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South Africa wine production drying up in water crisis![]() Paris (AFP) April 24, 2018 South Africa is set for a steep decline in wine production in 2018 as the country grapples with a water crisis ravaging Cape Town and surrounding areas, a Paris-based global organisation said Tuesday. Africa's top wine producer is set to produce 8.6 million hectolitres of wine this year, down 20.4 percent down from 2017, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said in a statement. The Western Cape region has gone without significant rains for more than three years, forcing South Af ... read more |
California to 'whiplash' between drought, floods: studyParis (AFP) April 23, 2018 California will zigzag between droughts and floods which will become more intense and more frequent in the coming decades unless global emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are checked, researchers said Monday. ... more
Nuggets of contention: Chinese mine gold in CameroonLonga Mali, Cameroun (AFP) April 22, 2018 Killings, land grabs, corruption... tensions and violence are rising in eastern Cameroon as Chinese firms take advantage of a regulatory twilight zone to mine gold. ... more
Moss capable of removing arsenic from drinking water discoveredStockholm, Sweden (SPX) Apr 22, 2018 A moss capable of removing arsenic from contaminated water has been discovered by researchers from Stockholm University. And it happens quickly - in just one hour, the arsenic level is so low that t ... more
How NASA and John Deere Helped Tractors Drive ThemselvesWashington DC (SPX) Apr 19, 2018 There has been a lot of talk lately of self-driving cars, but farmers have already been making good use of self-driving tractors for more than a decade-in part due to a partnership between John Deer ... more |
Philippines vows arrests over bogus flood control projects
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs to 18 Three Vietnam men survive 40 hours at sea after typhoon Typhoon Fung-wong floods Philippine towns, leaves 5 dead in its wake Typhoon Fung-wong leaves flooded Philippine towns in its wake Typhoon exposes centuries-old shipwreck off Vietnam port Weakening Typhoon Fung-wong exits Philippines after displacing 1.4 million Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines Over 1 million evacuate as deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines |
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Fishing 'nomads': corralling carp on China's Thousand Island LakeQiandaohu, China (AFP) April 11, 2018 On a clear sunny morning in eastern China, the surface of Qiandao Lake boils with tens of thousands of thrashing carp as they are swept into the nets of fisherman like Ye Zhiqing. ... more
Large wildfires bring increases in annual river flowCorvallis OR (SPX) Apr 16, 2018 Large wildfires cause increases in stream flow that can last for years or even decades, according to a new analysis of 30 years of data from across the continental United States. Enhanced rive ... more
Mississippi River diversions will produce new land, but slowly, Tulane study saysNew Orleans LA (SPX) Apr 16, 2018 Although river diversions that bring land building sediment to shrinking coastlands are the best solution to sustaining portions of the Mississippi Delta, a new Tulane University study concludes tha ... more
Scientists use carbon nanotube technology to develop robust water desalination membranesNagano, Japan (SPX) Apr 16, 2018 A research team of Shinshu University, Japan, has developed robust reverse osmosis membranes that can endure large-scale water desalination. The team published their results in early February in Sci ... more
Organic fertilizers are an overlooked source of microplastic pollutionWashington DC (SPX) Apr 12, 2018 Organic fertilizers from biowaste fermentation act as a vehicle for microplastic particles to enter the terrestrial environment, with the amount of microplastic particles differing based on pre-trea ... more |
![]() Sweet potatoes came to Polynesia before humans did, study suggests
Cactus roots inspire creation of water-retaining materialWashington DC (SPX) Apr 13, 2018 During rare desert rainfalls, cacti waste no time sopping up and storing a storm's precious precipitation. Inspired by this natural phenomenon, scientists report in a study appearing ACS Macro Lette ... more |
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More frequent droughts mean fewer flowers for beesWashington DC (UPI) Apr 13, 2018 As the planet warms and droughts grow longer and more frequent, as predicted by climate scientists, bees are likely to find fewer flowers to get nectar. ... more
Japan faces record low eel catch, renewing stock fearsTokyo, Japan (AFP) April 13, 2018 Japan is on track for a record low catch of baby eels this year, renewing fears about declining stocks of the endangered fish, a favoured summer delicacy for Japanese. ... more
Toxic levels of arsenic in Amazon basin well water: studyVienna (AFP) April 12, 2018 Shallow wells dug for drinking water in the Amazon basin in order to avoid polluted rivers contain up to 70 times the recommended limit of arsenic, researchers warned Tuesday. ... more
Plants really do feed their friendsBerkeley CA (SPX) Apr 12, 2018 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley have discovered that as plants develop they craft their root microbiome, favoring micro ... more
Research suggests water appeared while Earth was still growingChicago IL (SPX) Apr 11, 2018 Up until about ten years ago, scientists thought they had a pretty good picture of how the moon and Earth came to co-exist. Then more precise measurements blew it all wide open, and scientists are s ... more |
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Sentinel-3B on launch pad Paris (ESA) Apr 24, 2018
The next Sentinel satellite for Europe's environmental monitoring Copernicus programme is poised for liftoff from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.
The Sentinel-3B satellite has been at the cosmodrome since mid-March being readied for its ride into space on 25 April at 17:57 GMT (19:57 CEST).
After being sealed from view in the rocket fairing last week, it was rolled out to ... more |
Open Geospatial Consortium announces the European Space Agency's upgrade to Strategic Membership Washington DC (SPX) Apr 19, 2018
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is pleased to announce that the European Space Agency (ESA) has raised its membership level from Technical to Strategic - OGC's highest level of membership.
As a Strategic Member, ESA will participate in OGC's Planning Committee to provide leadership through the exploration of market and technology trends to ensure that OGC's activities remain effective and ... more |
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Billions of gallons of water saved by thinning forests Washington DC (SPX) Apr 25, 2018
There are too many trees in Sierra Nevada forests, say scientists affiliated with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (CZO).
That may come as a surprise to those who see dense, verdant forests as signs of a healthy environment. After all, green is good, right? Not necessarily. When it comes to the number of trees in California forests, bigger isn ... more |
Wood formation model to fuel progress in bioenergy, paper, new applications Raleigh NC (SPX) Apr 24, 2018
A new systems biology model that mimics the process of wood formation allows scientists to predict the effects of switching on and off 21 pathway genes involved in producing lignin, a primary component of wood.
The model, built on more than three decades of research led by Vincent Chiang of the Forest Biotechnology Group at North Carolina State University, will speed the process of enginee ... more |
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Organic solar cells reach record efficiency, benchmark for commercialization Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Apr 24, 2018 In an advance that makes a more flexible, inexpensive type of solar cell commercially viable, University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated organic solar cells that can achieve 15 percent efficiency.
This level of efficiency is in the range of many solar panels, or photovoltaics, currently on the market.
"Organic photovoltaics can potentially cut way down on the total solar en ... more |
New control strategy helps reap maximum power from wind farms Austin TX (SPX) Apr 24, 2018
Every two and a half hours, a new wind turbine rises in the U.S. In 2016, wind provided 5.6 percent of all electricity produced, more than double the amount generated by wind in 2010, but still a far cry from its potential.
A team of researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) has developed a new way to extract more power from the wind. This approach has the potential to ... more |
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BHP confirms exit from world coal body over climate stance Sydney (AFP) April 5, 2018
The world's biggest miner BHP said Thursday it was following through on a decision to leave the World Coal Association over climate change policy differences, but would remain a member of the US Chamber of Commerce.
The Anglo-Australian giant announced in December it was reviewing industry group memberships to ensure they aligned with its climate and energy stance, which includes tackling gl ... more |
Kim's 'bitter sorrow' as N. Korea bus crash kills 32 Chinese tourists Beijing (AFP) April 23, 2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his "bitter sorrow" after dozens of Chinese tourists were killed when a bus they were travelling in plunged off a bridge.
Thirty-two Chinese tourists and four North Koreans perished in the accident south of the capital Pyongyang Sunday night, Chinese officials and state media said. Two other Chinese nationals were injured.
In a rare admission of ... more |
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For heavy lifting, use exoskeletons with caution Columbus OH (SPX) Apr 23, 2018
You can wear an exoskeleton, but it won't turn you into a superhero.
That's the finding of a study in which researchers tested a commercially available exoskeleton - a mechanical arm attached to a harness - that's typically worn by workers to help them carry heavy objects hands-free.
In the journal Applied Ergonomics, the researchers report that that the device relieved stress on the ... more |
BHP, Vale given extension to settle Brazil mine disaster claim Sydney (AFP) April 23, 2018 Mining giant BHP said Monday it had been granted more time by a Brazilian court to negotiate with authorities on settling a large claim over the Samarco mine collapse that left 19 people dead.
Samarco, co-owned by BHP and Brazilian mining giant Vale, is facing a 155 billion reals (US$45.4 billion) legal claim for clean-up costs and damages after the November 2015 collapse of an iron ore tail ... more |
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Large bushfire burns near homes on Sydney outskirts Sydney (AFP) April 16, 2018
Hundreds of firefighters were Monday battling a large bushfire that was raging near Sydney suburbs, with authorities saying it was "miraculous" no houses had been damaged and no-one had been injured.
New South Wales state police are investigating the cause of the bushfire in south-western Sydney, which started on Saturday afternoon amid unseasonably warm autumn weather and strong winds, with ... more |
China Plans Base in South China Sea to Launch Deep-Diving Drones Beijing (Sputnik) Apr 23, 2018
Just after the likely next head of US Pacific Command told Congress China's undersea warfare capability is one of the most pressing threats to the US, a new report says Beijing is establishing another base in the South China Sea for deploying manned and unmanned submersible vehicles.
The base would be located in Sanya, a city on the southern edge of China's Hainan island, Asia Times report ... more |
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Winter wave heights and extreme storms on the rise in Western Europe Plymouth UK (SPX) Apr 25, 2018
Average winter wave heights along the Atlantic coast of Western Europe have been rising for almost seven decades, according to new research.
The coastlines of Scotland and Ireland have seen the largest increases, with the average height of winter waves more than 10mm/year (more than 0.7metres in total) higher than in 1948.
That has also led to increased wave heights during extreme we ... more |
Apple, Ireland strike deal on 13-billion-euro tax payment Dublin (AFP) April 24, 2018
Ireland's government on Tuesday said it was signing a deal with Apple for the US tech giant to pay 13 billion euros ($16 billion) in back taxes as ordered by the European Commission.
The formal signature is expected later on Tuesday and the money will go into an escrow account, a type of third-party account used in transactions, the finance ministry said in a statement.
The money is expe ... more |
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European Solar Telescope will help us to crack mysteries of Sun Belfast UK (SPX) Apr 19, 2018
A group of international scientists have met at Queen's University Belfast to finalise plans for a next generation telescope which will help to crack the mysteries of the Sun.
The revolutionary four-metre telescope is being designed to investigate the Sun at unprecedented resolution. It will allow scientists to identify structures as small as 30km, which is the equivalent to finding a poun ... more |
One of North America's rarest bees has its known range greatly expanded Washington DC (SPX) Apr 22, 2018
The Macropis Cuckoo Bee is one of the rarest bees in North America, partly because of its specialized ecological associations. It is a nest parasite of oil-collecting bees of the genus Macropis which, in turn, are dependent on oil-producing flowers of the genus Lysimachia.
In fact, the cuckoo bee - which much like its feather-bearing counterpart does not build a nest of its own, but lays i ... more |
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