Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Alex's aftermath brings flash flood watches to Texas
Tropical Depression Alex dissipated over the mountains of central Mexico, but his rainy remnants have moved into south, central and western Texas. The GOES-13 satellite is keeping an eye on...
Oil spills raise arsenic levels in the ocean, says new research
Oil spills can increase levels of toxic arsenic in the ocean, creating an additional long-term threat to the marine ecosystem, according to research published today in the journal Water Research...
Excess nitrogen favors plants that respond poorly to rising CO2
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, so does the pressure on the plant kingdom. The hope among policymakers, scientists and concerned citizens is that plants will absorb some of the...
Protons for studying the Dead Sea Scrolls
Researchers of the National Laboratories of the South (LNS) in Catania of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN, Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics) have shed light on the...
Geoscientists explain differences between large Sumatran earthquakes
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Southampton scientists based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, along with US and Indonesian collaborators have uncovered clues as to why some undersea earthquakes generate huge...
Natural gas: Promise for low-carbon future
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 2 (UPI) -- Natural gas has the potential to help the United States move to a low-carbon future, says a report by the Massachusetts Institute of...
How the Oil Plume Changed One Scientist's Life
The plumes of oil and gas spreading from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead, which have the...
Middle East's HIV efforts hampered by poor data
A lack of data and science-based policymaking is undoing efforts to tackle HIV in the Middle East and North Africa, says a study.
Image: Volcanic uplift
(PhysOrg.com) -- This Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar interferogram over the Kenyan section of the Great Rift Valley shows small surface displacements that are not visible to the naked eye...
Global CO2 Trends Show Scope of Climate Challenge
Energy trends in developing countries are causing per-capita emissions there to relentlessly rise even as the rich world gets cleaner.
Feinstein wants funds for Bay conservation
WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- Legislation on its way to the full U.S. Senate would improve water quality in the San Francisco Bay watershed for years to come, Sen....
On Our Radar: Deep-Sea Mining
The Chinese government announces plans for deep-sea mining; it will seek copper, nickel and cobalt 5,000 feet down in international water
Energy ties with Iran stable, Turkey says
TEHRAN, July 2 (UPI) -- Ankara plans to continue activity in the Iranian energy sector because it is not restricted by U.N. sanctions, the Turkish energy minister said. ...
Environmental Visionaries: The Big Gun
David Keith believes strong-arm strategies could soon be our last resort for reversing record levels of carbon in the atmosphere In the 1992 film Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood spends most of the movie slowly...
Thermal-powered, insect-like robot crawls into microrobot contenders’ ring
Robotic cars attracted attention last decade with a 100-mile driverless race across the desert competing for a $1 million prize put up by the U.S. government. The past few years...
Warmer is better: Invasive cane toads set to thrive under global warming
'The negative effect of high temperature does not operate in Cane Toads, meaning that toads will do very well with human induced global warming,' explains Professor Frank Seebacher from the...
The IPCC messed up over 'Amazongate' – the threat to the Amazon is far worse
Challenging climate sceptics is good sport but we're in danger of forgetting the deadly serious matter at handWell this becomes more entertaining by the moment. Those who staked so much on the "Amazongate"...
Scientist cleared of fraud charges
Four-month university investigation clears climate scientist Mann of research misconduct allegations made by climate change deniersThe climate scientist Michael Mann, who has been under relentless attack from sceptics since the exposure of emails...
Scientists seek clues in Mexicali earthquake
Research flights are launched over Southern California to try to determine how, or whether, the 7.2 Easter earthquake affected other fault lines. ...
Ethical issues ignored in teaching, research of sustainability
Just about everyone agrees that sustainability — cutting energy use, reducing carbon emissions and, in general, keeping the Earth green — is a good thing. But why do...
Relief at Hand for Troubled Jamaica Bay
To reduce the city's nitrogen discharges, the Bloomberg administration announced last March that it would spend about $115 million over the next decade on nitrogen-control technologies at sewage plants on...
The Downside to the Recovery of the Ozone Hole
Climate change could alter air patterns and bring ozone from ozone hole recovery down to Earth's surface to create smog pollution.
Did Mammoth Extinction Warm Earth?
Sudden surge in northern birch forests 15,000 years ago linked to climate change
The 'Mego Factor' and Climate Coverage
Media norms keep big, creeping issues off the front page until it's too late.
Storm Continues to Hinder Work on Oil Spill
Because of the seas and high winds, all 510 skimmers used to collect oil from the surface had to be recalled to shore.
Britain Seeks to Curb Emissions by Abandoning Airport Growth
Britain’s government has set out to curb the growth of what has been called “binge flying,” by refusing to build new runways around London to accommodate more planes.
PHOTOS: Amid Drought, Pakistan Prays for Rain
Sparse rainfall, surging demand, and inefficient infrastructure have combined to create devastating drought conditions across much of Pakistan. ...
Six Quiet Climate Villians
Brick Tamland, James Inhofe, and a Cow Cow: Keven Law/Flickr, BY-SAUnder-the-radar polluters, and the individuals doing their best to hold climate science back If you're reading PopSci, you probably already know all about...