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Iran sees 'revival' of imperilled Lake Urmia![]() Miandoab, Iran (AFP) Dec 30, 2018 It is one of the worst ecological disasters of recent decades, but the shrinking of Iran's great Lake Urmia finally appears to be stabilising and officials see the start of a revival. A rusty cargo ship and a row of colourful pedal boats lying untouched on the bone-dry basin are a sign of the devastating loss of water in what was once the largest lake in the Middle East. Situated in the mountains of northwest Iran, Lake Urmia is fed by 13 rivers and designated as a site of international importa ... read more |
China customs gives green light for US rice importsBeijing (AFP) Dec 28, 2018 China's customs administration announced Friday it had approved US rice imports, a move that comes during a 90-day tariff truce between the two countries which are engaged in a bruising trade war. ... more
Health checkups for alpine lakesEdmonton, Canada (SPX) Dec 27, 2018 The best tool for assessing the health of mountain lakes comes in a very small package. According to new research by University of Alberta biologists, alpine species of zooplankton are excellent bio ... more
Collecting clean water from air, inspired by desert lifeColumbus OH (SPX) Dec 27, 2018 Humans can get by in the most basic of shelters, can scratch together a meal from the most humble of ingredients. But we can't survive without clean water. And in places where water is scarce - the ... more
Tree-ring analysis explains physiology behind drought intoleranceCorvallis OR (SPX) Dec 27, 2018 Tree rings tell the story of what's happening physiologically as fire suppression makes forests more dense and less tolerant of drought, pests and wildfires, new research shows. Scientists at ... more |
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 Philippines evacuates one million, woman dead as super typhoon nears Japan observes tiny tsunami following 6.7 magnitude quake |
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| Previous Issues | Dec 28 | Dec 27 | Dec 26 | Dec 25 | Dec 24 |
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Changes in agriculture could cut sector non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50 percentVienna, Austria (SPX) Dec 19, 2018 The agricultural sector is the world's largest source of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, and IIASA-led research has found that changing agricultural practices and a shift in diet away from meat an ... more
Climate change leading to water shortage in Andes, HimalayasColumbus OH (SPX) Dec 19, 2018 Climate change could have devastating effects on vulnerable residents in the Andes mountains and the Tibetan plateau, according to researchers at The Ohio State University who have been studying gla ... more
Recruiting ants to fight weeds on the farmUniversity Park PA (SPX) Dec 19, 2018 Harvester ants that eat weed seeds on the soil's surface can help farmers manage weeds on their farms, according to an international team of researchers, who found that tilling less to preserve the ... more
China's state grain buyer resumes US soybean purchasesBeijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2018 China's major state-owned grain stockpiler said it has resumed buying US soybeans, as Beijing upholds a trade war truce with Washington reached earlier this month. ... more
A method to monitor indoor crop health no matter what planet you're onWashington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2018 As the world urbanizes and technologies such as LED grow lights bring down costs, indoor farming is becoming an increasingly important part of the food supply. Eventually, indoor farming techniques ... more |
![]() The long dry: why the world's water supply is shrinking
IS 'annihilation' of Iraqi farms leaves haunting legacyBaghdad (AFP) Dec 13, 2018 The Islamic State group's "deliberate, wanton annihilation" of agricultural lands in Iraq's northern Sinjar amounts to war crimes, haunting farmers a year after the jihadists' defeat, Amnesty International said Thursday. ... more |
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Floods kill 13 in central VietnamHanoi (AFP) Dec 13, 2018 Floods caused by heavy downpours have killed 13 people in central Vietnam, officials said Thursday, as farmers scrambled to save crops and livestock ahead of more bad weather forecast for this week. ... more
Red gold: Afghanistan saffron production growsHerat, Afghanistan (AFP) Dec 12, 2018 Starting before dawn has even broken, Afghanistan's army of saffron pickers shift their way across sun-baked fields to pluck brightly the coloured crocuses that are providing the country's farmers with a new means of income. ... more
Global economy in 2019: Growth beginning to frayWashington (AFP) Dec 12, 2018 American farmers have been forced to warehouse a bumper crop of soybeans, or sell at a loss, while a Midwest medical supply company is considering shipping production overseas amid growing uncertainty. ... more
Trump administration rolls back clean water protectionsWashington (AFP) Dec 11, 2018 The US government on Tuesday unveiled a plan to roll back clean water rules protecting the nation's waterways and wetlands, fulfilling a pledge from President Donald Trump to farmers and supporters who view environmental regulations as too strict. ... more
BASF and VanderSat collaborate to provide farmers with high-precision, field-specific crop optimizationLudwigshafen, Germany (SPX) Dec 10, 2018 BASF and the Dutch Earth observation company VanderSat are collaborating to support farmers worldwide with even more precise, satellite data-based recommendations on application of crop inputs. Vand ... more |
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New threat to ozone recovery Boston MA (SPX) Dec 27, 2018
Earlier this year, the United Nations announced some much-needed, positive news about the environment: The ozone layer, which shields the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, and which was severely depleted by decades of human-derived, ozone-destroying chemicals, is on the road to recovery.
The dramatic turnaround is a direct result of regulations set by the 1987 Montreal Pr ... more |
First GPS III satellite launched, moving toward operational orbit Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2018
The first of a next-generation global positioning satellite, offering security, longer life and greater connectivity, was successfully launched this week and is preparing to take its place among the current GPS constellation.
The GPS III SV01 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sunday. Once operational it will join 31 other satellites ... more |
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Trees' enemies help tropical forests maintain their biodiversity Corvallis OR (SPX) Dec 28, 2018
Scientists have long struggled to explain how tropical forests can maintain their staggering diversity of trees without having a handful of species take over - or having many other species die out.
The answer, researchers say, lies in the soil found near individual trees, where natural "enemies" of tree species reside. These enemies, including fungi and arthropods, attack and kill many of ... more |
A lung-inspired design turns water into fuel Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2018
Scientists at Stanford University have designed an electrocatalytic mechanism that works like a mammalian lung to convert water into fuel. Their research, published December 20 in the journal Joule, could help existing clean energy technologies run more efficiently.
The act of inhaling and exhaling is so automatic for most organisms that it could be mistaken as simple, but the mammalian br ... more |
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How to spot every solar panel in the United States Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2018
Solar panels now account for over 10% of total electricity generation in some U.S. states, such as California. But policy-makers, utility companies, and engineers still find it difficult to put an accurate number on the country's total solar power installation, let alone to describe what factors make solar power thrive in certain areas and not others.
Now, researchers at Stanford Universit ... more |
Upwind wind plants can reduce flow to downwind neighbors Golden CO (SPX) Dec 19, 2018
New National Science Foundation and Department of Energy-funded research highlights a previously unexplored consequence of the global proliferation of wind energy facilities: a wake effect from upwind facilities that can reduce the energy production of their downwind neighbors.
In collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), faculty at the University of Colorado Boul ... more |
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With final goodbye, Germany shutters last black coal mine Bottrop, Germany (AFP) Dec 21, 2018
Germany will close its last black coal mine on Friday, a milestone marking the end of a 200-year-old industry that once fuelled the country's economic growth but lost the battle against cheaper foreign competitors.
The remaining 1,500 workers of the Prosper-Haniel mine in Bottrop will make their final descent into the pit's belly, greeting each other one more time with the traditional "Gluec ... more |
China 'resolutely opposes' demands for release of detained Canadians Beijing (AFP) Dec 24, 2018
China on Monday lashed out at Canada and the US for demanding the release of detained Canadians and accused Western countries of double standards.
"The Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the statements made by Canada and the US," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing.
Beijing this month detained two Cana ... more |
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First Harris T7 bomb disposal robots sent to British army Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2018
The British army accepted the first four of 56 bomb disposal robots it ordered from Harris Corporation, the U.K. government announced.
The T7 ground vehicles, manufactured by Florida-based Harris, are equipped with high-definition cameras, data links, an adjustable manipulation arm, and tank-like all-terrain treads. They also employ "haptic feedback," which recreates the sense of the ro ... more |
Fish bones yield new tool for tracking coal ash contamination Durham NC (SPX) Dec 27, 2018
A Duke University study shows that trace elements in a fish's ear bones can be used to identify and track coal ash contamination in the waters where it lived.
"Calcified structures - or otoliths - found in a fish's inner ear are known to store a lot of life history information, including chemical and physical records of the fish's age, natal habitat and migration patterns," said Jessica Br ... more |
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Atmospheric scientists find causes of firenado in deadly Carr Fire Reno NV (SPX) Dec 07, 2018
A destructive fire-generated vortex - a massive stream of rising, spinning, smoke, ash and fire - that topped out at 17,000 feet above the earth, accelerated the Carr fire that killed eight people and devastated a widespread area in the Redding, California region in July 2018. The vortex, a little-observed atmospheric phenomena, was spinning with the power of a class three tornado, which earned ... more |
Iran sees 'revival' of imperilled Lake Urmia Miandoab, Iran (AFP) Dec 30, 2018
It is one of the worst ecological disasters of recent decades, but the shrinking of Iran's great Lake Urmia finally appears to be stabilising and officials see the start of a revival.
A rusty cargo ship and a row of colourful pedal boats lying untouched on the bone-dry basin are a sign of the devastating loss of water in what was once the largest lake in the Middle East.
Situated in the ... more |
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Australia swelters in record-breaking heatwave Sydney (AFP) Dec 28, 2018
Australia's vast continent is sizzling through extreme heatwave conditions this week, with temperatures reaching record highs and emergency services on high alert for bushfires.
The mercury is up to 16 degree Celsius (29 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than usual for this time of the year for southern Australia, with numerous towns setting new December records, the Bureau of Meteorology said Frid ... more |
China mulls new foreign investment law: state media Beijing (AFP) Dec 23, 2018 China's legislature is considering a new law governing foreign investment that will streamline existing rules and prevent the forced transfer of technology, state media reported Sunday.
The new "unified law" will replace three existing laws on Chinese and foreign equity joint ventures, non-equity joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises, the official Xinhua news agency reported. ... more |
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New findings reveal the behavior of turbulence in the exceptionally hot solar corona Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Dec 24, 2018
The sun defies conventional scientific understanding. Its upper atmosphere, known as the corona, is many millions of degrees hotter than its surface. Astrophysicists are keen to learn why the corona is so hot, and scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have completed research that may advance the search.
The scientists found that form ... more |
More bears needed to sustain Pyrenees population: activists Toulouse, France (AFP) Dec 26, 2018 The release of additional bears into the Pyrenees mountains straddling France and Spain is needed to ensure the fledgling population's survival, the activist group charged with the bears' protection said Wednesday.
"The good news of 2018 is without doubt the release of two bears in the Bearn region in October," the Ferus association said, referring to the border region.
"But there's stil ... more |
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