News by category: [Agriculture] [Anthropology] [Archaeology] [Atmospheric Science] [Biology] [Science Business] [Cancer] [Chemistry, Physics & Material Sciences] [Earth Science] [Education] [Infectious & Emerging Diseases] [Mathematics] [Medicine & Health] [Nanotechnology] [Oceanography] [Science Policy] [Social & Behavioral Science] [Space & Planetary Science] [Technology, Engineering & Computer Science] 

Key discovered to cold tolerance in corn Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(American Society of Plant Biologists) Demand for corn -- the world's number one feed grain and a staple food for many -- is outstripping supply, resulting in large price increases that are forecast to continue over the next several years. If corn's intolerance of low temperatures could be overcome, then the length of the growing season, and yield, could be increased at present sites of cultivation and its range extended into colder regions. [go to news]
Katrina and Rita provide glimpse of what could happen to offshore drilling if Gustav hits Gulf Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Rice University) Shortly after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the US, Rice University civil and mechanical engineering professor Satish Nagarajaiah studied damage done to offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. If tropical storm Gustav strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane, as forecasters are predicting, Nagarajaiah's findings could provide valuable. [go to news]
Study shows more genes are controlled by biological clocks Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(University of Georgia) Researchers at the University of Georgia report that the number of genes under control of in living things than suspected only a few years ago. The biological clock in a much-studied model organism is dramatically higher than previously reported. The new study implies that the clock may be much more important. [go to news]
Antarctic research helps shed light on climate change on Mars Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Boston University) Eroded gullies on the flanks of Martian craters may have been formed by snowmelt as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago and in sites once occupied by glaciers. Similar conditions can be found in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. Rather than being a dead planet, the new data are consistent with dynamic climate changes on Mars. [go to news]
Breaking harmful bonds Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Brandeis University) Everybody loves the way eggs slide off of Teflon pans. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in products from clothing to blood substitutes. But the very strength of the C-F bond also gives it greenhouse gas effects. In Science this week, Brandeis researchers report a catalyst that breaks the C-F bond and converts it to a carbon-hydrogen bond, rendering it harmless to the environment. [go to news]
Ceramic material revs up microwaving Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Penn State) Quicker microwave meals that use less energy may soon be possible with new ceramic microwave dishes and, according to the material scientists responsible, this same material could help with organic waste remediation. [go to news]
Arctic ice on the verge of another all-time low Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(European Space Agency) Following last summer's record minimum ice cover in the Arctic, current observations from ESA's Envisat satellite suggest that the extent of polar sea-ice may again shrink to a level very close to that of last year. [go to news]
Crystals improve understanding of volcanic eruption triggers Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Durham University) Scientists have exploited crystals from lavas to unravel the records of volcanic eruptions. [go to news]
Whether brown or red, algae can produce plenty of green fuel Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(University of Washington) Rose Ann Cattolico is convinced algae can be a major source of environmentally friendly fuels for everything from lawn mowers to jet airplanes. Now an investment company that works with universities to commercialize early-stage technology invested in the University of Washington biology professor's work, forming a startup company called AXI. [go to news]
Government focuses on supply chains Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Carbon Disclosure Project) The Carbon Disclosure Project, a collaboration of some 385 institutional investors including Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Barclays and HSBC, has extended its traditional work in the private sector to the public sector where it is actively assisting government and local government organizations to assess greenhouse gas emissions through their supply chains. [go to news]
Why is Greenland covered in ice? Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(University of Bristol) A fall in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), close to that of pre-industrial times, explains the transition from a mostly ice-free Greenland of three million years ago to the ice-covered region we see today. [go to news]
New LIDAR system sees the sky in 3-D Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) On Aug. 26, EPFL, the Swiss National Science Foundation and Switzerland's National Weather service, MeteoSwiss, will inaugurate a new LIDAR measurement system in Payerne, Switzerland. This technically innovative installation, unique in the world, will provide continuous data on atmospheric humidity for Western Switzerland's weather forecasting headquarters. [go to news]
NSF makes award to study path of pollutants to the dinner table Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Clemson University) The National Science Foundation has awarded $356,000 to Cindy Lee, environmental chemist and a professor of environmental engineering and earth sciences at Clemson University, to look at how pollutants cycle through fish and other organisms and wind up on the dinner table. The research will focus on PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), pollutants that have been implicated in problems with brain development in humans. [go to news]
Research expedition on corals and global warming: Aug. 17-26 in Puerto Rico Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Penn State) Scientists are collecting the spawn of elkhorn corals as part of a research and education project to grow the newborn juvenile corals for distribution to aquaria and to the wild. The goals of the project are to learn how corals will respond to global warming and also to teach aquarium professionals how they can protect corals by using laboratory-raised specimens rather than removing corals from the ocean. [go to news]
Cloud in a chamber Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Goethe University Frankfurt) Everybody knows that clouds markedly influence weather and climate, but is this influence changing with time? Over the last several years some evidence was found that past changes in cosmic ray intensity have correlated with fluctuations of temperature and precipitation on Earth. There could be a causal link of these quantities via the formation of clouds, because the cosmic rays create ions in the atmosphere which may grow into aerosol particles that act as the initial point for cloud formation. [go to news]
Building a stronger roof over your head: '3 little pigs' project begins first tests Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(University of Western Ontario) This week, inaugural tests at the University of Western Ontario's "Three Little Pigs" project at the Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes will get underway. This facility is the first of its kind in the world to subject full-scale houses to pressures that simulate the effects of winds as strong as a category 5 hurricane -- or 200 mph -- all within a controlled environment. [go to news]
Heavy metal link to mutations, low growth and fertility among crustaceans in Sydney Harbor tributary Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(University of New South Wales) Heavy metal pollutants are linked to genetic mutations, stunted growth and declining fertility among small crustaceans in the Parramatta River, the main tributary of Sydney Harbor, new research shows.The finding adds to mounting evidence that toxic sediments and seaweeds in Sydney Harbor are a deadly diet for many sea creatures. [go to news]
Why wind turbines can mean death for bats Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Cell Press) Power-generating wind turbines have long been recognized as a potentially life-threatening hazard for birds. But at most wind facilities, bats actually die in much greater numbers. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology, a Cell Press journal, on Aug. 26 think they know why. [go to news]
Improved satellite navigation for remote areas Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(CSIRO Australia) CSIRO scientists with the Minerals Down Under National Research Flagship are working closely with industry and government to develop vastly improved navigation technology for remote areas. [go to news]
Public involvement usually leads to better environmental decision making Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(National Academy of Sciences) When done correctly, public participation improves the quality of federal agencies' decisions about the environment, says a new report from the National Research Council. [go to news]
September Geology and GSA Today media highlights Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Geological Society of America) Geology topics reach deep into Earth and far into space -- from magma and plate tectonics to cosmic dust and asteroids -- and touch on the intricate details of our planet, including a 1,200-year record of corals and coral reef health and the wealth of climate change information found in both bat guano and Chinese loess. The GSA Todayarticle studies the end-Permian mass extinction in the marine realm, examining long-term environmental stress and recovery. [go to news]
Forward planning release from the BA Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science)) The BA Festival of Science will be in Liverpool Sept. 6-11, bringing over 350 of the UK's top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. In addition to talks and debates at the University of Liverpool, there will be a host of events throughout the city as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations. [go to news]
Climate change could be impetus for wars, other conflicts, expert says Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Some international-security experts say that climate-change-related damage to global ecosystems and the resulting competition for natural resources may increasingly serve as triggers for wars and other conflicts in the future. [go to news]
Air-purifying church windows early nanotechnology Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT	(Queensland University of Technology) Stained glass windows that are painted with gold purify the air when they are lit up by sunlight, a team of Queensland University of Technology experts have discovered. [go to news]

powered by zFeeder

All news from EurekAlert