Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Giant iceberg off Australia breaking up
A massive iceberg edging slowly toward Australia's southwestern coast is breaking up into hundreds of smaller icebergs as it drifts into warmer waters.
How Arctic food webs affect mercury in polar bears
With growing concerns about the effects of global warming on polar bears, it's increasingly important to understand how other environmental threats, such as mercury pollution, are affecting these magnificent Arctic...
African anger over climate talks
Negotiations at the UN climate summit have resumed after developing countries had earlier withdrawn their co-operation.
First phase of pan-tropical forest mapping debuting at COP15
Tropical forest loss accounts for an estimated 17% of global emissions of carbon dioxide. As part of a strategy to reduce these greenhouse gas fluxes to the atmosphere, the UNFCCC's...
German Zoo's Bears Struck With Mystery Baldness
Countless hours wasted watching Locked Up have taught me that prison changes a man. And based on developments in a zoo in Leipzig, Germany, it seems like captivity changes a bear as...
New analysis: Disagreement over what constitutes a forest is Achilles' heel of REDD plan
COPENHAGEN (11 December 2009) -- Disagreement over what constitutes a forest could undermine an agreement to protect forests, which is expected to be one of the bright spots at the...
Gravestones Hold Secrets to Earth's Climate Past
Gravestones may help scientists understand changes in the atmosphere.
77 percent of European pigs are castrated without anesthetic
The castration of pigs prevents the "boar taint" smell in the meat and allows them to contain more fat. However in practice this can be very different. Now, for...
New gas find announced in South China Sea
CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Canadian exploration company Husky Energy Inc. announced a deepwater gas discovery in the South China Sea that could yield millions of cubic feet...
BG Group hails Brazilian oil and gas find
BRASILIA, Brazil, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- British gas giant BG Group announced with its partners that tests of the Iara well in the Santos Basin off the Brazilian coast...
Long-Term Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Plants Studied
(PhysOrg.com) -- Long-term, open-top chamber studies of how rising carbon dioxide (CO2) could affect crops, forests, and pastures reveal a wide range of impacts, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS)...
Nanoparticle protects oil in foods from oxidation, spoilage
Using a nanoparticle from corn, a Purdue University scientist has found a way to lengthen the shelf life of many food products and sustain their health benefits...
Climate Conference Begins to Feel Pressure of the Clock
Late on Tuesday, the rising frustration of the poorest developing countries — some undoubtedly fueled by the yawning global divide between rich and poor — was on display in the...
Feature: Northern water assessment informs development capacity
Research on the state of northern Australia's water is helping resource managers decide how best to conserve water in a region where it never rains but it pours.
Logging effects vary based on a forest's history, climate
A Smoky Mountain forest's woodland herb population has shown that climate may play a role in how forest understories recover from logging, according to new research.
Better-than-new LIDAR provides 24/7 atmospheric aerosol data
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers from eight institutions led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has solved a software and hardware problem that had perplexed scientists studying atmospheric aerosols for...
Texas Tech Using Remote Sensing Technology to Improve Peanut Crops
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers are using remote sensing to estimate biophysical characteristics including ground cover and yield.
Don't Blame Cows for Climate Change
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite oft-repeated claims by sources ranging from the United Nations to music star Paul McCartney, it is simply not true that consuming less meat and dairy products will...
N.S. premier heads to Copenhagen meeting
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter and Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau are heading to Copenhagen to participate in the United Nations conference on climate change.
The Cyber Sea: World's First Internet Undersea Science Station Boots Up [Slide Show]
Thanks to a new, wired undersea observatory, when it comes to exploring the deep blue sea, there will be no more of this tethered buoy business or taking ships out...
Israeli scientists create new nanomaterial
TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Israeli scientists say they've created a nanomaterial that may revolutionize solar panels, batteries and even be used as the basis for self-cleaning...
Feds to fund Northwest Passage marine park study
The federal government says it will spend $5 million to study a proposed marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound at the eastern gate of the Northwest Passage.
A changing climate: UNEP maps extreme weather events worldwide | Felicity Carus
From Atlantic hurricanes to Australian droughts, extreme weather events are more frequent and more violentIn the run-up to Copenhagen, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published its Climate Change Science Compendium, a summary...
Snow crystal water determines shape
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. doctoral student says a snowflake's structure is largely determined by a thin layer of water on a snow crystal.
Roy Greenslade: Why did US papers fail to carry climate change leader?
Why was the Miami Herald the only US newspaper to carry the leading article on climate change that was published in 56 titles in 45 countries?And, just as important, why did the...
IAEA enters green energy discussion
VIENNA, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The global community can use peaceful nuclear technology to advance sustainable agricultural production and combat climate change, a nuclear agency said.
Critics: Gas drilling boom taints water
DIMOCK, Pa., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Local U.S. drinking water supplies are being tainted in a push to drill for natural gas in previously untapped areas, critics say.
Iran sets eyes on Caspian oil
TEHRAN, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Iran intends to start sinking exploration wells to exploit the oil reserves in the Caspian Sea by as early as March, oil production executives...