Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Large amount of oil fouling Texas unlikely
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, July 6 (UPI) -- Although tar balls from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill washed up in Texas, a large amount of oil reaching the state's...
GOES-13 satellite catches Alex as a tropical storm now, after a landfall in northeastern Mexico
Alex made landfall at 10 p.m. EDT in northeastern Mexico, about 110 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. By 8 a.m. EDT on July 1, Alex has weakened to a tropical...
Oil-tainted seafood worries U.S. agencies
Several American agencies have joined forces to ensure contaminated seafood from the Gulf of Mexico doesn't find its way on to consumers' plates.
A Closer Look: Pesticides in strawberry fields
Scientists say methyl bromide threatens the ozone layer, and its alternative, methyl iodide, is a threat to workers and their families. ...
Got a fix for oil spill? It may be worth a prize
(AP) -- You might be able to get rich quick if you can fix the BP oil spill.
Toxic Mercury Delights More in Seawater, Study Finds
A new study suggests that mercury in saltwater fish like tuna, mackerel and sharks pose more risks to humans than mercury in freshwater fish. Mercury in seawater is more likely...
For climate relief, US will turn to gas
New study finds untapped shale reserves set to displace coal if carbon pricing enforced
Carbon sequestration: Boon or burden
The idea to sequester carbon is gaining support as a way to avoid global warming. For example, the European Union plans to invest billions of Euros within the next ten...
G-20 climate pact erases word 'voluntary' from efforts to cut oil-firm subsidies
International negotiators, under pressure from the Obama administration, agree to omit the term when describing efforts to cut production and consumption incentives. Summit also focuses on arriving at a consensus on the global...
Landowner puts foot down on mountain trail
Shull 'Buzz' Bonsall Jr. has closed a century-old route on his property. But hikers plan to fight for access to Matilija Falls, which is on public land. Urijah Wence and his friends...
Warming Climate Means Trouble For Southwest Plantlife
This month, fires have charred tens of thousands of acres in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. After more than a decade of drought, these large seasonal fires are increasingly a...
Japan science research output flat as China soars
HONG KONG (Reuters) - The output of scientific papers from Japanese researchers has stayed largely flat over the past decade while output from China has risen fourfold, according to a...
Biodiversity's holy grail is in the soil
Why are tropical forests so biologically rich? Smithsonian researchers have new evidence that the answer to one of life's great unsolved mysteries lies underground, according to a study published...
Study: Temperature makes bird beak sizes
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario, June 26 (UPI) -- Birds in northern climates have evolved smaller beaks than species in the Southern Hemisphere to control loss of body heat, researchers say. ...
My Turn: A new cause with every breath he takes
A diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a scarring of the lungs, carries with it a sobering reality. But also new challenges. For many, Yellowstone National Park is a place where nature gives...
Alaska Town Eyes Shipping Water Abroad
A company sees a market to wet whistles in the Middle East, while an Alaskan town envisions a new revenue stream. ...
What Weathermen Know About Climate Change
Climate change is a topic that impacts the weather not only globally, but also locally. While some people may be concerned about the melting ice sheets at the far corners...
Hong Kong air pollution blamed on political system
(AP) -- Democracy activists are not the only ones unhappy with a slow pace of electoral reform in Hong Kong.
As Oil Spill Grows, So Does Need For Data On Health Effects
Since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded on April 20, spewing untold millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, cleanup crews have been working feverishly to mop...
Wimbledon: Serena Williams beats Dominika Cibulkova and advances to the fourth round
Reporting from Wimbledon, England -- Top-seeded and defending champion Serena Williams shrugged unhappily when she finished off her third-round 6-0, 7-5 win over Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova on Saturday at Wimbledon....
Expecting Tropical Depression Alex in the Caribbean
Forecasters on June 25 had given System 93L in the western Caribbean an 80 percent chance of developing into Tropical Depression Alex, and weekends seem to always birth tropical depressions....
Scientific expertise lacking among 'doubters' of climate change
The small number of scientists who are unconvinced that human beings have contributed significantly to climate change have far less expertise and prominence in climate research compared with scientists who...
First phase of Gold Line extension begins on Saturday
Real estate developers, politicians and residents hope that the 11.3 mile extension, scheduled to be completed in four years, will bring new development to the San Gabriel Valley. L.A. County's ambitious light-rail network...
Little spent on oil spill cleanup technology
(AP) -- While oil companies have spent billions of dollars to drill deeper and farther out to sea, relatively little money and research have gone into finding new, improved...
Teen sailor Abby Sunderland reunited with her brother off East Africa
Sixteen-year-old Californian sailor Abby Sunderland has been reunited with her brother, after her solo around-the-world journey ended when her boat fell apart in an Indian Ocean storm.
Paddling Against the Wind
Scientists along the Utukok River in Alaska survey a wilderness area where oil drilling is proposed.
National Briefing | South: Alabama: Birmingham Is Subject to Fine for Fish Kill
The federal government is proposing nearly $3 million in fines against the City of Birmingham over what officials say was one of the largest fish kills in the history of...
Texas Tech Hurricane, Ecotoxicology Experts Available as Two Weather Systems Threaten Gulf
Wind scientists, an ecotoxicologist and economist discuss damage, safety and oil spill.