Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Winter Olympics Science Notes: Ski Jumping
The first gold medal of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics went to Switzerland's Simon Ammann, who won the normal hill ski jumping competition on Feb. 13 with a top jump...
Belief in climate change plunges
Recent polls suggest the public in the UK and US are becoming increasingly sceptical about climate change
Going for Gold: a physiologist’s view of champion cross-country skiers
Cross-country skiing is one of the most demanding of all Olympic sports, with skiers propelling themselves at speeds that exceed 20-25 km per hour over distances as long as 50...
$80 Million Plan to Keep Asian Carp Out
If the Intrusive Fish Makes its way into the Great Lakes, Experts Worry it Could Upset the $7 Billion Fishing Industry
Geographers help map devastation in Haiti
In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, geography students are participating in a global effort to enhance the international response and recovery effort by helping to assess damage, using...
Where next for the IPCC?
Five climate experts offer their views on how best to reform the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Earth's climate may 'tip' without warning
DAVIE, Calif., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says the Earth's climate's "tipping point" -- when climate change becomes an irreparable global disaster -- might occur without warning.
Low gas imports haunt Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Colombian gas exports to Venezuela collapsed in January, complicating an energy emergency declared by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Finns host Baltic clean-up talks
Leaders from Baltic countries meet in Finland to discuss how to clean up what is said to be the world's most polluted sea.
We need to realise Africa's potential on agriculture
African farmers must be able to access the knowledge and tools they need to unleash agriculture's full potential for the continent, says Sithembile NdemaIn the developed world, people often refer to sustainability in...
No Cause Found for Cluster of Birth Defects
Health officials said there was no evidence of a single cause for defects in a California town that is next to the largest hazardous waste landfill in the West.
Putting a value on nature could set scene for true green economy||Pavan Sukhdev
Much environmental damage has been caused by the way we do business. Is there a way of changing our economic models from being part of the problem into part of the solution?The...
Thirty-eight percent of world's surface in danger of desertification
Researchers have measured the degradation of the planet's soil using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a scientific methodology that analyses the environmental impact of human activities, and which now for...
Britain in space: Fleet of satellites at heart of 20-year plan
Report proposes satellites to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and broadcast hi-tech television and internet servicesA constellation of satellites that gaze down on Earth will be the centrepiece of Britain's space mission if plans...
Google Maps climbs to Olympic peaks
Google sent snowmobiles rigged with cameras into Canadian mountains so folks snug and warm at home will get views of slopes at the Winter Olympic Games kicking off on Friday.
URI researcher calls for global effort to monitor marine pollutants
A University of Rhode Island researcher who studies chemical pollutants in the marine environment has called on colleagues around the world to establish a global monitoring network to verify that...
Brown pelicans struggling to survive
All along the Oregon coast over the last month, hundreds of brown pelicans have turned up dead, starving or begging for food.
Animals cope with climate change at the dinner table
Some animals, it seems, are going on a diet, while others have expanding waistlines. It's likely these are reactions to rapidly rising temperatures due to global climate change, speculates Prof....
'Revolutionary' water treatment units on their way to Afghanistan
The United States Army has taken delivery of the first two units of a "revolutionary" waste-water treatment system that will clean putrid water within 24 hours and leave no toxic...
CNOOC posts gas find in South China Sea
HONG KONG, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The China National Offshore Oil Corp. announced the discovery of natural gas at its deepwater LiuHua exploration block in the South China Sea.
Exxon taps into Point Thomson gas field
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. supermajor Exxon Mobil announced it drilled its first development well at the Point Thomson gas field on Alaska's North Slope.
Barren Middle East fights water shortfall
Water shortages are severe in the Middle East but farmers are set to benefit from a programme designed to make every drop count.
Nigeria deploys indigenous oil rigs
ABUJA, Nigeria, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Nigerian drilling contractor SeaWolf Oil Services Ltd. deployed its first indigenous jack-up rigs to offshore fields to explore for oil and gas.
Stranded panda lured to safety in China
Villagers in southwestern China's Sichuan province discovered a panda stranded on a steep mountain face, apparently too scared to climb down, state media reported Tuesday. China...
California Utilities to Store Off-Peak Power In Blocks of Ice
It seems like a perennial story in the Golden State: the temperatures go up, air conditioners across the state kick into high gear and power utilities simply can't keep up. Now, a...
Chinese farms 'cause more pollution than factories'
Groundbreaking government survey pinpoints fertilisers and pesticides as greater source of water contaminationFarmers' fields are a far bigger source of water contamination in China than factory effluent, the Chinese government revealed today in...
In Utah, company aims to store energy in air
A Utah company plans to dig a series of underground caverns that it hopes to one day fill with compressed air, releasing it to generate electricity by turning a turbine...
Warm world will be more fragrant
Climate change will make the world more fragrant, as warming temperatures make plants release more chemicals, according to a major scientific review.