24/7 Farm  News Coverage
January 09, 2017
24/7 Disaster News Coverage
WATER WORLD
Murky Amazon waters cloud fish vision



College Park MD (SPX) Jan 06, 2017
Cichlids are a remarkably diverse family of fish, with many African freshwater species known for their incredible visual system. These cichlids' complex vision results from a diverse array of visual pigment proteins in their retinas: while humans have the genes to produce three of these proteins (called opsins), many cichlids have seven. Each African cichlid species produces a specific suite of opsin proteins that matches well with the light spectrum of their environment. The visual systems of Afr ... read more

WATER WORLD
18 dead as torrential rains submerge Thai south
Heavy rains continued to hammer Thailand's flood-ravaged south on Saturday, bringing the death toll up to 18 and leaving thousands of villages partially submerged, authorities said. ... more
WATER WORLD
UN slams 'war crime' as 5.5 mn in Damascus without water
Five and a half million people in Damascus are now suffering water shortages, the UN said Thursday, warning that targeting water sources constitutes a "war crime". ... more
FARM NEWS
How we shop hurts endangered species
The hidden danger to wildlife posed by imported consumer goods - an espresso coffee in Beijing, a tofu salad in Chicago - can now be pinpointed and measured, researchers said Wednesday. ... more
FARM NEWS
A trip to the land of endangered ancient olive trees
The sun sets in eastern Spain and dozens of ancient olive trees cast long shadows on the ground. ... more
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FARM NEWS
Chickens are smarter and more complex than given credit for
The chicken isn't as dull or dumb as most people think, according to Lori Marino, senior scientist for the Someone Project - a research effort focused on the psychology, behavior and emotions of domestic farm animals. ... more
FARM NEWS
Strip tillage, rowcovers for organic cucurbit production
Plasticulture systems, the use of polyethylene mulch on raised beds with drip irrigation, are common in the production of many cucurbit crops in the Northeastern US. Plasticulture systems have numer ... more
WATER WORLD
Zimbabwe water crisis gives rise to backdoor sellers
From jobless youths hired to dig wells to illegal sellers supplying water in buckets and large tanks, some enterprising Zimbabweans are cashing in on the country's desperate water shortages. ... more
FARM NEWS
Zambia drafts in air force to combat pests
Zambia has ordered the national air force into action to fight a plague of pests that has invaded maize crops and threatened vital food supplies. ... more
WATER WORLD
Damascenes struggle after clashes cut off water
Near a church in old Damascus, people in a long queue wait impatiently for the tanker to fill their canisters after being deprived of water for a week. ... more


Britain gets creative in fighting rampant food waste

FARM NEWS
China's Sichuan cannot get enough spicy marinated rabbit heads
Chinese diners greedily crack open delicate rabbit skulls and slurp down their contents, tucking into a delicacy so popular in one province that it has to import supplies from France. ... more
FARM NEWS
After Asia, palm oil faces backlash in Africa
Its lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa. ... more

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Watching the Upper Atmosphere for 15 Years and Counting
NASA's TIMED mission - short for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics - yielded a batch of new discoveries to end its 15th year in orbit. From a more precise categorization of the upper atmosphere's response to solar storms, to pinpointing the signatures of a fundamental behavior of carbon dioxide, TIMED's unique position and instruments, along with its decade-plus data r ... more
Fossil fuel formation: Key to atmosphere's oxygen?

Scientists use satellites to spot Svalbard avalanches

Lockheed Martin Completes Assembly of NOAA's GOES-S Weather Satellite

China to offer global satellite navigation service by 2020
China plans to form a BeiDou network consisting of 35 satellites for global navigation services by 2020, said a white paper released by the State Council Information Office on Tuesday. The country plans to start providing basic services to countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in 2018, said the document titled "China's Space Activities in 2016." ... more
Austrian cows swap bells from 'hell' for GPS

Russia, China Making Progress in Synchronization of GLONASS, BeiDou Systems

Alpha Defence Company To Make Navigation Satellites For ISRO



In cool forests, foraging bees prefer the warmth of darker flower petals
New research suggests a native Missouri bee species is skewing the reproductive patterns of wildflower morphs - a variance of leaf or flower petal patterns - in cooler forests. Peter Bernhardt, a professor of biology at Saint Louis University, discovered a discrepancy among the morph ratios of birds foot violet flowers, Viola pedata, in different Missouri habitats. His research sugges ... more
Scientists try turning Christmas trees into plastic

Obama creates two new national monuments

Amazonia's best and worst areas for carbon recovery revealed

Potential biofuel crops in Hawaii may successfully sequester carbon in soil
Two potential biofuel crops in Hawaii--sugarcane and napiergrass--may sequester more carbon in soil than is lost to the atmosphere, according to a study published January 4, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Meghan Pawlowski from University of Hawaii Manoa, U.S., and colleagues. From a climate change perspective, replacing fossil fuel with biofuel makes sense only if the latter h ... more
Economics of forest biomass raise hurdles for rural development

Biomass operations aren't currently feasible in rural communities

Molecular Velcro boosts microalgae's potential in biofuel, industrial applications



The beating heart of solar energy
The notion of using solar cells placed under the skin to continuously recharge implanted electronic medical devices is a viable one. Swiss researchers have done the math, and found that a 3.6 square centimeter solar cell is all that is needed to generate enough power during winter and summer to power a typical pacemaker. The study is the first to provide real-life data about the potential of usi ... more
Artificial leaf goes more efficient for hydrogen generation

Stability challenge in perovskite solar cell technology

China takes global lead in clean energy: report

French power group aims to double wind capacity
An arrangement with the leading insurance company in France helps with the goal of doubling wind power capacity in the country, French power group ENGIE said. The French company said it build up its partnership with Crédit Agricole Assurances, the leading insurer, by absorbing the onshore wind power portfolio held by Maia Eolis. ENGIE completed an acquisition of Maia Eolis, whic ... more
The answer is blowing in the wind

New rules for micro-grids in Alberta

Offshore wind makes U.S. debut



People aren't the only beneficiaries of power plant carbon standards
When the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Clean Power Plan in 2015 it exercised its authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions to protect public welfare. The Plan, now the focus of escalating debate, also put the nation on course to meet its goals under the Paris Climate Agreement. Given that other pollutants are emitted from power plants - along with carbon dioxide - research h ... more
China to cut coal capacity by 800 million tonnes by 2020

Norway fund blacklists more coal groups over climate concerns

Black coal, thin pickings: China's miners face decline

Hong Kong rebel lawmakers met with protests in Taiwan
Pro-China protesters waving placards reading "Independence will get you nowhere" greeted Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and three rebel lawmakers as they arrived in Taipei Saturday. Wong, along with Hong Kong legislators Nathan Law, Eddie Chu, and Edward Yiu, is attending a political forum hosted by Taiwan's New Power Party (NPP), which is advocating for recognition of Taiwan ... more
'Thousands' of pilgrims return to China before Dalai Lama event

Chinese official sentenced 10 years in vaccine scandal

Football and prayer wheels: views of modern Tibet



Fractional calculus helps control systems hit their mark
If you've ever searched for ways to curb your car's gas-guzzling appetite, you've probably heard that running on cruise control can help reduce your trips to the pump. How? Cars, it turns out, are much better than people at following what control systems experts call a setpoint - in this case, a set speed across different terrain. But they could be even better. Calling upon a branch of mat ... more
For 'intelligent' robot, chess is just a hobby

ELFI: Engine for Likelihood-Free Inference facilitates more effective simulation

China's Huawei adds Amazon Alexa to flagship phone

Slovak 'Wastebusters' on anti-litter crusade
Slovak financial analyst Rastislav Krul and his wife once waited out an hour-long traffic jam by picking up several bags worth of rubbish around a rest area off the motorway. "No one joined in. People just watched us from their cars," recalls the 30-year-old, who has launched an anti-litter campaign from his western village of Rovinka. "For us time flew by, for them it went slowly," he ... more
Mayor of Beijing promises new environmental police force

Madrid lifts partial car ban as pollution eases

Obama criticized after monument designation



Chile forest fire ravages 50 hectares, destroys homes
A huge forest fire has ravaged 50 hectares and destroyed homes in western Chile, prompting the authorities to issue a red alert on Monday. At least one person was known to have been hurt after the fire broke out on a hill near the major port city of Valparaiso, the National Emergencies Office (ONEMI) said in a report. The blaze has destroyed five homes and 50 hectares of woodland, ONEMI ... more
Satellite photo reveals multiple fires burning in Argentina

Hundreds flee wildfires near Jerusalem

NASA Sets Space Fire in Second Round of Fire Safety Experiments

DARPA's networks of the sea enter next stage
DARPA's Tactical Undersea Network Architecture (TUNA) program recently completed its initial phase, successfully developing concepts and technologies aimed at restoring connectivity for U.S. forces when traditional tactical networks are knocked offline or otherwise unavailable. The program now enters the next phase, which calls for the demonstration of a prototype of the system at sea. TUN ... more
Defense Dept. orders upgraded underwater drones

Study finds potential instability in Atlantic Ocean water circulation system

Study confirms steady warming of oceans for past 75 years



Thousands evacuated as storm hits southern Philippines
About 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes as a tropical storm hit the southern Philippines on Sunday, raising the risk of floods and landslides, authorities said. The storm, locally named "Auring", hit Siargao island - just off the main southern island of Mindanao - with maximum gusts of 70 kilometres (44 miles) per hour. The storm is forecast to move westward across the south ... more
Study predicts more extreme storms for California in the future

Supercomputer simulations confirm observations of 2015 India/Pakistan heat waves

Increasing tornado outbreaks - is climate change responsible?

China manufacturing accelerates at fastest for 4 years: survey
China's manufacturing activity expanded at its quickest pace in nearly four years in December, an independent research firm said on Tuesday, in a sign of improving health for the world's second-largest economy. The private Caixin Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), an indicator of conditions at smaller manufacturers, beat expectations with a reading of 51.9 in December, up from 50.9 the previo ... more
Israel says China to send thousands of construction workers

China's Alibaba sues vendors over selling counterfeits

China manufacturing growth slows

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

NASA moon data provides more accurate 2017 eclipse path
On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, millions in the U.S. will have their eyes to the sky as they witness a total solar eclipse. The moon's shadow will race across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. The path of this shadow, also known as the path of totality, is where observers will see the moon completely cover the sun. And thanks to elevation data of the moon from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissan ... more
Moore Foundation provides libraries with a millione solar-eclipse viewers

Preparing for the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Giving the Sun a brake

Birds with big bills spend more time keeping warm
To shield themselves from the cold, many birds use a unique snuggling position called the "backrest." They cock their head back and to the side and tuck their beak under their wings. Scientists at Deakin University decided to take a deeper look at backrest behavior among nine bird species. They found birds with larger beaks exhibited backrest behavior more often and for longer periods o ... more
Routes of migratory birds follow today's peaks in resources

Scientists train DNA nanotubes to self-assemble a bridge between molecules

Sky's the limit for Thai baby elephant swimming to health





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