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Duque asks court to allow banned weedkiller on cocaine![]() Bogota (AFP) March 7, 2019 President Ivan Duque asked Colombia's constitutional court Thursday to modify a ban on aerial spraying of the herbicide glyphosate in order to tackle record cocaine crops. "My respectful request is for the decision to be modified... a modification that takes into account the fact that the growth of these plantations is tremendously damaging to constitutional order, legal order, the environment and the protection of fundamental rights," Duque told magistrates. In October 2015 Colombia became the ... read more |
EU food watchdog must disclose glyphosate studies: courtLuxembourg (AFP) March 7, 2019 An EU court ruled Thursday that the bloc's food watchdog must make public studies about the toxic or carcinogenic nature of glyphosate, a key ingredient in weedkiller. ... more
China says 'pests' found in blocked Canadian canola shipmentsBeijing (AFP) March 6, 2019 China's removal of the export permit of a major Canadian canola company followed the discovery of "hazardous pests" in shipments, the foreign ministry said Wednesday in a move that has stoked diplomatic tensions. ... more
Pesticides affect bumblebee genes; scientists call for stricter regulationsWashington (UPI) Mar 7, 2019 For the first time, scientists have taken a biomedical approach to measuring the impacts of pesticides on bumblebees and their genes. ... more
Rain is important for how carbon dioxide affects grasslandsGothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Mar 07, 2019 Vegetation biomass on grasslands increases in response to elevated carbon dioxide levels, but less than expected. Vegetation on grasslands with a wet spring season has the greatest increase. This ha ... more |
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 Tornado kills five, injures more than 400 in Brazil |
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| Previous Issues | Mar 07 | Mar 06 | Mar 05 | Mar 04 | Mar 01 |
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Plants' drought alert system has unlikely evolutionary origin: underwater algaeGainesville FL (SPX) Mar 04, 2019 Plants' water-to-land leap marks one of the most important milestones in the evolution of life on Earth. But how plants managed this transition when faced with unfamiliar challenges such as drought ... more
Trump urges China to remove tariffs on US agricultural productsWashington (AFP) March 2, 2019 US President Donald Trump on Friday urged China to abolish tariffs on agricultural products imported from the United States - adding that trade talks between the rival powers were going well. ... more
'Equine strep throat' kills 4,000 donkeys in NigerNiamey (AFP) March 1, 2019 A contagious bacterial infection known as "equine strep throat" has killed more than 4,000 donkeys in northern Niger since early December, local officials said Friday. ... more
Boost for Australian grain industryMelbourne, Australia (SPX) Feb 27, 2019 New findings from research by La Trobe University and CSIRO made possible with GRDC investment could lead to a significant increase in the Australian wheat crop yield - adding potentially around $1. ... more
French vineyards say ready to break glyphosate addictionParis (AFP) Feb 27, 2019 The vaunted terroirs of France's vineyards have for decades been saturated with the world's most widely used weedkiller, but grape growers say the day is soon coming when glyphosate will no longer be part of the fine wine process. ... more |
![]() Discovery of sour genes in citrus may pave way for sweeter lemons, limes
An uneasy alliance: Indigenous Traditional Knowledge enriches western scienceLos Angeles CA (The Conversation) Feb 27, 2019 An article I published last year in The Conversation and republished in Smithsonian Magazine about Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and western science touched a nerve among some readers. My article ... more |
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Can we address climate change without sacrificing water quality?Washington DC (SPX) Feb 28, 2019 Strategies for limiting climate change must take into account their potential impact on water quality through nutrient overload, according to a new study from Carnegie's Eva Sinha and Anna Michalak ... more
Getting to the core of underwater soilWashington DC (SPX) Feb 28, 2019 Soils all over the Earth's surface are rigorously tested and managed. But what about soils that are down in the murky depths? Although not traditional soils, underwater soils have value and function ... more
A water-splitting catalyst unlike any otherLausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 28, 2019 Electricity can be generated by renewable sources such as sunlight, wind Electricity can then be used to split water, which makes hydrogen as a fuel for emerging energy devices such as fuel cells. B ... more
Tech connection boosts NY vertical farmersKearny, United States (AFP) Feb 24, 2019 Workers at Bowery Farming's warehouse near New York have swapped out a farmer's hoe for a computer tablet that takes real-time readings of light and water conditions. ... more
Race on to make urban agriculture viable, durableParis (AFP) Feb 24, 2019 In a world faced with the conundrum of mountains of waste and obesity for some and dire shortages and malnutrition for others the future of food is a main dish on today's global menu. ... more |
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New key players in the methane cycle Bremen, Germany (SPX) Mar 06, 2019
Methane is a very special molecule. It is the main component of natural gas and we heat our apartments with it, but when reaching the atmosphere it is a potent greenhouse gas.
It is also central in microbiology: In the absence of oxygen, a special group of microorganisms, the so-called methanogenic archaea, can produce methane. Other microorganisms - archaea living in symbiosis with bacter ... more |
IAI unveils improved anti-jamming GPS Washington (UPI) Mar 6, 2019
Israel Aerospace Industries has unveiled an upgrade to its satellite operational navigation systems, which it says repels attempts at jamming.
While most navigation, communication and electronic warfare systems rely on continuous availability of multiple satellites for navigation, the majority of worldwide avionics systems are vulnerable to localized, low-power jamming emitters.
... more |
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Culturally sensitive conservation approaches needed to protect Ethiopian church forests Washington DC (SPX) Mar 07, 2019
Human disturbance reduces forest density, biomass, and richness of species in sacred church forests of northern Ethiopia, according to new research by Catherine L. Cardelus of Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, and colleagues. These findings appear in PLOS ONE.
Due to land-use changes, such as roads and agriculture, forested area that once covered much of northern Ethiopia has disappeared ... more |
Engineered microbe may be key to producing plastic from plants Madison WI (SPX) Mar 08, 2019
With a few genetic tweaks, a type of soil bacteria with an appetite for hydrocarbons shows promise as a biological factory for converting a renewable - but frustratingly untapped - bounty into a replacement for ubiquitous plastics.
Researchers, like those at the University of Wisconsin-Madison-based, Department of Energy-funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, hoping to turn woody pl ... more |
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JUMEME breaks ground on 1st phase of Lake Victoria mini-grid solar project Dodoma, Tanzania (SPX) Mar 05, 2019
RP Global and JUMEME Rural Power Supply Ltd., have announced construction of the first phase of its ambitious solar-hybrid mini-grid project in Tanzania was in progress. In this first scaling phase, 11 new mini-grids are currently being constructed to bring 24/7 electricity supply to a population of more than 80,000 people.
Built on a cluster of islands in Lake Victoria, these independent ... more |
UK targets surge in offshore wind power London (AFP) March 7, 2019
Britain wants offshore wind farms to provide one third of the country's electricity by 2030, the government announced Thursday, at a time when its nuclear energy ambitions are stumbling.
Working with the private sector to take advantage of the island nation's surrounding waters to power homes and businesses with increasing amounts of renewable energy, the government said the Offshore Wind Se ... more |
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China investigates officials after deadly mine accident Beijing (AFP) Feb 28, 2019
Five officials are under investigation in northern China after 22 miners were killed when their transport crashed into the side of a mine tunnel, local authorities said.
The accident, which left another 28 miners injured, happened last Saturday in the region of Inner Mongolia after the vehicle experienced brake failure.
A photo published by state-run media shows a bus-like vehicle with h ... more |
Vietnam jails 15 over anti-China protests Hanoi (AFP) March 7, 2019
Vietnam on Thursday jailed 15 people for "causing public disorder" after violent demonstrations last year over a proposed investment project that protesters said catered to Chinese firms.
Scores have been jailed in the wake of rare nationwide demonstrations in June 2018 that quickly turned violent in some areas as police struggled to quell the unrest.
On Thursday, 15 people were sentenc ... more |
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Mini cheetah is the first four-legged robot to do a backflip Boston MA (SPX) Mar 05, 2019
MIT's new mini cheetah robot is springy and light on its feet, with a range of motion that rivals a champion gymnast. The four-legged powerpack can bend and swing its legs wide, enabling it to walk either right-side up or upside down. The robot can also trot over uneven terrain about twice as fast as an average person's walking speed.
Weighing in at just 20 pounds - lighter than some Thank ... more |
Antibiotic resistance is spreading from wastewater treatment plants Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 07, 2019
The products of wastewater treatment have been found to contain trace amounts of antibiotic resistant DNA. These products are often reintroduced to the environment and water supply, potentially resulting in the spread of antibiotic resistance.
As such, researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering have been studying the development of these potentially ... more |
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Bushfires rage after Australia's hottest summer on record Melbourne (AFP) March 4, 2019 Homes have gone up in flames and skies turned blood red as nearly 1,000 firefighters battle dozens of out-of-control blazes in southern Australia in the wake of the nation's warmest summer on record.
A days-long heatwave sent temperatures soaring towards 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend, with bushfires raging across Victoria state forcing thousands of people to fl ... more |
Rain is important for how carbon dioxide affects grasslands Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Mar 07, 2019
Vegetation biomass on grasslands increases in response to elevated carbon dioxide levels, but less than expected. Vegetation on grasslands with a wet spring season has the greatest increase. This has been demonstrated in a new study published in the scientific journal Nature Plants.
An important, but uncertain, factor in climate research is the extent to which all ecosystems can accumulate ... more |
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Death toll from Alabama tornadoes likely to rise as search resumes Beauregard, United States (AFP) March 5, 2019
Rescuers uncovered widespread damage in Alabama on Monday caused by two back-to-back tornadoes that ripped across the southern state, with the death toll of 23 expected to rise further.
"It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and scraped the ground," said Sheriff Jay Jones of Lee County, which borders Georgia. "There are slabs where homes formerly stood, there is debris everywhere, ... more |
US wins dispute over China grain subsidies before WTO Geneva (AFP) Feb 28, 2019
The World Trade Organization on Thursday sided with Washington in a dispute it filed three years ago over "unfair" Chinese subsidies to producers of wheat and rice.
Back in 2016, the United States alleged that China doled out $100 billion in "market price support" for wheat and rice as well as corn production, above levels agreed at the Geneva-based WTO.
A panel established by the WTO's ... more |
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Discovering Bonus Science With NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 08, 2019
The four Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft are flying out of their element. The spacecraft have just completed a short detour from their routine science - looking at processes within Earth's magnetic environment - and instead ventured outside it, studying something they were not originally designed for.
For three weeks, MMS studied the solar wind - the stream of supersonic charged parti ... more |
Lucky lab mice get to live in a 'smart house' Washington (UPI) Mar 7, 2019
Scientists have developed a "smart house" for mice, which will allow scientists to observe the behavior of tested mice while limiting disturbance levels.
Researchers are constantly working to ensure external factors and outside influence, like the presence of a peering scientists, aren't influencing test results. Designers of the new digs claim their "Autonomouse" system will improve th ... more |
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