Robots can do in days what humans take years to accomplish at archaeological sites
After lying hidden for centuries off the coast of Greece, a sunken 4th century B.C. merchant ship and its cargo have been surveyed by an international team using a robotic underwater vehicle. The team accomplished in two days what it would take divers years to do. The project, the first in a new collaboration between U.S. and Greek researchers, demonstrates the potential of new technology and
The first scientific conference of the international iLEAPS-IGBP research programme (Integrated Land Ecosystem Atmosphere Processes Study) was recently held in Colorado, USA. At this multi- and cross-disciplinary conference, leading researchers in the field were discussing the interactivity between Earth and the atmosphere and climate change connected with it. The main aim was to clarify how vegetation, as well as aerosol particles and the composition of the atmosphere, relate to climate change.
ENSCONET, the European Native Seed Conservation Network, opens today its web site to the public (www.ensconet.com). ENSCONET wants this web site to be a window to the world of plant seed conservation in Europe.
The aims of ENSCONET are to improve the quality, co-ordination and integration of European seed conservation practice, policy and research, and to assist the European Union’s conservation policy and its obligations to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
One of
Radar satellites such as ESA’s Envisat and ERS-2 maintain constant watch on the Earth’s surface, their signals able to cut through clouds, rain or darkness. This surveillance extends beyond the land to the 71% of the planet covered by ocean – acquiring unique imagery of the ever-shifting face of the sea that is proving a boon to oceanographers.
Last week around 100 researchers from 20 countries met at ESRIN, ESA’s European Centre for Earth Observation in Frascati, I
From lions to honey badgers are ranked by conservationists
It may still be “king of the beasts,” but the African lion’s kingdom is dwindling, according to a new report released by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) that says these emblematic big cats have disappeared from 82 percent of their historic distribution over the past several decades. The 200-page report looked at the conservation status of the 20 largest species of African carnivores and exam
British researchers have developed a “biobullet” that could help control an invasive mollusk that has ravaged U.S. waterways for nearly two decades clogging water pipes, virtually wiping out some native mussels species and causing billions of dollars in industrial damage. The new microcapsules, which contain toxins that dissolve within a zebra mussel’s digestive tract, offer a safe and cost-effective way of eliminating one of the world’s “most important economic pests” without harmin
The old adage tells that oil doesn’t mix with water. It doesn’t do much for creatures in the water either, as demonstrated by new research on the effects of water-borne oil on seabirds along the Atlantic Coast in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
Chronic oil pollution has been a long-standing problem along a 4,200-mile stretch of coast from southern Brazil to northern Argentina. Existing laws are not solving the problem, said University of Washington biologist Dee Boersma, co-aut
The next generation of artificial bone may rely on a few secrets from the sea. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have harnessed the way seawater freezes to develop a porous, scaffolding-like material that is four times stronger than material currently used in synthetic bone.
Although still in the investigational stages, variations of this substance could also be used in a myriad of applications in which strengt
Conceptual model of krill’s life history sheds light on forces that drove its evolution
Although Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are one of the best-studied organisms of the open sea, key aspects of their life cycle have remained murky. Understanding krill is important because they are vital prey for fish, birds, and marine mammals, yet they are vulnerable to fishing pressure and environmental change. In the February 2006 issue of BioScience, the monthly journal of t
Today saw a glimmer of hope for the three species of Asian vulture threatened with extinction.
Oriental white-backed, long-billed, and slender-billed vultures in South Asia have suffered one of the most rapid and widespread population declines of any bird species, declining by more than 97% over the last 10-15 years.
These declines were caused by the widespread veterinary use of the drug diclofenac for the treatment of sick domestic livestock throughout the Indian subcont
The “heat is on” in New York City, whether it’s summer or winter. This is due to a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect that causes air temperatures in New York City and other major cities to be warmer than in neighboring suburbs and rural areas. And, in a big city, warmer air temperatures can impact air quality, public health and the demand for energy.
Recently, several innovative approaches developed by scientists, public officials, environmental activists, community
Results from a small-scale experiment in western North Carolina illustrate the importance of National Forest lands in ensuring high water quality in the Southern Appalachian region. Conducted by scientists from the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS), the study, published in the January 2006 issue of the journal Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, showed that the quality of water in streams from an area heavily affected by urbanization was significantly improved by its passage through
Wind turbines have caused the deaths of huge birds of prey on isolated islands off the Norwegian coast.
The discovery of four dead white-tailed eagles, and the failure of almost 30 others to return to nesting sites within the wind farm area, has increased fears that wind farms in Britain could take a similar toll on native and migrating wild birds.
The white-tailed eagle, Europe’s largest eagle species, is found in significant numbers on Smøla, a set of islands about six m
Studies in Chile and Sweden show that conflicts among various water interests play a fully decisive role in how well countries protect their water resources. The consequence is that we can neither alleviate the environmental damage now affecting water resources nor solve the problems entailed by possible climatic change.
In his new doctoral dissertation, the political scientist Victor Galaz at Göteborg University in Sweden shows that conflicts among municipalities, industries, a
An analysis of seven tropical forests around the world has found that nature encourages diversity by selecting for less common trees as the trees mature.
The landmark study, which was conducted by 33 ecologists from 12 countries and published in the January 27 issue of the journal Science, conclusively demonstrates that diversity matters and has ecological importance to tropical forests.
“Ecologists have debated for decades over whether there is something of ecological
Properly designed “rain gardens can effectively trap and retain up to 99 percent of common pollutants in urban storm runoff, potentially improving water quality and promoting the conversion of some pollutants into less harmful compounds, according to new research scheduled for publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Chemical Society journal, Environmental Science and Technology. The affordable, easy-to-design gardens could help solve one of the nation’s most pressing pollution problems,
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