Latest science news in Earth & Climate
When Glaciers Melt, What's in the Water?
Environmental engineer Michael Nassry studies glacial streams from melting glaciers in Alaska.
Conservationists unveil plans to restore bison to North American plains
Recovery 'roadmap' would see large herds roaming free over thousands of hectares but hinges on an overhaul of government regulations and a rethink of public attitudes to the animalBison, the iconic animal of...
Faster method to detect bacterial contamination in coastal waters developed
Currently, beachgoers are informed about water quality conditions based on results from the previous day's sample. Scientists must collect samples in the field, then return to a lab to culture...
Croatia signs deal for South Stream
ZAGREB, Croatia, March 3 (UPI) -- The government of Croatia agreed to join Russian gas giant Gazprom in its effort to build the South Stream gas pipeline to Europe.
West Coast at risk of quake like Chile's
Just 80 kilometres off the Pacific coast is an earthquake hotspot that threatens to unleash on Seattle, Portland and Vancouver the kind of damage that has shattered Chile.
E.U. Clears Biotech Potato for Cultivation
The European Commission began a new push to allow farmers in Europe to grow more biotech crops, despite persistent public opposition to the technology.
Scientists say tsunami models should be tested
In the coming months and years, scientists will pore over reams of data from what turned out to be the minuscule tsunami that reached Hawaii on Saturday. ...
Calif. supervolcano has a split personality
The Long Valley caldera, like her big sister Yellowstone in Wyoming, is not getting ready to super-erupt and again cover half of North America in ash. The bad news is...
PeePoo Bags Sterlize and Compost Human Waste Where Toilets are a Luxury
And they cost only three cents each The mismanagement of human waste is a serious health problem for the 2.6 billion people who don't have regular access to toilets. In fact, in...
Blue Ribbon Task Force: Preserving our digital knowledge base must be a public priority
Addressing one of the most urgent societal challenges of the Information Age -- ensuring that valued digital information will be accessible not just today, but in the future ...
Global warming is real, despite snowfall
DURHAM, N.C., March 2 (UPI) -- A U.S. professor says one of the nation's snowiest winters in recent history has led some people to erroneously question whether global warming...
Will Water Footprints be the Next "Energy Star"?
Companies, including beer giant SABMiller, are starting to account for their water use as the world's fresh water supplies appear to shrink. But when will consumers around the...
Fog Catchers Bring Water to Parched Villages
A rain-starved community in Peru collects hundreds of gallons of water a day using special fog-catching nets.
Mississippi River Delta to "Drown" by 2100?
A combo of dams and sea-level rise could wipe out vast acres of the U.S. river's delta plain, according to new research that predicts the surrounding coastline will...
Kilimanjaro's Snows Gone by 2022?
Ernest Hemingway must be reaching for a bottle of grappa in his grave. The snows of Kilimanjaro—inspirations for a Hemingway story of the same name—could be gone by...
China's agricultural patents on the rise
China has boosted its agricultural patents in the last decade but this success does not extend to international applications.
Seeing the hidden services of nature
Following an intense study of agricultural ecosystems near Montreal, a new tool that enables the simultaneous analysis and management of a wide range of ecological services has been developed by...
Were short warm periods typical for transitions between interglacial and glacial epochs?
At the end of the last interglacial epoch, around 115,000 years ago, there were significant climate fluctuations. In Central and Eastern Europe, the slow transition from the Eemian Interglacial to...
Earth-shaking research to predict devastation from earthquakes
The computational science expertise at the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory is playing a key role in enabling researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM),...
London launches green homes initiative
LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- Plans to develop so-called green homes will reduce foreign energy dependency and tackle climate change, the British energy secretary said Tuesday.
U.S. stays out of Falkland oil row
BUENOS AIRES, March 2 (UPI) -- The British-Argentine row over the right to explore for oil in the Falkland Islands is a bilateral issue, the U.S. secretary of state...
Iraq to go it alone at Nasiriyah field
BAGHDAD, March 2 (UPI) -- Iraq said it could move ahead to develop the giant Nasiriyah oil field on its own as talks with Japanese oil company Nippon Oil...
Supercharged swifts fly fastest
A common swift has taken the title as the fasted bird recorded in level flight, say scientists.
Understanding global climate change through new breakthroughs in polar research
Scientists have investigated the distribution and abundance of Antarctica's vast marine biodiversity with the Census of Antarctic Marine Life.
Arctic experts to discuss border dispute
The long-standing dispute over where in the Beaufort Sea the Canada-U.S. marine boundary should be located will be tackled by some Arctic experts this week.
Chile quake leaves copper market in crisis
SANTIAGO, Chile, March 1 (UPI) -- Fears of copper production problems in Chile have driven copper prices upwards and may push the commodity higher amid uncertainty about future Chilean...
The Honda 3R-C: Designed For The NOW
By 2050, it is estimated that 70 percent of the world`s population will be living in urban areas. In industrialized countries, urban areas already account for 74 percent of...
Pack ice scarce off Eastern Canada
Much of the ocean near Newfoundland and Labrador is reported to be devoid of pack ice - a condition that hasn't been seen in at least 40 years.