Showing 20 articles starting at article 2341

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Environmental: General, Paleontology: Fossils

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Two researchers have used a standard laptop computer and a humble piece of rock -- from the 'waste pile' of a diamond mine -- to solve a long-held geological conundrum about how diamonds formed in the deep roots of the earth's ancient continents.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The elimination of daylight-saving time is a frequently -- and heatedly -- discussed topic. Often, only the aspect of electricity consumption due to artificial lighting is considered. In a new study, researchers have now analyzed whether daylight saving also has an impact on the heating and cooling energy required for office buildings, and what role climate change might play in this. The results should delight supporters of daylight-saving time.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The growing period of hardwood forests in eastern North America has increased by an average of one month over the past century as temperatures have steadily risen, a new study has found.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

People might be more positive to the removal of fuel subsidies if told where the money would be spent instead. This has been shown in a study which investigated attitudes towards removing fossil fuel subsidies in five developing countries.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team has experimentally confirmed that nitrate, a compound common in fertilizers and animal waste, can help transport naturally occurring uranium from the underground to groundwater. The new research backs a previous study showing that aquifers contaminated with high levels of nitrate -- including the High Plains Aquifer residing beneath Nebraska -- also contain uranium concentrations far exceeding a threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Uranium concentrations above that EPA threshold have been shown to cause kidney damage in humans, especially when regularly consumed via drinking water.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Malaria control programs in Amazonian Peru helped reduce the incidence of the deadly parasitic disease by 78 percent. That is, until the programs ceased to operate. Within four years of the programs being de-funded, malaria rates where right back where they started. The rebound was driven not only by the removal of prevention programs, but also by climate change. Average temperatures in Peru have risen a half-degree Centigrade in the last 20 years.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Fewer parasites in U.S. waters might be seen by many as a good thing, but a biologist says the trend signals potential danger for fish and other wildlife.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Future ocean warming and marine heatwaves could impact the growth and development of clownfish during their earliest life stages, suggests a new study.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A global mapping project has revealed the major stressors placed upon global coastlines by human activity.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

More than 85% of the world's bird, mammal, and amphibian species live in mountains, particularly in forest habitats, but researchers report that these forests are disappearing at an accelerating rate. Globally, we have lost 78.1 million hectares (7.1%) of mountain forest since 2000 -- an area larger than the size of Texas. Much of the loss occurred in tropical biodiversity hotspots, putting increasing pressure on threatened species.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has looked at the long-term environmental impact of different methods to control Japanese knotweed. Different ways of trying to control the invasive species have developed over the years but now, as sustainability becomes increasingly important, understanding the effect of these management methods is vital.This new study examines at the entire life cycle and long-term impacts of different management approaches.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Without plants, we'd have no air to breathe or food to eat, yet plant science lingers in the shadowy wings while other fields take center stage. With the goal of shining the spotlight on plants, a new study presents the field's top 100 most pressing questions for research to address the greatest challenges facing humanity.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Leading edge technology has uncovered secrets about a world-renowned fossil hoard that could offer vital clues about early life on Earth. Researchers who analyzed the 400 million-year-old cache, found in rural north-east Scotland, say their findings reveal better preservation of the fossils at a molecular level than was previously anticipated.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study is providing an unprecedented examination of oxygen loss on coral reefs around the globe under ocean warming. The study captures the current state of hypoxia -- or low oxygen levels -- at 32 different sites, and reveals that hypoxia is already pervasive on many reefs.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Flatburn is an open-source, mobile pollution detector intended to let people measure air quality cheaply.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

There is currently a large dependence on coal for power generation. As coal-fired plants cause environmental and health hazards, technologies such as swirl flow and air staging have been proposed to mitigate the pollutants in their emissions. However, it is unclear how effective these technologies are in reducing the environmental costs of these plants. Now, researchers have provided insights on this front in a new study, delineating their efficacies with experiments and simulations.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Geneticists have written new chapters in the reconstruction of pre-colonial Americas history after using DNA from the indigenous Ashaninka people from Amazonian Peru. They have discovered previously unexpected levels of genetic variation in this group and uncovered a strong hint that these people were involved in a South-to-North migration that led to the transition from an archaic to ceramic culture in the Caribbean islands.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A pioneering global study has found deforestation and forests lost or damaged due to human and environmental change, such as fire and logging, are fast outstripping current rates of forest regrowth.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Electrification is seen as having an important role to play in the fossil-free aviation of tomorrow. But electric aviation is battling a trade-off dilemma: the more energy-efficient an electric aircraft is, the noisier it gets. Now, researchers have developed a propeller design optimization method that paves the way for quiet, efficient electric aviation.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

In 2002, an area of ice about the size of Rhode Island dramatically broke away from Antarctica as the Larsen B ice shelf collapsed. A new study of the conditions that led to the collapse may reveal warning signs to watch for future Antarctic ice shelf retreat, according to a new scientists.