Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Oilsands water concerns focus of panel
Environment Minister Jim Prentice has announced the appointment of a six-person advisory panel to look into the water-testing regime in the Athabasca River around Alberta's oilsands.
Bald eagles released from death grip
Wildlife officials on P.E.I. released two battling bald eagles that had locked their talons together on the weekend.
Saving species with science
Coping with climate change is a key priority for conservation in the United States, says new science adviser.
UK's shipping emissions 6 times higher than expected, says new report
As the shipping industry's emissions are predicted to continue to grow in the future, the UK will fail to meet its commitment to avoid dangerous climate change if additional cuts...
GOES-13 Satellite sees Lisa a tropical storm, for now
The GOES-13 satellite has been keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Lisa and watched her birth, graduation to depression then tropical storm and back to depression. Now, Lisa has grown...
Pakistan jet evacuated in Sweden after bomb threat
By KEITH MOORE 2010-09-25T10:55:43Z STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Swedish police evacuated a Pakistan International Airlines jet diverted to Stockholm due...
Warming threat to long haul birds
Birds embarking on long distance migrations are more vulnerable to shifts in the climate than ones making shorter journeys, a study suggests.
A bloody lesson for backyard chicken enthusiasts
'Yard to Skillet' is one of many workshops offering backyard poultry farmers and eco-conscious city-dwellers a chance to learn an important skill, culling — scoop, snap, slash, pluck and gut.Fluffy,...
Air Force rebuts gov't auditor concerns about GPS
(AP) -- A government report raising questions about the future reliability of the Global Positioning System satellite network is "overly pessimistic," Air Force commanders said Friday.
USDA creates Hawaiian berry variety
HILO, Hawaii, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists have released the first cultivated variety of a small native Hawaiian shrub of the cranberry family, officials said. ...
Conservationists oppose Laos dam plans
VIENTIANE, Laos, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Laos says it rejects calls for a dam moratorium on the Mekong River because it wants cheap power to develop its economy despite...
Tunnel under San Francisco Bay begun
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A project to create a 5-mile-long tunnel under San Francisco Bay to carry billions of gallons of water to Bay Area communities has...
Tiny culprit eyed in San Bruno disaster
SAN BRUNO, Calif., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Microbes inside a gas line are a suspect in the explosion and fire in San Bruno, Calif., that killed seven people and...
Annual Arctic ice minimum reached
Melt isn’t as bad as 2007, but still reaches number three in the record books
Deforestation prevented, in part, by democracy: study
Democratic countries suffer less from deforestation. That seems logical enough. But forests also do well under a strong dictatorship. This remarkable conclusion was reached by Wageningen environmental scientists.
"Gathering Storm" back on the radar
An update of a landmark report repeats a stirring call for US investment in science, technology and education.
Lawyers Look to Exploit a Scientific Error
The indictment of a former Los Alamos scientist contains a glaring error that some experts say could hurt the government’s case.
Building a digital library for life on Earth
The largest biodiversity genomics initiative ever undertaken - an international effort to build a digital identification system for all life on Earth - will be officially activated this week.
Dutch power goes green with wood pellets
ARNHEM, Netherlands, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Using sustainable biomass at a power plant in the Netherlands is part of process meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an executive said. ...
Hollywood sounds alarm on streaming piracy
University of Southern California student Elizabeth watched the season finale of HBO's lusty vampire drama "True Blood" along with about 5.4 million television viewers.
Scotland irked by fishing quotas
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Tough action is needed if the Icelandic government can't agree to amicable terms in the fishing industry, the Scottish government warned. ...
Study affirms Gulf oil spill's vastness
BP's leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was conclusively sealed this week, but even now, questions remain about the amount of oil that actually came out of it. Initially after...
Cilia revolution
University of Southern Mississippi scientists recently imitated Mother Nature by developing, for the first time, a new, skinny-molecule-based material that resembles cilia, the tiny, hair-like structures through which organisms derive...
Fuel treatments reduce wildfire severity, tree mortality in Washington forests
Scientists have found that fuel treatments -- even of only a few acres -- can reduce fire severity and protect older trees desirable for their timber, wildlife, and carbon-storage value.
Feature: Farming carbon
Adam Barclay writes about the hurdles of Australian farmers to generate carbon offset credits under the federal government’s National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS).
Lake Mead Reaches Lowest Level Since 1956
Persistent drought has kept largest U.S. reservoir well below capacity.
Trio of PNW Universities to Develop New Tools for Climate Change Planning
The nearly $3.6 million in Interior Department funding announced today will ramp up efforts already underway at three Pacific Northwest universities to help resource managers tailor the latest climate change...
Mould thriving after damp Alberta summer
The persistent rain and cloud that Calgarians complained about all summer created ideal conditions for mould to infest homes throughout the city, experts say.