Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Nitrous oxide worst ozone killer
Nitrous oxide, which is commonly produced by agriculture, is the most damaging greenhouse gas, research has revealed.
Pacific Ocean garbage patch worries researchers
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A tawny stuffed puppy bobs in cold sea water, his four stiff legs tangled in the green net of some nameless fisherman....
Robotic fish designed for underwater snooping
Schools of newly-designed robotic fish could one day patrol waterways, swimming around as fluidly as the real fish they're based on, looking for environmental pollutants and inspecting submerged structures, such...
A colourful way to clean waste
Dye extraction product recycled as cheap colourant for plastics
Pristine forest starting to go
A recent study found that human activity is threatening the last expanses of untouched forest – the pine forests in the north.
VIDEO: Dead Sea Still Shrinking Fast
As the Dead Sea—really a giant freshwater lake—dramatically shrinks, Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian environmentalists have begun to devise ways to slow the decline.
How Will Warmer Oceans Affect Sea Life?
This June, the world's oceans reached 17 degrees Celsius, their highest average temperature since record keeping for these data began in the 19th century. And a new experiment suggests that those balmier waters...
EPA: Chemicals Found in Wyoming Drinking Water Might Be from Natural Gas Drilling
Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination near the ranching town of Pavillion, Wyo., have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of...
Eco group fails to stop seismic blasts off B.C. coast
An environmental group has lost its legal fight to stop a U.S. government research ship from entering Canadian waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Climate change causing food shortages in Nepal
Global climate change and its effects on crop production threaten the food supply of millions of people in Nepal, an international aid agency warned Friday.
Moon rock at Dutch museum is just petrified wood
A purported moon rock given to the Dutch government to commemorate the first manned lunar landing in 1969 has turned out to be only a chunk of petrified wood.
The Ultimate Slip-and-Slide Ride: Impossible?
Now that looks like fun. Of course we intuitively know it's completely fake, and involves the usual videographic sleight of hand, but let's apply some basic physics to the situation to check our...
CIA interrogators used Transport Canada manual
A survival manual produced by Transport Canada was used by U.S. interrogators to set limits on dousing detainees with cold water, according to documents released this week.
Asia-Pacific quakes herald a disaster? Experts say no
Powerful earthquakes that have jolted Asia recently do not presage a disaster, although it is only a matter of time before the next catastrophe befalls the quake-prone region, seismologists say.
Upwards lightning caught on film
US scientists manage to photograph the rarely seen phenomenon of upwards lightning during a tropical storm.
Beetles, wildfire: Double threat in warming world
(AP) -- A veil of smoke settled over the forest in the shadow of the St. Elias Mountains, in a wilderness whose spruce trees stood tall and gray, a...
Hunt on for explorer's lost plane
A Norwegian team is set to embark on an expedition to find the submerged wreck of a plane carrying the great polar explorer Roald Amundsen.
Climate change causes allergies
Climate change may be causing asthma by increasing the impact of allergens, such as pollen and peanuts, according to research.
Roads to become 'greener'
Australian researchers have used recycled brick to build roads that are five times more eco-friendly but just as strong.
Weed-killer in the water supply?
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Some water-supply systems in the United States have had spikes in levels of atrazine, a commonly used weed-killer, The New York Times reports.
Clues to gigantism provided by family in Borneo Mountains
Grand Rapids, Mich. (Aug. 21, 2009) -- An indigenous family living in a mountainous area of Malaysian Borneo helped Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers to discover...
Panda gives birth to twins in China
XIAN, China, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A giant panda born through artificial insemination has given birth to twins after being artificially inseminated herself, officials in northwest China said.
Experts endorse a simple way to keep trees
QUERENCIA, Brazil, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Scientists, politicians and environmentalists argue one way to end destruction of tropical forests is to pay farmers not to cut trees, as in...
ALICE: Environmentally-Friendly Rocket Propellant
On the big list of environmental challenges we face, you might worry about volcanic ash or industrial soot or farting cows ... some people are even concerned by an obscure...
Feds study climate change effect on pikas
SEATTLE, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The first-ever study of its kind could help determine if the American pika is at risk of disappearing from western U.S. mountain tops, scientists...
Predators key to sustainable farming
Barn owls have emerged as the unlikely heroes in the fight against climate change, saving Malaysian farmers more than money, UQ PhD Student Chong Leong Puan has found.
No damage from minor California quakes
CLOVERDALE, Calif., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- No damage was reported Friday from three small earthquakes that struck north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, authorities said.
Great Salt Lake high in mercury pollution
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Mercury levels in Utah's Great Salt Lake are the highest of any body of water in the United States, say scientists studying...