24/7 Farm  News Coverage
December 28, 2017
FARM NEWS
Soil science adds many complexities to climate modeling



Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
When the soil warms up, it releases more carbon dioxide (CO2) - an effect that further fuels climate change. Until now, it had been assumed that the reason for this was mainly due to the presence of small soil animals and microorganisms that would eat and breathe more in warmer temperatures. However, a new study in Nature Climate Change has shown that this is not the case. Quite the contrary: If warmth is accompanied by drought, the soil animals eat even less. In order to improve the predictive po ... read more

FARM NEWS
Unexpected agricultural production allowed pre-Hispanic society to flourish in arid Andes
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Six hundred kilometers south of Lake Titicaca and more than 3700 m above sea level, the Intersalar region, between the two large salt lakes of Uyuni and Coipasa, is dotted with fields of quinoa and ... more
FARM NEWS
Rust stemmed for wheat
Cambridge UK (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Expertise in viruses and high security containment brought Rothamsted Research into a multinational team that has just won a major battle in the war against a genetically versatile fungal pathogen w ... more
WATER WORLD
The origin of water's unusual properties found
Stockholm, Sweden (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Using x-ray lasers, researchers at Stockholm University have been able to map out how water fluctuates between two different states when it is cooled. At -44 C these fluctuations reach a maximum poi ... more
FARM NEWS
Florida orange industry hit by hurricane, disease
New York (AFP) Dec 24, 2017
Hit by Hurricane Irma and a citrus ailment known as "Yellow Dragon Disease," Florida orange growers are bracing for potentially the worst harvest in more than a half century. ... more
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FARM NEWS
Heat patterns help bees pick which flowers to pollinate
Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017
Heat plays an important role in flower-pollinator interactions. According to new research, heat patterns serve as signatures for flowers, advertising their availability to passing bees. ... more
FARM NEWS
Oil palm plantations threaten protected Malaysian forests in unexpected ways
Washington (UPI) Dec 21, 2017
The growth of oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia is responsible for the clearing of thousands of acres of forest. But new research suggests the threat of oil palm plantations extends beyond habitat destruction. ... more
FARM NEWS
Pesticides, poor nutrition deadly one-two combo for honey bees
Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017
Lack of nutrition and exposure to pesticides are a deadly combination for honey bees, new research shows. ... more
SOLAR DAILY
India faces painful move to cleaner energy
Uncha Amirpur, India (AFP) Dec 10, 2017
Subedar Singh bears the scars of India's painful reliance on dirty power and its struggle to pay for the costly transition to the brave new world of solar and renewable electricity. ... more
FARM NEWS
How much soil goes get washed down the drain
Basel, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
According to a new study by the University of Basel, the European Commission - Joint Research Centre and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH, UK), almost 36 billion tons of soil is lost every ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
UCI scientists unveil new satellite-based global drought severity index
New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Just in time for the holidays, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions are rolling out a new satellite-based drought severity index for climate watchers worldwide. ... more


Meadows beat out shrubs when it comes to storing carbon

FARM NEWS
Uncovering varied pathways to agriculture
Rehovot, Israel (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Around 15,000 years ago, the Natufian culture appeared in what is today's Middle East. This culture, which straddled the border between nomadic and settled lifestyles, had diverse, complex origins - ... more
FARM NEWS
Archaeologist says fire, not corn, key to prehistoric survival in arid Southwest
Cincinnati OH (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Conventional wisdom holds that prehistoric villagers planted corn, and lots of it, to survive the dry and hostile conditions of the American Southwest. But University of Cincinnati archaeology ... more
FARM NEWS
In food waste fight, Brits turn bread into beer
Driffield, United Kingdom (AFP) Dec 12, 2017
At a brewery nestled in rolling farmland in northern England, the process of making beer begins with dropping dozens of unwanted loaf ends, thrown away by a sandwich factory, into a large stainless steel tank. ... more
WATER WORLD
US transportation and water infrastructure not broken
Santa Monica, CA (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
Transportation and water infrastructure funding and finance in the United States are not nearly as dire as some believe, but a national consensus on infrastructure priorities, accompanied by targete ... more





DLR and Japan sign collaboration agreement on climate research
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Around the time of the Paris climate summit on 12 December 2017, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Japanese National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) signed a collaboration agreement regarding remote sensing of greenhouse gases. "Through this agreement, we will be actively involve ... more
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 26, 2017
Prototype space sensors take test ride on NASA ER-2
Pasadena CA (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Scientists discover unexpected side effect to cleaning up urban air
Jiuquan, China (XNA) Dec 26, 2017
China launches land exploration satellite
Raytheon to provide GPS-guided artillery shells
Washington (UPI) Dec 28, 2017
Raytheon was awarded a modified contract from the U.S. Army for M982 Excalibur projectiles. The terms of the deal were made public in a press statement released Thursday by the Department of Defense. The contract is worth more than $70.6 million. The M982 Excalibur is a 155mm, extended range, GPS-guided artillery shell. It's commonly used in indirect fire support missions within ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 26, 2017
DARPA Subterranean Challenge Aims to Revolutionize Underground Capabilities
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
New satellite tracking of in-flight aircraft to improve safety
Washington (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
US military imagines war without GPS


North Atlantic Oscillation dictates timing of tree reproduction in Europe
Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017
Trees synchronize their reproductive schedule with the North Atlantic Oscillation, a climate pattern that influences zonal winds and the strength of storms. The NAO describes fluctuations in the region's air pressure differences. Shifts in the region's pressure gradients affect atmospheric circulation and Europe's climate patterns. And according to the latest analysis, the oscill ... more
New Haven CT (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
African deforestation not as great as feared
Munich, Germany (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Cascading use is also beneficial for wood
New York NY (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
New maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril
NREL develops novel method to produce renewable acrylonitrile
Golden CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
A new study from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) establishes a novel catalytic method to produce renewable acrylonitrile using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be biologically produced from sugars. This hybrid biological-catalytic process offers an alternative to the conventional petrochemical production method and achieves unprecedented acrylonitrile ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Microbes help turn Greek yogurt waste into fuel
Bristol UK (SPX) Dec 12, 2017
Bristol scientists turn beer into fuel
Golden CO (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
NREL research finds a sweet spot for engineering better cellulose-degrading enzymes


Climate conditions affect solar cell performance more than expected
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers can now predict how much energy solar cells will produce at any location worldwide. Surprisingly, they identified that two types of solar cells (silicon and cadmium telluride) can vary in energy output by 5% or more in tropical regions, where most of the emerging solar cell markets are located. This gap occurs because solar energy can shift ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Researcher pioneers solar sintering for crucial steel component
New York, NY (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Columbia engineers develop floating solar fuels rig for seawater electrolysis
Washington (UPI) Dec 22, 2017
French company ENGIE lays out 5.2 GW renewable goal
Oil-rich Alberta sees momentum for wind energy
Washington (UPI) Dec 14, 2017
The provincial government in Alberta said the industry response to a renewable energy program was better than expected, with almost $1 billion committed. Along with much of the Canadian economy, Alberta is adding layers of diversity with low-carbon ambitions. Solar power in the province doubled in 2015 thanks in part to municipal and farm-area incentive programs. Since a municipal rebat ... more
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Construction to start on $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland
Washington (UPI) Nov 30, 2017
U.S. wind turbines getting taller and more efficient
Washington (UPI) Nov 22, 2017
New wind farm in service off the British coast


Poland opens Europe's largest coal-fired power unit
Warsaw (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
Polish state-controlled energy company Enea on Tuesday inaugurated Europe's largest coal-fired power unit, at a time when other nations want to shift away from greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels. Enea opened a 1,075 MW capacity unit built by Japan's Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems at its Kozienice plant to join a dozen other units in the 250-300 MW range at the site. "The B11 section ... more
Sydney (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy
Washington (UPI) Dec 18, 2017
Coal demand falling, IEA says
Sydney (AFP) Dec 18, 2017
Adani drops contractor for contentious Australia mega mine
Scholars call for release of detained Maoist in China
Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
Hundreds of Chinese scholars, students and journalists have signed a petition calling for a leftist intellectual to be released from police custody in a case that shows how Beijing's crackdown on civil society extends across the political spectrum. Zhang Yunfan, a recent graduate of China's prestigious Peking University, was detained last month in the southern city of Guangzhou for "organisi ... more
Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
China approves mainland law enforcement at HK station
Phnom Penh (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
Cambodia sends maids to HK to plug gap after abuse scandals
Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
US and Germany urge China to release jailed activist


Lockheed Martin and NEC to Enhance Satellites, Space Travel with Artificial Intelligence
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 15, 2017
Lockheed Martin and NEC Corp have announced that Lockheed Martin will use NEC's System Invariant Analysis Technology (SIAT) in the space domain. SIAT's advanced analytics engine uses data collected from sensors to learn the behavior of systems, including computer systems, power plants, factories and buildings, enabling the system itself to automatically detect inconsistencies and prescribe resol ... more
Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Engineers program tiny robots to move, think like insects
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 13, 2017
Not Your Grandpa's Robot: Russian Robot 'FEDOR' May Become Self-Learning
El Segundo CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Aerospace's SeedTECH AI advances to second round of $5M IBM Watson XPRIZE
Bali declares 'garbage emergency' amid sea of waste
Kuta, Indonesia (AFP) Dec 28, 2017
Bali's palm-fringed Kuta beach has long been a favourite with tourists seeking sun and surf, but nowadays its golden shoreline is disappearing under a mountain of garbage. Plastic straws and food packaging are strewn between sunbathers, while surfers bobbing behind the waves dodge waste flushed out from rivers or brought in by swirling currents. "When I want to swim, it is not really nic ... more
Accra (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
Turning e-waste into art at Ghana's toxic dump
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
Delhi tests 'anti-smog' mist cannon; Smog keeps schools closed in Tehran
Tehran (AFP) Dec 17, 2017
Heavy air pollution shuts schools in Iran


Thomas fire mostly contained in charred
Los Angeles (AFP) Dec 21, 2017
Firefighters in California on Wednesday said the massive Thomas wildfire - about the size of sprawling Los Angeles - was about 60 percent contained but they warned strong winds were still forecast. Firefighters took advantage of weaker winds on Monday and Tuesday to battle the voracious blaze, which has already destroyed more than 1,300 structures. After the brief respite heavy winds a ... more
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2017
Wet winters may not dampen small wildfires
Los Angeles (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
After the fire, charcoal goes against the grain, with the flow
The origin of water's unusual properties found
Stockholm, Sweden (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Using x-ray lasers, researchers at Stockholm University have been able to map out how water fluctuates between two different states when it is cooled. At -44 C these fluctuations reach a maximum pointing to the fact that water can exist as two different distinct liquids. The findings will be published in the journal Science. Water, both common and necessary for life on earth, behaves very ... more
San Diego CA (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Study identifies California cliffs at risk of collapse
Chicago IL (SPX) Dec 28, 2017
Maps drawn in early 1900s help track Pacific Northwest kelp forests
Washington (UPI) Dec 21, 2017
Elbit's Seagull unmanned surface vessel completes Israeli-British exercise


Philippine storm toll rises to 43 as hopes fade for dozens missing
Manila (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
The death toll from a tropical storm that pummelled the central Philippines rose to 43 with hopes fading for dozens of others still missing after massive landslides, authorities said Tuesday. Slow-moving Kai-Tak finally swept out to the South China Sea on Monday after inducing days of heavy rain that led to deadly floods and landslides as it sliced across the central islands last weekend. ... more
Manila (AFP) Dec 18, 2017
Rescuers search for dozens missing after deadly Philippine storm
Miami (AFP) Dec 13, 2017
Global, Asian heat waves in 2016 due purely to climate change: study
Jakarta (AFP) Nov 28, 2017
At least 11 dead as floods and landslide hit Indonesia
President Xi puts his stamp on China's economy, permits more debt
Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
President Xi Jinping stamped his authority over China's economy at a major meeting ending Wednesday, which called for "reasonable" credit expansion, increased imports and more open markets and efforts to curb noxious pollution. The pledges were made under a new banner, "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era", at the end of the annual Central Econo ... more
Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2017
China's economic growth to slow next year, says state think tank
Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
China imposes new restrictions on outbound investment
Beijing (AFP) Dec 16, 2017
Britain, China speed up bid to link stock markets
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

August eclipse left a wake in ionosphere, researchers reveal
Washington (UPI) Dec 27, 2017
The August 21 solar eclipse caused waves in the uppermost part of the atmosphere, the ionosphere, which researchers say they were able to observe for the first time. The eclipse across North America was seen by millions of people, as well as by 2,000 positioning sensors installed across its path on Earth by researchers of MIT's Haystack Observatory and Norway's University of Tromso. ... more
Silver Spring, MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2017
Report Highlights Social and Economic Impacts of Space Weather
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Eclipse 2017: Science from the Moon's Shadow
New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Space weather, EarthScope, and protecting the national electrical grid
Nepal's last known dancing bears rescued
Kathmandu (AFP) Dec 24, 2017
Nepali authorities have rescued the country's last known "dancing bears", officials said Sunday, ending the medieval tradition of abuse of the beasts for entertainment. The Himalayan nation banned performing bears back in 1973 but the illegal practice - a traditional occupation for some street performer communities - lingered on in parts of its southern region. Police and animal chari ... more
Banda Aceh, Indonesia (AFP) Dec 27, 2017
Pregnant elephant 'poisoned' in Indonesian palm plantation
Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2017
Study: Golden-crowned manakins are 'exceedingly rare' hybrid
Washington (UPI) Dec 22, 2017
Salamander genome provides clues to the amphibian's regenerative abilities


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