Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Nigeria kidnaps sharpen fears of oil war
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The kidnapping of five Western technicians on an offshore oil platform in Nigerian waters has heightened concern that the West African state's...
Adding Iron to Ocean Would Backfire, Algae Study Suggests
Fertilizing the oceans with iron — a tactic that "geoengineers" have proposed to fight global warming — could inadvertently spur the growth of toxic microbes
Bird beak deformities show big rise: study
Scientists have observed the highest rate of beak abnormalities ever recorded in wild bird populations in Alaska and the Northwest, a study by two United States federal scientists says.
Shock absorbent flooring to reduce injury through falls
A study to see if using 'shock absorbent' flooring can reduce injuries caused by falling in hospitals is being piloted by the University of Portsmouth.
Historian says media was wrong to condemn unions over Solidarnosc
The press - and 1980 Thatcher Government - unfairly criticised the trade union movement over its support for the newly formed Polish Solidarity Trade Union, according to the most detailed...
Opinion: Water is the key to sustainability
Michael Jeffrey and Julian Cribb detail the role of water in sustaining our future and suggests ways to increase our water storage.
GDF sees green in Chilean LNG
PARIS, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A storage tank for liquefied natural gas in northern Chile is part of an effort to shift away from conventional fossil fuels, an energy...
Giza's Sphinx Gives Up a (Small) Secret
Excavators Unearth Walls that Protected the Silent Desert Denizen Against Wind Storms
The Ancient World | The Americas
The tragic demise of the Americas' native civilisations has too long distracted from its impressive cultural feats, argues Colin McEwanOriginal civilisations developed in just a select handful of places across the globe. Two...
Chile's dam complex faces green fury
SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Chile's planned Patagonian dam complex has run into fierce environmentalist opposition in a turn of events seen likely to wash away good will...
MDNR issues ruling on Enbridge oil spill
LANSING, Mich., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Canadian pipeline company Enbridge is ordered to restore affected areas in Michigan as part of a settlement from a July oil spill, a...
Climate change: Water reservoir glacier
Glaciers of large mountain regions contribute, to some extent considerably, to the water supply of certain populated areas. However, in a recent study conducted by Innsbruck glaciologists and climatologists it...
New ocean acidification study shows added danger to already struggling coral reefs
A new study led by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science suggests that over the next century recruitment of new corals could drop...
China to rein in dioxin emissions to help air quality
China has said it aims to cut the intensity of dioxin emissions in key industries by 10 percent by 2015, as part of efforts by the world's top polluter to...
Merapi's latest eruption pushes death toll to 156
Mount Merapi, the central Indonesian volcano that began erupting on Oct. 26, continued its streak of eruptions over the weekend, pushing the death toll from its deadly blasts even higher.
Brazil establishes a fund to mitigate climate change
Brazil has set up a US$132 million fund to finance projects aimed at reducing its emission of greenhouse gases.
Narwhals recruited for ocean studies
SEATTLE, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. climate scientists hoping to collect sea temperature data in the icy, remote waters of Baffin Bay say they have enlisted some unusual helpers...
A Novel Tactic in Climate Fight Gains Some Traction
Some policy experts are trying to use a highly successful international treaty that was ratified more than 20 years ago as a tool to curb climate change.
Mining the Seafloor for Rare-Earth Minerals
China ended its embargo on rare-earth minerals late last month, but the hunt for other options continues.
3 ORNL researchers receive presidential early career award
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers Jeremy Busby, De-en Jiang and Sergei Kalinin are among 13 Department of Energy scientists to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and...
Mysterious Lake Blob Identified as Alien Bryozoan
The 4-foot blob sparked wild speculation…Halloween prank? Lake monster?
Sierra Club opposes billion-dollar bridge 'boondoggle'
Ontario's plans to build a $1.6-billion road to a new bridge at the Windsor-Detroit border is a 'billion-dollar boondoggle' that threatens a rare ecosystem and species in the area, the...
Please don't privatise Pompeii
These Italian ruins should be preserved, but not turned into a theme parkI went to Pompeii last month. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The scale is...
Some like it hot
If heat is needed to kickstart life, water may be the only crucible, argues Philip Ball.
Gulf Oil Plumes Still a Threat?
Are giant plumes of oil droplets in the Gulf of Mexico, detected by scientists in the months following the BP oil spill, still a threat to the Gulf's marine life?...
Thousands flee city at foot of Mount Merapi
Indonesians fearing more eruptions escape ash and smoke from volcanic explosionsTrains, buses and rented cars crammed with people fled a bustling, ash-choked city of 400,000 at the foot of Mount Merapi todayafter another...
Mining the maritime past for clues to climate's future
Researchers collect data with a mashup of 19th century ship records and 21st century crowdsourcing
NASA sees Tropical Depression Jal’s remnants entering and leaving India
Jal was a tropical storm when it made landfall this weekend on the east coast of India and tracked across the country while weakening into a remnant low pressure area....