Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Not so fast! Andes rise was gradual, not abrupt
Trailing like a serpent's spine along the western coast of South America, the Andes are the world's longest continental mountain range and the highest range outside Asia, with an average...
To be sustainable, China must implement bold innovations
Complex issues have hampered China's environmental protection efforts, but bold innovations can help it become a global sustainability leader, says a noted Michigan State University environmental scientist...
Desert spreading like 'cancer,' Egypt conference told
The desert is making a comeback in the Middle East, with fertile lands turning into barren wastes that could further destabilise the region, experts said at a water conference on...
U.S. Bid to Combat Climate Change Starts with Cars and Trucks
The nation's first mandatory attempt to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is now a fact--and it will show up in a driveway near you in 2012.
How Fast Did The Andes Rise?
How quickly the Andes Mountains reached their current height, an average elevation of 13,000 feet, has been a contentious debate in geological circles. Some researchers claim the mountains rose abruptly...
Hot Mantle May Prop Up the Seafloor
New findings may help settle mystery of a shallower-than-expected sea bottom
'Historic' agricultural conference wraps up with roadmap
The first GCARD conference was generally regarded a success, but some NGOs remain sceptical.
Probing Question: How fast are the polar ice sheets melting?
The massive ice sheets that blanket Greenland and Antarctica are shrinking. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, summer melt on the Greenland ice increased by 30 percent...
Charting a course toward cleaner cars
(PhysOrg.com) -- The emissions from cars and light trucks account for 16 percent of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, and these vehicles use 47 percent...
Oil finds shift focus on Latin America
BOGOTA, April 1 (UPI) -- A series of unrelated oil industry developments in Latin America are shifting focus away from the Middle East to the South American continent as...
Glaciers and Ice Caps: How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge of the cold, hard facts about Earth’s ice and its link to climate change with our brain freezer teaser.
U.S. worries as Iran slips in backyard
BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 1 (UPI) -- The United States is concerned about Iran's bridge-building with Latin American regimes as the confrontation with Tehran over its nuclear ambitions gets sharper.
NASA Radar Developed for Mars Could Find Water Hiding Deep Beneath Earth Deserts
With 884 million people lacking a reliable source of clean drinking water, droughts throughout Africa and the Middle East exacerbating already tense situations, and global warming only making those problems worse, finding water...
Duck Winter Survival Rates Stabilize More than a Decade After Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Although thousands of birds and mammals were killed immediately following the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, the long-term effects of oil exposure on the region's wildlife remain a concern.
EHP Celebrates Earth Day Anniversary with Podcast Featuring Environmental Science Pioneer Theo Colborn
In celebration of this month's 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) today posted a new podcast featuring preeminent zoologist Theo Colborn describing her work...
Bolivia, China team up on communications satellite
LA PAZ (Reuters) - Leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales signed an agreement on Thursday that paves the way for the acquisition of a $300 million Chinese telecommunications satellite, the latest...
Now in broadband: Acoustic imaging of the ocean
Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed two advanced broadband acoustic systems that they believe could represent the acoustic equivalent of the leap from black-and-white television to high-definition...
Researchers develop new method to detect melamine in milk
CORAL GABLES FL (April 1, 2010)-- University of Miami assistant professor in the College of Engineering, Na Li and her collaborators have developed a fast, economical and easy method to...
Toxic N.L. mine hasn't harmed residents: tests
Relief has replaced anxiety for people in central Newfoundland who were worried about lead contamination from old mines near their community.
Instant insight: Catalysis for coal conversion
Yvonne Traa discusses how converting coal to energy and fuel can be made more environmentally friendly
Total tapping shale gas in France
COURBEVOIE, France, April 1 (UPI) -- French supermajor Total announced it was awarded a permit to exploit shale gas in a 1,670 square-mile area in the south of France.
U.N. frustrated by climate efforts
BONN, Germany, April 1 (UPI) -- Though 75 nations signed commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, it isn't enough to limit global warming, U.N. officials said in...
New test assesses gas drilling effects on soils
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have developed the Cornell Soil Health Test to evaluate soil response to management on different types of land. It's intended to assess changes due to gas drilling...
Beef producers slam Ottawa over BSE cases
Lawyers, seeking compensation for thousands of beef producers across the country, blast the federal government's failure to keep BSE out of Canada at a meeting in central Alberta.
Deep ocean waves break on sea floor
For the first time, 100-foot tidal waves roaring at 70 miles-per-hour have been caught breaking and creating long trains of billowing turbulence more than 1,800 feet down along the ocean...
Shaw to air Masters golf in 3-D
Shaw Communications will air the upcoming Masters golf tournament in 3-D, beating other Canadian cable and satellite distributors to the punch in the new technology.
End of freezing in many states by 2099?
PRINCETON, N.J., March 31 (UPI) -- A U.S. organization called Climate Central says its preliminary figures show average future U.S. March temperatures will be higher because of climate change.
Why Didn't Early Earth Freeze? The Mystery Deepens
Mineral deposits cast doubt on idea of ancient greenhouse gas buildup