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Philippine farmers risk death to save crops from killer typhoon![]() Baggao, Philippines (AFP) Sept 17, 2018 As Typhoon Manghkut hurtled toward the Philippines, those in its firing line had a stark choice: stay or flee. Many chose to remain in order to protect their most precious possessions - their food and livestock. Residents of the storm's ground zero, in Baggao on the eastern flank of Luzon island, knew they would be hit full-force, but losing their livelihoods was a disaster they were willing to risk everything to prevent. "Our house was blown away. We were flooded," Diday Llorente, 55, told AFP ... read more |
Swiss NGO links pesticide to Indian farmer deathsGeneva (AFP) Sept 18, 2018 The Swiss NGO Public Eye called Tuesday for an export ban on the pesticide Polo, produced by agriculture giant Syngenta, implicating it in the death of 20 Indian farmers last year. ... more
Insects, plants living in agricultural regions are surprisingly resilientWashington (UPI) Sep 18, 2018 Plants and pollinators that have survived the impacts of agriculture intensification are more likely to survive future environmental changes, new research suggests. ... more
Wild animals were routinely captured and traded in ancient MesoamericaWashington DC (SPX) Sep 18, 2018 New evidence from the Maya city of Copan, in Honduras, reveals that ancient Mesoamericans routinely captured and traded wild animals for symbolic and ritual purposes, according to a study published ... more
Spanish farmers go nuts for almonds as global demand boomsSanta Cruz, Spain (AFP) Sept 16, 2018 Surging worldwide demand for almonds is pushing Spanish farmers to replace traditional wheat and sunflower fields with almond orchards, transforming the landscape in the south of the country. ... 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 18 | Sep 17 | Sep 14 | Sep 13 | Sep 12 |
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Water in small dust grains can explain large amounts of water on EarthAmsterdam, Netherlands (SPX) Sep 12, 2018 Water trapped in dust grains from which the Earth formed can explain the current large amount of water on Earth. This is suggested by scientists from the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, ... more
Drought, groundwater loss sinks California land at alarming rateIthaca NY (SPX) Sep 11, 2018 The San Joaquin Valley in central California, like many other regions in the western United States, faces drought and ongoing groundwater extraction, happening faster than it can be replenished. And ... more
Nitrous oxide emissions from rice farms are a cause for concern for global climateWashington DC (SPX) Sep 12, 2018 Intermittently flooded rice farms can emit 45 times more nitrous oxide as compared to the maximum from continuously flooded farms that predominantly emit methane, according to a new study published ... more
Greenhouse gases from rice paddies may be 2x higher than thoughtTampa (AFP) Sept 10, 2018 The way some irrigated rice paddies are managed worldwide, with cycles of flooding followed by dry periods, may lead to twice the planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution as previously thought, researchers said Monday. ... more
Humans may have first grown grains for beer, not breadWashington (UPI) Sep 12, 2018 Researchers have discovered evidence of beer brewing dating to 13,000 years ago, several thousand years before the cultivation of grains in the Near East. ... more |
![]() Blue-green algae promises to help boost food crop yields
S.Africa's Cape Town eases water rationingCape Town (AFP) Sept 10, 2018 South Africa's second city Cape Town, battling its worst drought in 100 years, announced Monday that it would ease severe water rationing after significant rains in the region. ... more |
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'Hunger stones' tell Elbe's centuries-old tale of droughtDecin, Czech Republic (AFP) Sept 10, 2018 Once an ominous harbinger of hard times and even famine due to critically low water levels, a massive "hunger stone" embedded deep in the Elbe River has reappeared in the Czech Republic after Europe's long, dry summer. ... more
Urban vineyards: Parisians pick grapes for city vintagesParis (AFP) Sept 4, 2018 Grape pickers at the Clos des Morillons look like thousands of others at work in vineyards across France at this time of year. But behind them looms a high-rise housing estate and a short walk away is the noisy Paris ring road. ... 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 |
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Protection for the ozone layer: sugar molecules bind harmful CFCs Mainz, Germany (SPX) Sep 13, 2018
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences have managed to make a breakthrough when it comes to dealing with the extremely ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon Freon 11. Their findings could make a major contribution to protecting the endangered ozone layer.
Freon 11 is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). These substances were previously ... more |
AF Announces selection of GPS III follow-on contract Washington DC (AFNS) Sep 19, 2018
The U.S. Air Force announced selection of Lockheed Martin for a fixed-price-type production contract for 22 GPS III Follow-On satellites with a total estimated contract value up to $7.2 billion.
"The world is dependent on GPS, from getting directions to getting cash from an ATM or trading on the stock exchange," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. "These satellites will provide ... more |
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Indigenous peoples, key to saving forests, catch a break San Francisco (AFP) Sept 14, 2018
Proven masters at sustainably managing forests that protect against global warming, indigenous peoples got a place at the table, and some cash, at an international climate summit in San Francisco this week.
New "guiding principles" for collaboration endorsed by three dozen mostly tropical provinces and states across nine countries bolster indigenous rights to land, self-governance and financ ... more |
Barriers and opportunities in renewable biofuels production Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Sep 12, 2018
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have identified two main challenges for renewable biofuel production from cheap sources. Firstly, lowering the cost of developing microbial cell factories, and secondly, establishing more efficient methods for hydrolysis of biomass to sugars for fermentation. Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Energy.
The study ... more |
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SunShare secures $11M in construction and term financing Denver CO (SPX) Sep 14, 2018
SunShare, the nation's pioneer in community solar, has secured $11 million in construction/term project financing from ANB Bank for the construction of 8.2 MWdc of community solar gardens in Minnesota. Construction has begun on the SaintSun (6.9 MWdc) and ZumbroSun (1.3 MWdc) projects in Saint Michael and Zumbro Falls, MN, and they are expected to reach mechanical completion starting in October ... more |
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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Nine hurt in German police eviction of anti-coal protesters Berlin (AFP) Sept 16, 2018
Nine environmental activists were injured and 34 detained in an operation to evict protesters holed up in forest treehouses in a bid to block the expansion of an open-pit coal mine, police said Sunday.
Police officers have mobilised against fierce resistance since the middle of last week to clear the demonstrators from Hambach Forest near the border with Belgium and the Netherlands.
Up t ... more |
Prominent Chinese pastor defiant after church closure Beijing (AFP) Sept 13, 2018 A Chinese Protestant pastor is vowing to keep preaching to his flock despite the closure of his prominent underground church in Beijing, defying the government's intensifying pressure on religious groups.
Pastor Jin Mingri had given sermons at the Zion Church, one of the biggest unofficial congregations in the country, for the past decade until local officials shut it down on Sunday.
Its ... more |
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Digital assistants hone skills to deliver the news Washington (AFP) Sept 16, 2018
"What's the news?" has become a familiar refrain for consumers with smart speakers, opening up a new channel for publishers but also raising concerns about the growing influence of tech platforms in media.
Devices such as Amazon's Alexa-powered speakers, Google Home and Apple HomePod are increasingly delivering news flashes and summaries, and giving users the option to get more in-depth news ... more |
Researchers turn to oysters as pollution-tracking sentinels Arcachon, France (AFP) Sept 17, 2018
French researchers hoping to get an early warning on pollution in the ocean have found an unlikely ally in a mollusc more often destined for the dinner table.
Their findings reveal that much like canaries in a coal mine, oysters stationed near offshore oil platforms can detect minute amounts of hydrocarbons as each one constantly filters dozens of gallons of water every day.
That could a ... 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 |
Researchers use eDNA to detect great white sharks Washington (UPI) Sep 14, 2018
Scientists can now detect the presence of white sharks using environmental DNA, or eDNA. Environmental DNA describes DNA strands found in the environment, not collected directly from a species' body.
Increasingly, researchers are turning to genetic markers to identify the presence of species in the environment, but until now, scientists struggled to isolate an eDNA signature for white s ... more |
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Perfect storms: hurricanes and typhoons Paris (AFP) Sept 13, 2018 As Hurricane Florence looms off the eastern United States and Typhoon Mangkhut threatens the Philippines, here are some facts about monster storms and what to expect as climate change supercharges our weather.
Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are different names for the same type of giant tropical storms that form in oceans near the Americas and Asia. ... more |
Chinese premier slams 'unilateralism' in trade disputes Tianjin, China (AFP) Sept 19, 2018
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang railed against "unilateralism" on Wednesday in a veiled allusion to the trade fight with the United States, and threw his weight behind further opening of the world's second largest economy.
Speaking at the summer session of the World Economic Forum in the eastern city of Tianjin, Li said problems must be worked out through consultations, a day after China and the ... more |
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Solar Orbiter to leave factory for testing London, UK (SPX) Sep 18, 2018
The UK-built Solar Orbiter is preparing to leave the Airbus factory in Stevenage to travel to Germany for testing, ahead of its launch in 2020 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA.
The UK is at the heart of this European Space Agency (ESA) mission to uncover the secrets of our planet's star. Solar Orbiter will provide close-up views of the Sun's polar regions, tracking features such as sola ... more |
Where have all the turtles gone, and why does it matter? Athens GA (SPX) Sep 18, 2018
About 61 percent of the world's 356 turtle species are threatened or already extinct, and the decline could have ecological consequences. These findings are according to a new paper in Bioscience synthesizing the global status of turtles and their ecological roles by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, University of California, Davis, and the Un ... more |
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