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WSU Vancouver climate scientist sees stage set for reprise of worst known drought, famine![]() Pullman WA (SPX) Oct 15, 2018 A Washington State University researcher has completed the most thorough analysis yet of The Great Drought - the most devastating known drought of the past 800 years - and how it led to the Global Famine, an unprecedented disaster that took 50 million lives. She warns that the Earth's current warming climate could make a similar drought even worse. Deepti Singh, an assistant professor in WSU's School of the Environment, used tree-ring data, rainfall records and climate reconstructions to cha ... read more |
World must slash meat consumption to save climate: studyParis (AFP) Oct 10, 2018 The world must drastically reduce its meat consumption in order to avoid devastating climate change, scientists said Wednesday in the most thorough study so far on how what we eat affects the environment. ... more
Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 within planetary limits may be achievableStockholm, Sweden (SPX) Oct 15, 2018 A global shift towards healthy and more plant-based diets, halving food loss and waste, and improving farming practices and technologies are required to feed 10 billion people sustainably by 2050, a ... more
Afghan farmers fleeing drought face more hardship in campsHerat, Afghanistan (AFP) Oct 11, 2018 For only the second time in his life, Afghan farmer Murad Khan Ishaqzai has been forced to leave the home where he was born 80 years ago - not by war but the worst drought in living memory. ... more
Judge mulls slashing $290 mn award in Roundup cancer caseSan Francisco (AFP) Oct 11, 2018 A judge on Wednesday was mulling whether to gut a jury order that Monsanto pay $290 million in damages for not warning a groundskeeper that its weed killer product Roundup might cause cancer. ... 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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Iran risks losing 70% of farmlands: environment chiefTehran (AFP) Oct 5, 2018 Iran faces losing 70 percent of its farmlands if urgent action is not taken to overcome a litany of climate woes, the country's environment chief Isa Kalantari told AFP. ... more
Fertilizer can accumulate over time, causing water quality problems decades laterWashington (UPI) Oct 8, 2018 Fertilizer can accumulate over time, causing environmental damage several decades later. ... more
Illinois research accurately predicts US end-of-season corn yieldUrbana IL (SPX) Oct 04, 2018 Crop yield predictions are a key driver of regional economy and financial markets, impacting nearly the entire agricultural supply chain. That's why economists, agricultural researchers, government ... more
Australia farmers welcome rain relief amid severe droughtSydney (AFP) Oct 5, 2018 Farmers in drought-stricken parts of Australia are celebrating after the heavens opened up this week, inundating parched lands with more than a month's rain in one day following the country's driest September on record. ... more
Conflict and drought ravage Iraq's prized date palmsBasra, Iraq (AFP) Oct 05, 2018 Sweet Iraqi dates adorn tables in homes across the country, but the fruit tree and national symbol has come under threat from conflict and crippling drought. ... more |
![]() Farmers furious as France helicopters bear into Pyrenees
How fungi could help bees fight diseaseTokyo (AFP) Oct 4, 2018 They're far from floral, but fungi could be just what the doctor ordered for bees, according to a study that shows mushroom extracts could protect against viruses decimating bee populations. ... more |
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Fair-trade deals provide safety net for Ivorian cocoa producersAdzope, Ivory Coast (AFP) Sept 26, 2018 In Ivory Coast, cocoa once guaranteed farmers a sweet life. ... more
Satellites safeguard Europe's potato industryParis (ESA) Sep 26, 2018 The drought that swept through Europe this year has hit European farmers hard. Sustained high temperatures and the lack of rain have badly affected the agrofood industry, including the important pot ... more
Soil holds the secret to mitigating climate changeEast Lansing MI (SPX) Oct 01, 2018 Food production doesn't have to be a victim of climate change. New research from Michigan State University suggests that crop yields and the global food supply chain can be preserved by harnessing t ... more
Soil health on the menu with retrieved coffee beansWashington DC (SPX) Oct 01, 2018 Coffee is one of Brazil's biggest crops. Brazil's favorable climate helps coffee beans ripen and be ready for picking during a concentrated period of weeks. This makes mechanical harvesting an econo ... more
How fruits got their eye-catching colorsDurham NC (SPX) Oct 01, 2018 Red plums. Green melons. Purple figs. Ripe fruits come in an array of greens, yellows, oranges, browns, reds and purples. Scientists say they have new evidence that plants owe their rainbow of fruit ... more |
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After two long careers, QuikSCAT rings down the curtain Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 15, 2018
Launched in June 1999 for an intended two-year mission, NASA's SeaWinds scatterometer instrument on the QuikSCAT spacecraft was turned off on Oct. 2 in accordance with its end-of-mission plan. QuikSCAT spent its first decade creating an unprecedented record of the speed and direction of winds at the ocean surface. Then, for another nine years, it served as the gold standard of accuracy against w ... more |
Army researchers' technique locates robots, soldiers in GPS-challenged areas Adelphi MD (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have developed a novel algorithm that enables localization of humans and robots in areas where GPS is unavailable.
According to ARL researchers Gunjan Verma and Dr. Fikadu Dagefu, the Army needs to be able to localize agents operating in physically complex, unknown and infrastructure-poor environments.
"This capability is critical to he ... more |
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EU forests can't help climate fight: study Paris (AFP) Oct 10, 2018
Europe cannot rely on its forests to help ward off the effects of climate change, experts warned Wednesday, calling instead for nations to protect their natural resources against the warming planet.
The world's current roadmap to mitigate climate disaster encourages EU nations to use their forests to help suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
But European scientists now say no app ... more |
Sebigas Awarded For The Construction Of The Biggest Biogas Plant In The Americas Guariba, Brazil (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
SEBIGAS, Italian leader in the design and construction of biogas plants since 2008, thanks to its Brazilian branch, Sebigas Do Brasil, has been awarded from Raizen-Geo for the construction of a 17.5 MW biogas plant located in the city of Guariba, Sao Paulo State. An important success obtained also thanks to the cooperation with local partner Cotica, important engineering and construction company ... more |
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Efficiently turning light into electricity Osaka, Japan (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
Perovskites form a group of crystals that have many promising properties for applications in nano-technology. However, one useful property that so far was unobserved in perovskites is so-called carrier multiplication - an effect that makes materials much more efficient in converting light into electricity.
New research performed in collaboration between the University of Amsterdam (UA) and ... more |
Ingeteam opens new high-tech production facility for electrical wind turbine components in India Madrid, Spain (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
Ingeteam reports it has opened a new facility in the vicinity of Chennai to satisfy the demand for wind power converters and control cabinets by both local and international OEMs with operations in India.
Located in the Tamil Nadu region, Ingeteam's new 3,500m2 facility is equipped with state-of-the-art production technology. The production plant in India will manufacture electrical compon ... more |
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Thousands join German forest demo after court reprieve Buir, Germany (AFP) Oct 6, 2018
Thousands of anti-coal demonstrators descended on Germany's Hambach forest Saturday, celebrating an unexpected court victory that suspended an energy company's planned razing of the woodland for a growing open-cast mine.
The ancient forest near Cologne has been occupied by activists for the past six years, becoming a symbol of resistance against coal mining in Germany, a country that despite ... more |
Ousted Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker barred from by-election Hong Kong (AFP) Oct 12, 2018
An ousted Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker was Friday barred from trying to win back her seat because of her support for self-determination, in the latest blow to the city's democrats.
Lau Siu Lai - who was unseated from the legislative council in 2016 for failing to properly take her oath in protest at Beijing - was barred by electoral authorities from running in a by-election scheduled f ... more |
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Teaching machines common sense reasoning Washington DC (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Today's machine learning systems are more advanced than ever, capable of automating increasingly complex tasks and serving as a critical tool for human operators. Despite recent advances, however, a critical component of Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains just out of reach - machine common sense.
Defined as "the basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things that are shared by n ... more |
Delhi braces for pollution with emergency plan New Delhi (AFP) Oct 15, 2018
Delhi's biggest coal power plant was set to shut down Monday as a new emergency plan to improve air quality in one of the world's most polluted cities came into force, Indian officials said.
Under the new strategy, restrictions on construction sites and traffic will be imposed depending on the air quality in the megacity of some 20 million people.
When the air is classed as "poor", as it ... more |
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Goat brigades help battle Portugal's deadly wildfires Loriga, Portugal (AFP) Oct 11, 2018
Fernando Moura and his herd may not look like heroes but the Portuguese farmer and his 370 goats are the latest recruits in the country's battle against summer forest fires.
Hoping to contain wildfires that threaten its mountains each year, Portugal's government has hired goats to munch through undergrowth and create natural, cost-effective fire barriers.
Soaring temperatures often spark ... more |
Easter Island inhabitants collected freshwater from the ocean's edge in order to survive Binghamton NY (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Ancient inhabitants of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) maintained a society of thousands by utilizing coastal groundwater discharge as their main source of "freshwater," according to new research from a team of archaeologists including faculty at Binghamton University, State University at New York.
The team, which included Binghamton University Professor of Anthropology Carl Lipo, measured the sa ... more |
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Tornado batters area near Canadian capital Ottawa Ottawa (AFP) Sept 22, 2018
More than 200,000 people in Canada's capital region of Ottawa were without power on Saturday and two people were critically injured after a powerful tornado ripped apart dozens of homes and threw cars into the air.
After visiting the hard-hit Dunrobin area, in the city's west, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson likened it to an aerial bombing, adding that Friday's tornado was among "the top two or thre ... more |
US alarmed by China's 'predatory' practices: Mattis Hanoi (AFP) Oct 16, 2018
The United States is alarmed by China's increasingly muscular military presence and "predatory economic practices" towards smaller countries in Asia, defence chief James Mattis has said on his way to the region.
Speaking as he flew out for a diplomatic tour that will take him to Vietnam and Singapore, the US Defense Secretary said Washington was not trying to hold back its Pacific rival. ... more |
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A break from the buzz: bees go silent during total solar eclipse Annapolis, MD (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
While millions of Americans took a break from their daily routines on August 21, 2017, to witness a total solar eclipse, they might not have noticed a similar phenomenon happening nearby: In the path of totality, bees took a break from their daily routines, too.
In an unprecedented study of a solar eclipse's influence on bee behavior, researchers at the University of Missouri organized a c ... more |
Scientists probe how dogs process words Washington DC (UPI) Oct 15, 2018
Dogs respond to verbal cues, but the degree with which dogs understand and process words remains a mystery.
To better understand how the canine brain comprehends different words, scientists imaged the brains of dogs responding to verbal cues. The analysis suggests dogs develop a basic neural image and definition of learned words.
"Many dog owners think that their dogs know what s ... more |
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