science wire

AAAS Notebook: Faculty views range across natural world, human health, more
Last week's American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Vancouver, BC, included 11 speakers from the University of Washington on topics including marine protected areas, the myth of black progress, women's reproductive health and how undergraduates learn best.

Conservation clusters: making the case
A new study reveals how the gathering together of conservation organisations in one location - a 'conservation cluster' - can work best to reap global rewards.

'Storm of the century' may become 'storm of the decade'
As the Earth's climate changes, the worst inundations from hurricanes and tropical storms could become far more common in low-lying coastal areas, a new study suggests. Researchers from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that regions such as the New York City metropolitan area that currently experience a disastrous flood every century could instead become submerged every one or two decades.

Hold the salt: coastal drinking water more vulnerable to water use than climate change
Human activity is likely a greater threat to coastal groundwater used for drinking water supplies than rising sea levels from climate change, according to a study conducted by geoscientists from the University of Saskatchewan and McGill University in Montreal.

Does history repeat? Using the past to improve ecological forecasting
To better predict the future, Jack Williams is looking to the past. “Environmental change is altering the composition and function of ecological communities,” says Williams, the Bryson Professor of Climate, People, and the Environment in the UW–Madison geography department. Williams also directs the Center for Climatic Research in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Decline in proboscis monkeys
University researchers and conservationists in Sabah have shown that proboscis monkey populations throughout Borneo may experience population decline if nothing is done to stop their habitat degradation.

Proposed hunt poorly designed, says UW wolf expert
Legislation outlining a proposed state wolf hunt is likely to hurt wolf populations while failing to resolve existing conflicts with humans, says a UW–Madison wolf expert.

Models underestimate future temperature variability; food security at risk
Climate warming caused by greenhouse gases is very likely to increase the variability of summertime temperatures around the world by the end of this century, a University of Washington climate scientist said Friday. The findings have major implications for food production. Current climate models do not adequately reflect feedbacks from the relationship between the atmosphere and soil, which causes them to underestimate the increase of variability in summertime temperatures, said David Battisti, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences.

Yale’s new innovation and design center to foster ’culture of engineering’
The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science has begun construction of a versatile innovation and design studio to encourage the invention and prototyping of radically new, socially beneficial te

British scientist warns AAAS of the threat posed by ocean acidification
One of the country’s leading voices on ocean acidification has addressed a prestigious conference in Canada with a warning that marine biodiversity is at risk due to the corrosive effects of carbon dioxide.

No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination, based on evidence reviewed in a study released Thursday by the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.

Scientists discuss climate change, biochar, wheat rust
Three Cornell researchers will discuss mitigating climate change, biochar and the challenges of wheat rust, respectively, at the 2012 Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada, Feb.

Soybean can grow in New York, thanks to climate change
Warmer weather across northern New York could present an opportunity for farmers: soybeans. The low-input crop is currently commanding a high price, making it increasingly attractive for local growers, according to Cornell crop and soil science professor William Cox.

Research that offers 10 ways to improve society, the economy and the environment
University of Toronto research with a direct impact on improving life on Earth – and the planet itself - got a huge boost Feb.

State-owned oil companies increase price volatility and pollution, Stanford researcher says
State-owned oil companies dominate the world's oil supplies, and politicians often cannot resist getting involved.

Marine Scientists Awarded Grant to Study Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
AUSTIN, Texas — Marine scientist Deana Erdner is part of an international team of researchers awarded an anticipated five-year, $4 million grant to study the causes of ciguatera fish poisoning, the most common form of algal toxin-induced seafood poisoning in the world.

£9.3 million project to improve oil refining in Russia gets the green light
For Immediate Release Wednesday 15 February 2012 Multi-million pound project to improve sustainability and efficiency of Russian oil industry is given green light A £9.3 million international consortium to make oil refining in Russia more efficient and environmentally sustainable has been given the green light this week.

’Storm of the Century?’ Try ’Storm of the Decade’
With climate change, today's '100-year floods' may happen every three to 20 years, according to new research. Last August, Hurricane Irene spun through the Caribbean and parts of the eastern United States, leaving widespread wreckage in its wake. The Category 3 storm whipped up water levels, generating storm surges that swept over seawalls and flooded seaside and inland communities.

Living with the city
The quiet personalities of our cities are in danger of being buried under the noise of the concrete jungle, writes TEGAN DOLSTRA.

Casting the net
Valerie Kirk tells KATHARINE PIERCE why not knowing who you're working with shouldn't hold you back.

Low altitude, high-flying beans to benefit Africa
Slender green beans air-freighted from Kenya to markets in Western Europe are a profitable crop for high-altitude farms across sub-Saharan Africa.

Explosive evolution need not follow mass extinctions
In the wake of a mass extinction like the one that occurred 445 million years ago, a common assumption is that surviving species tend to proliferate quickly into new forms, having outlived many of their competitors. But new research shows that tiny marine organisms called graptoloids did not begin to rapidly develop new physical traits until about 2 million years after competing species became extinct.

Gas mileage of new vehicles at all-time high
ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States last month was at its highest mark ever, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Engineers create tandem polymer solar cells that set record for energy-conversion
In the effort to convert sunlight into electricity, photovoltaic solar cells that use conductive organic polymers for light absorption and conversion have shown great potential.

Chronicles of the deep
With the help of one of the planet's oldest marine organisms, an ANU scientist is revealing the natural environment's true history. By LUCY WEDLOCK. She may have grown up in Africa's land-locked Republic of Uganda, but Aimée Komugabe has always felt the inescapable pull of the ocean tide. But it wasn't until after finishing school, when Komugabe was living in another land-locked country, Austria, that the siren call of the deep blue sea became irresistible.

Elephants’ habitat fragments in Borneo
The home range and movement rate of the Bornean elephants are influenced by the degree of habitat fragmentation, according to a new study by researchers and conservationists. The study, carried out by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), Cardiff University and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) -Malaysia was recently published in the scientific journal Public Library of Science One (PLoS 1).

Flumes and lasers test elite sportswear
Fabric used to make what is believed to be the fastest swimsuit to ever go on the market was tested Leeds researchers who simulated conditions close to those experienced by elite swimmers. A team led by Sedimentologist Jeff Peakall developed a methodology using lasers and flume tanks contained in a giant black box to accurately measure the speed of fabric through water.

Environment Canada cuts threaten science, international agreements
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.

Grant to Support Purchase of Helicopter
— The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science announced that it has received a challenge grant for $700,000 from the Miami-based Batchelor Foundation to support its exploration research efforts.

Advanced power-grid model finds low-cost, low-carbon future in West
The least expensive way for the Western U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to help prevent the worst consequences of global warming is to replace coal with renewable and other sources of energy that may include nuclear power, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, researchers.

Integrated weed management best response to herbicide resistance
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Over-reliance on glyphosate-type herbicides for weed control on U.S. farms has created a dramatic increase in the number of genetically-resistant weeds, according to a team of agricultural researchers, who say the solution lies in an integrated weed management program.

Smart Home Research Set to Begin
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research. AIMday Image is a forum for knowledge exchange between academic and industrial scientists in the field of image analysis Welcome to KTH on March 7! Reception and service at central level for international students after arrival at KTH.

As next supercontinent forms, Arctic Ocean, Caribbean will vanish first
Geologists at Yale University have proposed a new theory to describe the formation of supercontinents, the epic process by which Earth's major continental blocks combine into a single vast landmass. The new model radically challenges the dominant theories of how supercontinents might take shape. In a paper published Feb.

Berkeley Lab Launches New Institute to Build Low-Carbon Pathways to Prosperity
To some, the problems in developing countries may seem intractable: unsafe drinking water, subpar sanitation systems, limited access to electricity, low agricultural yields due to poor irrigation, environmentally unsustainable use of resources, and so on.

Carbon Dioxide Puts Waste Heat to Work
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Many companies fall short of social responsibility promises
Whether eliminating child labor, creating environmentally friendly technology or working against all forms of corruption, many corporations fail to become socially responsible despite promises to change, a new University of Michigan study found. In an article recently published in the American Sociological Review, U-M sociologists Alwyn Lim and Kiyoteru Tsutsui say that corporations in developed countries "are more likely to make shallow commitments without substance" in response to external pressures from government and citizens to take socially responsible actions.

Go ahead for solar art installation

Tougher laws to smash green smoke screens
Law reform and tougher legal sanctions to stop greenwashing are critical, according to a leading intellectual property expert from The Australian National University.

Scientists' model predicts seabird feeding habits
A computer model which predicts the foraging habits of seabirds could be a vital tool in the quest to protect wildlife along the British coastline. Experts from Plymouth University say the technique can also be used to predict the at-sea distributions of species which are too small to be tracked at present.

Research, policy, practice: conservation in the round
Conservation scientists working in partnership with practitioners and policy makers are building practical tools for real-world conservation.

Fossil cricket reveals Jurassic love song
The love song of an extinct cricket that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life by scientists at the University of Bristol. The song - possibly the most ancient known musical song documented to date - was reconstructed from microscopic wing features on a fossil discovered in North East China.

KTH Broadens Commitment to Sustainability Education
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Tree rings may underestimate climate response to volcanic eruptions
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Some climate cooling caused by past volcanic eruptions may not be evident in tree-ring reconstructions of temperature change, because large enough temperature drops lead to greatly shortened or even absent growing seasons, according to climate researchers who compared tree-ring temperature reconstructions with model simulations of past temperature changes.

Under the Microscope #5 – Daisy
In this video Beverley Glover explains how a daisy is a collection of tiny flowers grouped together to make it look like a single big flower. " Under the Microscope is a collection of videos that show glimpses of the natural and man-made world in stunning close-up. They will be released every Monday and Thursday for the next couple of months and you can see them here: http://bit.ly/A6bwCE Glover: “The flowering plants (Angiosperms) form the dominant vegetation over most of the Earth's land surface.

NorthStar Initiative launches corporate sustainability webinar series
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/03/2012) —The NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment is launching a free quarterly webina

Canopy commerce: forest conservation and poverty alleviation
Innovative approaches for protecting the future of Sierra Leone's Gola Forest - globally important for its biodiversity and its carbon reserves - are being developed by a collaboration of conservation agencies and University of Cambridge researchers.

High-Speed Train Research Pulls into the Station
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Scotland first to map wild land
In a first for the UK, a new map detailing Scotland's wild areas is being published today by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Some of the country's wildest landscapes are already identified and protected if they fall within national parks or national scenic areas. But many other wild areas are not identified in any way.

Wireless power could revolutionize highway transportation, Stanford researchers say
Stanford researchers have designed a new technology that could lead to wireless charging of electric vehicles while they cruise down the highway.

Roundabouts emerging as the ideal intersection between driver safety and efficiency
They've become the subject of myriad YouTube "how-to" videos. Entire department of transportation websites explain how to navigate them.

Biodiversity conservation for life
This month, the University of Cambridge will be profiling research that addresses biodiversity conservation.

Penn State scientists elected to American Geophysical Union
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Michael Mann and David Pollard, both scientists in Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, have been elected as Fellows of the American Geophysical Union for exceptional contributions in original research in climate change.

Children test the air for pollutants in Brighton science project
by Simon Levey Wednesday 1 February 2012 Children from Brighton have been testing the air quality in their school playgrounds to monitor how pollution from neighbouring roads might affect them and their environment.

Driving the green
New study suggests that electric-powered trucks will save money for businesses.

Tool is new weapon in fight against climate change
A new service, developed by experts at The University of Manchester and The Mersey Forest, will provide vital information to help urban neighbourhoods avoid the potentially dangerous effects of climate change.

Tapping into maple success through sanitation
The secret to success for maple syrup producers may lie in the science of sanitation. Simply changing taps and tubing or using special spouts could double the amount of sap seeping from New York's maple trees, according to Cornell experts who have spent six years researching the topic.

Penn Receives NSF Grant to Research Geological Record of Chilean Earthquakes
Geological evidence of earthquakes and tsunamis aids in anticipating the timing and magnitude of future events.

Climate change history reveals future threats
The historical record foreshadows a grim picture for a future threatened by even greater climate change according to a study from The Australian National University. Professor Tony McMichael from the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health looked at climate changes and their impacts over the last 6,000 to 7,000 years, as documented in historical, archaeological and fossil records.

Photos from disaster show Japan’s people ’don’t live for the past’
A collection of images currently displayed in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel tells two stories—a story of devastation and another about the resiliency of the people of Japan.

National Labs Seek Closer Industry Ties
The network of national laboratories run by the Department of Energy (DOE) has spawned countless scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs in the last 80 years.

How much is an earthworm worth?
After years of paying little attention, both farmers and EU politicians have started listening in earnest to the research findings. The trick is simply to communicate on the recipient’s terms. Professor of Biology Katarina Hedlund and her colleagues have begun putting a price on nature’s own capital.

Turkish investment in water power led to environmental destruction
Small-scale projects with renewable energy: how can that go wrong? Mine Islar is among the first group of doctoral students in sustainability science.

New PhD programme in sustainability produces promising thesis work
A programme with a lot of potential but also many challenges ahead. This is how Paul Weaver, newly appointed professor at LUCSUS, the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, sums up the PhD programme in Sustainability Science. Just before Christmas, the first group of doctoral students presented their research at a midway review.

Pine transformed by modern alchemists
Researchers have given pinewood the hardness and smooth touch of precious wood. L'EPFL+ECAL Lab presents the first objects made of this new material in Helsinki today.

Caring for country creates new land of opportunity
New conservation partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are saving threatened animals, returning Aboriginal people to their ancestral homeland, discovering new types of plant species and developing novel cross-cultural ways of managing country.

’Father of green chemistry’ plans return to Yale
Paul Anastas, the Yale chemist who has been on leave while serving as head of research for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plans to return to the University full time later this winter.

McGill University’s Life Sciences Complex earns LEED Gold certification
Life Sciences video: http://www.youtube.com/watch'v=gV2MFmckUXw McGill University's Life Sciences Complex has been awarded LEED gold certification for new construction from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), a significant upgrade from the silver rating that was first sought.

Volunteers sought for simulated Mars mission and study of ’menu fatigue’
Astronauts on a mission to Mars will need much more than freeze-dried ice cream to sustain them, and researchers at Cornell are working to determine the best way to keep them well nourished during their three-year journeys and four-month stays on the Red Planet.

U-M, Sierra Club to study links between outdoor experience, veterans’ mental health
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - For six years, the Sierra Club has organized outdoor trips for U.S. military service members, veterans and their families. Now, the national environmental group is working with the University of Michigan on a research project to measure how those trips affect veterans' mental health.

Satellite renamed to honor UW-Madison space pioneer
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have renamed their newest Earth-observing satellite after Verner Suomi, a longtime UW-Madison professor who often is called the father of satellite meteorology.

Restored wetlands rarely equal condition of original wetlands
Restored wetlands like this pond converted from agricultural use in Aragon, Spain, may look natural, but a new study shows that it can take hundreds of years for restored wetlands to accumulate the plant assemblages and carbon resources of a natural, undamaged wetland. Credit: David Moreno-Mateos/UC Berkeley Wetland restoration is a billion-dollar-a-year industry in the United States that aims to create ecosystems similar to those that disappeared over the past century.

Intelligent Buildings Project receives gift from Wells Fargo Foundation
Yale's Intelligent Buildings Project has received $200,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support groundbreaking research on energy consumption in buildings.

White roofs to make for cooler Melbourne buildings
New research launched by the University of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne will give buildings owners across Melbourne access to information that can help their buildings absorb less heat and stay cooler during hot days.

Ageing UK infrastructure systems need to be more joined up
A research consortium led by Oxford University warns that significant investment will be needed in many cases to replace the UK's ageing infrastructure systems.

Berkeley Lab Selects Richmond Field Station as Preferred Site
The University of California announced today that it has identified the Richmond Field Station as its preferred site for the proposed consolidation of its biosciences programs of the Lawrence Berkele

Ancient lessons for a modern challenge
The seat of the Khmer Empire in Cambodia mysteriously collapsed in the 15th century. Now a University of Cambridge Gates Scholar has pieced together its climate history and put forward a compelling new theory to explain its demise. There is a lot we can learn from studying how climate change affected populations in the past which could help us to devise ways of coping in the future." —Mary Beth Day What caused the collapse of the Cambodian city of Angkor, the largest preindustrial city in the world, 600 years ago?

"Minergie in the UAE, We are taking advantage of our experiences"
Jean-Louis Scartezzini, head of EPFL's Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory, is passionate about Minergie—a Swiss label for energy consumption in buildings and the most widely applied building energy standard in the world with almost 20,000 buildings.

Giving concrete infrastructure a second life
Rather than just fixing corroding concrete infrastructure, Professor Eugen Brühwiler and his team of engineers have shown that it can be improved using ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete.

Climate balancing: sea-level rise versus surface temperature change rates
Engineering our way out of global climate warming may not be as easy as simply reducing the incoming solar energy, according to a team of University of Bristol and Penn State climate scientists.

Sustainable seaweed: Researchers explore algae-based animal feed
The pigs and poultry in Professor Xingen Lei's lab have been consuming feed one wouldn't expect in Ithaca: marine algae.

Climate balancing: sea-level rise vs. surface temperature change rates
Guidelines for reporting of child abuse, sexual assault Board chair and vice chair issue statement on questions about Paterno Alumni Town Hall meetings begin in Pittsburgh Panel discussion 'Responding to Child Sexual Abuse' set for Jan.

Climate and the statistics of extremes
EPFL mathematicians have shown that the risk of extreme climate events is largely underestimated.

Biologists replicate key evolutionary step
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/17/2012) —More than 500 million years ago, single-celled organisms on the Earth's surface began forming multicellular clusters that ultimately became plants and animals. Just how that happened is a question that has eluded evolutionary biologists. But scientists in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences have replicated that key step in the laboratory using natural selection and common brewer's yeast, which are single-celled organisms.

Jan. 20 U-M town hall: Cures for climate confusion
DATE: 6:30-8:00 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. EVENT: When the scientific experts have concluded that we are changing our climate, why do many U.S. citizens remain confused or skeptical?

Probing Question: Are invasive plants always a threat?
Board chair and vice chair issue statement on questions about Paterno Alumni Town Hall meetings begin in Pittsburgh Panel discussion 'Responding to Child Sexual Abuse' set for Jan.

Climate adaptation difficult for Europe’s birds
For the past 20 years, the climate in Europe has been getting warmer. Species of bird and butterfly which thrive in cool temperatures therefore need to move further north. However, they have difficulty adapting to the warmer climate quickly enough, as shown by new research published Climate Change.

EPA administrator to visit the University of Minnesota
Jackson will address the latest national environmental policies and challenges to environmental laws MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/13/2012) —Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the Un

Competition to find architects and landscape architects for North West Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is looking for a number of complementary architectural and landscape firms - large and small - for its ambitious new urban extension in North West Cambridge.

KTH to Host New Smart Grids Centre
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Earth from Space: A southern summer bloom
In this Envisat image, a phytoplankton bloom swirls a figure-of-8 in the South Atlantic Ocean about 600 km east of the Falkland Islands.

English literature influenced prize-winning paleontologist
For a short time in grade school, Kevin Boyce lived within two blocks of the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, a place where ice age mammal fossils had been discovered.

University of Sussex to help developing economies move towards low carbon energy
University of Sussex to help developing economies move towards low carbon energy University of Sussex academics are helping the Government to launch a new network to link British energy experts to those in developing economies.

New Study Identifies Ways to Slow Global Warming
Eliminating leaks from energy-producing facilities would remove large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane from the air. Here, natural gas explodes from a pipe in Middletown, Conn., January 2010 (U.S. Chemical Safety Board) Click to view a NASA slideshow illustrating the story. A study by a large international team of scientists says that relatively cheap, simple measures to cut two common pollutants could substantially reduce global warming and improve human health and agriculture in coming decades.

Hotter homes produce smarter babies
A hotter home appears to produce babies with better cognitive abilities - but before you turn up the home heater to make your baby brainier, the research was conducted on the Australian lizard Bassiana duperreyi by researchers from the University of Sydney. Many traits in young reptiles are determined by the temperature of the nest, so Joshua Amiel , a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences , and his supervisor, Professor Rick Shine , looked at how incubation temperature would affect the learning performance of these lizards.

Take a tour of the virtual future at Stanford
Stanford's newly renovated Virtual Human Interaction Lab is now open for public tours. In the multisensory room, experimental subjects wear a head-mounted display with small screens placed close to each eye to mimic stereoscopic vision and create the illusion of virtual space.

Planets with Double Suns are Common
Austin, TX - Astronomers using NASA's Kepler mission have discovered two new circumbinary planet systems - planets that orbit two stars, like Tatooine in the movie Star Wars. Their find, which brings the number of known circumbinary planets to three, shows that planets with two suns must be common, with many millions existing in our Galaxy.

Here comes the sun
A new sunflower-inspired pattern increases concentrated solar efficiency. Just outside Seville, in the desert region of Andalucia, Spain, sits an oasis-like sight: a 100-meter-high pillar surrounded by rows of giant mirrors rippling outward.

Doomsday Clock moves one minute closer to midnight
Faced with inadequate progress on nuclear weapons reduction and proliferation, and continuing inaction on climate change, the University of Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Jan.

Researcher suggests new design kitemark for homes that make us healthier and happier
A University of Warwick professor is proposing a new kitemark for housing developments to ensure your new home will not make you unwell or depressed. Professor Libby Burton, Professor of Sustainable Building Design and Wellbeing at the University of Warwick's School of Health and Social Studies, claims living in houses that are badly designed in areas that do not have enough space or greenery can seriously affect our health and wellbeing.

Next ice age delayed by global warming
Without human carbon dioxide emissions the next ice age would be imminent, according to a Nature Geoscience study led by a UCL scientist.

Economic returns and job creation from major investments in low carbon cities
A new study from the Centre for Low Carbon Futures shows that UK cities could cut their energy bills by billions by exploiting commercially attractive opportunities in energy and carbon management.

Crab sagas yield insight into sustainable fisheries
Decades of wild swings in crab populations – some natural, some human-caused – dramatize the myriad issues surrounding questions about sustainable fisheries and the ecosystems that support them.

Revolutionary tool will methodically track fish populations in the ocean
Oceanographer Chuck Greene envisions a day when he will be able to observe the ocean the way a meteorologist observes the weather - with continuous streams of data that allow him to see changes as they happen and predict future impacts on marine animal populations and ecosystems. That day may be coming soon, thanks to a revolutionary ocean-observing tool he is helping to optimize, one capable of collecting and transmitting ecosystem data to his desktop in real time.

Depleted Gas Reservoirs Can Double as Geologic Carbon Storage Sites
A demonstration project on the southeastern tip of Australia has helped to verify that depleted natural gas reservoirs can be repurposed for geologic carbon sequestration, which is a climate change mitigation strategy that involves pumping CO 2 deep underground for permanent storage. The project, which includes scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), also demonstrated that depleted gas fields have enough CO 2 storage capacity to make a significant contribution to reducing global emissions.

Ice data at your fingertips
Ice data at your fingertips Discover ESA's ice mission, track it in real time and obtain the latest measurements with the new CryoSat application.

Russian river water unexpected culprit behind Arctic freshening - with video
Sandra Hines UW News and Information Alan Buis NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory A hemispherewide phenomenon – and not just regional forces – has caused record-breaking amounts of freshwater to accumulate in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea. Frigid freshwater flowing into the Arctic Ocean from three of Russia's mighty rivers was diverted hundreds of miles to a completely different part of the ocean in response to a decades-long shift in atmospheric pressure associated with the phenomenon called the Arctic Oscillation, according to findings published in the Jan.

The case of the missing gas mileage
Automakers have made great strides in fuel efficiency in recent decades - but the mileage numbers of individual vehicles have barely increased.

‘Extreme Sleepover #11’ – moulins and meltwater on the Greenland ice sheet
In the eleventh of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, glaciologists Ian Willis and Alison Banwell watch as a lake disappears before their eyes.

‘Extreme Sleepover #10’ – an encounter with ‘Hell’s Gate’
In the tenth of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, PhD student Robert Hird pitches his tent next to a gas crater in Turkmenistan in the course of his studies on the stability of saline soils.

Stanford physicist’s moderate approach to climate change gaining supporters
Stanford physicist's prescriptions include more natural gas and nuclear power, doubts about renewable energy goals, and a new way to gain political support.

‘Extreme Sleepover #2’ – A night in Ghana’s tropical forest
In the second of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, zoologist Ben Phalan ventures into a tropical forest to understand the impact of encroaching agriculture.

CryoSat ice satellite rides new waves
CryoSat ice satellite rides new waves . Through international collaboration, this state-of-the-art mission is soon to be used to monitor conditions at sea for marine forecasting. CryoSat was built to measure tiny variations in the thickness of Earth's ice. As a result, the mission is providing scientists with the data they need to help improve our understanding of the relationship between ice, climate and sea level.

ESA astronaut André Kuipers on his way to the International Space Station
PR 37 2011 - After their launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 13:16 GMT (14:16 CET) today, ESA astronaut André Kuipers and crewmates Oleg Kononenko and Don Pettit are circling Earth every

U-Michigan offers experts on mercury emissions, regulations
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The following University of Michigan researchers are available to discuss mercury emissions and new regulations, expected to be announced today by the U.S. Environmental Prote

Rapidly rising Arctic temperatures could lead to significantly greater sea-level rise
Rapidly rising Arctic temperatures could lead to significantly greater sea-level rise An environmental expert from the University of Sheffield has warned global sea-level rise by the year 2100 could be significantly greater than previously predicted following analysis of Greenland´s rapidly shrinking ice sheets.

Satellites can help to grow the perfect grape
Satellites can help to grow the perfect grape A little water is needed to make wine, but how do you know when enough is enough? ESA's GrapeLook service can give you the answer.

Saving on Energy Bills: Meeting Families in the Middle
Technical : Mark Zimring (510) 486-2088, MZimring [a] lbl (p) gov A study released today by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) identifies steps that energy effi

Plumes of plankton blooms wins New Zealand’s top science prize
Robert Strzepek, a visiting scientist in the Research School of Earth Sciences, has won the New Zealand Prime Minister's Science prize.

Antimicrobials, perfumes, drugs pose challenges for sewage treatment
CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Think of it like sourdough. Or beer. Or yogurt. These popular products are all created through a process that involves using bacteria to systematically break down organic matter.

In hot water: Ice Age findings forecast problems
Data from end of the last Ice Age confirm effects of climate change on oceans The first comprehensive study of changes in the oxygenation of oceans at the end of the last Ice Age (between about 10 to 20,000 years ago) has implications for the future of our oceans under global warming.

Research Warns Drivers About Most Deadly, Accident-Prone Intersections
AUSTIN, TX — The difference between an intersection controlled by flashing lights and one controlled by a stop sign can play a big role in accident prevention, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

UK groups set to benefit from €9m EU marine renewables fund
A European Union cash boost for marine renewable energy is set to remove financial barriers to enable wider use of testing sites such as those at Plymouth University.

Trash-to-Energy Project in Bolivia Wins Funding
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Abandoned mines hold potential to capture wind energy
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/16/2011) —Minnesota's Iron Range is pocked with ponds – abandoned open pit mines – that could help energy providers more efficiently use intermittent renewable energy sources, such as wind, to meet state renewable energy mandates.

Industrial "inertia to change" is delaying development of zero carbon homes, report finds
Tackling rising CO2 emissions from the residential sector could make a vital contribution towards mitigating climate change, according to a new report from the UCL Bartlett School of Planning.

Deep heat
A whole range of alternative technologies will be needed to fill our huge appetite for energy and reduce our dependency on finite resources.

Stressed urban forests to benefit from new tree experts
16 Dec 2011 Since the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was introduced, urban trees have become valuable for their major role in reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, now a new course will train experts in managing urban forests facing environmental stresses, pests and diseases.

Building the smart grid of the future: UCLA teams with Korea’s energy research institute
Imagine a home in which every appliance — computer, television, washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner — can carry on a minute-by-minute "conversation" with the local power grid,

Nitrogen from humans pollutes remote lakes for more than a century
Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes throughout the Northern Hemisphere for more than a century and the fingerprint of these changes is evident even in remote lakes located thousands of miles from the nearest city, industrial area or farm. The findings, published Dec. 16, are based on historical changes in the chemical composition of bottom deposits in 36 lakes using an approach similar to aquatic archeology.

Solar power generation more powerful in Europe this century
Climate change will increase the amount of electricity generated by solar power in some parts of the world while decreasing it in others. The University of Leeds findings, published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science , have major impacts for countries looking at what type of solar power to build, where to build it and financial rates of return.

Scanning the Arctic skies
Researchers from the University of Toronto's Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics are taking the search for other worlds to a new frontier: the Canadian Arctic.

Tool which targets carbon emission hotspots in supply chains developed
Tool which targets carbon emission hotspots in supply chains developed A management expert at the University of Sheffield has developed a tool to analyse supply chains in industry, enabling businesses to highlight waste hotspots and make their processes more environmentally friendly.

’Fingerprinting’ method tracks mercury emissions from coal-fired power plant
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - For the first time, the chemical "fingerprints" of the element mercury have been used by University of Michigan researchers to directly link environmental pollution to a specific coal-burning power plant. The primary source of mercury pollution in the atmosphere is coal combustion.

Acid rain poses a previously unrecognized threat to Great Lakes sugar maples
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The number of sugar maples in Upper Great Lakes forests is likely to decline in coming decades, according to University of Michigan ecologists and their colleagues, due to a previously unrecognized threat from a familiar enemy: acid rain. Over the past four decades, sugar maple abundance has declined in some regions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, due largely to acidification of calcium-poor granitic soils in response to acid rain.

After years of ’fracking,’ Pennsylvanians remain mixed about gas drilling
Despite having an eight-year head start on Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction, Pennsylvania residents are just as uncertain about the effects of horizontal hydraulic drilling as New Yorkers, researchers at Cornell and Penn State have found.

Carlson School and Wells Fargo launch Sustainability Initiative
$250,000 grant supports research to help increase consumer demand for 'green' products MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/14/2011) —The University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management h

Young Architecture Champion wins Australia at Large Rhodes Scholarship
14 Dec 2011 Architecture graduate Angela Darby from the University of Melbourne has a passion for sustainability and design and hopes to bring these two disciplines together through her studies at Oxford University.

Le Corbusier, a revised vision of the architect and his work
Roberto Gargiani unveils a different vision of Switzerland's most famous architect - Le Corbusier.

Floods, Drought, Heat Waves: Climate Change Gives State Legislators Something to Plan For
The lineup of presentations at an extreme weather workshop taking place today at Scripps Institution of Oceanography sounds like an overview of biblical plagues, but in fact the event's conveners sai

Report: Geoengineering Plans Must Account for Ecosystem Impacts
As geoengineering planning becomes widespread, researchers note that little thought has been given to its potential effects on ecosystems Scientists attempting to understand the potential effects of human geoengineering efforts often must rely on similar natural events to reach conclusions.

Planting trees may save Costa Rican birds threatened by intensive farming
The fiery-billed aracari is a fruit-eating bird found in the Costa Rican forest or in areas of low-intensity agriculture.

As Earth warms, plants and bees keep pace, study reports
As the warm temperatures of spring start a little earlier each year due to climate change, bees and plants are keeping pace, according to a new study published online Dec. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. An analysis of bee collection data over the past 130 years shows that spring arrives about 10 days earlier than in the 1880s, and bees and flowering plants have kept pace by arriving earlier in lock-step.

Spring’s rising soil temperatures see hormones wake seeds from their winter slumber
Dormant seeds in the soil detect and respond to seasonal changes in soil temperature by changing their sensitivity to plant hormones, new research by the University of Warwick has found. This sensitivity alters the depth of dormancy, indicating to the seed when it is the right time of year to germinate and grow.

Climate change blamed for dead trees in Africa
Trees are dying in  the Sahel, a region in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, and human-caused climate change is to blame, according to a new study led by a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. “Rainfall in the Sahel has dropped 20-30 percent in the 20th century, the world's most severe long-term drought since measurements from rainfall gauges began in the mid-1800s,” said study lead author Patrick Gonzalez, who conducted the study while he was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's Center for Forestry.

Chemically scrubbing CO2 from the air too expensive, says Stanford researcher who offers an alternative plan
Scrub carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere? Too expensive, says a Stanford researcher.

Antarctic expedition checks CryoSat down-under
Antarctic expedition checks CryoSat down-under Next week marks 100 years since Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole. As a team of scientists brave the Antarctic to validate data from ESA's CryoSat mission, it's hard to imagine what these first intrepid explorers would have thought of today's advances in polar science.

Memory like a fish
The traditional belief that fish have short memory spans may not be as true as we thought. Gates scholar Alex Vail is carrying out research that reveals how fish remember other sea creatures and even people.

Wildlife broadcasters ’should pay for ecosystem services’
Media corporations that make and broadcast wildlife programmes and films should pay towards the cost of nature conservation under an existing innovative funding mechanism for the 'use of ecosystem services'.

For Midwesterners, more boxcars mean cleaner air
Shifting a fraction of truck-borne freight onto trains would have an outsized impact on air quality in the Midwest, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

ESA selects Astrium to build Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite
ESA selects Astrium to build Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite Furthering Europe's capacity to monitor atmospheric pollution, ESA has awarded a contract worth ¤45.5 million to Astrium UK to act as prime contractor for the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite system.

How sustainable is nuclear power for the UK?
08 Dec 2011 Nuclear power could contribute significantly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK but this would lead to considerable impacts on natural resources and the environment, a report from The University of Manchester claims. The research into the sustainability of nuclear and other electricity options in the UK shows that nuclear power could make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

Transport Day: Building Bridges from Research to Government & Industry
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Cities fail to recognise full potential of smart technologies
PA 380/11 Cities are wasting the potential of smart technologies by failing to realise the value of their hidden infrastructure and digital assets.

CAFE standards create profit incentive for larger vehicles
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The current Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards create a financial incentive for auto companies to make bigger vehicles that are allowed to meet lower targets, according to a new University of Michigan study.

A Better Way to ID Extreme Weather Events in Climate Models
You'd think that spotting a category 5 hurricane would never be difficult. But when the hurricane is in a global climate model that spans several decades, it becomes a fleeting wisp among mountains of data.

Carbon capture? Go for the source
New analysis shows pulling CO2 from the air would not be cost-effective in the foreseeable future. Since most of the world's governments have not yet enacted regulations to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, some experts have advocated the development of technologies to remove carbon dioxide directly from the air.

Tropical sea temperatures influence melting in Antarctica
Accelerated melting of two fast-moving outlet glaciers that drain Antarctic ice into the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely the result, in part, of an increase in sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to new University of Washington research. He noted that sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific last showed significant warming in the 1940s, and the impact in the Amundsen Sea area then was probably comparable to what has been observed recently.

Scientists subject rocks to hellish conditions to combat global warming
A team of Earth scientists at Stanford University is subjecting chunks of rock to hellish conditions in the laboratory – all in the name of curbing climate change.

Today’s Severe Drought, Tomorrow’s Normal
While the worst drought since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s grips Oklahoma and Texas, scientists are warning that what we consider severe drought conditions in North America today may be normal for the continent by the mid-21 st century, due to a warming planet.

Climate change warning deep under the Dead Sea
University of Minnesota professor is part of international team that predicts the volatile region's water may once again vanish MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/05/2011) —An international te

Climate change stirs ’Perfect Moral Storm,’ prof says
The world is sailing into some killer storms and its leaders have done almost nothing to protect its boat.

Researchers: Mapping underground water sources for drip irrigation could transform African village life
Investments in small-scale irrigation and geophysical mapping will help relieve food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, Stanford researchers say.

Making finance serve society, the economy and the environment
Ways to make the financial system better serve Europe's economic, social and environmental needs are to be explored by a ¤10m international research project.

Global winds could explain record rains, tornadoes
Two talks at a scientific conference this week will propose a common root for an enormous deluge in western Tennessee in May 2010, and a historic outbreak of tornadoes centered on Alabama in April 2011.

Researcher awarded ¤500,000 as part of European project to enable effective climate policy
Dr Simon O'Doherty of the University of Bristol's School of Chemistry has been awarded ¤500,000 as part of InGOS, a European project to monitor emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases and improve the observational infrastructure.

Penn’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy Lists 10 Opportunities for Effective Holiday Charitable Giving
PHILADELPHIA - Each holiday season, people are moved by the spirit of giving to make a difference in the lives of others.

Powerful mathematical model greatly improves predictions for species facing climate change
UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced the most comprehensive mathematical model ever devised to track the health of populations exposed to environmental change.

Charlotta Turner and the Green Technology Group (GTG)
Charlotta Turner works at the Department of Chemistry at Lund University where she once took a Master’s in Chemistry and where she completed her PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 2001.

Jim Brandenburg's 'Chased By The Light' returns to Bell Museum of Natural History
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/30/2011) —“Chased By the Light: Jim Brandenburg's 90-Day Photo Journey” comes back to the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History for a new showing that opens Dec.

Central Minnesotans to get first look at scenarios for regional master plan coordinated by U of M
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/30/2011) —Central Minnesotans will meet to vote on four distinct regional possibilities—four futuristic scenarios—for their region's long-term sustainable development at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec.

Discovery building marks first anniversary with Gold LEED
When the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery celebrates its first birthday this Friday, Dec. 2 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, visitors can learn a new "first" about the building while taking a behind-the-scenes "green" tour or sharing locally sourced cake with Bucky.

200 lorry loads of concrete in one day: a construction challenge
A major construction logistics operation was staged on the West Cambridge site recently to create a substantial concrete base for some of the world's most powerful microscopes.

American named King Gustaf Visiting Professor of Environmental Science
Professor Nancy Langston has been named the King Carl XVI Gustaf Professor of Environmental Sciences for the 2012-13 academic year in Sweden.

Six steps to a better material world
Every year we make 10 times our own bodyweight of steel, aluminium, cement, plastics and paper, for every person alive, using a fifth of all the world's energy supply to do so. Now researchers are releasing a manifesto to change that and help cut carbon emissions. And they've also released an album of songs to go with it.

COP 17 and a low carbon future for cities
Investing 2% of a modern city's GDP in low carbon and energy efficient opportunities for ten years would reduce that city's carbon emission levels by 40% at no net cost.

Durban climate deal needs IP decision
The United Nations conference on climate change in Durban should address outstanding issues about intellectual property or risk developing countries failing to meet mitigation targets, according to an IP expert from The Australian National University.

KTH Joins Australian Low-Carbon Research Centre
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Humans And Climate Both Contributed To Large Ice-Age Mammal Extinction
Football head coach search committee formed University launches hotline for reporting abuse Student government leaders to host forum for students, administrators Penn State faculty offer tea

Doing good - or just talking about it?
UK companies making bold claims about social and environmental achievements are using incorrect and irrelevant data, say researchers at the University of Leeds and Euromed Management School (France).

Biomass could provide a fifth of global energy without damaging food production
By Simon Levey Friday 25 November 2011 Energy generated from plant biomass could deliver up to one fifth of global demand without causing a decline in food production, although there are challenges involved, according to a new report launched this week by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC).

Ancient environment found to drive marine biodiversity
Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record — but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? "It's a question that goes back a long way to the time of Darwin, who looked at the fossil record and tried to understand what it tells us about the history of life," says Shanan Peters , an assistant professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Living with the Inugguit
In 2010, researcher Stephen Leonard began a 12-month research project, documenting the disappearing oral traditions of the northernmost settled people on Earth.

Australian researchers to address urban opportunities and challenges
While Australian cities are highly regarded for their livability, they face significant challenges with urban planning and infrastructure in the future.

A How-To Guide to Slashing California’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050
What will a day in the life of a Californian be like in 40 years? If the state cuts its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 - a target mandated by a state executive order

Mast from classic racing yacht holds one of the keys to sustainable biofuels
The mast from a classic racing yacht and samples from a Forestry Commission breeding trial have played a key role in the search for sustainable biofuels. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on earth — and therefore a potentially major source of glucose for the production of biofuels.

Film weaves scientific and religious views of ’The Journey of the Universe’
"Journey of the Universe," a documentary exploring the human connection to Earth and the cosmos, which was produced by Yale historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker , will premiere on PBS stations nationwide beginning Dec.

They call it ’guppy love’: UCLA biologists solve an evolution mystery
Guppies in the wild have evolved over at least half-a-million years — long enough for the males' coloration to have changed dramatically.

Tegan a two-time science winner

'Journey of the Universe' premieres on PBS in December
"Journey of the Universe," a documentary exploring the human connection to Earth and the cosmos, which was produced by Yale historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker , will premiere on PBS stations nationwide beginning Dec.

Professor Imagines the Limitless Potential of Sewage
Most people would rather not think twice about their waste, but Kartik Chandran spends hours a day considering the limitless potential of sewage.

Enough water to double food production
There is enough water in the major basins of the world to double their food production in the next decades, scientists have found.

New projection shows global food demand doubling by 2050
Increasing yield in poor countries could lower environmental impact Media Note: Embargoed until 2 p.m. Nov. 21 MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/21/2011) —Global food demand could double by 2050, according to a new projection by David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences, and colleagues, including Jason Hill, assistant professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

Taking bushmeat off the menu could increase child anemia
A new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, finds that consuming bushmeat had a positive effect on children's nutrition, raising complex questions about the trade-offs between human health and environmental conservation.

Peruvian villagers how to protect adobe buildings from earthquake collapse
Children playing with wooden blocks that were used to represent adobe blocks during the training on earthquake basics and earthquake preparedness for children.

Carbon cycling in the terrestrial biosphere was much smaller during last ice age than in today’s climate
A reconstruction of plants' productivity and the amount of carbon stored in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere at the last ice age is published today. The research by an international team of scientists greatly increases our understanding of natural carbon cycle dynamics. A reconstruction of plants' productivity and the amount of carbon stored in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere at the last ice age is published today.  The research by an international team of scientists greatly increases our understanding of natural carbon cycle dynamics.

Rice workshop attracts international participants
The First International Workshop on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Latin America and the Caribbean was held at Earth University in Costa Rica Oct.

A Corny Turn for Biofuels from Switchgrass:
Many experts believe that advanced biofuels made from cellulosic biomass are the most promising alternative to petroleum-based liquid fuels for a renewable, clean, green, domestic source of transportation energy. however, does not make it easy. Unlike the starch sugars in grains, the complex polysaccharides in the cellulose of plant cell walls are locked within a tough woody material called lignin.