Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Chevron Remains Committed to Deepwater Drilling
A top company executive says that it expects little long-term impact from the moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
El Niños are growing stronger, NASA/NOAA study finds
A relatively new type of El Niño, which has its warmest waters in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean, rather than in the eastern-equatorial Pacific, is becoming more common and progressively stronger,...
Scientists see uses for odd 'dry water'
BOSTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Scientists say a substance dubbed "dry water" resembling powdered sugar could absorb and store carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas causing global warming. ...
Tofu ingredient yields formaldehyde-free glue for plywood and other wood products
In a real-life "back to the future" story, scientists have reported that the sustainable, environmentally-friendly process that gave birth to plywood a century ago is re-emerging as a "green" alternative...
Coral off Puerto Rico's coast 'ideal case study' for Gulf oil spill's impact
Coral living off the coast of Puerto Rico may provide researchers valuable information about the potential impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill...
EPA rules will bar ships from discharging sewage near California coast
EPA officials say the new rules taking effect next year prohibit cruise and cargo ships from releasing about 20 million gallons of sewage into coastal waters every year.New federal regulations...
Fuel treatments reduce wildfire severity, tree mortality in Washington forests
A study conducted by U.S. Forest Service and University of Washington (UW) scientists has found that fuel treatments—even of only a few acres—can reduce fire severity and protect older trees...
Colombia's Galeras erupts, evacuation ordered
PASTO, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia's Galeras Volcano erupted on Wednesday, forcing authorities to order the evacuation of thousands, but only a few residents trickled from nearby villages to shelters, officials...
Why fish don't freeze in the Arctic Ocean
Together with cooperation partners from the U.S., the researchers surrounding Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith (Physical Chemistry II of the RUB) describe their discovery in a so-termed Rapid Communication in the...
Climate affecting Alaskan spruce forests
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Alaskan forests of white spruce and other trees are suffering from the effects of climate change and rises in temperature, researchers say. ...
California Approves First U.S. Thermal Solar Plant
The NextEra facility is expected to be the first of several large solar power plants approved by California regulators in the next month.
The Quest For Kong Supremacy
A few weeks ago, an event occurred that added another layer of drama to one of the biggest controversies in video gaming history - namely, who is the King of...
Former Chief of Drilling Agency Says New Inspection System Needed
The former head of the Minerals Management Service who resigned under pressure a month after the blowout of BP's well in the Gulf of Mexico, said Wednesday that the offshore...
Man vs. Nature: Why Floods Still Win
Flood control has challenged civilizations and cities ranging from New Orleans to ancient Rome.
Putin visits gray whale study site
MOSCOW, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin joined scientists studying endangered gray whales during a visit Wednesday to Kamchatka Island. ...
Canada's lost salmon found
Sockeye salmon, which mysteriously vanished last year prompting a government inquiry, are expected to return to Canada's Fraser River this month in numbers not seen since 1913, officials said Wednesday.
Dustup over Nigeria oil spill report
ABUJA, Nigeria, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- It is too early to criticize a U.N.-backed examination into oil spills in the Niger Delta, a U.N. environmental group said. ...
China aims to boost hydropower
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- China's hydropower installed capacity has exceeded 200 million kilowatts, making it the world's highest, state-owned news agency Xinhua reports. ...
Castro: Worries Over Nuclear Winter
With its antique Chevrolets and outdated politics, the communist island of Cuba seems like...
A 'great fizz' of carbon dioxide was produced at the end of the last ice age
Imagine loosening the screw-top of a soda bottle and hearing the carbon dioxide begin to escape. Then imagine taking the cap off quickly, and seeing the beverage foam and fizz...
North American continent is a layer cake, scientists discover
The North American continent is not one thick, rigid slab, but a layer cake of ancient, 3-billion-year-old rock on top of much newer material probably less than 1 billion years...
Relics from Scott's doomed Antarctic trip on sale
The skis and scientific instruments of a physicist who accompanied Captain Scott on his ill-fated trip to the Antarctic will be sold in London next month, Christie's auctioneers said Wednesday.
TMS Elects 7 Members to 2011 Board of Directors
Seven newly elected members will officially take their seats on The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Board of Directors during the TMS 140th Annual Meeting & Exhibition February 27...
Supercomputers help track species affected by Gulf oil spill
To establish a baseline for measuring and predicting the biological impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an ichthyologist and a biomedical informatics researcher are using supercomputer systems to help...
Acidifying oceans spell bleak marine biological future 'by end of century', Mediterranean research finds
A unique 'natural laboratory' in the Mediterranean Sea is revealing the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on life in the oceans. The results show a bleak future for marine...
Turning Up the Temperature in the High Arctic
Mount Holyoke's Al Werner leads undergraduates on a climate change research trip to Svalbard, Norway--and the results are chilling.
U.N. explores gas hydrates for energy
ARENDAL, Norway, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The United States has enough natural gas locked in methane gas hydrates to last 100 years, researchers at the U.N. Environment Program said. ...
PKK blamed for gas pipeline blast
TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Kurdistan Workers' Party is responsible for an explosion on a pipeline carrying Iranian natural gas to Turkey, Tehran said. ...