Latest science news in Earth & Climate
BP hit with biggest Clean Air Act fine
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- British energy company BP agreed to pay the largest penalty ever for Clean Air Act violations stemming from a deadly 2005 Texas accident, the...
Simple approach could clean up oil remaining from Exxon Valdez spill
Traces of crude oil that linger on the shores of Alaska's Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill remain highly biodegradable, despite almost 20 years of weathering and...
China water diversion project poses risks
BEIJING, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- China's $62 billion South-North Water Transfer Project is forcing the relocation of 330,000 people and may not even deliver clean water. ...
Countries 'must link water security and biodiversity'
Water security technologies have caused environmental damage in the West; now scientists urge poor countries not to follow suit.
The global river crisis
Nearly 80 per cent of rivers in inhabited areas are threatened by human activities, resulting in a major threat to water security.
Research lays foundation for building on the moon - or anywhere else
The key to the stability of any building is its foundation, but it is difficult to test some building sites in advance - such as those on the moon. New...
Penn biologists say species accumulate on Earth at slower rates than in the past
Computational biologists at the University of Pennsylvania say that species are still accumulating on Earth but at a slower rate than in the past...
Remote Hawaii atoll corals suffer some bleaching
(AP) -- Corals at remote atolls northwest of the main Hawaiian islands suffered some bleaching this summer as ocean temperatures rose to higher-than-normal levels for a couple of weeks,...
Glaciers may have soggier bottoms than thought
Glaciers may seem to be all ice, but it turns out they can be soggy with water, a finding that should help researchers understand how glaciers slide toward the sea,...
Climate accord loopholes could spell 4.2-degree rise in temperature and end of coral reefs by 2100
A global temperature increase of up to 4.2 C and the end of coral reefs could become reality by 2100 if national targets are not revised in the Copenhagen Accord,...
Chile told of merits of faster tsunami warning system
A marine fibre optic system that gives fast warning of an incoming tsunami could save lives, the Chilean parliament has been told.
Sewage Overflow in New York? Believe It
A video captures a sheet of sewage coating the Gowanus Canal, underlining the big problem that New York City hopes to address through a green infrastructure plan.
$1.5 Billion Plan Would Cut Sewage Flow Into City Waters
A 20-year plan would use environmental techniques to capture and retain storm water before it overloads the sewer system.
Video | Ig Nobel awards: 'Please stop. I'm bored'
A cunning method used to cut off improbable research speakers who go on and on
Researchers make waves into what awakens epilepsy
A University of Alberta research team has discovered a potential new trigger for epileptic seizures that strike during deep sleep.
Sentinels of climate change
Ice currently covers more than 10 percent of our watery planet, yet its volume is continuing to decline at a staggering pace in response to our warming world.
Beijing polluted by heavy-emission truck, study says
The 62-mile, nine-day traffic jam in Beijing's August heat made international headlines -- and an epic amount of air pollution. It's the latest demonstration of how Cornell air quality researcher...
Phosphate fertilizer warning for China
Overuse of the fertilizer has wasted a valuable natural resource and caused serious pollution.
High-tech, low-price toys top toy list
(AP) -- This year's hot holiday toys are high-tech - and low-price.
A Push to Corral Methane Gas
The United States and Mexico try to get 38 countries to accept an expanded agreement to rein in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas.
Monitoring radicals in water
A sensitive fluorescent probes monitors hydroxyl radicals in environmental water
Flowery magnetic microspheres clean water
Iron oxide nanomaterials remove pollutants from water
Researchers say web searches are good predictors of success
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Yahoo! have been collecting data on Web searches for movies and games and comparing them with other predictors of success, such as product reviews and production...
Oil spill penalties should go to Gulf Coast, advisors say
Congress should pass laws allowing the money to be used for economic and environmental restoration, an Obama-appointed panel says. The money would come from BP and others; it's unclear how...
Acidification Of Oceans May Contribute To Global Declines Of Shellfish
Rising CO2 levels in atmosphere contribute to lower ocean pH levels, which interfere with development of shellfish larvae.
Scientist: Restrict human arctic access
MOSCOW, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Human access to the arctic should be limited and restricted to protect the region's fragile ecosystem, a Russian scientist says. ...
Climate Scientist James Hansen Arrested at Protest
Hansen, who testified in 1988 about climate changed, arrested during coal mining protest.
Arctic box has no famous explorers' items
A box unearthed near the Northwest Passage earlier this month contains nothing related to Arctic explorers Sir John Franklin or Roald Amundsen, Nunavut government officials say.