|
|
Chinese actress has high hopes for her Bordeaux vineyard![]() Saint-�milion, France (AFP) Sept 18, 2018 A Chinese film star got her hands dirty Tuesday to kick off the harvest at her Bordeaux vineyard, which she aims to propel into the ranks of top estates as demand for French wines grows back home. Zhao Wei, also known as Vicky Zhao, bought the Chateau Monlot in the Saint-Emilion region of southwest France in 2011, part of a wave of Chinese buyers snapping up parcels in recent years. "I want to make Chateau Monlot a grand wine, emblematic of the Bordeaux vineyards," said Zhao as she snipped bunch ... read more |
Earliest Mediterranean cheese production revealed by pottery over 7,000 years oldWashington DC (SPX) Sep 20, 2018 Fatty acids detected on potsherds from Croatian archaeological sites contain evidence of the earliest known cheese production in the Mediterranean region, according to a study published September 5, ... more
Multiple facets of biodiversity reduce variability of grassland biomass productionLeipzig, Germany (SPX) Sep 20, 2018 A new study shows that, in addition to species richness, plant evolutionary history plays a critical role in regulating year-to-year variation of biomass production in grasslands. In the face of cli ... more
Czech Republic to restrict use of glyphosate weedkillerPrague (AFP) Sept 17, 2018 The Czech Republic will limit the use of substances containing the controversial glyphosate weedkiller as of next year, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. ... more
Philippine farmers risk death to save crops from killer typhoonBaggao, 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. ... 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 | Sep 19 | Sep 18 | Sep 17 | Sep 14 | Sep 13 |
|
Improving soil quality can slow global warmingBerkeley CA (SPX) Sep 14, 2018 Low-tech ways of improving soil quality on farms and rangelands worldwide could pull significant amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere and slow the pace of climate change, according to a new Unive ... more
Farmers on the front lines of marine aquacultureSanta Barbara CA (SPX) Sep 13, 2018 Many of the world's future farmers will likely be farming oceans, as aquaculture - the cultivation of fish and other aquatic species - continues its expansion as the fastest growing food sector. New ... more
Drought, conflict and migration in KenyaSalt Lake City UT (SPX) Sep 13, 2018 As droughts worsen across the globe, more people who earn their living through farming and owning livestock are forced to leave their homes. Many academics and policymakers predict that the rise in ... more
Ancient farmers spared us from glaciers but profoundly changed Earth's climateMadison WI (SPX) Sep 07, 2018 Millenia ago, ancient farmers cleared land to plant wheat and maize, potatoes and squash. They flooded fields to grow rice. They began to raise livestock. And unknowingly, they may have been fundame ... more
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 rate
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 yieldsCanberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 10, 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 im ... more
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
'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 |
|
|
|
|
New kid on the block picks up relay for ozone Paris (ESA) Sep 17, 2018
For more than 20 years, changes in ozone over Antarctica have been carefully monitored by a succession of European satellites. This important long-term record is now being added to by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission, which is dedicated to atmospheric monitoring.
Protecting life on Earth from the Sun's harmful rays of ultraviolet radiation, the ozone layer is a very important, yet fragil ... 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 |
|
|
Coal plant offsets with carbon capture means covering 89 percent of the US in forests Houghton MI (SPX) Sep 20, 2018
While demand for energy isn't dropping, alarms raised by burning fossil fuels in order to get that energy are getting louder. Often suggested solutions to cancel out the effects of the carbon dumped into our atmosphere through carbon capture and storage or bio-sequestration. This zero-emission energy uses technical means as well as plants to take in carbon emissions and store it. Another route i ... 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 |
|
|
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 |
|
|
German police evict forest activists in anti-coal fight Kerpen, Germany (AFP) Sept 13, 2018
German activists living in treehouses to protect an ancient forest from being razed for a nearby coal mine on Thursday vowed to resist as police began evicting them, in a major escalation of the long-running environmental battle.
Hundreds of police officers descended on the area in the early morning, after local authorities ordered the Hambach Forest in western Germany to be cleared immediat ... 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 |
|
|
Multi-joint, personalized soft exosuit breaks new ground Boston MA (SPX) Sep 20, 2018
In the future, smart textile-based soft robotic exosuits could be worn by soldiers, fire fighters and rescue workers to help them traverse difficult terrain and arrive fresh at their destinations so that they can perform their respective tasks more effectively. They could also become a powerful means to enhance mobility and quality of living for people suffering from neurodegenerative disorders ... more |
Nappy change: Dutch to turn diapers into furniture The Hague (AFP) Sept 18, 2018
Fed-up with a growing mountain of stinking disposable nappies, a Dutch firm Tuesday started building the country's first recycling plant to turn poo into profit.
Plastic from the nappies extracted by the facility in the central Dutch town of Weurt near Nijmegen will have a second life as household items like garden furniture or flower pots.
"In total, we plan to process some 15,000 tonne ... more |
|
|
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 |
Hit-and-Run Heist of Water by Terrestrial Planets in the Early Solar System Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 20, 2018
A study simulating the final stages of terrestrial planet formation shows that 'hit-and-run' encounters play a significant role in the acquisition of water by large protoplanets, like those that grew into Mars and Earth. The results will be presented by Christoph Burger at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 2018 in Berlin.
Four and a half billion years ago, the inner solar syst ... more |
|
|
Two killed as storm hits Britain and Ireland London (AFP) Sept 19, 2018
A Swiss woman died after being blown off a cliff and a man was killed by a falling tree Wednesday as record winds lashed Britain and Ireland.
Storm Ali brought gusts of more than 90 miles (145 kilometres) an hour and intense rainstorms.
Officials said the Swiss woman died in her sleep when her caravan was swept off a cliff on the west of Ireland.
Footage showed smashed pieces of the ... more |
China shrugs off trade war 'obstacles' Beijing (AFP) Sept 20, 2018
Chinese officials are shrugging off warnings that the trade spat with the United States could slash the country's economic growth, with state-run media saying Beijing can "outlast" the tariffs war.
Donald Trump this week announced another $200 billion worth of goods on which to foist levies for his latest volley in the stand-off between the world's top two economies, and threatened there cou ... more |
|
|
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 |
|
| 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 |