Earth & Environment
Earth & Environment - Dec 14, 2009 14:43 - 8 Comments
Just your garden-variety poisonous catfish
U. MICHIGAN (US)—Venomous catfish are far more common than previously thought, a new study finds. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 10, 2009 19:38 - 0 Comments
Good laws turn bad recyclers around
VANDERBILT (US)—A large national study of economic behavior finds effective recycling laws encourage reluctant recyclers to become committed recyclers. (more…)
Earth & Environment, Science & Technology - Dec 10, 2009 16:43 - 3 Comments
Meat-eating dino alters evolutionary tree
TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—Discovery of a nearly complete skeleton of a previously unknown meat-eating dinosaur may answer questions about early dinosaur evolution and a period of explosive diversification when dinosaurs spread across the supercontinent Pangaea. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 9, 2009 11:16 - 4 Comments
Mercury may threaten polar bears
U. MICHIGAN (US)—As concerns grow about the effect melting sea ice may have on polar bears, scientists say there may be another danger lurking—mercury pollution. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 8, 2009 18:25 - 1 Comment
Signs of stress may help predict quakes
USC (US)—Researchers are testing a new method of predicting earthquakes. The forecasting model developed by Danijel Schorlemmer of the University of Southern California aims to predict the rough size and location of future quakes. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 8, 2009 11:51 - 0 Comments
Capuchins never forget a familiar face
EMORY (US)—Capuchin monkeys are able to recognize familiar faces from photographs, an ability they share with humans. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 7, 2009 13:35 - 1 Comment
CSI: Shark edition
U. FLORIDA (US)—Hit-and-run attacks by sharks can be solved with forensics that identify the culprits by the unique chomp they put on their victims, similar to using fingerprints to solve a crime. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 7, 2009 12:59 - 0 Comments
Orphaned gorilla babies return home
UC DAVIS (US)—More than two years after being evacuated following the 2007 killings of their mothers, mountain gorilla babies Ndakasi and Ndeze returned home to the Democratic Republic of Congo, moving into a new custom-built forest sanctuary. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 4, 2009 11:22 - 1 Comment
Birds shout out to friends and enemies
UC DAVIS (US)—Birds’ alarm calls serve both to alert other birds to danger and to warn off predators. And some birds can pull a ventriloquist’s trick, singing from the side of their mouths. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 1, 2009 13:30 - 2 Comments
How much snow? Check your GPS
U. COLORADO (US)—Researchers have found a clever way to use traditional GPS satellite signals to measure snow depth as well as soil and vegetation moisture, a technique expected to benefit meteorologists, water resource managers, climate modelers, and farmers. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 1, 2009 11:19 - 3 Comments
Jumbo shellfish rule in acidic oceans
UNC CHAPEL HILL (US)—As the world’s seawater becomes more acidic due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide, some—but not all—shelled marine creatures may become bigger and stronger, according to a new study. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 24, 2009 18:12 - 12 Comments
Slow CO2 absorption may speed climate change
YALE (US)—The world’s oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide, which could mean an acceleration in the pace of climate change, according to a new study. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 23, 2009 14:12 - 2 Comments
Life thrived in early Earth’s cooler temps
STANFORD/TEXAS A&M/YALE (US)—Billions of years ago, the Earth’s climate was far cooler—perhaps by more than 50 degrees than previously believed—which could mean conditions were more conducive for life all over the planet, new findings suggests. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 17, 2009 17:56 - 1 Comment
Taking America’s energy temperature
RUTGERS (US)—Of the estimated 1,000 energy-related public opinion polls conducted during the last 20 years, environmental policy expert Michael Greenberg says there are two basic types: polls that include energy questions among a range of societal issues and hypothesis-driven surveys that measure preferences and try to link them to underlying factors. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 17, 2009 11:57 - 0 Comments
Bird vibrates feathers to hum love song
CORNELL (US)—Four years ago, a researcher reported a bizarre example of sexual selection in a rare South American bird: The male attracts the female by rubbing specialized wing feathers—more than 100 cycles per second—to create a high hum, similar to a sustained violin note. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 16, 2009 17:35 - 0 Comments
Predicting when rogue waves will strike
TULANE (US)—Physicist Lev Kaplan is hoping to calculate the probability of where and when rogue ocean waves will form. A probability warning for a rogue wave would be similar to the “cones of probability” used in tornado and hurricane forecasting. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 13, 2009 12:41 - 0 Comments
Warming planet threatens desert plants
CORNELL (US)—As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, which may lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 12, 2009 17:57 - 1 Comment
Watching glaciers slide—in a freezer
IOWA STATE (US)—A walk-in freezer in Iowa may help scientists understand how glaciers react to climate change and contribute to rising sea levels. (more…)
