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Rapid decompression key to making low-density liquid water![]() Washington DC (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 Water makes up more than 70 percent of our planet and up to 60 percent of our bodies. Water is so common that we take it for granted. Yet water also has very strange properties compared to most other liquids. Its solid form is less dense than its liquid form, which is why ice floats; its peculiar heat capacity profile has a profound impact on ocean currents and climate; and it can remain liquid at extremely cold temperatures. In addition to ordinary water and water vapor, or steam, there are ... read more |
Tiny membrane key to safe drinking waterCanberra, Australia (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 Sydney's iconic harbour has played a starring role in the development of new CSIRO technology that could save lives around the world. Using their own specially designed form of graphene, 'Grap ... more
Drought forces Mozambique capital to ration waterMaputo (AFP) Feb 14, 2018 Mozambique authorities on Wednesday introduced water rationing to more than a million residents in the capital Maputo due to a severe drought. ... more
New model for evaluating rangeland systems launchesFort Collins CO (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 Rangelands are the dominant land type across the planet and millions of people rely on the natural goods and services and food security the lands provide. A recently released model, G-Range, allows ... more
Cover crops in nitrogen's circle of lifeWashington DC (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 A circle of life-and nitrogen-is playing out in farms across the United States. And researchers are trying to get the timing right. Some cover crops, such as hairy vetch or cereal rye, are not ... more |
Typhoon death toll climbs to 66 in the Philippines
CORRECTED: Typhoon Kalmaegi kills 66 in Philippines: civil defence office Reeling from earthquakes, Afghans fear coming winter Typhoon flooding kills over 40, strands thousands in central Philippines Indonesia floods kill 15 Afghan govt says quake death toll rises to 27 Fierce mountain storms kill nine in Nepal Typhoon flooding kills 26, strands thousands in central Philippines Vietnam flood death toll hits 40 as Typhoon Kalmaegi looms Fierce mountain storms kill 9 in Nepal |
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| Previous Issues | Feb 15 | Feb 14 | Feb 13 | Feb 12 | Feb 11 |
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For global water crisis, climate may be the last strawParis (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 Before man-made climate change kicked in - and well before "Day Zero" in Cape Town, where taps may run dry in early May - the global water crisis was upon us. ... more
Worsening Ethiopian drought threatens to end nomadic lifestyleDabafayed, Ethiopia (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 Down a sandy track past a desiccated animal carcass lies a cluster of half-built huts that Ethiopia's government and aid agencies hope will blunt the worsening toll of repeated droughts. ... more
Aerial imagery gives insight into water trendsLogan UT (SPX) Feb 12, 2018 With an ever-growing human population and its inherent demand for water, there is a critical need to monitor water resources. New technology could make it more feasible than ever to measure changes ... more
Bordeaux's 'magnificent' lost vintage pushes small growers to the edgeBarsac, France (AFP) Feb 10, 2018 Surveying a nearly empty cellar, Frederic Nivelle of Bordeaux's prestigious Chateau Climens, reflects on what might have been an outstanding year for the sweet white Sauternes wine. ... more
Vulnerable fear Cape Town's water shut-offCape Town (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 At Cape Town's Nazareth House, a care home for dozens of vulnerable, disabled and orphaned children, feeding time is executed with military precision. ... more |
![]() Chemists develop a simple, easy-to-use method to break down pollutants in water
Lab experiment yields evidence of superionic iceWashington (UPI) Feb 6, 2018 Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have found experimental evidence of superionic ice - a first. ... more |
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'Monster fatberg' goes on public display in LondonLondon (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 History enthusiasts with strong stomachs can now come face-to-face with part of the 130-tonne "monster fatberg" found last year clogging a Victorian-era sewer, in a new London exhibit. ... more
Amazon unveils grocery delivery via Whole Foods chainWashington (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 US online giant Amazon on Thursday unveiled plans to launch grocery delivery to a number of US cities for its Prime subscriber using its recently acquired Whole Foods supermarket chain. ... more
Study warns of return of forgotten crop pathogenWashington (UPI) Feb 8, 2018 Scientists have confirmed the first case of stem rust in Britain in 60 years. In a new study, published this week in the journal Nature Communications Biology, researchers warn of the risks posed by a resurgence of the forgotten plant pathogen. ... more
Farm sunshine, not cancer: Replacing tobacco fields with solar arraysHoughton MI (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 Although tobacco use is the leading cause of avoidable death globally, farming tobacco continues to provide the primary source of income to many farmers. But two Michigan Technological University re ... more
China's need to turn milk greenHarpenden UK (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 China will need more than three times as much milk by 2050 as it produced in 2010 and, without changes to its current supply lines, the demand will lift global greenhouse gas emissions from dairy he ... more |
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Tracking a typhoon's seismic footprint Princeton NJ (SPX) Feb 16, 2018
Climatologists are often asked, "Is climate change making hurricanes stronger?" but they can't give a definitive answer because the global hurricane record only goes back to the dawn of the satellite era. But now, an intersection of disciplines - seismology, atmospheric sciences, and oceanography - offers an untapped data source: the continuous seismic record, which dates back to the early 20th ... more |
Why Russia is one step ahead of US Army's plans for future GPS Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 12, 2018
The Pentagon and Israel's Defense Ministry have launched 'Urban Navigation Challenge', a startup competition to create advanced 'counter-terror' navigation systems which don't use GPS. The project makes no mention of officially designated US "rivals" like Russia or China, but according to Russian experts, it would make no difference even if it did.
The project, officially dubbed the Combat ... more |
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A theory of physics explains the fragmentation of tropical forests Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Feb 15, 2018
Tropical forests around the world play a key role in the global carbon cycle and harbour more than half of the species worldwide. However, increases in land use during the past decades caused unprecedented losses of tropical forest. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have adapted a method from physics to mathematically describe the fragmentation of tropical fores ... more |
Biochar could replace unsustainable peat moss in greenhouse industry Urbana, IL (SPX) Feb 15, 2018
Plant lovers are familiar with peat moss as the major component of potting mix, but harvest of the material is becoming unsustainable. Not only is peat being removed faster than it can re-form, its use in potting mix contributes to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
"Peat bogs naturally store carbon. When peat moss is harvested, there's a transfer of a global carbon sink in ... more |
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China's Solar-Powered Drone Test-Fires Missiles in Near Space Beijing (Sputnik) Feb 14, 2018
China recently completed a test of a solar-powered drone capable of flying at extremely high altitudes for more than half a day straight. And it can also shoot missiles.
The People's Liberation Army tested a variant of its CH-4 Rainbow drone for six days, the People's Daily reported February 12, conducting live-fire trials in extreme weather conditions.
"The capacity and variety of i ... more |
Ireland pushing for greener economy Washington (UPI) Jan 31, 2018
The Irish government, despite what happens for Great Britain, is committed to the European Union's energy and renewable policies, the environment minister said.
"Ireland is now a world leader in integrating renewables onto the electricity grid," Irish Environment Minister Denis Naughten said in comments emailed Wednesday from a renewable energy conference in Dublin. "Whatever the final ... more |
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Australia won't fund mega Adani mine rail link Sydney (AFP) Feb 4, 2018
Embattled Indian miner Adani's plans for a massive coal project in Australia has been dealt another blow after the government confirmed Sunday it would not fund a rail link to the facility.
The development of the controversial US$16 billion Carmichael mine near the Great Barrier Reef is set to be one of the world's largest. But it has been delayed by several years amid regulatory and legal h ... more |
MGM China to open mega resort in Macau as high rollers return Macau (AFP) Feb 15, 2018
MGM China is opening its new multi-billion-dollar mega resort in Macau's glitzy Cotai strip on Tuesday following multiple delays and last-minute hiccups in the government approval process.
The launch of the $3.4-billion resort comes as Macau is undergoing something of a renaissance, with gaming revenues bouncing back after being hard hit by a corruption crackdown launched by China's Presiden ... more |
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Researchers help robots think and plan in the abstract Providence RI (SPX) Feb 15, 2018
Researchers from Brown University and MIT have developed a method for helping robots plan for multi-step tasks by constructing abstract representations of the world around them. Their study, published in the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, is a step toward building robots that can think and act more like people.
Planning is a monumentally difficult thing for robots, largely be ... more |
Philippines resorts given two months to clean up 'cesspool' island Manila (AFP) Feb 14, 2018 Scores of holiday resorts on the Philippines' famous white-sand island Boracay have been given two months to clean up or face closure, officials said Wednesday, after President Rodrigo Duterte warned tourists were swimming in waters polluted by faeces.
The outspoken Philippine leader last week blasted the tiny island's hotels, restaurants and other businesses, accusing them of dumping sewage ... more |
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NASA Covers Wildfires from Many Sources Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
NASA's satellite instruments are often the first to detect wildfires burning in remote regions, and the locations of new fires are sent directly to land managers worldwide within hours of the satellite overpass. Together, NASA instruments, including a number built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, detect actively burning fires, track the transport of smoke ... more |
Drought forces Mozambique capital to ration water Maputo (AFP) Feb 14, 2018
Mozambique authorities on Wednesday introduced water rationing to more than a million residents in the capital Maputo due to a severe drought.
The city is cutting the water supply to consumers to just 40 percent of normal levels, Casimiro Abreu, deputy director of the National Emergency Centre said in a statement.
About 1.3 million people in Maputo and its surroundings are affected by th ... more |
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Lightning storms less likely in a warming planet, study suggests Edinburgh UK (SPX) Feb 13, 2018
Lightning may strike less often in future across the globe as the planet warms, a scientific study suggests.
The research forecasts a 15 per cent drop in the average number of lightning flashes worldwide by the turn of this century, if global temperatures are in the top range of forecasts.
A drop in the incidence of lightning strikes could impact on the frequency of wildfires, especi ... more |
Trump threatens China sanctions, vows to rework S.Korea trade deal Washington (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 US President Donald Trump threatened retaliatory action against two major Asian trading partners Tuesday, warning of sanctions against China while vowing to revise or scrap a free trade deal with South Korea.
Accusing Beijing of decimating American steel and aluminum industries, Trump said he was "considering all options," including tariffs and quotas.
Trump recently received two Commerc ... more |
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Where no mission has gone before Paris (ESA) Feb 12, 2018
Living near a star is risky business, and positioning a spacecraft near the Sun is a very good way to observe rapidly changing solar activity and deliver early warning of possibly harmful space weather. ESA is now looking at doing just that. On most days, our normally calm Sun goes about its business, delivering a steady and predictable amount of heat and light that keeps planet Earth and its hu ... more |
Indonesia Sumatran elephant found dead from suspected gunshots Jakarta (AFP) Feb 14, 2018
An elephant from the critically endangered Sumatran species has been found dead inside an Indonesian national park with what appear to be bullet wounds, the environment ministry said Wednesday.
The female elephant was discovered in Sumatra's Way Kambas National Park on Monday.
Her trunk was broken off and she had five holes resembling gunshot wounds on the right side of her body, it sai ... more |
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