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Blocking sunlight to cool Earth won't reduce crop damage from global warming![]() Berkeley CA (SPX) Aug 10, 2018 Injecting particles into the atmosphere to cool the planet and counter the warming effects of climate change would do nothing to offset the crop damage from rising global temperatures, according to a new analysis by University of California, Berkeley, researchers. By analyzing the past effects of Earth-cooling volcanic eruptions, and the response of crops to changes in sunlight, the team concluded that any improvements in yield from cooler temperatures would be negated by lower productivity due to ... read more |
Does rain follow the plowTucson AZ (SPX) Aug 14, 2018 What makes it rain? Many people joke it only takes washing the car or forgetting an umbrella to make rain fall, though in reality, those things are two of many rain-making myths that have been perpe ... more
Farmers in war-torn Afghanistan hit by worst drought in decadesMazar-I-Sharif, Afghanistan (AFP) Aug 12, 2018 After his wheat crop failed and wells dried up, Ghulam Abbas sold his animals and joined thousands of other farmers migrating to cities as Afghanistan's worst drought in living memory ravages the war-torn country. ... more
Investors shun Bayer stock over US pesticide rulingFrankfurt Am Main (AFP) Aug 13, 2018 Investors fled shares in German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer Monday, fearing a massive damages ruling against one of newly-acquired US firm Monsanto's flagship products could signal a wave of costly lawsuits. ... more
Cultivated areas halve in Iraq as drought tightens gripBaghdad (AFP) Aug 4, 2018 Areas under cultivation in Iraq have halved this summer compared to last year due to a drought that has led to a ban on water intensive crops, the government said. ... 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 | Aug 14 | Aug 13 | Aug 11 | Aug 10 | Aug 09 |
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The behavior of water: scientists find new properties of H2ONew York NY (SPX) Aug 15, 2018 A team of scientists has uncovered new molecular properties of water--a discovery of a phenomenon that had previously gone unnoticed. Liquid water is known to be an excellent transporter of it ... more
NASA finds Amazon drought leaves long legacy of damagePasadena CA (JPL) Aug 10, 2018 A single season of drought in the Amazon rainforest can reduce the forest's carbon dioxide absorption for years after the rains return, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. This ... more
Monsanto owners call weed killer 'safe' after jury orders big payoutBerlin (AFP) Aug 11, 2018 Monsanto's German owners insisted Saturday that the weed killer Roundup was "safe," rejecting a California jury's decision to order the chemical giant to pay nearly $290 million for failing to warn a dying groundskeeper that the product might cause cancer. ... more
Brazil wrestles with ban of controversial weed killerBras�lia (AFP) Aug 9, 2018 Brazil's government is contesting a court suspension of licenses for products with glyphosate, one of the most common industrial weedkillers and the subject of a high-profile US case against agrochemical colossus Monsanto. ... more
Jurors mull 'day of reckoning' in Roundup cancer trialSan Francisco (AFP) Aug 8, 2018 The lawyer for a California groundskeeper dying of cancer urged jurors Tuesday to make Monsanto pay hundreds of millions of dollars for failing to warn about the health risks of weed killer Roundup. ... more |
![]() Monsoon, landslides kill 20 in southern India
As temperatures rise, Earth's soil is 'breathing' more heavilyRichland, WA (SPX) Aug 09, 2018 The vast reservoir of carbon stored beneath our feet is entering Earth's atmosphere at an increasing rate, most likely as a result of warming temperatures, suggest observations collected from a vari ... more |
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Heat brings relief for French vineyardsParis (AFP) Aug 7, 2018 Torrid temperatures across much of France have made the past few weeks unbearable for many, but with grape harvests kicking off this week, the country's winemakers say the heat could not have come at a better time. ... more
Half a degree less warming can avoid precipitation extremesBeijing, China (SPX) Aug 09, 2018 Just half a degree Celsius could make a major difference when it comes to global warming, according to a new paper published by a collaborative research team based in China. The study, which a ... more
Despair as crippling drought hammers Australian farmersMurrurundi, Australia (AFP) Aug 8, 2018 A crippling drought is ravaging vast tracts of Australia's pastoral heartlands, decimating herds and putting desperate farmers under intense financial and emotional strain, with little relief in sight. ... more
Dying groundskeeper battles chemical giant MonsantoSan Francisco (AFP) Aug 8, 2018 Cancer-stricken Dewayne Johnson vowed to fight to his death in a David versus Goliath court battle against agrochemical giant Monsanto, whose weed killer he blames for robbing him of his future. ... more
Heatwave kills a tonne of Swiss fishGeneva (AFP) Aug 7, 2018 Roughly a tonne of fish have been killed in recent days by high temperatures in Swiss waters caused by the European heatwave, public broadcaster RTS reported Tuesday. ... more |
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New satellite map shows ground deformation after Indonesian quake Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 09, 2018
Scientists with NASA/Caltech's Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis project (ARIA) used new satellite data to produce a map of ground deformation on the resort island of Lombok, Indonesia, following a deadly 6.9-magnitude earthquake on August 5.
The false-color map shows the amount of permanent surface movement that occurred, almost entirely due to the quake, over a 6-day period between sat ... more |
Envistacom contracted for DAGRS GPS systems Washington (UPI) Aug 7, 2018
Envistacom has announced it has received a contract for the DAGRS handheld GPS navigation system that is used for many military purposes.
The contract, announced Tuesday by the company, is valued at up to $480 million over five years and covers both U.S. Army and Navy customers. The contract will include prototype design and other technical services to update the system.
The AN/P ... more |
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Poplar study shows trees can be genetically engineered not to spread Corvallis OR (SPX) Aug 10, 2018
The largest field-based study of genetically modified forest trees ever conducted has demonstrated that genetic engineering can prevent new seedlings from establishing.
The "containment traits" that Oregon State University researchers engineered in the study are important because of societal concerns over gene flow - the spread of genetically engineered or exotic and invasive trees or thei ... more |
Key gene to accelerate sugarcane growth is identified Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Aug 08, 2018
Despite international breeding efforts, advanced agronomy and effective management of pests and diseases, sugarcane yields have been static for decades owing to constraints on culm development.
The culm's sugar storage capacity is physically limited, restricting the volume of sucrose and biomass that can be obtained from the crop for sugar and second-generation (2G) ethanol production, acc ... more |
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China blasts US solar tariffs, takes WTO action Beijing (AFP) Aug 15, 2018 China has blasted US tariffs on solar panel imports, filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization in the latest salvo of the trade battle between the world's two economic giants.
US President Donald Trump approved steep tariffs on solar panel imports in January to protect US producers, triggering an outcry from China, South Korea and even protests from the US solar industry.
China' ... 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 |
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German insurer Munich Re to curb coal activities Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Aug 6, 2018
German re-insurance giant Munich Re said Monday it would scale back investments in coal-related businesses and stop insuring new plants and mines extracting the fuel, to help the battle against climate change.
Chief executive Joachim Wenning, writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, said Munich Re will no longer invest in shares or bonds issued by companies that generate "more than 3 ... more |
Philippines' Duterte slams China over island-building Manila (AFP) Aug 15, 2018
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has urged China to "temper" its behaviour in the South China Sea in a rare criticism of the Asian superpower over its programme of island-building in disputed waters.
China has alarmed and angered its neighbours by claiming dominion over most of the South China Sea and building a string of artificial islands and military airbases.
But the outspoken D ... more |
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UCLA-developed artificial intelligence device identifies objects at the speed of light Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 10, 2018
A team of UCLA electrical and computer engineers has created a physical artificial neural network - a device modeled on how the human brain works - that can analyze large volumes of data and identify objects at the actual speed of light. The device was created using a 3D printer at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.
Numerous devices in everyday life today use computerized cameras to i ... more |
Environmental regulations drove steep declines in US factory pollution Berkeley CA (SPX) Aug 10, 2018
The federal Clean Air Act and associated environmental regulations have driven steep declines in air pollution emissions over the past several decades, even as U.S. manufacturers increased production, a study by two University of California, Berkeley, economists has shown.
The study, forthcoming in the American Economic Review, found that polluting emissions from U.S. manufacturing fell by ... more |
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Carbon Monoxide from California Wildfires Drifts East Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 15, 2018
California is being plagued by massive wildfires, and the effects on air quality from those fires can extend far beyond the state's borders. In addition to ash and smoke, fires release carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide is a pollutant that can persist in the atmosphere for about a month and can be transported great distances.
New images made with data acquired by the Atmo ... more |
Tonga PM calls on China to write-off Pacific debt Wellington (AFP) Aug 15, 2018
Tonga Prime Minister Akalisi Pohiva has called for China to write-off debts owed by Pacific island countries, warning that repayments impose a huge burden on the impoverished nations.
Chinese aid in the Pacific has ballooned in recent years with much of the funds coming in the form of loans from Beijing's state-run Exim Bank.
Tonga has run-up enormous debts to China, estimated at more th ... more |
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Shanghai heat turns shopping street into giant slumber party Shanghai (AFP) Aug 9, 2018
As Shanghai swelters under a summer heat wave, it sometimes looks as if people are dropping dead from the torrid temperatures on the city's best-known shopping avenue.
Normally bustling Nanjing East Road has turned into an open-air slumber party on recent nights as local residents try to escape the heat of their cramped nearby homes by sleeping outside on benches or directly on the pavement. ... more |
China exports top forecasts but warning over US tariffs impact Beijing (AFP) Aug 8, 2018 China on Wednesday posted a forecast-busting surge in exports for July, but while its surplus with the US dipped slightly analysts warned that the full impact of US sanctions was yet to be felt.
The figures come as the world's two largest economies exchange threats of stiff duties on billions of dollars worth of goods, fuelling fears of a full-blown trade conflict that could hit global growt ... more |
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Historic space weather could clarify what's next Warwick UK (SPX) Aug 14, 2018
Historic space weather may help us understand what's coming next, according to new research by the University of Warwick.
Professor Sandra Chapman, from Warwick's Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, led a project which charted the space weather in previous solar cycles across the last half century, and discovered an underlying repeatable pattern in how space weather activity changes ... more |
Fresh fears over fate of Macau's abandoned greyhounds Macau (AFP) Aug 11, 2018
Fears for more than 500 greyhounds cooped up at a shuttered racetrack in Macau have been reignited after a plan to rehome them hit red tape.
Some 533 greyhounds still live in cell-like kennels at the shabby Canidrome, Asia's only legal dog-racing track until it closed down last month.
Operator Yat Yuen - run by one of Macau's most powerful women - failed to find homes for the dogs desp ... more |
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