Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Tehran awaits Gazprom role in IPI
TEHRAN, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The proposed Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline is among the projects of interest for Russian investors, officials from Russian gas giant Gazprom said.
Dolphins smarter than chimps
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Dolphins have proven so intelligent that it is morally repugnant to kill them for food or hold them captive in aquariums, U.S. researchers...
Ancient Mars Lakes Revealed in New Images
Vast lakes of melted ice existed on Mars more recently than previously thought, new images suggest.
Arctic Ocean awakening as ice melts
The rapid loss of summer ice cover is creating internal waves in the Arctic waters that could dramatically change life there — and perhaps even accelerate the sea ice loss. ...
Reducing some water flow rates may bring environmental gains
Conservation projects often attempt to enhance the water-based transport of material, energy, and organisms in natural ecosystems. River restoration, for example, commonly includes boosting maximum flow rates. Yet in some...
China oil spill threatens Yellow River
BEIJING, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A diesel spill from a ruptured pipeline operated by state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. has seriously contaminated two Yellow River tributaries.
Study Finds Phosphorus Level That Leads to Declines in Stream Water Quality
A new Baylor University study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency has found that concentrations of phosphorus above 20 parts per billion (ppb) are linked to declines in water quality...
Indian farmers call for local crop focus
India must harness resilient local species to aid adaptation to climate change, says a farmers' jury, and focus less on hybrid seeds.
Climate change has no time for delay or denial | Rajendra Pachauri
Powerful vested interests and climate sceptics will work overtime to block legislation and discredit the science ahead of the next global climate summit in MexicoIt is often said by perceptive observers that a...
Cairn Energy set for Greenland drilling
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A semisubmersible drilling rig off the coast of Western Greenland is secured for an exploration program set for summer 2010, Cairn Energy said...
GDP is misleading measure of wealth, says top economist
The most commonly used measure of overall economic output is misleading and inaccurate, according to one of the world's leading economists, who says Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ignores the value...
Acid-hurt wetlands restored
Australian scientists have become the first in the world to successfully restore a coastal wetland that had been damaged by acid runoff.
Brazil creates policy against climate change
The Brazilian president has signed a policy outlining the country’s aim to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 30 per cent.
Giant Salamanders Helped to Spawn
A new program in Japan is helping giant salamanders get past dams built to control flooding so the rare amphibians can lay their eggs upstream. Video.
Maritimes recover after 'weather bomb'
East Coast residents are cleaning up after a powerful storm pummelled the Maritimes over the weekend, claiming the lives of at least three people.
2 quakes hit Solomon Islands
Two major earthquakes rock the Solomon Islands, destroying or damaging scores of homes and unleashing a tsunami that crashed ashore. Initial reports said no one was seriously hurt.
Lava flows ravage national park forest in DRCongo
Lava flowing from a volcanic eruption in eastern DR Congo was gathering pace and set to destroy up to 10 hectares (25 acres) of forest in Virunga National Park by...
Hong Kong air pollution: 'life-threatening' levels
Hong Kong's roadside air pollution reached life-threatening levels one in every eight days last year, a report said Monday, citing figures obtained from the government.
Research report foresees no 'armed mad dash for resources' in the Arctic
With climate change making the Arctic gradually more accessible, some observers have suggested that interest in Arctic natural resources and disputed marine borders could take on a military aspect. A...
Industry Drops Flame Retardant
Toxic Substances: Producers of decabde will shift to green alternatives.
Cross-border conservation efforts can yield better results at less cost
Coordination of conservation efforts across national boundaries could achieve significantly higher results and at less cost than conservation actions planned within individual states, researchers have found.
Fault weaknesses, the center cannot hold for some geologic faults
Some geologic faults that appear strong and stable, slip and slide like weak faults. Now geologists have provided laboratory evidence showing why some faults that "should not" slip are weaker...
Geosciences: Melt rises to Earth's surface up to 25 times faster than previously assumed
Scientists have successfully determined the permeability of the asthenosphere in the Earth's upper mantle and thus the rate at which melt rises to the Earth's surface: it flows up to...
Bee landing triggers reflex
Researchers have found that, when landing, bees do a reflex action if their antennae brush something – helping them land on tricky angles.
Forest cannot block tsunami
A review of studies has found that planting coastal forest is no use against tsunami – and can even be counterproductive.
Yemen sends more troops to al-Qaida strongholds
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- Yemen deployed several hundred extra troops to two mountainous eastern provinces that are al-Qaida's main strongholds in the country and where the...
Hunters kill 20 wolves in first Swedish hunt in 45 years
Hunters shot dead 20 wolves in Sweden on Saturday on the first day of the country's first authorised wolf hunt in 45 years, according to a toll issued by Swiss...
Philippine volcano calming; thousands head home
(AP) -- Thousands of villagers evacuated from near the Philippines' most active volcano headed home Saturday after scientists said the rumbling mountain was showing signs it was calming down.