Latest science news in Earth & Climate
BP Shortcuts Led to Gulf Oil Spill, Report Says
Investigators said the cause of the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was a failure of the cement at the base of the 18,000-foot-deep well.
Ancient Toothy Fish Once Prowled Arctic Waters
The beast would've been one of the biggest fish in the sea.
Non-native earthworms are damaging hardwood forests
Think of earthworms and a few things come to mind: they make great bait for fishing, they aerate the soil, and they're an excellent addition to a compost pile. But...
Wayward penguin "Happy Feet" has gone MIA
The wayward penguin released back into wild from New Zealand is missing in Southern Ocean
Cheers as Australia's carbon tax hits parliament
Cheers erupted in Australia's Parliament House after Prime Minister Julia Gillard presented her bill for a new pollution tax she hopes will help counter climate change.
Predator drones do domestic duty
In recent months, the unmanned spy planes have been put to work fighting fires and flooding. Privacy watchdogs are uneasy.Most days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer David Gasho sends...
New barrier keeps water clean
Water for drinking and domestic use can be kept safe and clean from a type of underground barrier, a hydrogeology expert says.
Sustainability scientists suggest how countries can cooperate on climate
Experts suggest using game theory and a scalable method of rewards and punishments (called linear compensation) to help develop strategies that encourage all nations to participation fully in greenhouse gas...
Federal Wilderness Act And Environmentalists Prevent Endangered Trout Recovery
One long-standing myth is that any law claiming to be good for the environment is actually good for the environment. Anyone living along levees in the South who watched...
Climate forecasts extended
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they can make climate forecasts out to 16 months, nearly twice the length of time previously achieved by climate scientists.
Honduran earthquake of 2009 destroyed half of coral reefs of Belizean Barrier Reef lagoon
Earth's coral reefs have not been faring well in recent decades, facing multiple threats from pollution, disease, elevated water temperatures, and overfishing. Often referred to as the "rainforests of the...
Geoscientists Get to Work as Quake Memories Fade
The magnitude 5.8 quake that struck central Virginia on Aug. 23 offers a chance to learn more about the seismology of the East Coast.
Health fears over CO2 storage are unfounded, study shows
Capturing carbon dioxide from power stations and storing it deep underground carries no significant threat to human health, despite recently voiced fears that it might, a new study shows. Researchers...
Offshore oil drilling debated at Arctic meetings
The National Energy Board's weeklong roundtable on Arctic offshore petroleum operations begins in Inuvik.
Scientists suggest how countries can cooperate on climate
When countries try to work together to limit the effects of climate change, the fear of being the only nation reducing greenhouse gas emissions while the others enjoy the...
Summer of Extreme Weather Ends with a Bang
August finishes off a summer of near record weather in style.
Vancouver marks birth of Greenpeace 40 years ago
A simple phone call about dead sea otters washing up on the shores of Alaska after US nuclear tests lead to the birth of environmental organization Greenpeace four decades ago.
$4M study to look at North's thawing permafrost
A major four-year research project looking at global warming's impact on permafrost and how it will affect Arctic development is getting underway.
Uganda's tea trade threatened by rising temperatures
Uganda's 60,000 smallholder tea farmers may lose their livelihoods as temperatures rise.
Blast at French Nuclear Waste Facility Kills One
An explosion at a French plant that burns and melts nuclear waste has killed one...
Scientists use commercial enzyme to improve grain ethanol production
A commercial enzyme could reduce overall costs linked with producing ethanol from grain, and also reduce associated emissions of greenhouse gases, according to a new study.
E-waste ‘may spread worldwide’
So dire is the electronic waste contamination problem in Asia that it can potentially spread worldwide, an environmental expert warns.
Forest logging risks wildfire
Logging mountain ash forests puts the area at risk of mega wildfires, environmental researchers warn.
New chemicals ‘a concern’
New toxic chemicals, widely found in Earth’s air, water, soil and organisms, are a public health concern, scientists warn.
SpongeBob in hot water over study of 4-year-olds
Study of 4-year-olds suggests watching nine minutes of cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants linked to short-term attention and learning problems.
Research Consortium Awarded $20 Million to Study Long-Term Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
A scientific consortium led by the University of Mississippi has been awarded $20 million over three years to study lingering environmental effects of the massive 2010 oil spill in the...
Experts: Texas Tech Toxicologists Warn of Toxic Chemicals in Water from Northeastern Flooding
Experts can discuss dangers after floodwaters recede.
Green Blog: How Dead Is Yucca Mountain?
Does a vote taken on Friday by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seal the waste repository's fate or keep it alive? Or is everything up in the air, legally speaking?