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New ceramic nanofiber 'sponges' could be used for flexible insulation, water purification![]() Providence RI (SPX) Jun 05, 2017 Researchers have found a way to make ultralight sponge-like materials from nanoscale ceramic fibers. The highly porous, compressible and heat-resistant sponges could have numerous uses, from water purification devices to flexible insulating materials. "The basic science question we tried to answer is how can we make a material that's highly deformable but resistant to high temperature," said Huajian Gao, a professor in Brown University's School of Engineering and a corresponding author of the rese ... read more |
Scientists discover plant 'brain' controlling seed developmentBirmingham UK (SPX) Jun 07, 2017 A new study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has revealed a group of cells that function as a 'brain' for plant embryos, capable of assessing environmental conditions and dictating when ... more
Understanding a river's 'thermal landscape' may be the key to saving itWashington DC (SPX) Jun 05, 2017 River temperatures have long been an area of study, but until recently, the field has been hampered by technological constraints. Fine-scale measurements over large distances and long time periods h ... more
Brexit risks disrupting EU agriculture market, experts warnBrussels (AFP) June 6, 2017 EU farm and food businesses may pay a big price for Brexit if new trade barriers pop up and dim the British appetite for products like Irish cheddar, French wine and Danish bacon, experts and advocates warn. ... more
Slovenia's 'eco-hero' who crushed a cement giantTrbovlje, Slovenia (AFP) June 4, 2017 When he saw swallows nesting in the barn for the first time in almost two decades, Slovenian farmer Uros Macerl felt vindicated. His exhausting battle against a polluting industrial giant had been worthwhile. ... more |
French prosecutors announce special team for Epstein files
Italy's Calabria again under water, seeks state of emergency French flood alert system says working at record pace CORRECTED: Strong earthquake off Vanuatu coast, no damage reported Strong earthquake off Vanuatu coast, no damage reported Bangladesh nationalists celebrate landslide win, Islamists cry foul Sophie Adenot, the second French woman to fly to space Floods wreak havoc in Morocco farmlands after severe drought Three dead, many without power after storm lashes France and Spain Hundreds of thousands without power after storm lashes France |
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| Previous Issues | Jun 07 | Jun 06 | Jun 05 | Jun 02 | Jun 01 |
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As temperatures rise, plants take up more carbonWashington (UPI) Jun 5, 2017 New research suggests plants begin to take up more carbon once they're acclimated to warmer temperatures. ... more
Myanmar's edible bird nest industry comes home to roostBokpyin, Myanmar (AFP) June 6, 2017 The cries of amorous swiftlets echo around the dark room, an unlikely gold mine for traders in southern Myanmar who are cashing in on rising demand for the edible nests from China's growing middle class. ... more
Blockchain seen as tool in food safetyNew York (AFP) June 4, 2017 The food industry is turning to the same technology used by virtual currencies to strengthen food safety and inventory management by tracking meats and crops from farm to table. ... more
Bacteria may supercharge the future of wastewater treatmentMadison WI (SPX) Jun 01, 2017 Wastewater treatment plants have a PR problem: People don't like to think about what happens to the waste they flush down their toilets. But for many engineers and microbiologists, these plants are ... more
Cape Town cuts back to survive worst drought in 100 yearsCape Town (AFP) June 1, 2017 As Cape Town suffers its worst drought in a century, residents have been told to restrict showers to two minutes and flush toilets only when "absolutely necessary". ... more
Historical rainfall levels are significant in carbon emissions from soilAustin TX (SPX) May 30, 2017 Scientists have known that microbes living in the ground can play a major role in producing atmospheric carbon that can accelerate climate change, but now researchers from The University of Texas at ... more |
![]() Squeezing every drop of fresh water from waste brine
China's 'toilet revolution' targets dirty lavatoriesBeijing (AFP) May 29, 2017 China is taking care of a pressing need: Authorities have installed or upgraded over 50,000 lavatories in a "national toilet revolution" designed to clean up filthy public restrooms. ... more
Bordeaux pins hopes for ravaged vineyards on June bloomSaint-Emilion, France (AFP) May 26, 2017 When a severe, unseasonal cold snap gripped Bordeaux vineyards in late April, winegrowers sprang into action. ... more
LA lawns use 70 billion gallons of water a yearSalt Lake City UT (SPX) May 28, 2017 In summer 2010, Los Angeles was losing about 100 gallons of water per person per day to the atmosphere through the evaporation and plant uptake of lawns and trees. Lawns accounted for 70 percent of ... more
In China, maggots finish plates, and food wastePengshan, China (AFP) May 29, 2017 Thousands of voracious white maggots wiggle frenetically while tearing through trayfuls of leftover meat, vegetables and fruits in an unusual farm in southwestern China. ... more |
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Paris (ESA) Jun 02, 2017
While the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite is in orbit delivering a wealth of information about our home planet, engineers are putting its twin, Sentinel-3B, through a series of vigorous tests before it is shipped to the launch site next year.
The Sentinel-3 mission is designed as a two-satellite constellation to give optimum global coverage and data delivery for Europe's environmental mon ... moreexactEarth Launches Revolutionary Global Real-Time Maritime Tracking and Information Service Paris (AFP) May 30, 2017Earth is a jewel, says astronaut after six months away Luxembourg (SPX) May 30, 2017SES-14 integrates NASA ultraviolet space spectrograph |
Washington DC (SPX) May 30, 2017
Although computer models of archaeological sites are ideal software tools for managing spatially referenced data and commonly used to yield insights which contribute to the protection of heritage materials, some scientists question their credibility, calling for these long-term trends be 'ground truthed' in order to ensure that calculated rates of change reflect observed phenomena 'in the field' ... more Tokyo (AFP) June 1, 2017Japan launches satellite in bid for super accurate GPS system exactEarth Broadens Small Vessel Tracking Offering Shanghai (XNA) May 30, 2017Chinese firms develop BeiDou navigation applications |
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Washington DC (SPX) Jun 07, 2017
Scientists have pinpointed a new source of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that's more potent than carbon dioxide. The culprit? Tiny bits of decomposing leaves in soil. The new discovery, led by Michigan State University (MSU) researchers and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is featured in the current issue of the journal Nature Geoscience.
"This study looked at the geometr ... more Washington DC (UPI) Jun 2, 2017Forensic analysis of wood's chemical signatures could curb illegal logging Ottawa (AFP) June 1, 2017Canada provides Can$867 mn to beleaguered softwood sector Brisbane, Australia (SPX) May 31, 2017PNG expedition discovers largest trees at extreme altitudes |
Washington (UPI) Jun 7, 2017
Recycling can encompass more than just materials like plastics and paper. Important chemicals can also be recovered and reused.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new technique for recycling plant material into stock chemicals, or commodity chemicals.
When recycling plant materials, the target is lignin, a complex organic polymer that provides structure to ... more Madison WI (SPX) Jun 07, 2017Newly identified gene helps time spring flowering in vital grass crops Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 07, 2017Splitting carbon dioxide using low-cost catalyst materials Montreal, Canada (SPX) Jun 01, 2017Cold conversion of food waste into renewable energy and fertilizer |
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Houghton MI (SPX) Jun 05, 2017
In a new study published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, a team from Michigan Technological University calculated the cost of combusting coal in terms of human lives along with the potential benefits of switching to solar.
Tens of thousands of Americans die prematurely each year from air pollution-related diseases associated with burning coal. By transitioning to solar photovo ... more Turku, Finland (SPX) Jun 07, 2017New low-cost material for lighting and diagnostics produces white light imitating sunlight Beijing (AFP) June 8, 2017US official backs clean energy cooperation with China Beijing, China (SPX) Jun 05, 2017Artificial transpiration for solar water purification |
Washington (UPI) Jun 5, 2017
The largest regional investor in renewable energy, the Asian Development Bank said Monday it was pegging clean energy to development in Pacific economies.
In an annual regional update, the ADB said it was working to promote renewable energy strategies in the Pacific region by helping to drive the low-carbon economy forward. The ADB's current portfolio of energy sector projects in the re ... more Anaheim, CA (SPX) May 28, 2017GE Energy Financial Services Surpasses $15 Billion in Renewable Energy Investments Washington (UPI) May 25, 2017U.S. states taking up wind energy mantle Solomons MD (SPX) May 10, 2017Scientists track porpoises to assess impact of offshore wind farms |
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Sydney (AFP) June 6, 2017
Indian mining giant Adani on Tuesday said it will start work on a huge US$16 billion coal project that environmentalists warn will damage Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Billionaire chairman Gautam Adani said in Townsville that the board had made its "final investment decision" which marked the "official start" of the Carmichael coal mine, destined to be one of the world's largest.
The ... more Beijing (AFP) May 25, 2017From coal miner to writer of China's hit TV show Beijing (AFP) May 8, 2017Gas leak kills 18 miners in central China Washington DC (SPX) Apr 26, 2017India's coal plant plans conflict with climate commitments |
Beijing (AFP) June 5, 2017
A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer who disappeared late last year has been officially charged with "subversion of state power", his wife said Monday, after his case attracted international attention.
Jiang Tianyong took on numerous high-profile cases, including those of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan protesters and victims of the 2008 contaminated milk powder scandal before being dis ... more Fangshan, China (AFP) June 5, 2017Chinese skinny-dippers defy public morals Hong Kong (AFP) June 4, 2017Thousands gather at Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil Beijing (AFP) June 1, 2017US returns criminal suspect to China |
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Boston MA (SPX) Jun 07, 2017
Eight years ago, Ted Adelson's research group at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) unveiled a new sensor technology, called GelSight, that uses physical contact with an object to provide a remarkably detailed 3-D map of its surface.
Now, by mounting GelSight sensors on the grippers of robotic arms, two MIT teams have given robots greater sensitivity and ... more Berkeley CA (SPX) Jun 06, 2017Meet the most nimble-fingered robot ever built Boston MA (SPX) Jun 05, 2017Muscle grafts could help amputees sense and control artificial limbs San Francisco (AFP) June 7, 2017Apple wants to rock the market with HomePod, faces challenges |
Austin TX (SPX) Jun 07, 2017
Engineering researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed the most detailed and extensive local map of air pollution ever produced for an urban area, using specially equipped Google Street View cars to measure air quality on a block-by-block basis. This new hyper-local mobile approach to measuring air quality, which reveals that air pollution can vary dramatically even within a ... more Trbovlje, Slovenia (AFP) June 4, 2017Slovenia's 'eco-hero' who crushed a cement giant Washington (UPI) Jun 7, 2017Americans' caffeine habit may be harming waterways, wildlife Paris (AFP) June 7, 2017Woman sues France over Paris pollution health damage |
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Cape Town (AFP) June 8, 2017 Up to ten thousand people were evacuated from their homes as fires continued to ravage South Africa's Western Cape region on Thursday, fanned by a ferocious winter storm.
Knysna, a town of 77,000 people 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of Cape Town on South Africa's famed Garden Route, was worst hit as firefighters battled to quell 26 fires along the tourist trail.
High winds from a stor ... more Moscow (AFP) May 25, 2017Three die in raging Siberia wildfires in Russia Fort Mcmurray, Canada (AFP) April 30, 2017Fort McMurray recovery from 2016 forest fire plods along Wageningen, Netherlands (SPX) Apr 13, 2017Flammable floodplains are weak spot of Amazon forest |
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 07, 2017
Wearing white sneakers, a cowboy hat and overalls, Bernie Fowler walks into Maryland's Patuxent River every June to see how deep he can go and still see the tops of his shoes. As a young man he could see his feet on the river bottom as he stood chest-deep to net blue crabs. Now in his nineties, he ventures into the river to assess the water clarity. Fowler has been collecting this data point for ... more New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Jun 05, 2017Stony corals more resistant to climate change than thought, Rutgers study finds United Nations, United States (AFP) June 7, 2017At UN ocean conference, US takes aim at illegal fishing Providence RI (SPX) Jun 05, 2017New ceramic nanofiber 'sponges' could be used for flexible insulation, water purification |
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Maiduguri, Nigeria (AFP) June 4, 2017
Torrential rains and wind destroyed 1,000 makeshift homes in northeast Nigeria over the weekend, aggravating conditions for the thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram violence, the United Nations said.
At least 4,300 people have been affected by violent storms that swept the state of Borno, the heart of the eight-year jihadist insurrection, said the International Organization for Migra ... more Moscow (AFP) May 30, 2017Death toll from Moscow storm rises to 15 Moscow (AFP) May 29, 2017Violent storm kills 13 in Moscow area Dhaka (AFP) May 25, 2017'Panic' in Bangladesh factories as workers collapse in heatwave |
Brussels (AFP) June 2, 2017 The EU and China failed Friday to formally endorse a joint statement on the Paris climate deal due to a lingering but separate trade row, a European source said.
The EU source said leaders from both sides had no problem with on the climate issue as both sides want to boost efforts to implement the 2015 Paris agreement following President Donald Trump's decision to pull Washington out of the ... more Beijing (AFP) June 8, 2017Chinese exports, imports beat forecasts but analysts wary Hong Kong (AFP) June 7, 2017Wonderland Villas: A tale of Hong Kong's property rollercoaster Washington (AFP) June 4, 2017Trump saw Paris climate pact as economic straitjacket |
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Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 30, 2017
On May 25, 2017, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, saw a partial solar eclipse in space when it caught the moon passing in front of the sun. The lunar transit lasted almost an hour, between 2:24 and 3:17 p.m. EDT, with the moon covering about 89 percent of the sun at the peak of its journey across the sun's face. The moon's crisp horizon can be seen from this view because the moon has n ... more Miami (AFP) May 31, 2017A real scorcher: NASA probe to fly into sun's atmosphere Washington DC (SPX) Jun 01, 2017NASA renames Solar mission to honor Eugene Parker Huntsville AL (SPX) May 24, 2017CLASP Sounding Rocket Mission Opens New Research Window in Solar Physics |
Yangon (AFP) June 5, 2017
Myanmar's wild elephants are being poached in record numbers with at least 20 killed this year due to surging demand for their hide, WWF said Monday, warning the species is facing a "crisis".
Hunters are increasingly targeting mothers and calves, using poisoned arrows to inflict a slow and agonising death before stripping them of their skin, the wildlife group said.
At least 20 elephant ... more Hong Kong (AFP) June 6, 2017African park ranger hits out at Hong Kong ivory trade Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 05, 2017How the Galapagos cormorant lost its ability to fly Washington (UPI) Jun 1, 2017How and why did a house swift cross the Pacific |
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