Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Celia and Darby are now both weakening tropical storms
The Eastern Pacific twins, Darby and Celia were once both major hurricanes and today are just barely hanging on to tropical storm status. Both are forecast to continue weakening over...
Earthquakes Rock in Synchrony, Study Suggests
Faults can fall in synch, causing earthquakes to trigger other temblors.
Microbes may enter fight against oil spill
HOUSTON, June 25 (UPI) -- Microbes with a taste for oil may be deployed against oil and tar balls from the gulf oil spill washing up on Florida beaches,...
Adios El Niño, hello La Niña?
The latest image of Pacific Ocean sea surface heights from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite, dated June 11, 2010, shows that the tropical Pacific has switched from...
Italian scientists who failed to predict L'Aquila earthquake may face manslaughter charges
(PhysOrg.com) -- Six of Italy's top seismologists are being investigated for manslaughter for not warning the city of L'Aquila about an earthquake that struck on April 6, 2009. The magnitude-6.3...
Villaraigosa vows full accounting of free concerts, sports tickets
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he will release records on Friday spelling out the official duties he performed at dozens of concerts, sports events and awards shows that...
Oceanographers study gulf oil plumes
ARLINGTON, Va., June 24 (UPI) -- The National Science Foundation says it's funding a 12-day research project aimed at characterizing subsurface oil plumes in the Gulf of Mexico. ...
Endangered-Species Status Is Sought for Bluefin Tuna
An environmental group wants the bluefin tuna, already depleted before the oil spill in the gulf, declared an endangered species.
Find may predate oldest carvings in N.M.
ALBUQUERQUE, June 22 (UPI) -- A New Mexico man says he discovered inscriptions in the mountains he believes date back to the 1580s. ...
Natural pesticides may hurt environment: study
A new Canadian study says natural pesticides could cause more environmental damage than conventional chemicals.
Bid to suspend California's global warming law qualifies for November ballot
The battle over the initiative, launched by Texas oil giants Valero and Tesoro, will pit that industry against environmentalists and the state's clean-tech businesses. ...
Video: Subsea Oil, a Lingering Problem
Throughout the Gulf oil disaster, the focus has been on oil above water, but scientists warn there's a hidden danger below the surface. As Sharyl Attkisson reports, subsea oil is...
Report offers first worldwide estimate of investments in combating water pollution
An innovative market in water quality is rapidly emerging worldwide, as cash-strapped governments in countries as diverse as China, the United States, Brazil and Australia invest billions of public and...
Heat Sprawl Study Suggests Sprawling Cities Experience More Extreme Heat in Summer
The number of very hot days is increasing worldwide, but the rate of increase is more than double in the most sprawling metropolitan regions compared with more compact cities, according...
American scientists help protect Guatemala's Lake Atitlan from harmful algae blooms
A team of US scientists has returned from a two-week expedition to Guatemala's tropical high-mountain Lake Atitlan, where they are working to find solutions to the algae blooms that have...
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...
Adios El Nino, Hello La Nina?
(PhysOrg.com) -- The moderate El Nino of the past year has officially bowed out, leaving his cool sister, La Nina, poised to potentially take the equatorial stage.
UC Riverside entomologist helps manage invasion threats posed to California's avocados
California's avocado industry is worth more than $320 million annually, and has about 6,000 growers farming more than 6,000 acres of land. Indeed, California grows nearly 95 percent of the...
Arctic Ice Forecasters Split on Summer Retreat
Arctic experts are split on whether this summer will see an epic ice retreat, but agree on a long-term trend toward more open water.
Is the Oil Dispersant Helping? Official Says Yes
The rate that the BP well is spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico could be calculated easily if the well were capped and the flow were then controlled, said...
In elevated carbon dioxide, soybeans stumble but cheatgrass keeps on truckin'
In August of 2008 Jacob Schaefer, PhD, on vacation in San Diego, picked up a copy of the Los Angeles Times. As it happened, the newspaper was running a series...
Forests Transition as New England Warms
Spring did not come for the oaks of Martha's Vineyard.For three years, the residents here watched a stunning outbreak of caterpillars that stripped an oak tree bare...
Whaling summit marred by bribery charges
AGADIR, Morocco, June 22 (UPI) -- European nations Iceland and Norway Tuesday pushed for a compromise sought by Japan to partially lift a ban on the killing of whales,...
Maywood to lay off all city employees, dismantle Police Department
The city of Maywood will lay off all city employees and begin contracting police services with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department effective July 1, officials said.
Small change in forest cover can double malaria rate
Remote sensing and health data have revealed a link between deforestation and malaria rates.
DOE, ORNL Officially Join NSF on Massive Ecological Study
With the signing of a memorandum of agreement, the Oak Ridge Reservation officially becomes one of 20 planned core ecological observatory sites that will provide valuable information to help scientists...
Environmental Visionaries: The Nuclear Revivalist
For environmentalist Jesse Ausubel, going green means land conservation and energy efficiency-and forgetting "boutique" renewables like windmills and biofuels It's 2070. You're on a train from New York to Boston. If you could...
Meat Mountain, Mosquitoes and, Finally, Caribou
After two days on the Utukok river, the team spotted a dozing grizzly bear, willow ptarmigan, plenty of mosquitoes, and, finally, hundreds of caribou.