Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Coral cores show sea history
A research team has raised cores of coral from the Great Barrier Reef to look at how sea level has changed – and it doesn’t look smooth.
Decontaminating dangerous drywall
A nanomaterial originally developed to fight toxic waste is now helping reduce debilitating fumes in homes with corrosive drywall...
New theory of why midcontinent faults produce earthquakes
A new theory developed at Purdue University may solve the mystery of why the New Madrid fault, which lies in the middle of the continent and not along a tectonic...
Deadly gas explosion destroys building in Calif.
By THOMAS WATKINS 2010-07-30T23:17:36Z LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A deadly gas explosion obliterated an industrial building with such violent...
On Our Radar: Oil Spill Larger Than China Admits
An American oil spill consultant suggests the Chinese spill was larger than the government admits.
Survey says biodiversity down at Chernobyl
PRIPYAT, Russia, July 30 (UPI) -- Researchers say a wildlife census in the exclusion zone surrounding the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia shows animal populations are...
World Population to Hit 7 Billion Next Year
The Population Reference Bureau has projected that in 2011, the planet Earth will be home to more than seven billion living humans. At current growth rates, we'll top 9 billion...
Photos: Algae Blankets China Beaches; Dead Zone Brewing?
Mats of green algae have covered miles of coastline in China, creating foul odors and possibly choking life underneath the waves. ...
'Winter tire' boot aims to thwart icy falls
Despite the summer weather outside, researchers at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute are donning parkas and heading into a frigid lab to design a winter boot that helps prevent slips and...
Chile prepares for possible quake
Chilean authorities begin to prepare for a possible earthquake that could strike the north of the country "at any time", say scientists.
Water a basic right, U.N. says
UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (UPI) -- Access to clean drinking water and sanitation is a basic human right, the U.N. General Assembly said in a symbolic resolution. ...
IceCube drillers train for final Antarctic season
(PhysOrg.com) -- The sweltering Wisconsin summer is a far cry from conditions at the South Pole, but ice drillers from around the United States will gather next week in Stoughton...
Research Could Improve Leather Tanning
South Dakota State University research funded in part by the Environmental Protection Agency could lead to a cleaner, greener leather tanning industry.
Louisiana reopens fishing grounds after spill closure
Louisiana has reopened wide swaths of state fishing grounds that were closed in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill after seafood testing, the state said.
Fishless Lake in Adirondacks Shows Signs of Recovery
Acid rain killed the fish, but ecosystems could thrive again.
Tweaking technology for the bottom four billion
With a bit of imagination, technologies can be made cheap enough for the poor, but investors are needed, finds Kafil Yamin.
Clean Your Plate, Save Energy
Conservation: The U.S. wastes as much energy in tossed-out food as Sweden consumes in a year.
Scientists test cutting-edge technology for underwater mapping at Tahoe basin
A borrowed boat, a small mountain lake and the inaugural run of a half-a-million dollar state-of-the-art multi-beam sonar system made history this month with the successful high-definition mapping of the...
Grim task of China oil clean-up
China is struggling with an arduous clean up after the country's worst oil spill, with grim conditions for those involved.
Ruptured Earth -- in the aftermath of the Chilean earthquake
On 27 February 2010, a gargantuan 8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile, the fifth largest event ever recorded by modern seismology.
Mass coral bleaching closes dive sites, threatens future of world's most diverse marine region
Mass coral bleaching caused by global warming is threatening the health of the Coral Triangle, a vast marine region that is home to 76% of all known corals in the...
Japanese rescue-bot can sniff out disaster survivors (w/ Video)
Japanese emergency services are to trial a small tank-like rescue robot that can search rubble for survivors and deliver water, food or cellphones in disaster zones.
Oil spill waste raises concerns in the gulf
BP has hauled more than 35,000 tons of solid waste to regional landfills. But one Mississippi county, worried about safety, has stopped it. ...
Gulf of Mexico Has Long Been a Sink of Pollution
The gulf has been suffering for decades before the rig explosion, with the oil industry, farming and lax oversight contributing to a dead zone in the gulf.
A final solution to gulf oil leak may be at hand
The 'static kill' operation to plug the well for good could begin as early as Sunday. One expert puts its chances of success at 'close to 100%.' ...
Plumes Finger Oil Spill
Geochemistry: BP leak is behind undersea oil plumes, isotopic analyses confirm.
Lessons From Two Important Climate Forecasts
A great climate scientist is defined by his successful forecast of warming and his acceptance that another forecast was flawed.
What Will Happen During the Next 100 Days of the Oil Spill?
What Will Happen During the Next 100 Days of the Gulf Oil Spill?