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Farmers fume as France stands firm on more Pyrenees bears![]() Pau, France (AFP) Sept 20, 2018 Dozens of farmers and local officials stormed out of a meeting with France's new environment minister on Friday as he confirmed two more bears would soon be released into the Pyrenees mountains. Around 40 brown bears currently roam the range between France and Spain after France began importing them from Slovenia in 1996 after the native population had been hunted to near-extinction. But the move to increase their numbers has infuriated farmers who have long complained about them killing sheep a ... read more |
Chinese actress has high hopes for her Bordeaux vineyardSaint-�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. ... 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 |
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 20 | Sep 19 | Sep 18 | Sep 17 | Sep 14 |
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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
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 Earth
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 |
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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 |
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ECOSTRESS Maps LA's Hot Spots Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 19, 2018
NASA's ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) captured new imagery of variations in surface-temperature patterns in Los Angeles County. The first of its kind to be taken by the agency's newest Earth-observing mission, it is more detailed than previous imagery and, unlike prior imagery, was acquired at different times of the day.
ECOSTRESS measures s ... more |
China launches twin BeiDou-3 satellites Xichang (XNA) Sep 21, 2018
China on Wednesday evening successfully sent twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space on a single carrier rocket.
The Long March-3B carrier rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 10:07 p.m. It was the 285th mission of the Long March rocket series.
The twin satellites are the 37th and 38th editions of the BeiDou navigation system. After a series of tests a ... more |
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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 |
After 150 years, a breakthrough in understanding the conversion of CO2 to electrofuels New York NY (SPX) Sep 21, 2018
Scientists have long sought ways to convert abundant CO2 to useful products such as chemicals and fuel. As early as in 1869, they were able to electrocatalytically convert CO2 to formic acid. Over the past two decades, the rise of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere has significantly accelerated research in CO2 conversion using renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, and tidal. Because thes ... more |
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Origami inspires highly efficient solar steam generator Washington DC (SPX) Sep 21, 2018
Water covers most of the globe, yet many regions still suffer from a lack of clean drinking water. If scientists could efficiently and sustainably turn seawater into clean water, a looming global water crisis might be averted.
Now, inspired by origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, researchers have devised a solar steam generator that approaches 100 percent efficiency for the producti ... 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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German police suspend anti-coal evictions after journalist dies Berlin (AFP) Sept 19, 2018
The German authorities on Wednesday suspended an operation to evict protesters, holed up in forest treehouses to block the expansion of an open-pit coal mine, after the death of a journalist.
The man, "most likely a journalist" according to the police, died on Wednesday after falling from a bridge that connected two of the treehouses.
"We simply cannot continue as if nothing has happened ... 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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Russian scientists send FEDOR robot to Roscosmos for launch Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 21, 2018
The demonstration model of Russia's humanoid robot FEDOR will be transferred to the Roscosmos state space corporation, which plans to send it into space on the new Federation spacecraft, Russia's Foundation for Advanced Research (FPI) said Wednesday.
"The board of trustees decided to transfer scientific and technical products created within the framework of the fund's projects for their fu ... 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 |
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Canada crews battle firenado in tug-o-war for hose Ottawa (AFP) Sept 19, 2018
Firefighters trying to put out a record number of wildfires in westernmost Canada recently found themselves in an unexpected tug-o-war with a fire devil for control of their hose.
In a terrifying moment, the vortex made up of smoke and ash sucked the hose into an orange-red cloud along a dirt road near Vanderhoof, British Columbia, and melted the nozzle.
A member of the crew battling the ... 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 |
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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 |
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Illuminating First Light Data from Parker Solar Probe Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 20, 2018
Just over a month into its mission, Parker Solar Probe has returned first-light data from each of its four instrument suites. These early observations - while not yet examples of the key science observations Parker Solar Probe will take closer to the Sun - show that each of the instruments is working well. The instruments work in tandem to measure the Sun's electric and magnetic fields, particle ... more |
Dominica's beloved wildlife still shaky a year after Maria Roseau, Dominica (AFP) Sept 17, 2018
'Sad' parrots and 'stressed-out' frogs might be unlikely contenders for concern in the aftermath of a catastrophic natural disaster.
But the fate of two of Dominica's most prized species are still a source of worry a year after Hurricane Maria tore apart the tiny Caribbean island.
Dominica's famously lush forests are slowly coming back to life after the worst destruction in the country's ... more |
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