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Blue-green algae promises to help boost food crop yields![]() Canberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 07, 2018 Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have engineered tiny carbon-capturing engines from blue-green algae into plants, in a breakthrough that promises to help boost the yields of important food crops such as wheat, cowpeas and cassava. Lead researcher Dr Ben Long from ANU said the discovery was a major leap forward in improving the way crops convert carbon dioxide, water and sunlight into energy - a process called photosynthesis, which is one of the main limitations to crop yield. ... read more |
Hong Kong dim sum favourite faces uncertain futureHong Kong (AFP) Sept 2, 2018 Impatient diners crowd around carts of steaming dim sum steered by fierce "trolley aunties" at Hong Kong's Lin Heung Tea House, one of the city's most famous restaurants, now fearing for its future. ... more
France's ban on bee-killing pesticides begins SaturdayParis (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 A ban on five neonicotinoid pesticides enters into force in France on Saturday, placing the country at the forefront of a campaign against chemicals blamed for decimating critical populations of crop-pollinating bees. ... more
Brazil court lifts ban on glyphosate weedkillerBrasilia (AFP) Sept 3, 2018 An appellate court on Monday lifted a court-ordered suspension of licenses in Brazil for products containing glyphosate, an industrial weedkiller in common use in Latin America's agricultural powerhouse. ... more
Angry French farmers sow Chinese-owned field in investor protestChatillon-Sur-Indre, France (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 Mounted on tractors and wielding flares, angry farmers came from all corners of France to say to Chinese investors: get off our land. ... 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 | Sep 06 | Sep 05 | Sep 04 | Sep 03 | Aug 31 |
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Shedding light on shallow watersParis (ESA) Aug 28, 2018 Keeping an eye on our waters is more important than ever, as widespread drought continues to sweep Europe this summer. Earth's changing sea levels are crucial indicators of how our environment ... more
Environmentally friendly farming practices used by a third of global farmsPullman WA (SPX) Aug 29, 2018 Nearly one-third of the world's farms have adopted more environmentally friendly practices while continuing to be productive, according to a global assessment by 17 scientists in five countries. ... more
India's devastating rains match climate change forecastsParis (AFP) Aug 24, 2018 Once-a-century rains that have pounded the Indian state of Kerala and displaced 1.3 million people are in line with the predictions of climate scientists, who warn that worse is to come if global warming continues unabated. ... more
Study uses seismic noise to track water levels in underground aquifersBoston MA (SPX) Aug 30, 2018 Seismic noise - the low-level vibrations caused by everything from subway trains to waves crashing on the beach - is most often something seismologists work to avoid. They factor it out of models an ... more
Portable freshwater harvester could draw up to 10 gallons per hour from the airWashington DC (SPX) Aug 29, 2018 For thousands of years, people in the Middle East and South America have extracted water from the air to help sustain their populations. Drawing inspiration from those examples, researchers are now ... more |
![]() Plant biodiversity essential to bee health
Bees get hooked on harmful pesticide: studyParis (AFP) Aug 28, 2018 Bumblebees acquire a taste for food laced with a pesticide known to harm them, according to a study suggesting the chemicals pose an even greater threat to pollinators than previously thought. ... more |
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California plain shows surprising winners and losers from prolonged droughtSeattle WA (SPX) Aug 27, 2018 The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a little-known ecological hotspot in Southern California. Though small, it explodes in wildflowers each spring and is full of threatened or endangered species. ... more
Rain brings relief to drought-stricken Australia farmersSydney (AFP) Aug 26, 2018 Widespread rain fell across drought-affected parts of eastern Australia over the weekend, bringing relief to farmers struggling to cope with the driest conditions in more than half a century. ... more
French tomato grower takes on Monsanto over weedkillerCelles-Sur-Aisne, France (AFP) Aug 24, 2018 Weaving through the aisles of his greenhouse in northern France, Jean-Claude Terlet, a retired farmer who grows tomatoes for local markets, seems to be brimming with energy. ... more
'No grass': Europe's livestock sector stricken by droughtParis (AFP) Aug 26, 2018 "Our cows have been living off hay cut in June, there isn't any grass," says Jean-Guillaume Hannequin, a farmer in eastern France, who like his counterparts across much of northern Europe is wondering how he will feed his animals this winter. ... more
French farmers furious as wild boars run amokSaint-Malo, France (AFP) Aug 26, 2018 With a gaping hole in the ground and tangled corn stalks strewn across Yves Rolland's field, it looks as if it has been hit by a tornado. He already knows who the culprits are. ... more |
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Aeolus laser shines light on wind Paris (ESA) Sep 06, 2018
Following the launch of Aeolus on 22 August, this extraordinary satellite's instrument has been turned on and is now emitting pulses of ultraviolet light from its laser, which is fundamental to measuring Earth's wind. And, this remarkable mission has also already returned a tantalising glimpse of the data it will provide.
Lofted into space on a Vega rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French ... more |
'Robat' uses sound to navigate and map unique environments Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
The "Robat" is a fully autonomous terrestrial robot with bat-like qualities that uses echolocation to move through novel environments while mapping them based only on sound. It was developed at Tel Aviv University.
Bats use echolocation to map novel environments, navigating them by emitting sound then extracting information from the echoes reflected by objects in their surroundings. Many t ... more |
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Species-rich forests better compensate environmental impacts Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
Forest ecosystems are elementary for a climatic balance. Countries such as China have recognized this fact; for years, they have been conducting extensive afforestation programs to compensate their rising CO2 emissions.
As part of the global carbon cycle, forests take up about 45 percent of the carbon from the environment and bind it in the soil and as biomass over long periods of time. At ... more |
Methane to syngas catalyst: two for the price of one Sapporo, Japan (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
Hokkaido University researchers have created an improved catalyst for the conversion of methane gas into syngas, a precursor for liquid fuels and fundamental chemicals.
Syngas, also known as synthesis gas, is a mixture made primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen and is used to manufacture polymers, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic petroleum. It is made by exposing methane to water vapor a ... more |
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Changing the type of silicon etching drops solar power costs by more than 10 percent Houghton MI (SPX) Sep 06, 2018 |
Wind Power: It is all about the distribution Freiburg, Germany (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
Wind power is an important pillar in Germany's energy policy turnaround: According to the German government, the resource should cover 65 percent of German electricity needs by 2030, along with solar, hydropower and biomass. In a recent study, Dr. Christopher Jung and Dr. Dirk Schindler from the University of Freiburg show that it will be possible to cover 40 percent of the current electricity c ... more |
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Trump administration moves to relax coal pollution rules Washington (AFP) Aug 22, 2018
President Donald Trump's administration announced a plan Tuesday to weaken regulations on US coal plants, giving a boost to an industry that former leader Barack Obama had hoped to phase out to cut harmful emissions that drive global warming.
The Environmental Protection Agency's new Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule would allow states the flexibility to set their own standards for performa ... more |
Hong Kong top court frees 13 pro-democracy activists Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 7, 2018
Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal on Friday quashed jail sentences for 13 pro-democracy activists who stormed the city's legislative council in a dramatic 2014 protest.
The group were earlier sentenced to between eight and 13 months after the government successfully sought to overturn a previous punishment of community service and seek harsher terms.
All 13 were already on bail pending ... more |
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A cyborg cockroach could someday save your life Storrs CT (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
A tiny neuro-controller created by researchers at the University of Connecticut could provide more precise control of futuristic biobots, such as cyborg cockroaches that are already being tested for use in search and rescue missions inside collapsed buildings.
Scientists have spent the better part of the past decade exploring ways to tether live insects to miniaturized computer hardware so ... more |
Cleaning up Tokyo's beaches: An Olympic task Tokyo (AFP) Sept 6, 2018
On a blazing hot Tokyo summer day, children squeal with delight as they splash about on a sandy beach, with the skyline of the world's biggest city shimmering behind them.
The scene may seem unremarkable but it was unthinkable until recently when local activists decided to clean up the polluted water at city beaches, hoping to leave a legacy from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
"Tokyo Bay ... more |
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NASA assists in efforts to contain California wildfires Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Aug 28, 2018
An effort by multiple NASA centers to assist with the California wildfires included capturing satellite data of the smoke plumes and aircraft flights over burned areas to collect information for recovery planning.
The California Air National Guard asked the NASA Earth Science Disasters Program for support with the wildfires that have destroyed more than 410,000 acres and 11 disaster progra ... more |
Study says coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef not limited to shallow depths San Francisco CA (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
A new study demonstrates that the recent mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef was not restricted to shallow depths, but also affected deep reefs. Although deep reefs are often considered a refuge from thermal anomalies, the new research highlights limitations to this role and argues that both shallow and deep reefs are under threat of mass bleaching events.
Published in the journ ... more |
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Prague records hottest summer on record Prague (AFP) Sept 6, 2018
The Czech capital Prague has experienced its hottest summer since records started in 1775, the weather institute said on Thursday.
"Record heat was recorded in Prague this summer, with average temperatures the highest since observations began 244 years ago," the Hydrometeorological Institute said.
Summertime average daytime temperatures hit 22.7 degrees Celsius (72.5 Fahrenheit) at th ... more |
A more prosperous global future is possible Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
If we proactively implement effective fisheries management and limit global temperature rise, the world's oceans still have the potential to be significantly more plentiful in the future than today, despite climate change. This finding is among several that appear in a first-of-its kind study, "Improved fisheries management could offset many negative effects of climate change," that appears in t ... more |
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NASA-funded Rocket to View Sun with X-Ray Vision Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
Without special instrumentation, the Sun looks calm and inert. But beneath that placid facade are countless miniature explosions called nanoflares.
These small but intense eruptions are born when magnetic field lines in the Sun's atmosphere tangle up and stretch until they break like a rubber band. The energy they release accelerates particles to near lightspeed and according to some scien ... more |
Sri Lanka probes deaths of wild elephants Colombo (AFP) Sept 3, 2018
Sri Lankan authorities on Monday began investigating the deaths of wild elephants in the east of the island after pulling seven carcasses out of a marsh, a minister said.
Wildlife Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma said six out of the seven animals found in the swamp were young - below the age of 12 - and he suspected that many more may have died there.
"We have wildlife experts and vets ... more |
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