Earth & Environment
Earth & Environment - Nov 1, 2011 6:28 - 0 Comments
Panda zone: Reality check, please
MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Zoning laws are becoming a common strategy to balance environmental protection and human needs, but those laws mean little without enforcement. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 31, 2011 6:00 - 0 Comments
Fish can scare a dragonfly to death
U. TORONTO (CAN) — The mere presence of a predator can cause enough stress to kill a dragonfly, even when the predator can’t actually get at its prey to eat it. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 31, 2011 6:00 - 3 Comments
Native bees: More bee for the buck
CORNELL (US) — Native bees are two to three times better pollinators, are more plentiful, and are less prone to colony collapse than the better known honeybee, a new study shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 28, 2011 10:37 - 0 Comments
Corn for ethanol: Divide and conquer
PURDUE (US) — Researchers have discovered a more efficient method to process corn stover to make cellulosic ethanol—based on the fact that the residue’s distinct parts—the rind, pith, and leaves—break down in different ways. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 28, 2011 9:45 - 0 Comments
Rare lava collected from under sea volcano
U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE (US) — The first scientists to witness exploding rock and molten lava from a deep sea volcano in 2009 report that the eruption was near a tear in the Earth’s crust that is mimicking the birth of a subduction zone. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 24, 2011 10:02 - 3 Comments
No real warming from urban ‘heat island’
STANFORD (US) — The urban ‘heat island’ effect contributes less than 5 percent to overall global warming, far less than greenhouse gas or black carbon, new research shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 18, 2011 10:05 - 1 Comment
Earthquakes: Mega-heat, miniscule space
BROWN U. (US) — In an earthquake, rock surfaces sliding past each other create intense stress and heat—but only in super-small places where the surfaces actually touch. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 18, 2011 10:02 - 5 Comments
In experimental forest, trees soak up CO2
U. MICHIGAN (US) — North American forests appear to have a greater capacity to soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas than previously thought. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 18, 2011 9:43 - 0 Comments
Vehicles pump out more ammonia in winter
RICE U. (US) — The seasons play a role in the amount of ammonia produced by cars and trucks, with output greatest during the winter months, according to a new study. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 13, 2011 12:14 - 0 Comments
How to rein in toxic bloom’s perfect storm
CORNELL (US) — The combination of climate change and nutrient runoff is expected to escalate toxic aquatic blooms, but localized efforts may be successful in controlling their spread from farms and lawns to streams, lakes, and ultimately oceans. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 11, 2011 12:12 - 0 Comments
How plants roll with climate’s punches
BROWN (US) — The genetic flexibility of some plants to respond to climate change may be what gives them their best chance of survival. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 11, 2011 12:09 - 0 Comments
New view of California’s tectonic plates
BROWN (US) — The highest resolution picture ever obtained of southern California’s lithosphere shows its thickness differs markedly, offering new insight into how rifting shaped the area’s terrain. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 5, 2011 10:00 - 0 Comments
Climate could send animals packing
BROWN (US) — Which animals survive as climate changes may depend on their the ability to adapt to rapid temperature shifts and less-than-optimal conditions as they expand their range. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 5, 2011 9:19 - 1 Comment
Bacteria: First responders in Gulf spill
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Bacteria present in the Gulf of Mexico were responsible for consuming large amounts of natural gas immediately following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 4, 2011 10:42 - 0 Comments
Autumn predicts fate of summer sea ice
U. WASHINGTON (US) — Relatively accurate predictions for the extent of Arctic sea ice in a given summer can be made by assessing conditions the previous autumn—but only to a point. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Sep 30, 2011 13:48 - 0 Comments
Rock nitrogen helps trees soak up CO2
UC DAVIS (US) — Forest trees have the ability to tap into nitrogen found in rocks, boosting the trees’ growth and their ability to pull more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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Earth & Environment - Sep 30, 2011 13:39 - 0 Comments
Immunity gene shields frogs from fungus
CORNELL (US) — A genetic mechanism in lowland leopard frogs makes them resistant to a deadly fungus that has been decimating other frog species for decades. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Sep 27, 2011 11:14 - 0 Comments
Biomass link to plant diversity questioned
IOWA STATE (US) — New research calls into question a decades-old theory about the relationship between how much biomass plant species produce and how many species can co-exist. (more…)
