Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Japan tsunami touches New Zealand
Such was the scale of last Friday's tsunami that sizeable waves reached right across the Pacific basin to New Zealand and the Antarctic, say NZ researchers.
Study: Neanderthals had control of fire
BOULDER, Colo., March 15 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say evidence shows Neanderthals in Europe achieved continuous control of fire as far back as 400,000 years ago.
Airborne chemistry measurements used to assess flow rate, fate of spilled gases and oil during Gulf oil spill
NOAA scientists and academic partners have found a way to use air chemistry measurements taken hundreds of feet above last years BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to estimate how fast...
San Francisco: Living on borrowed time?
Gallery: San Francisco has always played down the likelihood of a killer quake - despite a troubling tectonic history
Arctic May Face Record Loss of Ozone This Spring
Lingering CFCs continue to menace the Arctic ozone layer.
'Pancake' stingrays found in Amazon
IQUITOS, Peru, March 14 (UPI) -- Scientists say they have discovered two new species of freshwater stingrays in the Amazon rain forest and dubbed them "pancake" rays.
Scientists describe 'fossil seismograph'
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 14 (UPI) -- Scientists at Tel Aviv University in Israel say they've developed a "fossil seismograph" that can uncover signs of ancient seismic activity.
Water for an integrative climate paradigm
International climate negotiations are deadlocked between the affluent global North and 'developing' South, between political Left and Right, and between believers and deniers. Now, authors writing in the latest issue...
Tree stumps yield Illinois fire history
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., March 14 (UPI) -- A 226-year history of fires in southern Illinois has been constructed from an examination of fire scars in old-growth tree stumps, researchers say.
Japan's quake part of destructive cluster?
Cosmic Log: In the past year, massive earthquakes have rattled three corners of the Pacific plate — Chile, New Zealand, and Japan. Is the fourth corner of the plate —...
Quake Moves Japan Closer to U.S. and Alters Earth’s Spin
The unbuckling of two tectonic plates shifted Japan’s coastline by up to 13 feet, and a 250-mile-long section dropped in altitude by about two feet.
Plastic in Arctic seabirds worries biologist
Arctic seabirds are eating more plastic, raising questions about where that plastic comes from, says Canadian Wildlife Service biologist Mark Mallory.
Earthquake Rocks Japan's Chemical Industry
Disaster: Many firms' plants are shut down indefinitely as nation struggles through aftermath.
FOR KIDS: Gulf floor got slimed
Oil from BP spill was likely dragged down by bacterial goo
Wood Smoke Wafts Up Health Concerns
NORDEN, Calif. - On a frosty evening in the Sierra Nevada, smoke curling from the chimney of the Clair Tappaan Lodge is a welcome sight to chilly snowshoers and cross-country...
Sunlight Triggers Nitrous Oxide Formation
Atmospheric Chemistry: Scientists discover a source of the important greenhouse gas and ozone destroyer.
Snares in BP deal with Rosneft
MOSCOW, March 14 (UPI) -- The Russian billionaires who represent the Russian half of TNK-BP said their British counterparts struck down a proposal to join a Rosneft alliance.
Europeans want better climate action
LONDON, March 14 (UPI) -- The European community needs concrete plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions if it hopes to reach 2050 benchmarks, ministers said.
Could Amateur Taxonomists Catalog Earth's Fauna?
Taxonomy has a reputation as one of science's least glamorous fields, and experts have...
BP expands ethanol portfolio
LONDON, March 14 (UPI) -- BP announced it would be able to produce 9 million barrels of ethanol per year with the acquisition of production facilities in Brazil.
A research study analyzes marine spill prevention policies in Spain
A study at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain) analyzing the capacity of a society to deal with maritime disasters such as the Prestige concludes that in Spain public...
Dot Earth: 'Republicans for Environmental Protection' – Endangered Species?
Should the group "Republicans for Environmental Protection" drop the word Republican from its name?
Climate change's impact on Arctic regions by 2099: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine the vast, empty tundra in Alaska and Canada giving way to trees, shrubs and plants typical of more southerly climates. Imagine similar changes in large parts of...
Disaster in Japan highlights need for improved warning system
(PhysOrg.com) -- As the world tried to make sense of the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that rocked Japan on Friday, University of Rhode Island Professor of Ocean Engineering Stephan...
Anatomy of a tsunami
Several videos discussing tsunamis; what they are, how they are created, how to know when one is approaching and what to do to avoid being hurt or killedI grew up on the...
N. Zealand sceptics defy 'Moonman' quake prophecy
Geologists, engineers and like-minded sceptics will meet in earthquake-devastated Christchurch Sunday to mock "junk science" predictions another major tremor will hit the city this weekend.
Like oil and water in the gulf
As Cuba explores for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. embargo could hurt both countries. Cooperation and engagement, however, could benefit American firms and protect the environment.Cuba and...
San Diego Zoo going deep with its research
The zoo is taking over the Cocha Cashu Biological Station in one of the most remote and diverse places on earth: the Amazon rain forest of Peru. It's a perfect...