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On Lake Victoria, a green stain spreads across Africa's blue heart![]() Kisumu, Kenya (AFP) Feb 8, 2019 With nets piled onto wooden boats, a group of fishermen joke while gazing out across Lake Victoria and the vast green weed clogging up the waterway. But their laughter has a worried edge as the sun sets. The thick green carpet of water hyacinth is again choking Kisumu bay, floating on the surface and blocking Kenya's main entry to the largest body of water in Africa. Leggy egrets are delighted, high-stepping through the invasive vegetation in search of food - but the fishermen are downcast as i ... read more |
Researchers provide new definition for major Indian monsoon seasonTallahassee FL (SPX) Feb 11, 2019 Toward the end of every year, the Northeast Indian Monsoon (NEM) batters southern India with torrents of driving rain, but climatologists have never precisely defined when the monsoon begins and end ... more
Four crops alone comprise close to 50 per cent of all crops grown globallyToronto, Canada (SPX) Feb 07, 2019 A new U of T study suggests that globally we're growing more of the same kinds of crops, and this presents major challenges for agricultural sustainability on a global scale. The study, done b ... more
Campaigners to Pope: $1m to charity if you go vegan for LentParis (AFP) Feb 6, 2019 A 12-year-old animal rights and climate campaigner made an offer Wednesday Pope Francis may find hard to refuse: eat vegan during Lent and a million dollars will go to a charity of the Pontiff's choice. ... more
Prehistoric food globalization spanned three millenniaSt Louis MO (SPX) Feb 07, 2019 Since the beginning of archaeology, researchers have combed the globe searching for evidence of the first domesticated crops. Painstakingly extracting charred bits of barley, wheat, millet and rice ... more |
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 Winds, rain lash Philippines as super typhoon nears Tornado kills six, wrecks town in Brazil |
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| Previous Issues | Feb 11 | Feb 08 | Feb 07 | Feb 06 | Feb 05 |
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Sharp bends make rivers wanderAustin TX (SPX) Feb 07, 2019 Left to their own devices and given enough time, rivers wander, eroding their banks and leaving their old channels behind. It's a behavior that engineers have to keep in mind when managing rivers or ... more
Chinese hunger for 'world's smelliest fruit' threatens Malaysian forestsRaub, Malaysia (AFP) Feb 6, 2019 Soaring demand for durians in China is being blamed for a new wave of deforestation in Malaysia with environmentalists warning vast amounts of jungle is being cleared to make way for massive plantations of the spiky, pungent fruit. ... more
Ramped up efforts needed to protect the world's inland watersMunich, Germany (SPX) Feb 06, 2019 At least 15% of the world's inland surface water areas are covered by protected areas, according to a new study from the JRC. This is close to the global target of 17% set out in Aichi Target ... more
Insecticides blamed for honeybee deaths in California almond grovesWashington (UPI) Feb 5, 2019 Researchers have identified a culprit for the dramatic honey bee die offs among the almond groves of California's Central Valley. ... more
Interdisciplinary approach only way to address soil erosionPlymouth UK (SPX) Feb 08, 2019 Soil erosion can have a devastating impact on traditional farming landscapes in developing countries. But its effects can only be fully addressed through significant advances in interdisciplinary sc ... more |
![]() European colonisation of the Americas killed 10 percent of world population and caused global cooling
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 |
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Brazilian indigenous community threatened in aftermath of dam burstSao Joaquim De Bicas, Brazil (AFP) Feb 1, 2019 In her 88 years, Antonia Alves has seen much hardship as a member of Brazil's indigenous community, whose people have often been driven from their ancestral lands over conflicts with farmers and loggers. ... 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
Space technology predicts droughts several months in advanceCanberra, Australia (SPX) Jan 29, 2019 Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have used new space technology to predict droughts and increased bushfire risk up to five months in advance. ANU researcher Siyuan Tian ... 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
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 |
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Swarm helps pinpoint new magnetic north for smartphones Paris (ESA) Feb 11, 2019
Since it was first measured in 1831, we have known that the magnetic north is constantly on the move. However, its tendency to slowly roam has stepped up a pace recently - so much so that the World Magnetic Model has had to be updated urgently with the pole's new location, vital for navigation on smartphones, for example. ESA's magnetic field Swarm mission has been key for this update.
The ... more |
Angry Norway says Russia jamming GPS signals again Oslo (AFP) Feb 11, 2019
Norway's foreign intelligence unit on Monday expressed renewed concerns that its GPS signals in the country's Far North were being jammed, as Oslo again blamed Russia for the "unacceptable" acts.
In its annual national risk assessment report, the intelligence service said that in repeated incidents since 2017, GPS signals have been blocked from Russian territory in Norwegian regions near the ... more |
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The art and science of Japan's cherry blossom forecast Tokyo (AFP) Feb 11, 2019
As spring approaches in Japan, the country's weather forecasters face one of their biggest missions of the year: predicting exactly when the famed cherry blossoms will bloom.
Japan's sakura or cherry blossom season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. Many tourists plan their entire trips around the blooms, and Japanese flock to parks in their millions to enjoy the seasona ... more |
UD researchers synthesize renewable oils for use in lubricants Newark DE (SPX) Feb 08, 2019
Engine gears, plane thrusters, refrigerator compressors, wind turbines - the list of important industrial machinery, agricultural equipment, transportation vessels, and home applications that depend on lubricants might be endless. These slick substances quite literally keep the world turning, touching nearly every facet of modern life and comprising a global industry worth more than $60 billion ... more |
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Unleashing perovskites' potential for solar cells Boston MA (SPX) Feb 08, 2019
Perovskites - a broad category of compounds that share a certain crystal structure - have attracted a great deal of attention as potential new solar-cell materials because of their low cost, flexibility, and relatively easy manufacturing process. But much remains unknown about the details of their structure and the effects of substituting different metals or other elements within the material. ... more |
Sulzer Schmid's new technology platform slashes cost of drone-based rotor blade inspections Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 07, 2019
Sulzer and Schmid Laboratories AG reports it has launched a new highly competitive inspection platform. The company's new 3DX HD product has been developed as a cost-effective solution to cope with large volumes of high definition blade inspections.
Based on the compact and flexible DJI M-210 drone, Sulzer Schmid's latest innovation delivers high performance and fully autonomous drone insp ... more |
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Australian court rejects coal mine on climate grounds Sydney (AFP) Feb 8, 2019
An Australian court on Friday delivered a landmark ruling by rejecting plans to build a coal mine on the grounds it would worsen climate change.
Chief Justice Brian Preston said a planned open cut coal mine in a scenic part of New South Wales state would be in "the wrong place at the wrong time".
The ruling by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court was notable for citing not only ... more |
Chinese film yanked from Berlin festival competition Berlin (AFP) Feb 11, 2019
The Berlin film festival said Monday that a new movie by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou had been pulled from the competition days before its scheduled world premiere.
The highly unusual move, which comes amid a Beijing crackdown on the domestic entertainment industry, was announced in a festival statement citing "technical difficulties encountered during post-production".
Zhang's ... more |
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Programming autonomous machines ahead of time promotes selfless decision-making Aberdeen Proving Ground MD (SPX) Feb 12, 2019
A new study suggests the use of autonomous machines increases cooperation among individuals.
Researchers from the U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, the Army's Institute for Creative Technologies and Northeastern University collaborated on a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research team, led by Dr. Cels ... more |
Holloman Air Force Base receives notice for groundwater contamination Washington (UPI) Feb 8, 2019
New Mexico's Environment Department served Holloman Air Force Base with a notice of violation after monitoring wells tested at twice the acceptable levels for suspected carcinogenic contaminants.
Violations of the discharge permit trigger corrective action requirements for the Air Force, according to a state environment agency news release this week.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl subs ... more |
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Greece too reliant on fire planes: experts Athens (AFP) Feb 7, 2019
Greece is "excessively" dependent on aerial fire-fighting and suffers from poor coordination, experts said on Thursday in a study of the country's worst fire tragedy that claimed 100 lives in July.
The committee of forestry and safety engineering experts from some of Greece's leading universities was ordered formed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after the July 23 wildfire in the coastal re ... more |
Researchers provide new definition for major Indian monsoon season Tallahassee FL (SPX) Feb 11, 2019
Toward the end of every year, the Northeast Indian Monsoon (NEM) batters southern India with torrents of driving rain, but climatologists have never precisely defined when the monsoon begins and ends.
Now, FSU Professor of Meteorology Vasu Misra has used detailed surface temperature analyses to identify the start and end dates of the NEM season. His work provides an objective and reliable ... more |
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Death toll in Cuba tornado rises to six Havana (AFP) Feb 4, 2019
The number of people killed in the powerful tornado that ripped through part of Havana last week has risen to six, authorities said Sunday.
Public Health Minister Jose Angel Portal Miranda said in state media that "sadly, two people have died among the 13 who were in critical condition." The earlier death toll was four.
The storm which hit Havana area towns including Regla, Guanabacoa, ... more |
US Democrats unveil carbon-neutral 'Green New Deal' Washington (AFP) Feb 7, 2019
Congressional Democrats on Thursday unveiled an unprecedented plan to reverse climate change and eliminate all US carbon emissions within 10 years, by taking drastic steps that would require transformational action across the economy.
The "Green New Deal" introduced by liberal congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising Democratic star in the House, and Senator Ed Markey is a dramatic, ... more |
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Evidence for a new fundamental constant of the sun Newcastle UK (SPX) Feb 08, 2019
New research undertaken at Northumbria University, Newcastle shows that the Sun's magnetic waves behave differently than currently believed.
Their findings have been reported in the latest edition of the prominent journal, Nature Astronomy.
After examining data gathered over a 10-year period, the team from Northumbria's Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering fo ... more |
Toward automated animal identification in wildlife research University Park PA (SPX) Feb 12, 2019
A new automated method to prepare digital photos for analysis will help wildlife researchers who depend on photographs to identify individual animals by their unique markings. A wildlife biologist from Penn State teamed up with scientists from Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing service, using machine learning technology to improve how photographs are turned into usable data for wildlife research ... more |
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