Latest science news in Earth & Climate
California completes undersea parks network
Surviving budget cuts, mobs of angry fishermen, and death threats, California officials Wednesday completed the largest network of undersea parks in the continental United States - 848 square miles of...
Where to go in the US for a white Christmas
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Go to Fairbanks, Alaska, where an inch or more of snow has been on the ground every Christmas day for 50 straight years.
Theory of Grand Canyon flood disputed
Could the origins of the Grand Canyon lie in an enormous flood? The answer is no, says geologist Bill Dickinson, an emeritus professor of geology at the University of Arizona...
Dead Sea Scrolls go digital
JERUSALEM, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Israel Antiquities Authority and Google have launched an online digital library of the Dead Sea Scrolls to mark the 65th anniversary of their...
The Green Revolution is wilting
The Green Revolution has stagnated for key food crops in many regions of the world, according to a study published [...]
Project puts drought-tolerant crops in the spotlight
Water is the most important component of a plant's growth, but researchers have discovered that some plants can survive with less. Researchers in Europe are now working on developing crops...
Countries use innovation to deal with climate change
While we hear of the effect climate change is having around the world, it is refreshing to hear of innovative ways that EU countries are helping to reduce the damage....
A flow of creativity
Gediminas Urbonas, the Mitsui Career Development Associate Professor in Contemporary Technology Photo: Allegra Boverman In May 2011, near the end of MIT’s 150th anniversary celebration, a giant inflatable screen resembling the letters “MIT”...
Global rates of infertility remain unchanged over past 2 decades
In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying. Infertility rates have hardly changed over the past 20 years, according to...
U.S. sued over offshore oil lease plan
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- An environmental group has sued to halt the U.S. administration's plan to auction offshore oil and gas drilling leases, the first since the 2010...
Portable sensors 'phone in' air quality
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've developed a fleet of portable pollution sensors that can be deployed to report air quality in real time to...
Analysis of Marcellus flowback finds high levels of ancient brines
Brine water that flows back from gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region after hydraulic fracturing is many times more salty than seawater, with high contents of various elements, including...
Cloud forecasts could estimate energy needs
You've heard of weather forecasts, but what about a forecast that predicts the shape, size and thickness of clouds? Such predictions could help power companies learn how much energy they...
Ozone levels have sizeable impact on worker productivity
Researchers assessed the impact of pollution on agricultural worker productivity using daily variations in ozone levels. Their results show that ozone, even at levels below current air-quality standards in most...
Crisis in Syria has Mesopotamian precedent, experts say
New research has revealed intriguing parallels between modern day and Bronze-Age Syria as the Mesopotamian region underwent urban decline, government collapse, and drought.
Alaska rediscovers missing moon rocks
Tale of the lunar pebbles' rediscovery includes arson, theft, a science fair photo and a ship's captain from a reality TV show
How 'Indiana Jones' Diary Journeyed Across the Globe
How did a timeworn movie diary end up at the University of Chicago?
Dot Earth Blog: Energy Agency Sees Global Coal Boom Unabated, Europe's Binge Temporary
The global coal surge continues, still led by emerging giants India and China.
Award-winning A/C uses old idea, new materials
If thirst is crucial to knowledge, then one crucial step in the evolution of air conditioning was born in the 1970s, when Ron Judkoff was a hot, thirsty Peace Corp...
Saudi Arabia Stakes a Claim on the Nile
After draining four-fifths of its massive underground aquifer for unsustainable agriculture, the Saudi Kingdom turns to verdant Ethiopia.
Wonders of Wintersession
At Harvard this year, Winter Break will be unusually long: a five-week span from Dec. 21, when exams end, to Jan. 28, when classes resume. For many Harvard College students, what to...
Chamber measurements find plants potentially important methane sink
As a greenhouse gas, methane has a much higher heat-trapping potential than carbon dioxide when considered over the course of a few decades. In recent years, researchers discovered a potentially...
America's most extreme rocks discovered
A soaring mountain range as tall as the Himalayas once towered over the U.S. East Coast. Some 20 miles (32 kilometers) of rock have since transformed into sand and mud,...
Central European summer temperature variability to increase
More extreme heat waves have been observed in central Europe in recent years as summer temperature variability has increased on both daily and interannual timescales. Models project that as the...
How Arctic cyclones help warm up Europe
Santa better have hurricane insurance. Every year, there are thousands of cyclones in the Arctic, some with hurricane-force winds. Before satellites spotted these storms, sailors would return from the North...
Barry’s Corner plan filed
Following several months of community discussions, Samuels & Associates has filed a proposed plan for the Barry’s Corner Residential and Retail Commons project. The project is being proposed jointly with Harvard...
Antarctic sea ice thickness affects algae populations
In the waters off Antarctica, algae grow and live in the sea ice that surrounds the southern continent-a floating habitat sure to change as the planet warms. As with most...
Boosting glass recycling: EU end of waste criteria adopted
On Dec. 31, 2012, the new EU regulation for end of waste criteria for glass cullet will come into force. It will contribute to assure a second life for bottles...