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Earth's freshwater future: extremes of flood and drought![]() Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 17, 2019 NASA satellites are a prominent tool for accounting for water, as it constantly cycles from water vapor to rain and snow falling onto soils, and across and beneath the landscape. As Earth's atmosphere warms due to greenhouse gases and the satellite data record continues to get longer and more detailed, scientists are studying how climate change is affecting the distribution of water. Trends are beginning to emerge, especially at the extremes in the frequency and magnitude of floods and droughts. T ... read more |
9,000 years ago, a community with modern urban problemsColumbus OH (SPX) Jun 18, 2019 Some 9,000 years ago, residents of one of the world's first large farming communities were also among the first humans to experience some of the perils of modern urban living. Scientists study ... more
Rare wolf killed in Bangladesh after first appearance in decadesDhaka (AFP) June 16, 2019 The first Indian grey wolf to be seen in Bangladesh in eight decades has been beaten to death by farmers after preying on their livestock, wildlife experts said Sunday. ... more
US prosecutor drops charges, starts over in criminal probe of tainted waterChicago (AFP) June 14, 2019 US prosecutors have dropped all charges connected to lead contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan and pledged to start the criminal probe over from scratch after expressing concerns over how it has been handled by predecessors. ... more
Drought forces Namibia to auction 1,000 wild animalsWindhoek (AFP) June 15, 2019 Drought-hit Namibia has authorised the sale of at least 1,000 wild animals - including elephants and giraffes - to limit loss of life and generate $1.1 million for conservation, the authorities confirmed Saturday. ... more |
IMF approves $206 mn aid to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah
Flights cancelled, roads flooded as rare storm soaks UAE Sri Lanka plans $1.6 bn in cyclone recovery spending in 2026 Brazil megacity Sao Paulo struck by fresh water crisis Indonesians reeling from flood devastation plea for global help Levee break near Seattle prompts evacuation order Flash flood kills dozens in Morocco town At least 20 dead in eastern Bolivia floods Press Release from Business Wire: Textron Inc. Flash floods kill 37 in Moroccan coastal town |
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| Previous Issues | Jun 18 | Jun 17 | Jun 14 | Jun 13 |
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NASA explores our changing freshwater worldGreenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 13, 2019 Water is so commonplace that we often take it for granted. But too much - or too little of it - makes NASA explores our changing freshwater worlds. Catastrophic flooding in the U.S. Midwest th ... more
W.African farm 'bootcamp' gets green entrepreneurs into shapeTori-Bossito , Benin (AFP) June 9, 2019 Machetes in hand and wearing a straw hat against the sun, the participants of an "agro-bootcamp" in the farmlands of the West African nation of Benin harvest maize, cowpeas and rice. ... more
Sorghum making a rebound in Europe thanks to climate changeSzeged, Hungary (AFP) June 5, 2019 Ferenc Kardos planted 300 hectares of sorghum instead of corn this year. From the fertile Hungarian plain where he lives all the way to southeastern France, the hot weather cereal is taking root in Europe. ... more
Water tankers prove a lifeline for India's parched villagesShahapur, India (AFP) June 12, 2019 As Gajanand Dukre parks the water tanker in a drought-stricken Indian village, dozens of locals - mostly women in saris - come running with jerry cans, buckets and stainless steel pots. ... more
Honeybees harmed by tag team of insecticides, mitesWashington (UPI) Jun 5, 2019 For the first time, honeybee researchers have identified a "synergistic time-lag interaction" between parasitic Varroa mites and neonicotinoid insecticides. The two stressors, the latest research showed, combined to reduce the survival of honeybees during the winter. ... more |
![]() Locust swarm decimates crops in Sardinia
Ancient Roman grape seeds reveal genetic origins of French winemakingWashington (UPI) Jun 10, 2019 Scientists have traced the genetic origins of a popular grape variety, still used in French wines today, back 900 years to a single ancestral plant. ... more |
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Agriculture began in Eurasia earlier than scientists thoughtWashington (UPI) Jun 10, 2019 According to a new survey of isotopic data from Eurasia, agriculture began in the region earlier than scientists thought. ... more
American garlic, honey farmers cheer Trump's tariffs on ChinaLos Angeles (AFP) June 5, 2019 As most US farmers feel the brunt of the trade war with China, some, like garlic and honey producers who have struggled for years, are applauding new, higher tariffs on Chinese goods. ... more
Alternative meat seen as potentially juicy businessNew York (AFP) June 9, 2019 No longer at the food fringes, plant-based meats are selling well in supermarkets and emerging as a hot commodity for fast food chains, industrial food companies and Wall Street investors. ... more
Man killed in fight over water in India amid deadly dust stormChennai, India (AFP) June 7, 2019 A 33-year-old man died after a fight over water in southern India, police said Friday, as the country gasped from extreme heat and storms that killed 24 in the north. ... more
The real future food is lab-grown insect meatWashington DC (SPX) Jun 03, 2019 Livestock farming is destroying our planet. It is a major cause of land and water degradation, biodiversity loss, acid rain, coral reef degeneration, deforestation - and of course, climate change. P ... more |
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Satellite observations improve earthquake monitoring, response Ames IA (SPX) Jun 17, 2019 Researchers at the University of Iowa and the U.S. Geological Survey have found that data gathered from orbiting satellites can provide more accurate information on the impact of large earthquakes, which, in turn, can help provide more effective emergency response.
The satellite imagery provides detailed information about where the earthquakes occurred, how big the surface deformation was, ... more |
Lockheed Martin Delivers GPS III Contingency Operations Denver CO (SPX) Jun 12, 2019
The next step in modernizing the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation with new technology and capabilities is happening from the ground up!
On May 22, Lockheed Martin delivered the GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) software upgrade to the U.S. Air Force's current GPS ground control system. The upgrade will enable the Air Force to start commanding the new, next-genera ... more |
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'Mr. Green': British environmentalist is Gabon's new forestry minister Libreville (AFP) June 14, 2019
Here's your new job: You have to protect the country's precious tropical forests. You have to stop illegal logging and fight the entrenched corruption backed by powerful forces which goes with it. By the way, you are a committed environmentalist - and you are foreign-born.
This is the challenge facing Lee White, a green activist born in Britain, who this week was named minister of water and ... more |
NREL researchers to help ExxonMobil reduce future biofuels emissions Golden CO (SPX) Jun 18, 2019
The energy landscape is evolving, and companies such as ExxonMobil are getting in on the ground floor.
"How do you provide scalable energy to 9 billion people while addressing the risks of climate change?" asked Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company.
It is precisely to address this dilemma that ExxonMobil is partnering ... more |
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SUN-to-LIQUID produces solar kerosene from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 18, 2019
The transition from fossil to renewable fuels is one of the most important challenges of the future. The SUN-to-LIQUID project takes on this challenge by producing renewable transportation fuels from water and carbon dioxide with concentrated sunlight: The project, which is funded by the EU and Switzerland, has now successfully demonstrated the first synthesis of solar kerosene.
"The SUN-t ... more |
Can sound protect eagles from wind turbine collisions? Washington DC (SPX) May 23, 2019
Every year, bald and golden eagles are killed when they inadvertently fly into wind turbine blades. One possible way to prevent these deaths is to chase the birds away with acoustic signals - sound. To determine what types of sounds are most effective in deterring the birds, researchers at the University of Minnesota and their colleagues tested the behavioral responses of bald eagles to a batter ... more |
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EU under pressure over 2050 net zero emissions target Brussels (AFP) June 20, 2019 European Union leaders will push Thursday "to advance work" towards setting a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a draft resolution.
The language in the draft summit conclusion appears to be an attempt to include reference to the 2050 target adopted by some members, without offending the others.
The finely-nuanced text obtained by AFP reflects growing publ ... more |
China 'harvesting' Falun Gong organs: report London (AFP) June 18, 2019
Forced organ harvesting has been carried out "for years throughout China" and members of the Falun Gong spiritual group have "probably" been the main victims, according to a panel of lawyers.
A report by the London-based China Tribunal, released to journalists ahead of a summary to be published online on Wednesday, concluded that "forced organ harvesting continues till today".
The panel ... more |
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I, Chatbot: Getting your news from a talkative automaton Paris (AFP) June 16, 2019
"Do you ever lie to your friends?," Jam asks, popping up in a private message box at the bottom of your screen.
If it seems like a personal question, don't worry - Jam isn't a person, but a chatbot, eager for a bubbly conversation about the news, environment, pop culture and more.
This particular cryptic query leads to Jam telling the story of Romain Gary, a French author who deceived t ... more |
'Sand mafias' threaten Morocco's coastline Mohammedia, Morocco (AFP) June 17, 2019
Beneath an apartment block that looms over Monica beach in the western coastal city of Mohammedia, a sole sand dune has escaped the clutches of Morocco's insatiable construction contractors.
Here, like elsewhere across the North African tourist magnet, sand has been stolen to help feed an industry that is growing at full tilt.
A report last month by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on ... more |
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Forest fires accelerating snowmelt across western US, study finds Portland OR (SPX) May 07, 2019
Forest fires are causing snow to melt earlier in the season, a trend occurring across the western U.S. that may affect water supplies and trigger even more fires, according to a new study by a team of researchers at Portland State University (PSU) , the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and the University of Nevada, Reno.
It's a cycle that will only be exacerbated as the frequency, duration ... more |
Plankton species uses bioluminescence to scare off predators Washington (UPI) Jun 17, 2019
At least one species of dinoflagellate plankton uses its bioluminescence for defensive purposes.
Researchers determined the species Lingulodinium polyedra uses its glow-in-the-dark abilities to scare off copepod grazers, the species' primary predator.
According to the new study - published this week in the journal Current Biology - the bioluminescent cells sense low concentrati ... more |
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Heat wave hits Iraq -- and sparks begin to fly Nasiriyah, Iraq (AFP) June 16, 2019
Hospital ventilators shut down, football matches with obligatory water breaks and food spoiling in fridges without power: Iraq's notorious summer has arrived.
As one of the hottest countries in the world with around half of its terrain covered in desert, Iraq is no stranger to stiflingly hot summers.
But even by its own standards, this June has been a sizzler - averaging a daily 48 degr ... more |
In China's Chongqing, high-rises buck property slowdown Chongqing, China (AFP) June 19, 2019 In many Chinese cities, government restrictions have cooled formerly feverish property markets, but in the southwestern city of Chongqing, construction is booming and sales soaring as investors rush in.
The most audacious evidence is one of the newest additions to the city's skyline, a mega project of eight futuristic high-rises, six of which are connected by a vertiginous skybridge.
The ... more |
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NASA scientists find Sun's history buried in lunar crust Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 18, 2019
The Sun is why we're here. It's also why Martians or Venusians are not.
When the Sun was just a baby four billion years ago, it went through violent outbursts of intense radiation, spewing scorching, high-energy clouds and particles across the solar system. These growing pains helped seed life on early Earth by igniting chemical reactions that kept Earth warm and wet. Yet, these solar tant ... more |
Gut bacteria reveal which lemurs are most vulnerable to deforestation Washington (UPI) Jun 14, 2019
By analyzing the makeup of lemurs' gut microbiome, scientists can predict which species are most vulnerable to deforestation.
For a new study, scientists surveyed the microbes found in the guts of 12 different lemur species. The results, published this week in the journal Biology Letters, showed some lemur species have more specialized gut bacteria than others.
On the African isl ... more |
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