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Scientists boost crop production by 47 percent by speeding up photorespiration![]() Urbana IL (SPX) Jun 05, 2018 Plants such as soybeans and wheat waste between 20 and 50 percent of their energy recycling toxic chemicals created when the enzyme Rubisco - the most prevalent enzyme in the world - grabs oxygen molecules instead of carbon dioxide molecules. Increasing production of a common, naturally occurring protein in plant leaves could boost the yields of major food crops by almost 50 percent, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Essex published in Plant Biotechnology Journal. Thi ... read more |
Bayer to ditch Monsanto name after mega-mergerFrankfurt Am Main (AFP) June 4, 2018 German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer on Monday said it will discard the name Monsanto when it takes over the controversial US seeds and pesticides producer this week, as environmental groups kept up their criticism of the mega-merger. ... more
Alibaba shows off automated wine store in Hong KongHong Kong (AFP) May 29, 2018 With no shop workers or cash tills and payments made using facial recognition, China's largest e-commerce platform Alibaba created a fully automated wine store at Hong Kong's Vinexpo fair Tuesday. ... more
Radish cover crop traps nitrogen; mystery followsWashington DC (SPX) May 31, 2018 When you think of a radish, you may think of the small, round, crunchy, red-and-white vegetable that is sliced into salads. You might be surprised to learn that a larger, longer form of this root ve ... more
Italy's oldest olive oil discovered in peculiar potCastelluccio, Italy (SPX) May 31, 2018 Olive oil is a staple of Italian cuisine. It's been that way for thousands of years. And new chemical analysis conducted on ancient pottery proves the liquid gold has existed in Italy hundreds of ye ... more |
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 Dam reservoir levels drop below 3% in Iran's second city: media |
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| Previous Issues | Jun 04 | Jun 03 | Jun 01 | May 31 | May 30 |
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Water is not the same as waterBasel, Switzerland (SPX) May 30, 2018 Water molecules exist in two different forms with almost identical physical properties. For the first time, researchers have succeeded in separating the two forms to show that they can exhibit diffe ... more
Water wars in India's hillside getaway Shimla as taps run dryShimla, India (AFP) May 30, 2018 Indian police on Wednesday were forced to escort water tankers through the streets of Shimla as an unprecedented shortage sparked brawls and desperation in the Himalayan hotspot popular with the rich and famous. ... more
OLEDs could boost vertical farm efficiency by 20 per centLondon, UK (SPX) May 31, 2018 The energy efficiency of vertical farms could soon be boosted by as much as 20 per cent, thanks to a new system developed by a student from Brunel University London. vFarm, by design student J ... more
Sentinels modernise Europe's agricultural policyParis (ESA) May 28, 2018 In a move that could benefit around 22 million farmers, the EU's Common Agricultural Policy has entered the space age. Offering detailed and timely information on crops and farmland, the Copernicus ... more
France vows to outlaw glyphosate weedkillers within 3 yearsParis (AFP) May 29, 2018 The French government reiterated Tuesday a campaign pledge by President Emmanuel Macron to ban glyphosate-based herbicides by 2021, after senators refused to enshrine the pledge into law. ... more |
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Thailand stops short of banning hazardous weedkillersBangkok (AFP) May 23, 2018 A toxic weedkiller linked to Parkinson's disease and banned in more than 30 countries will not be outlawed in Thailand, after authorities announced Wednesday they would instead restrict its use. ... more |
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'Unprecedented' hailstorm hits Bordeaux winegrowersBordeaux (AFP) May 27, 2018 Winemakers in western France in the famed Bordeaux and Cognac areas were inspecting damage to their vines on Sunday after an "unprecedented" storm saw pebble-sized hailstones cause widespread destruction. ... more
A hidden world of communication, chemical warfare, beneath the soilMadison WI (SPX) May 25, 2018 The soil supporting a field of crops teems with life. Untold numbers of bacteria and fungi strive for space and food. Most are harmless. Many are vital to creating healthy soil. But farmers worry ab ... more
Long-term study shows crop rotation decreases greenhouse gas emissionsUrbana IL (SPX) May 25, 2018 Many farmers grow corn and soybean in rotation to avoid the continuous corn yield penalty, but now there's another reason to rotate. Scientists at the University of Illinois have provided further ev ... more
Twin Spacecraft Launch to Track Earth's Water MovementVandenberg AFB CA (SPX) May 24, 2018 A joint U.S./German space mission to track the continuous movement of water and other changes in Earth's mass on and beneath the planet's surface successfully launched at 12:47 p.m. PDT Tuesday from ... more
Twin sportscar-sized satellites to chase water changes on EarthTampa (AFP) May 21, 2018 A pair of identical, sportscar-sized satellites are poised to zoom around the Earth and track changes in water and ice, offering new insights into global warming and sea level rise, NASA said Monday. ... more |
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New algorithm fuses quality and quantity in satellite imagery Champaign IL (SPX) Jun 05, 2018
Using a new algorithm, University of Illinois researchers may have found the solution to an age-old dilemma plaguing satellite imagery - whether to sacrifice high spatial resolution in the interest of generating images more frequently, or vice versa. The team's new tool eliminates this trade-off by fusing high-resolution and high-frequency satellite data into one integrated product, and can gene ... more |
Research shows how 'navigational hazards' in metro maps confuse travelers Kent UK (SPX) May 17, 2018
Peter B. Lloyd, a PhD student in the School of Computing, working alongside Dr Peter Rodgers in the same department, and Dr Maxwell J. Roberts, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Essex, is carrying out a series of studies on the New York City subway map. This is sometimes ranked as the most complex metro map in the world, but the results are expected to be applicable to other cities. ... more |
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New research finds tall and older Amazonian forests more resistant to droughts New York NY (SPX) May 29, 2018
Tropical rainforests play a critical role in regulating the global climate system - they represent the Earth's largest terrestrial CO2 sink. Because of its broad geographical expanse and year-long productivity, the Amazon is key to the global carbon and hydrological cycles.
Climate change could threaten the fate of rainforests, but there is great uncertainty about the future ability of rai ... more |
Polymer researchers discover path to sustainable and biodegradable polyesters Blacksburg VA (SPX) Jun 04, 2018
There's a good chance you've touched something made out of the polyolefin polymer today. It's often used in polyethylene products like plastic bags or polypropylene products like diapers.
As useful as polyolefins are in society, they continue to multiply as trash in the environment. Scientists estimate plastic bags, for example, will take centuries to degrade.
But now, researchers at ... more |
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UK set to smash renewable energy targets for 2020 London, UK (SPX) Jun 01, 2018
A steady surge in the UK's solar panels market means the country is on course to achieve almost double its 2020 renewable energy target.
Reflecting the large-scale uptake of clean energy worldwide-with China and India spearheading the expansion in terms of consumption and production -the number of new solar panel installations throughout the UK has continued to rise.
Between January ... more |
Cryptocurrency blowing in the wind as mine opens in Estonia Tallinn (AFP) June 1, 2018
A state-owned Estonian wind farm launched a cryptocurrency mine on Friday, hoping to cash-in on Mother Nature's unlimited supplies of power on a windswept Baltic Sea island, a company official said.
Mining virtual currencies, like bitcoin, ethereum or ripple, requires powerful computers that are voracious users of electricity, making it uneconomical to mine without a cheap source of energy l ... more |
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Dutch to close two oldest coal-fired plants by 2025 The Hague (AFP) May 18, 2018
The Dutch government Friday unveiled plans to shut the country's two oldest coal-fired electricity plants by 2025, as it seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The other three remaining plants, using coal to produce electricity, will have to close down by 2030, the year the Dutch has vowed to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 49 percent.
Economy Minister Eric Wiebes said the ban on the old ... more |
Costly date: 64.89 yuan forbidden on Tiananmen June 4 anniversary Beijing (AFP) June 4, 2018 China's information blackout about the crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen protests took a new turn on Monday: users of a popular social media app could not send each other money transfers alluding to the anniversary date.
Open discussion of the brutal crackdown is forbidden in China, where hundreds - by some estimates more than a thousand - died when the Communist Party sent tanks on June 4, ... more |
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'Smart' material enables novel applications in autonomous driving and robotics Luxembourg (SPX) May 30, 2018
Research led by scientists from the University of Luxembourg has shown the potential of liquid crystal shells as enabling material for a vast array of future applications, ranging from autonomous driving to anti-counterfeiting technology and a new class of sensors.
Liquid Crystals, already widely used in flat-screen TVs, are materials that are in a state between solid and liquid. Prof Jan ... more |
Delhi slum drowning in plastic as Environment Day focuses on India New Delhi (AFP) June 4, 2018
A sea of plastic spreads through the New Delhi slum of Taimur Nagar, a symbol of the grime and waste that makes the Indian capital one of the world's most polluted cities.
The plastic bottles, bags, food wrappers and other detritus have gushed out of a drain that ends in the shanty, leaving stinking sewer water clogging the roads.
Stray dogs, goats and cows munch the plastic waste as tod ... more |
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Climate change increasing risks of lightning-ignited fires, study finds Portland OR (SPX) Jun 04, 2018
Fires ignited by lightning have and will likely continue to increase across the Mediterranean and temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere under a warmer climate, according to a new study co-led by a Portland State University researcher.
The study, published online in May in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, examined the observed and forecasted relationship between lightning-ig ... more |
Scientists rethink co-evolution of marine life, oxygenated oceans Syracuse NY (SPX) Jun 01, 2018
Researchers in the Department of Earth Sciences at Syracuse University have confirmed that rising oceanic and atmospheric oxygen levels co-evolved with marine life hundreds of millions of years ago.
Wanyi Lu, a Ph.D. candidate studying under associate professor Zunli Lu (no relation) in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the lead author of a groundbreaking paper in Science magazine (Amer ... more |
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At least 18 killed as fresh storms hit north India New Delhi (AFP) June 2, 2018
Fresh wind storms swept across northern India killing at least 18 people and leaving a trail of damage, officials said Saturday.
The latest in a series of freak storms that have left hundreds dead battered Uttar Pradesh state late Friday with winds of 100 kilometers (60 miles) an hour toppling walls, power pylons and thousands of trees.
Sixteen people died in the state, according to T.P. ... more |
Eurozone inflation leaps higher delivering 'headache' to ECB Brussels (AFP) May 31, 2018
Inflation in the eurozone leaped to the ECB's target in May, data showed on Thursday, fuelled by a huge increase in oil prices as the US decided to pull out of a nuclear deal with Iran.
The EU's statistics authority, Eurostat, said inflation in the eurozone jumped to 1.9 percent in May, a sharp pick-up from the 1.2 percent recorded in April.
That puts inflation right at the European Cent ... more |
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Study shows how Earth slows the solar wind to a gentle breeze College Park MD (SPX) Jun 01, 2018
As Earth orbits the sun at supersonic speed, it cuts a path through the solar wind. This fast stream of charged particles, or plasma, launched from the sun's outer layers would bombard Earth's atmosphere if not for the protection of Earth's magnetic field.
Just as a motorboat creates a bow-shaped wave ahead of itself as the hull pushes through the water, Earth creates a similar effect - ca ... more |
Ocean-migrating trout adapt to freshwater environment in 120 years West Lafayette IN (SPX) Jun 05, 2018
Steelhead trout, a member of the salmon family that live and grow in the Pacific Ocean, genetically adapted to the freshwater environment of Lake Michigan in less than 120 years.
Steelhead were intentionally introduced into Lake Michigan in the late 1800s in order to bolster recreational and commercial fisheries. In their native range, which extends from California to Russia, steelhead hat ... more |
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