Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Lava tube could house moon colony
TOKYO, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A deep lava tube discovered on the moon could shield human colonists from harsh temperatures and meteorites, Japanese scientists said.
Fox grants 'brief extension' in cable dispute
(AP) -- Fox and Time Warner Cable extended their contract for a few hours, avoiding a threatened blackout of several stations from the cable provider while the two sides...
China aims for 'green' buildings
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- With the world's highest level of greenhouse gas emissions and the largest market in the world by floor space, building "green" is becoming the...
Gore: Carbon Polluters Like Big Tobacco
Former Vice President Discusses His Ongoing Climate Change Crusade
Ban continues work on climate change
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- World leaders embrace the idea that global climate change requires attention but differ on the best way forward, the U.N. secretary-general said in...
BP-Alaska deals with another spill
PRUDHOE BAY, Alaska, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A spill in Alaska's North Slope region during the inspection of a production site operated by BP-Alaska is worse than expected, environmental...
Canada green lights Mackenzie pipeline
OTTAWA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A seven-member federal panel in Canada backed a long-awaited natural gas pipeline from the western arctic through the Mackenzie River valley.
Solution to killer superbug found in Norway
(AP) -- Aker University Hospital is a dingy place to heal. The floors are streaked and scratched. A light layer of dust coats the blood pressure monitors. A faint...
Welcome To Hotel Boltzmann
“Room for one please!” Josef was impatient. He was tired. It had been a long hot day and he needed a bath. “Of course sir. How many nights?” “Twenty nights, I will...
Storm ‘echoes’ could break up ice shelves
Scientists say ocean rumbling caused by infragravity waves may account for some of the decade's most dramatic ice breakups, which may only get worse as the climate changes. ...
Major offshore quake could surge inland to Seattle area
Large megathrust earthquakes occur on average every 550 years on the northern Cascadia subduction zone, where the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate subducts underneath the North American plate off the...
Permafrost thaw may accelerate Arctic groundwater runoff
As the Arctic warms, permafrost will degrade, potentially resulting in increased groundwater runoff as frozen ground that had blocked the flow of water melts. To investigate how groundwater systems will...
Major Australian droughts traced to different causes
Southeastern Australia has been subject to several severe, long-term droughts during the past century, including the "Federation" drought (1895-1900), the "World War II" drought (1937-1945), and the "Big Dry" (1997...
Natural variability led to extra-cold 2008, research finds
An especially cold year in North America in 2008 led some members of the public and the media to question the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming. In addition, the...
Indian Ocean climate event recurs quicker with global warming
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), an oscillation of sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean, has become a major influence on the weather variations in the Indian Ocean region. During...
Continental roots stress Earth's surface
The Earth's rigid lithosphere varies laterally in thickness and strength. Areas of thicker, older lithosphere known as continental roots penetrate deeper into the mantle in some places under continents. Because...
China's navy mulls push into Arabian Sea
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Chinese admiral's proposal to build a naval base in the Gulf of Aden, ostensibly to supports Beijing's anti-piracy flotilla off Somalia, has...
Order of Canada adds 57 names
Singers Neil Young and Burton Cummings, and humanitarian James Orbinski have become officers of the Order of Canada, Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean has announced.
Geologists turn to unmanned aircraft
LAKEWOOD, Colo., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Geological Survey is turning to unmanned aircraft for a closer look at volcanoes, wildfires and remote areas of the world, officials...
German nod sets Nord Stream build date
BERLIN, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Construction of the Nord Steam natural gas pipeline is on schedule following an approval by German environmental officials, directors said.
Michigan gets 'clean' coal power
JACKSON, Mich., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Michigan environmental regulators cleared a hurdle for state utility Consumers Energy to build a new so-called clean coal plant in the state's eastern...
CNOOC fields online ahead of schedule
HONG KONG, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The China National Offshore Oil Corp. announced Wednesday two oil and gas fields in Bohai Bay near North Korea started production ahead of...
Sea lions depart Fisherman's Wharf
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Nearly 1,700 sea lions have disappeared within weeks after living for nearly two decades at San Francisco's Fisherman''s Wharf, authorities said.
Cross-border conservation efforts can yield better results at less cost
Jerusalem, December 30, 2009 -- Coordination of conservation efforts across national boundaries could achieve significantly higher results and at less cost than conservation actions planned within individual states, researchers...
Climate change to severely hit Latin America, says report
By 2100, climate change could cost up to 137 per cent of gross domestic product in Latin America and the Caribbean, says a report.
France to rethink carbon tax plan
A new carbon tax set for the new year in France has been struck down, in a blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy.
An Introduction To Igneous Petrology
Rocks, whether sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous, tell a story. But before you can read the story you must first learn the syntax and meaning of the words that make up...
Sewage spills into Moose Jaw River
Officials are monitoring the Moose Jaw River after 263,000 litres of sewage were spilled into the river on the weekend.