Estuaries, Forests, Wetlands And Coral Reefs
The US Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that can help reduce the potential impact of climate change on estuaries, forests, wetlands, coral reefs and other sensitive ecosystems. The...
Selenium can trace ocean oxygen history
LEICESTER, England, June 23 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've found the chemical element selenium can be used to determine how oceans' oxygen content has changed.
Harsh climate weathered away early rocks
The climate of early Earth was no day at the beach, with stinging acid rains and an intensely warm surface, a new study suggests.
Comcast's Fandango acquires Movies.com from Disney
(AP) -- Movie ticketing and entertainment site Fandango Inc. said Monday it has acquired Movies.com from Walt Disney Co. for an undisclosed amount.
Microbes: Smarter than we think?
PRINCETON, N.J., June 23 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists, for the first time, say they have discovered bacteria do not just react to environmental changes, but can anticipate and...
Irish scientists probe seaweed power
Ireland could become a key player in the production of biofuel from seaweed, scientists told a conference in the west of the country on Monday.
Students Join Science Team to Chase and Capture Tornado Data
Iowa State University students are spending May and June chasing tornadoes. Yes, there's some adrenaline involved. But what they're really after is some data about the weather conditions near a...
Reliance On Unverifiable Observations Hinders Successful Conservation Of Wildlife Species
Researchers from the US Forest Service's Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain Research Stations examined three cases of biological misunderstandings in which unverifiable, anecdotal observations were accepted as empirical evidence. Ultimately,...
France in EU row over tuna catch
France clashes with the EU Commission after it calls an early halt to bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean.
Pandas facing bamboo shortage in China's quake zone: report
China's giant pandas are facing severe food shortages after last month's magnitude-8.0 earthquake which devastated large swathes of bamboo forest in the nation's southwest, state media reported.
Put oil firm chiefs on trial, says leading climate change scientist
Speech to US Congress will criticise lobbyists and call for 'revolutionary' policies to tackle crisis
Can the Martian arctic support extreme life?
(AP) -- Bizarre microbes flourish in the most punishing environments on Earth from the bone-dry Atacama Desert in Chile to the boiling hot springs of Yellowstone National Park to...
At Toyota greenhouse, C02 emissions no villain
In a sprawling greenhouse with shiny silver ducts running through, stacks of cardboard boxes feature prints of a flower alongside the distinctive red Toyota logo.
Hong Kong's carbon trading move too little, too late: analysts
Hong Kong has joined the international carbon trading structure with a promise to slash emissions, but analysts say the move will fail to produce any serious reductions in greenhouse gases.
Air Travel and Carbon on Increase in Europe
The low-cost airline industry has democratized air travel in Europe, but has also pumped a huge amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Sea of Trash
The world’s oceans are filling with bottles, wrappers and other flotsam. Is there anything better to be done than picking it off the beach, one piece at a time?
