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European colonisation of the Americas killed 10 percent of world population and caused global cooling![]() Washington DC (SPX) Feb 01, 2019 While Europe was in the early days of the Renaissance, there were empires in the Americas sustaining more than 60m people. But the first European contact in 1492 brought diseases to the Americas which devastated the native population and the resultant collapse of farming in the Americas was so significant that it may have even cooled the global climate. The number of people living in North, Central and South America when Columbus arrived is a question that researchers have been trying to answer fo ... read more |
Mites, not a virus, are the main threat to bees, study findsWashington (UPI) Jan 30, 2019 Several studies have suggested parasitic mites both spread and worsen the effects of Deformed Wing Virus among honey bees. But new research shows the link between the two threats is tenuous. ... more
Passing aircraft wring extra snow and rain out of cloudsWashington DC (SPX) Feb 01, 2019 Planes flying over rain or snow can intensify the precipitation by as much as 10-fold, according to a new study. The rain- and snow-bursts are not caused by emissions from the aircraft but are ... more
Australia river agency pilloried amid mass fish deathsSydney (AFP) Jan 31, 2019 The authority that oversees Australia's largest river system was accused of "maladministration", "gross negligence" and ignoring climate science Thursday, as its waterways were carpeted with hundreds of thousands of dead fish. ... more
Sea of white: 'Hundreds of thousands' of fish dead in AustraliaSydney (AFP) Jan 29, 2019 "Hundreds of thousands" of fish have died in drought-stricken Australia in the last few days and more mass deaths are likely to occur, the authorities warned Tuesday. ... more |
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 Philippines evacuates hundreds of thousands as super typhoon nears Tornado kills six, injures 750 as it wrecks southern Brazil town |
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| Previous Issues | Jan 31 | Jan 30 | Jan 29 | Jan 28 | Jan 27 |
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Envisioned 'octopus farms' would have far-reaching and detrimental environmental impactNew York NY (SPX) Jan 25, 2019 Commercial octopus farming, currently in developmental stages on multiple continents, would have a negative ripple effect on sustainability and animal welfare, concludes a team of researchers in a n ... more
'Radical rethink' needed to tackle obesity, hunger, climate: reportParis (AFP) Jan 28, 2019 To defeat the intertwined pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must curb the political influence of major corporations, said a major report Monday calling for a 'global treaty' similar to one for tobacco control. ... more
Navy denies claims from Camp Lejeune's contaminated waterWashington DC (UPI) Jan 25, 2019 Nearly 4,400 civil claims resulting from contaminated drinking water at the Camp Lejeune, N.C., military base were denied by the U.S. Navy. ... more
Plants can smell, now researchers know howTokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 24, 2019 Plants don't need noses to smell. The ability is in their genes. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have discovered the first steps of how information from odor molecules changes gene expression ... more
Dry inland waters are underrated players in climate changeBerlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 23, 2019 2018: a year of drought - climate change causes an increase in the number of freshwaters that run dry, at least temporarily. Also, many lakes are shrinking permanently or have disappeared completely ... more |
![]() Farm manure boosts greenhouse gas emissions even in winter
Ecological benefits of part-night lighting revealedNewcastle UK (SPX) Jan 22, 2019 Switching off street lights to save money and energy could have a positive knock-on effect on our nocturnal pollinators, according to new research. A study, led by experts from Newcastle and Y ... more |
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Brazil agriculture minister defends pro-business stance on indigenous landsBrasilia (AFP) Jan 18, 2019 Brazil's agriculture minister on Friday defended a policy of wanting to develop agribusiness on indigenous lands, and dismissing "hysteria" about the issue of protecting the Amazon rainforest. ... more
Police bust Australia-China baby formula crime ringSydney (AFP) Jan 21, 2019 Six people have been charged after Australian authorities uncovered a multi-million-dollar crime syndicate stealing baby formula and vitamins from major retailers across Sydney for shipment to China, police said Monday. ... more
Scientists warn of climate 'time bomb' for world's groundwaterParis (AFP) Jan 21, 2019 Future generations face an environmental "time bomb" as the world's groundwater systems take decades to respond to the present day impact of climate change, scientists warned on Monday. ... more
Scientists discover new 'architecture' in cornBaton Rouge LA (SPX) Jan 22, 2019 New research on the U.S.'s most economically important agricultural plant - corn - has revealed a different internal structure of the plant than previously thought, which can help optimize how corn ... more
Human diet causing 'catastrophic' damage to planet: studyParis (AFP) Jan 16, 2019 The way humanity produces and eats food must radically change to avoid millions of deaths and "catastrophic" damage to the planet, according to a landmark study published Thursday. ... more |
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River levels tracked from space Munich, Germany (SPX) Jan 30, 2019
Water levels in the Mekong basin, which extends through six countries in South-East Asia, are subject to considerable seasonal fluctuations. A new model now makes it possible to compute how water levels are impacted on various sections of the river by extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall or drought over extended periods.
To model the flow patterns of the river, with its complex ne ... more |
China to launch 10 BeiDou satellites in 2019 Beijing (XNA) Jan 31, 2019
China will send 10 satellites to join the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) through seven separate launches this year, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced Tuesday.
The launches will help complete the BDS global network by 2020, said Shang Zhi, director of the Space Department of the CASC, at a press conference, where the Blue Book of China Aerospa ... more |
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Abandoned fields turn into forests five times faster than thought Washington DC (SPX) Jan 29, 2019
Russian scientists studied abandoned arable land in the European part of Russia where temperate forests grow. The study showed that trees start to grow on the abandoned fields immediately after the land has been withdrawn from agricultural use.
This finding contradicts the belief that trees appear on the fields only after grass that was approved earlier. As it turned out, the presence or a ... more |
A powerful catalyst for electrolysis of water that could help harness renewable energy Seoul, South Korea (SPX) Jan 28, 2019
The importance of finding and improving renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly important. One strategy to generate energy is breaking water molecules (H2O) apart in an electrochemical reaction known as electrolysis. This process allows us to convert energy from the sun or other renewable sources into chemical energy.
However, electrochemically splitting water molecules requires ... more |
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Harnessing light for a solar-powered chemical industry Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Feb 01, 2019
New technology that harnesses sunlight to drive chemical reactions is paving the way for a more sustainable chemical manufacturing industry, one of the globe's biggest energy users.
RMIT University researchers have developed a nano-enhanced material that can capture an incredible 99% of light and convert it to power chemical reactions.
As well as reducing the environmental impact of ... more |
Major companies, cities buying into Texas' green energy boom Washington (UPI) Jan 28, 2019
For decades, Texas has been known for big oil. Now, greener energy production is growing at such a fast rate that several major U.S. companies are lining up for the clean power.
The wind industry is scrambling to get as many turbine farms up and running in the next two years before the federal government phases out a key tax credit.
Dallas-based Tri Global Energy is working to fi ... more |
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China not 'walking the walk' on methane emissions Washington DC (SPX) Jan 30, 2019
Chinese regulations on coal mining have not curbed the nation's growing methane emissions over the past five years as intended, says new research from a team led by Carnegie's Scot Miller and Anna Michalak. Their findings are published in Nature Communications.
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, which is used to generate more than 70 percent of its electricity. It ... more |
Followed, harassed: foreign reporters say China work conditions worsen Beijing (AFP) Jan 29, 2019
Detentions, visa delays, and suspected phone bugging are among the challenges faced by foreign journalists in China, who say working conditions are getting worse with many reporting being watched and harassed.
A survey of 109 journalists published Tuesday "painted the darkest picture of reporting conditions inside China in recent memory", the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said in a s ... more |
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Engineers program marine robots to take calculated risks Boston MA (SPX) Feb 01, 2019
We know far less about the Earth's oceans than we do about the surface of the moon or Mars. The sea floor is carved with expansive canyons, towering seamounts, deep trenches, and sheer cliffs, most of which are considered too dangerous or inaccessible for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to navigate.
But what if the reward for traversing such places was worth the risk?
MIT engine ... more |
Brazil dam disaster: mourning and dead fish along river of mud Brumadinho, Brazil (AFP) Jan 30, 2019 Five days after a dam collapse at a Brazilian mine, residents were mourning Wednesday the nearly 360 people killed and missing - as well the river they live alongside, which is dying from spreading toxic, muddy waste.
Helton, one resident, said his 28-year-old wife and his 35-year-old sister both worked at the facility, owned by Vale, the Brazilian company that is the world's biggest iron o ... more |
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Forest soil takes decades to recover from wildfire, logging Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2019
Many forest species can rebound relatively quickly in the wake of wildfire. Some animals even thrive among the newly scorched environs. But according to new research, forest soil takes up to 80 years to recover from severe burns.
Researchers at the Australian National University found both fire and logging can have surprisingly long-lasting effects on the health of forest soil.
" ... more |
Passing aircraft wring extra snow and rain out of clouds Washington DC (SPX) Feb 01, 2019
Planes flying over rain or snow can intensify the precipitation by as much as 10-fold, according to a new study.
The rain- and snow-bursts are not caused by emissions from the aircraft but are the peculiar consequence of the aircrafts' wings passing though clouds of supercooled water droplets in cloud layers above a layer of active rain or snow.
Under the right conditions, this effec ... more |
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January was Australia's hottest month ever: govt Sydney (AFP) Jan 31, 2019
Australia suffered its hottest month ever in January, when widespread heatwaves exacerbated an already devastating drought, fuelled bushfires and contributed to mass fish deaths, officials reported Friday.
The government's Bureau of Meteorology said the mean temperature across the vast continent in January exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in recorded his ... more |
Red ink alert: Hundreds of Chinese firms warn on profits Shanghai (AFP) Jan 31, 2019 Hundreds of listed Chinese companies have slashed their forecasts for 2018 earnings this week in a sign that an economic slowdown and worries over US-China trade friction are beginning to bite.
Companies across a range of sectors from livestock producers to airlines to securities firms have submitted updated guidance to the country's two stock exchanges, warning that their balance sheets det ... more |
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All systems go as Parker Solar Probe begins second orbit of Sun Laurel MD (SPX) Jan 29, 2019
On Jan. 19, 2019, just 161 days after its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its first orbit of the Sun, reaching the point in its orbit farthest from our star, called aphelion. The spacecraft has now begun the second of 24 planned orbits, on track for its second perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, on April 4, 2019.
Parker S ... more |
Ivory and pangolin scales smuggling bust in Uganda Kampala (AFP) Jan 31, 2019
More than 700 pieces of ivory and hundreds of pangolin scales have been discovered inside hollowed out logs in the Ugandan capital Kamapala, authorities said on Thursday, as two Vietnamese men were detained suspected of smuggling.
The illegal cargo was discovered after officers at the Ugandan tax authority (URA) scanned three 20-foot (six-metre) containers carrying timber logs which had cros ... more |
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