Earth & Environment - Dec 16, 2010 17:47 - 1 Comment

Stored CO2 may be earthquake trigger

STANFORD (US) — Storing massive amounts of carbon dioxide underground in an effort to combat global warming could potentially cause small to moderate earthquakes. (more…)

Science & Technology - Dec 1, 2010 17:50 - 1 Comment

Males lose fights: Females lose interest

STANFORD (US) — Even after a female fish shows preference for a particular male, if she witnesses him lose a fight, her feelings change. A new study suggests humans may subconsciously behave in the same way. (more…)

Science & Technology - Nov 9, 2010 11:49 - 0 Comments

Neurons have minds of their own

STANFORD (US) — Neurons in the brain trigger physical movements in the body, but at times seem to fire in a crazy quilt pattern just before and during the movement. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Sep 21, 2010 11:13 - 1 Comment

Marlin migration tracked across equator

STANFORD (US) — Anglers in Hawaii are teaming up with researchers to track the migration of Pacific blue marlin, one of the largest billfish to swim the open ocean. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 14, 2010 11:58 - 1 Comment

Flexible sensor can feel butterfly’s touch

STANFORD (US)—By sandwiching a precisely molded, highly elastic rubber layer between two parallel electrodes, researchers have created an electronic sensor that can detect the slightest touch. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Sep 7, 2010 11:02 - 1 Comment

Farm growth devastates tropical forests

STANFORD (US)—More than half a million square miles of new farmland—roughly the size of Alaska—was carved out of what was primarily tropical forests between 1980 and 2000, in the name of global agricultural expansion. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 3, 2010 10:06 - 4 Comments

‘Nano-cotton’ filters Third World water

STANFORD (US)—Plain cotton cloth available at discount stores can be transformed into a high-speed, low-cost filter to purify water in the developing world. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 30, 2010 12:54 - 0 Comments

Soot hits Arctic ice with double whammy

STANFORD (US)—The quickest and best way to slow the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice is to reduce soot emissions from the burning of fossil fuel, wood, and dung, according to a new study. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 26, 2010 13:58 - 2 Comments

How to make solar energy super efficient

STANFORD (US)—A new conversion process could make solar power production twice as efficient as existing methods—and potentially cheap enough to compete with oil. (more…)

Science & Technology - Aug 23, 2010 14:02 - 0 Comments

DNA sniffs out better artificial nose

STANFORD (US)—A new approach to building an artificial nose that uses fluorescent compounds and DNA could accelerate the use of sniffing sensors into the realm of mass production and widespread use, according to new research. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 6, 2010 10:19 - 20 Comments

Expertise lacking among climate skeptics?

STANFORD (US)—The small number of scientists who are unconvinced that human beings have contributed significantly to climate change have far less expertise and prominence in climate research compared with scientists who are convinced, a new study finds. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 17, 2010 14:20 - 2 Comments

Saving the Earth while feeding the world

STANFORD (US)—Advances in high-yield agriculture over the latter part of the 20th century have not only helped feed the planet, but have also prevented massive amounts of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere—the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. (more…)

Science & Technology - May 24, 2010 10:25 - 2 Comments

Fearful fish picks a fight with its reflection

STANFORD (US)—Fish faced with their reflection in a mirror get aggressive, but also show an unexpected element of fear, which they don’t show when fighting a real foe. (more…)

Science & Technology - Apr 16, 2010 10:06 - 1 Comment

‘Smut’ fungus chooses weapons wisely

STANFORD (US)—A tumor-causing maize fungus known as “corn smut” wields different weapons from its genetic arsenal depending on which part of the plant it infects. (more…)

Science & Technology - Mar 19, 2010 12:13 - 0 Comments

Au naturel protein: No staples required

STANFORD (US)—For the first time, researchers have been able to confine and study an individual protein without having to pin it down so tightly as to alter its fundamental behavior. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Mar 17, 2010 14:31 - 0 Comments

‘Green’ bean gene triggers nitrogen fix

STANFORD (US)—Nitrogen-producing bacteria living inside legumes, such as soybeans, could blunt the negative effects of fertilizer and aid efforts to make agriculture more sustainable. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jan 26, 2010 16:59 - 1 Comment

Seabirds shun palms, take guano elsewhere

STANFORD (US)—Coconut palms do more than beckon vacationers to tropical paradise. As they spread to new areas, palms are changing landscapes, researchers say. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 11, 2009 18:09 - 1 Comment

Pacific white sharks stick to familiar waters

STANFORD (US)—The white shark may be the ultimate loner of the ocean, cruising thousands of miles in a solitary trek, but a team of researchers has discovered that white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean have separated themselves into a population genetically distinct from sharks elsewhere in the world. (more…)