Posts Tagged ‘nature’
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 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…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 11, 2009 16:48 - 2 Comments
Underwater killer triggers cellular suicide
RUTGERS (US)—Scientists have found a chemical culprit responsible for the rapid, mysterious death of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean. This same chemical may hold unexpected promise in cancer research. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 3, 2009 16:12 - 2 Comments
Seafloor dynamics at work splitting continent
U. ROCHESTER (US)—In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 29, 2009 11:31 - 0 Comments
Global shellfish dip linked to acidic oceans
STONY BROOK (US)—Relatively minor increases in ocean acidity brought about by high levels of carbon dioxide have significant effects on the growth and survival of hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern oysters, new research finds. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 23, 2009 10:59 - 3 Comments
Lesson in nurture from Mother Nature
U. ROCHESTER (US)—Paying attention to the natural world not only makes you feel better, it makes you behave better, finds a new study. The researchers say the results highlight the importance of creating green spaces in cities and have implication for urban planners and architects. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 21, 2009 13:01 - 3 Comments
Immersive exhibit redefines bird’s-eye view
TEXAS A&M (US)—A new virtual environment that allows humans to see and hear some of the extreme ranges of vision and hearing that animals have could help reinvent the way museums teach about the natural world. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 8, 2009 16:42 - 0 Comments
Big job for oceans’ tiny ammonia eaters
U. WASHINGTON (US)—It’s not every day you find clues to the planet’s inner workings in aquarium scum. But that’s what happened when researchers cultured a tiny organism from the bottom of a Seattle Aquarium tank and found it can digest ammonia. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Sep 30, 2009 16:14 - 2 Comments
Largest quakes weaken fault zones worldwide
RICE (US)—The massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean appears to have weakened at least a portion of California’s famed San Andreas Fault, according to a new report by U.S. seismologists. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Sep 14, 2009 14:20 - 0 Comments
Arctic heat bucks long-term trend
Since the Earth is still moving away from the sun—it’s about 0.6 million miles farther during the Northern Hemisphere summer solstice than it was in 1 B.C.—it appears greenhouse gases began “overriding” the natural cooling of Earth in the middle of the last century, explains study coauthor Gifford Miller of CU-Boulder’s Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research. “We expect the Arctic will continue to warm in the coming decades, increasing land-based ice loss and triggering global increases in sea-level rise.”
Earth & Environment - Aug 25, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Warmer oceans tangle food chain
Dina Leech and Virginia Schutte collect zooplankton from Bogue Sound using a plankton tow net. Plankton from the net were rinsed into a sieve and then added to the experimental microcosms. (Credit: Mary O’Connor/UNC)
Earth & Environment - Aug 6, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
Drilling deep to take Earth’s temperature
“We now also know that, although the beginning of ice ages (in the Northern Hemisphere) is linked to greenhouse gases, the change in intensity is related to how ice sheets grow and decay,” says Sindia Sosdian (left in helmet), seen above working with core samples on an earlier expedition.
Health & Medicine - Jul 24, 2009 13:45 - 0 Comments
Day at the beach—sand, surf, and sickness
“And while we found that only a small percentage of people who played at the beach became ill later—less than 10 percent in any age group, for any amount of exposure—it’s important to look at the situation more closely,” says lead author says Chris Heaney. “If we find evidence that shows exposure to sand really does lead to illness, then we can look for the sources of contamination and minimize it. That will make a day at the beach a little less risky.”
Earth & Environment - Jul 23, 2009 14:21 - 0 Comments
Reefs endure despite seaweed gone wild
“The results from this study question many of the prevailing paradigms that coral reef ecologists have developed over the past two decades,” says marine ecologist William Precht. “These findings will change the way we view and manage these fragile yet resilient ecosystems.” (Credit: John Bruno)
Society & Culture - Jul 23, 2009 5:00 - 0 Comments
Nature? Nurture? Or simply neither?
“This is one attempt at getting the ideas out there and starting a dialogue, continuing to educate the public and the scientific community, especially the younger generation of researchers,” psychologist Mark Blumberg explains. “We know we don’t have a sound bite that’s as clean and simple and sexy as saying ‘it’s genetic.’ But we’re working on it.”
Earth & Environment - Jul 21, 2009 12:32 - 0 Comments
Out West, hotter temps shrink water supply
Lake Powell in Utah is one of several massive Colorado River reservoirs that could be severely depleted in the coming decades as a result of warming temperatures in the West, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Courtesy: Bureau of Reclamation)
Science & Technology - Jul 15, 2009 10:47 - 1 Comment
Dolphins zoom with ‘delta-wing’ flippers
Paul Weber and Laurens Howle with some of their model flippers. (Credit: Duke Photography)
