Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Relic of Antarctica's first plane found on ice-edge
CAPE DENISON, Antarctica (Reuters) - An Antarctic expedition has found what it believes to be remains of the first aeroplane brought to the frozen continent, on an icy shore near...
Lava tube could house moon colony
TOKYO, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A deep lava tube discovered on the moon could shield human colonists from harsh temperatures and meteorites, Japanese scientists said.
GPS-led travel goes amiss; 3 Ore. parties rescued
(AP) -- In a holiday hurry, Jeramie Griffin piled his family into the car and asked his new GPS for the quickest way from his home in the Willamette...
Urban Environment: Sustainability Comes of Age
A growing number of graduate programs in sustainability address the issues affecting cities.
Will higher global temperatures make it easier for viruses to jump species?
Scientists soon will begin investigating whether viruses that have adapted to higher temperatures -- similar to increases due to global warming -- can jump species more easily.
Fox grants 'brief extension' in cable dispute
(AP) -- Fox and Time Warner Cable extended their contract for a few hours, avoiding a threatened blackout of several stations from the cable provider while the two sides...
Low yield, labor strikes hit Argentine fish exports
BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Amid worries over Argentina's agricultural sales abroad, Argentine fisheries have been hit by falling exports and prospects of ever decreasing yields because of...
The stupefying pace of glacier melt in the 1940s
In the 1940s Swiss glaciers were melting at an even-faster pace than at present, according to new research. This is despite the fact that the temperatures in the 20th century...
China aims for 'green' buildings
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- With the world's highest level of greenhouse gas emissions and the largest market in the world by floor space, building "green" is becoming the...
Gore: Carbon Polluters Like Big Tobacco
Former Vice President Discusses His Ongoing Climate Change Crusade
Ban continues work on climate change
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- World leaders embrace the idea that global climate change requires attention but differ on the best way forward, the U.N. secretary-general said in...
BP-Alaska deals with another spill
PRUDHOE BAY, Alaska, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A spill in Alaska's North Slope region during the inspection of a production site operated by BP-Alaska is worse than expected, environmental...
Canada green lights Mackenzie pipeline
OTTAWA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A seven-member federal panel in Canada backed a long-awaited natural gas pipeline from the western arctic through the Mackenzie River valley.
Solution to killer superbug found in Norway
(AP) -- Aker University Hospital is a dingy place to heal. The floors are streaked and scratched. A light layer of dust coats the blood pressure monitors. A faint...
Welcome To Hotel Boltzmann
“Room for one please!” Josef was impatient. He was tired. It had been a long hot day and he needed a bath. “Of course sir. How many nights?” “Twenty nights, I will...
Storm ‘echoes’ could break up ice shelves
Scientists say ocean rumbling caused by infragravity waves may account for some of the decade's most dramatic ice breakups, which may only get worse as the climate changes. ...
Major offshore quake could surge inland to Seattle area
Large megathrust earthquakes occur on average every 550 years on the northern Cascadia subduction zone, where the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate subducts underneath the North American plate off the...
Permafrost thaw may accelerate Arctic groundwater runoff
As the Arctic warms, permafrost will degrade, potentially resulting in increased groundwater runoff as frozen ground that had blocked the flow of water melts. To investigate how groundwater systems will...
Major Australian droughts traced to different causes
Southeastern Australia has been subject to several severe, long-term droughts during the past century, including the "Federation" drought (1895-1900), the "World War II" drought (1937-1945), and the "Big Dry" (1997...
Natural variability led to extra-cold 2008, research finds
An especially cold year in North America in 2008 led some members of the public and the media to question the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming. In addition, the...
Indian Ocean climate event recurs quicker with global warming
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), an oscillation of sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean, has become a major influence on the weather variations in the Indian Ocean region. During...
Continental roots stress Earth's surface
The Earth's rigid lithosphere varies laterally in thickness and strength. Areas of thicker, older lithosphere known as continental roots penetrate deeper into the mantle in some places under continents. Because...
China's navy mulls push into Arabian Sea
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Chinese admiral's proposal to build a naval base in the Gulf of Aden, ostensibly to supports Beijing's anti-piracy flotilla off Somalia, has...
Order of Canada adds 57 names
Singers Neil Young and Burton Cummings, and humanitarian James Orbinski have become officers of the Order of Canada, Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean has announced.
Geologists turn to unmanned aircraft
LAKEWOOD, Colo., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Geological Survey is turning to unmanned aircraft for a closer look at volcanoes, wildfires and remote areas of the world, officials...
German nod sets Nord Stream build date
BERLIN, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Construction of the Nord Steam natural gas pipeline is on schedule following an approval by German environmental officials, directors said.
Michigan gets 'clean' coal power
JACKSON, Mich., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Michigan environmental regulators cleared a hurdle for state utility Consumers Energy to build a new so-called clean coal plant in the state's eastern...
CNOOC fields online ahead of schedule
HONG KONG, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The China National Offshore Oil Corp. announced Wednesday two oil and gas fields in Bohai Bay near North Korea started production ahead of...