|
|
Using 'shade balls' in reservoirs may use up more water than they save![]() London, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 Preventing reservoir evaporation during droughts with floating balls may not help conserve water overall, due to the water needed to make the balls. During droughts, communities may rely on water stored in reservoirs. However, significant amounts of water can evaporate from the surface of the reservoir. Amid California's latest drought, which lasted from 2011-2017, 96 million 'shade balls' were deployed on the Los Angeles reservoir. These floating, black plastic balls cover the water surface ... read more |
Researchers engineer bacteria to create fertilizer out of thin airSaint Louis MO (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 In the future, plants will be able to create their own fertilizer. Farmers will no longer need to buy and spread fertilizer for their crops, and increased food production will benefit billions of pe ... more
Archaeologists discover bread that predates agriculture by 4,000 yearsCopenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 At an archaeological site in northeastern Jordan, researchers have discovered the charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers 14,400 years ago. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread ... more
In India, swapping crops could save water and improve nutritionNew York NY (SPX) Jul 18, 2018 India will need to feed approximately 394 million more people by 2050, and that's going to be a significant challenge. Nutrient deficiencies are already widespread in India today - 30 percent or mor ... more
Tainted water exhibition roves around Beijing after initial shutdownBeijing (AFP) July 14, 2018 At first glance, it may seem like just a black truck filled with bottles of water, but a closer look reveals a darker - or rather murkier - side to what's sloshing around inside. ... 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 |
|
|

| Previous Issues | Jul 18 | Jul 17 | Jul 16 | Jul 13 | Jul 12 |
|
Taiwan issues warning as Typhoon Maria approachesTaipei (AFP) July 9, 2018 Ferries were suspended and farmers rushed for last-minute harvests Monday as Taiwan braced for Typhoon Maria, with warnings of possible mudslides and flooding as the storm nears. ... more
US farmers caught in trade war with ChinaHarvard, United States (AFP) July 8, 2018 Terry Davidson expects to be farming long after the US-China trade tariffs that took effect Friday become a distant memory. ... more
'Round Up' pesticide cancer link on trialSan Francisco (AFP) July 9, 2018 During more than a century of business, US agrochemical colossus Monsanto has been vilified for products critics say harm people and the environment. ... more
Cherry picking: China looks to replace US farm goods in trade warBeijing (AFP) July 4, 2018 American cherries are tantalisingly sweet. They are so loaded with sugar and low on water that China's home-grown cherries cannot compete on taste or texture. ... more
Global surface area of rivers and streams is 45 percent higher than previously thoughtChapel Hill NC (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Texas A and M University used satellite images, on-the-ground measurements and a statistical model to determine how much of the e ... more |
![]() Iraq's treasured amber rice crop devastated by drought
The tow-an-iceberg plan being floated to ease Cape Town droughtCape Town (AFP) July 3, 2018 It is a plan as crazy as the situation is desperate - towing an iceberg from Antarctica to Cape Town to supply fresh water to a city in the grip of drought. ... more |
|
Ancestral people of Chaco Canyon likely grew their own foodCincinnati OH (SPX) Jul 04, 2018 Researchers think they have a better understanding for how ancient North Americans thrived for centuries in northwestern New Mexico's arid desert. A multidisciplinary team of experts from the ... more
Water compresses under a high gradient electric fieldUrbana IL (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 Modern civilization relies on water's incompressibility - it's something we take for granted. Hydraulic systems harness the virtual non-compressibility of fluids like water or oil to multiply mechan ... more
New water pollution protests hit southwest IranTehran (AFP) July 2, 2018 Protesters clashed with security forces in southwestern Iran late Sunday, a day after several demonstrators were injured in nighttime skirmishes over water pollution, Iranian state media reported. ... more
Utah soil's slippery grip on nutrientsSalt Lake City UT (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 Lawns in the Salt Lake Valley up to 100 years old are not yet saturated in the nutrient nitrogen, which is added by fertilizer, according to a new study from University of Utah researchers. The resu ... more
Mesopotamians were drinking beer from individual vessels 3,500 years agoWashington (UPI) Jun 27, 2018 Until now, archaeologists believed the people of Mesopotamia shared beer from large communal vessels, sipping the barley-derived beverage through straws. ... more |
|
|
|
|
NASA Debuts Online Toolkit to Promote Commercial Use of Satellite Data Washington DC (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
While NASA's policy of free and open remote-sensing data has long benefited the scientific community, other government agencies and nonprofit organizations, it has significant untapped potential for commercialization. NASA's Technology Transfer program has created an online resource to promote commercial use of this data and the software tools needed to work with it.
With the Remote Sensin ... more |
Europe's next Galileo satellites in place atop Ariane 5 Paris (ESA) Jul 16, 2018
Europe's next Galileo satellites have been put in place on top of the Ariane 5 launcher due to lift them from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Wednesday 25 July.
The launcher - appearing headless in the absence of its final payload - was moved from the BIL Launcher Integration Building, where it was assembled, to the BAF Final Assembly Building, ready for the Galileo satellit ... more |
|
|
NASA Surveys Hurricane Damage to Puerto Rico's Forests Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 12, 2018
On Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria barreled across Puerto Rico with winds of up to 155 miles per hour and battering rain that flooded towns, knocked out communications networks and destroyed the power grid. In the rugged central mountains and the lush northeast, Maria unleashed its fury as fierce winds completely defoliated the tropical forests and broke and uprooted trees. Heavy rainfall trigge ... more |
Splitting water: Nanoscale imaging yields key insights Berkeley CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
In the quest to realize artificial photosynthesis to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into fuel - just as plants do - researchers need to not only identify materials to efficiently perform photoelectrochemical water splitting, but also to understand why a certain material may or may not work. Now scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have pioneered a techn ... more |
|
|
How gold nanoparticles could improve solar energy storage New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Jul 13, 2018
Star-shaped gold nanoparticles, coated with a semiconductor, can produce hydrogen from water over four times more efficiently than other methods - opening the door to improved storage of solar energy and other advances that could boost renewable energy use and combat climate change, according to Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers.
"Instead of using ultraviolet light, which is the ... more |
Searching for wind for the future Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Using outputs from a high-resolution regional climate model, KAUST researchers have confirmed the potential for wind as a significant energy resource across the Arabian Peninsula. This is an important first step in developing a strategy for Saudi Arabia's wind energy sector.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Notre Dame in the United States, Marc Genton's research g ... more |
|
|
Miner Yancoal seeks dual listing in Hong Kong Sydney (AFP) July 2, 2018
Australia's largest pure-play coal producer Yancoal said on Monday it would apply for a dual listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange alongside a capital raising as it looks to increase its shares' liquidity.
China-based Yancoal trades on the Australian Securities Exchange and recently expanded its holdings of local mines by buying most of Rio Tinto's domestic coal assets for US$2.45 billion. ... more |
Hong Kong police seek landmark ban on pro-independence party Hong Kong (AFP) July 17, 2018 Police in Hong Kong sought to ban a political party which promotes independence for the city Tuesday citing it as a potential national security threat as Beijing ups pressure on challenges to its territorial sovereignty.
Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland including freedom of expression but concern is growing those rights are under serious threat from an asserti ... more |
|
|
Army researchers teaching robots to be more reliable teammates for soldiers Adelphi MD (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University developed a new technique to quickly teach robots novel traversal behaviors with minimal human oversight.
The technique allows mobile robot platforms to navigate autonomously in environments while carrying out actions a human would expect of the robot in a given situation.
The ex ... more |
Singapore rolling out thermal cameras to nab illegal smokers Singapore (AFP) July 10, 2018
Lighting up will soon get tougher in Singapore, with the government planning to roll out 300 high definition thermal cameras to catch and fine illegal smokers.
The city-state already has some of the world's strictest anti-tobacco laws and smoking is banned in most public places, with errant puffers handed a fine of up to Sg$1,000 ($740) if caught. E-cigarettes are also banned outright.
A ... more |
|
|
Huge wildfire in Latvia forces evacuation Riga (AFP) July 18, 2018
Latvian authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of a village threatened by a wildfire in the west of the Baltic state as firefighters struggled to control the blaze.
Clouds of smoke and ash from the fire choked the small community of Stikli, forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents including handicapped children from a boarding school, the state fire and rescue service said.
... more |
Lockheed awarded $25.4M contract for undersea warfare systems Washington (UPI) Jul 16, 2018 Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems out of Manassas, VA has received a $25.4 million modification to a existing contract for support and production of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship Undersea Warfare System.
The modification is for development, integration and production of the Advanced Capability Build and Technical Insertion developments of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 USW system.
... more |
|
|
Fierce heatwave hits Japan flood recovery Tokyo (AFP) July 16, 2018
A blistering heatwave smothered swathes of flood-hit western Japan Monday, hampering clean-up efforts as survivors and relief workers toil in stifling temperatures a week after devastating inundations that killed more than 200 people.
Tens of thousands of rescue workers are still digging through the debris for bodies after Japan's worst weather-related disaster in over three decades, which s ... more |
China's Xi holding up deal to resolve trade dispute: Trump adviser Washington (AFP) July 18, 2018
A senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Chinese President Xi Jinping was blocking an agreement to resolve the trade dispute with the United States.
"I think Xi is holding the game up," said Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council. "I don't think President Xi has any intention of following through on the discussions we've made."
Tr ... more |
|
|
High-Fidelity Images of Sun's Atmosphere Show Structured, Dynamic Corona San Antonio TX (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
A Southwest Research Institute-led team discovered never-before-detected, fine-grained structures in the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona. The team imaged this critical region in detail using sophisticated software techniques and longer exposures from the COR-2 camera onboard NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A (STEREO-A).
The Sun's outer corona is the source of the solar ... more |
Nepal embarks on "rhino diplomacy" with rare gift to China Kathmandu (AFP) July 12, 2018
Nepal on Thursday gifted China a pair of endangered one-horned rhinos in a diplomatic gesture to its powerful neighbour and major investor.
The young male and a female rhinos, Rudra and Rupsi, boarded a charted flight bound for Guangzhou along with a team of Nepali experts.
"The rhinos were loaded in the plane in their crates and are on their way now. They were healthy and doing well," ... more |
|
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement |
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |