|
|
Can we eat meat and still tame global warming?![]() Paris (AFP) Aug 9, 2019 Not everyone needs to become a vegetarian, much less vegan, to keep the planet from overheating, but it would surely make things easier if they did. That's the ambiguous and - for many on either side of this meaty issue - unsatisfying conclusion of the most comprehensive report ever compiled on the link between climate change and how we feed ourselves, released Thursday by the United Nations. The core findings are crystal clear: climate change is threatening the world's food supply, even as th ... read more |
Detention basins could catch more than stormwaterLouisville KY (SPX) Aug 15, 2019 Everywhere you go there are stormwater detention basins built near large construction projects intended to control the flow of rainwater and runoff. Now, those basins might help in controlling nitro ... more
Land and climate: problems, solutions inextricably linkedGeneva (AFP) Aug 8, 2019 The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change on Thursday delivered the most comprehensive scientific overview yet of the links between the land we live off and global warming. ... more
Ancient pigs endured a complete genomic turnover after they arrived in EuropeOxford UK (SPX) Aug 15, 2019 New research led by Oxford University and Queen Mary University of London has resolved a pig paradox. Archaeological evidence has shown that pigs were domesticated in the Near East and as such, mode ... more
Trans-Brazil trail raises hopes for future of Atlantic ForestRio De Janeiro (AFP) Aug 16, 2019 Luiz Pedreira walks with other hikers beneath the Atlantic Forest's thick canopy in Brazil, where an 8,000-kilometre (5,000-mile) trail stretching the full length of the country is being opened up. ... 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 |
|
|

| Previous Issues | Aug 15 | Aug 14 | Aug 13 | Aug 12 | Aug 11 |
|
American farmers struggle to stay afloat amid floods and trade warNew York (AFP) Aug 14, 2019 Caught in the middle of a trade war and hammered by massive spring floods, American farmers are facing a tough year and worry about their future, yet some still trust President Donald Trump. ... more
California defies White House to ban controversial pesticideLos Angeles (AFP) Aug 14, 2019 California will outlaw the use of a pesticide linked to developmental problems in humans after President Donald Trump's administration scrapped plans for a nationwide ban, state health officials said Wednesday. ... more
Indonesia threatens tariff hike on EU dairy in trade spatJakarta (AFP) Aug 9, 2019 Indonesia's trade minister Friday threatened to impose higher tariffs on EU dairy imports in response to the bloc's proposed move to hit biodiesel made from palm oil with anti-subsidy duties. ... more
Ecological land grab: food vs fuel vs forestsParis (AFP) Aug 5, 2019 The overlapping crises of climate change, mass species extinction, and an unsustainable global food system are on a collision course towards what might best be called an ecological land grab. ... more
Chinese firms learn to adapt as US trade war ragesBeijing (AFP) Aug 12, 2019 Export-reliant Chinese companies are slashing prices, moving production abroad, creating new domestic markets and even rebranding goods as they try to survive the escalating trade war with the United States. ... more |
![]() Scientists reveal key insights into emerging water purification technology
NASA gauges plant stress in Costa Rican droughtPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 09, 2019 NASA's ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) has imaged the stress on Costa Rican vegetation caused by a massive regional drought that led the Central Ameri ... more |
|
Installing solar panels on agricultural lands maximizes their efficiencyCorvallis OR (SPX) Aug 09, 2019 The most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands, according to an Oregon State University study. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that if less tha ... more
Poop less for a cleaner planet, says Brazil's presidentBrasilia (AFP) Aug 9, 2019 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro suggested Friday that people "poop every other day" as a way to save the environment, after he came under fire for a surge in deforestation of the Amazon since he came to power. ... more
EU agriculture not viable for the futureLeipzig, Germany (SPX) Aug 05, 2019 The current reform proposals of the EU Commission on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are unlikely to improve environmental protection, say researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative B ... more
Agriculture's secret weapon: empowering womenGeneva (AFP) Aug 6, 2019 Women farmers face the brunt of the threat posed by climate change, yet they may hold the key to helping limit its fallout, according to a landmark UN report to be released this week. ... more
Common bee disease spread through flowersWashington (UPI) Aug 7, 2019 A common honeybee disease can make the jump to wild bees via flowers, according to a new study. ... more |
|
|
|
|
Using lasers to visualize molecular mysteries in our atmosphere Washington DC (SPX) Aug 12, 2019
Invisible to the human eye, molecular interactions between gases and liquids underpin much of our lives, including the absorption of oxygen molecules into our lungs, many industrial processes and the conversion of organic compounds within our atmosphere. But difficulties in measuring gas-liquid collisions have so far prevented the fundamental exploration of these processes.
Kenneth McKendr ... more |
Evolution of space, 2SOPS prepares for GPS Block III Schriever AFB CO (SPX) Aug 05, 2019
Lockheed Martin presented the 2nd Space Operations Squadron with a GPS Block III model satellite to celebrate the successful on-orbit testing of the new GPS III satellite at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, July 29.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Wood, 2nd SOPS mission chief, said the model is a physical representation of the modernization underway.
"The GPS III provides improved capabilities ... more |
|
|
Trans-Brazil trail raises hopes for future of Atlantic Forest Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Aug 16, 2019 Luiz Pedreira walks with other hikers beneath the Atlantic Forest's thick canopy in Brazil, where an 8,000-kilometre (5,000-mile) trail stretching the full length of the country is being opened up.
He says he hopes that the creation of the trail, one of the world's longest, will raise awareness about the fragility of the forest - long devastated by loggers and farmers, and now facing a ren ... more |
Protein factors increasing yield of a biofuel precursor in microscopic algae Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 09, 2019
As an alternative to traditional fossil fuels, biofuels represent a more environmentally friendly and sustainable fuel source. Plant or animal fats can be converted to biofuels through a process called transesterification.
In particular, the storage molecule triacylglycerol (TAG), found in microscopic algae, is one of the most promising sources of fat for biofuel production, as microalgae ... more |
|
|
New design strategy brightens up the future of perovskite-based light-emitting diodes Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 09, 2019
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology discover a new strategy to design incredibly efficient perovskite-based LEDs with record-setting brightness by leveraging the quantum confinement effect.
Several techniques for generation of light from electricity have been developed over the years. Devices that can emit light when an electric current is applied, are referred to as electrolumines ... more |
Growth of wind energy points to future challenges, promise Washington DC (SPX) Aug 15, 2019 Advances in adapting the technology for cold climates and offshore use and better methods for predicting wind conditions have fanned significant growth of the use of wind turbines for electricity in the last 40 years. A new report takes stock of where the field is now and what lies ahead.
A team of researchers from Germany has published its findings in Applied Physics Reviews, from AIP Pub ... more |
|
|
French journalists arrested at Australia anti-coal protest Sydney (AFP) July 22, 2019
A French television crew filming a protest against a newly approved Indian-owned coal mine was arrested by Australian police Monday and charged with trespassing.
Construction of the Adani project near the Great Barrier Reef has been under fierce debate for almost a decade, with environmentalists warning that fossil fuels damage the climate.
France 2 reporter Hugo Clement and three member ... more |
China detains critic of online censorship for 'provoking trouble' Beijing (AFP) Aug 15, 2019
China has detained a former journalist who gained prominence after urging the US to help "tear down" Beijing's online censorship regime during a 2014 meeting with top US diplomat John Kerry.
Police detained Zhang Jialong Tuesday for "picking quarrels and provoking troubles," according to an official detention notice seen by AFP.
The vague accusation is often used to detain human rights a ... more |
|
|
NASA wants your help developing autonomous rovers Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 14, 2019
Autonomous robots will assist future astronauts during long-duration missions to other worlds by performing tedious, repetitive and even strenuous tasks. These robotic helpers will let crews focus on the more meticulous areas of exploring. To help achieve this, NASA's Centennial Challenges program, along with Space Center Houston of Texas, opened the second phase of the NASA Space Robotics Chall ... more |
Fossil fuels? Plastic? Trump says more is better Monaca, United States (AFP) Aug 14, 2019 President Donald Trump has seen the future and it is oil. And plastic.
Where most environmental scientists and most US allies fear that overuse of fossil fuels is driving the planet into crisis, the US president spies only opportunity.
In a speech on Tuesday to hundreds of workers building a new Shell petrochemical factory near Pittsburgh, Trump did not bother paying even lip service to ... more |
|
|
NASA studies how Arctic wildfires change the world Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 14, 2019
Wildfires in the Arctic often burn far away from populated areas, but their impacts are felt around the globe. From field and laboratory work to airborne campaigns and satellites, NASA is studying why boreal forests and tundra fires have become more frequent and powerful and what that means for climate forecasting, ecosystems and human health.
"Fires are a natural part of the ecosystem, bu ... more |
We use satellites to measure water scarcity Binghamton NY (SPX) Aug 14, 2019
Today, more than 700 million people around the world drink water from unsafe or untreated sources, such as wells, springs and surface water.
About half of these people live in sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, in more than 30 African countries, fewer than 20% of the people have access to safe drinking water.
Climate change is likely to worsen the situation by making water less available i ... more |
|
|
17 missing in SW China landslide Beijing (AFP) Aug 16, 2019
More than a dozen workers remained missing Friday after a landslide in southwest China buried a section of railway that was under repair, according to state media.
The 17 missing people were carrying out maintenance work on the track Wednesday when the hill above them gave way, China Daily reported.
The landslide in Ganluo county in Sichuan province happened very quickly, a witness tol ... more |
Trump threatens to pull US from WTO 'if we have to' Monaca, United States (AFP) Aug 13, 2019
President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to pull the United States out of the World Trade Organization if conditions are not improved.
"We will leave if we have to," Trump told a cheering audience of workers at a Shell chemical plant in Pennsylvania.
"We know that they have been screwing us for years and it's not going to happen again," he said.
Trump has made the WTO the target of ... more |
|
|
Proposals selected for small satellites to study interplanetary space Washington DC (SPX) Aug 16, 2019
NASA has selected two proposals to demonstrate small satellite technologies to improve science observations in deep space, which could help NASA develop better models to predict space weather events that can affect astronauts and spacecraft.
"This is the first time that our heliophysics program has funded this kind of technology demonstration," said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Helioph ... more |
Large freshwater animal populations see 88 percent drop in 40 years Washington (UPI) Aug 12, 2019
Between 1970 and 2012, Earth's largest freshwater animal populations declined by some 88 percent, according to a new survey.
There's a lot of water on Earth, but only 2.5 percent of it is freshwater. Of that 2.5 percent, just over 1 percent is surface water, taking the form of rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands. Despite its relative scarcity - accounting for just 2 percent of Earth's su ... more |
|
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement |
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |