Scientists from the University of Nizhny Novgorod believe that ozone, an original synthetic porous material called KhIPEK and a special catalyst will protect us from the harmful effect of potentially hazardous matter – chemical and biological substances. The research by chemists and biochemists is supported by the International Science and Technology Centre, which has placed information on this promising development on its website (http://tech-db.istc.ru).
Chemically and biol
A team led by a University of Minnesota researcher has found a universal rule that regulates the metabolism of plants of all kinds and sizes and that may also offer a key to calculating their carbon dioxide emissions, a number that must be known precisely in order to construct valid models of global carbon dioxide cycling. Emissions of the gas occur in both plants and animals through the process of respiration; Peter Reich, a professor of forest resources, and his colleagues have found that plant
Conservation scientists generally agree that many types of protected areas will be needed to protect tropical forests. However, little is known about the comparative performance of inhabited and uninhabited reserves in slowing the most extreme form of forest disturbance: conversion to agriculture. In a paper recently published in Conservation Biology (2006, Vol 20, pages 65-73), an international team of scientists, led by Daniel Nepstad of the Woods Hole Research Center and the Instituto de Pesqui
Scientists at the University of York have played a crucial role in developing a way of using plants to clean up land contaminated by explosives.
The research, by a team led by Professor Neil Bruce in CNAP (Centre for Novel Agricultural Products) in the University’s Department of Biology, uses micro-organisms found in soil to turn trees and plants into highly-effective pollution-busters. The research findings are published in Nature Biotechnology.
Decades of military activ
Commenting on the Government’s publication today on the formal terms of reference for the consultation stage of the energy review, the UK Chemical Industries Association (CIA) confirmed that it would be making a major contribution to the review.
Stephen Elliott, Director, Business Environment, said:
“This consultation stage is a real chance for all stakeholders to help set the scene for future British energy policy. CIA intends to grab that chance with both hands. We r
Plans to build a road tunnel to ease congestion near Stonehenge could soon be scrapped threatening the government-backed recovery of one of Britain’s rarest birds.
Two over-ground alternatives to the tunnel – set to be detailed in consultation documents due today – would destroy nesting and roosting sites of the secretive stone-curlew. The bird has two UK strongholds, one of which is the area surrounding the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. The new road plans would also harm prosp
Loss of birds, bees and other pollinators places plants at risk
The decline of birds, bees and other pollinators in the world’s most diverse ecosystems may be putting plants in those areas at risk, according to new research. The finding raises concern that more may have to be done to protect Earth’s most biologically rich areas, scientists say in an article appearing in the Jan. 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The anal
UCR graduate student leads research showing how evolution slows recovery of fish population
The practice of harvesting the largest individuals from a fish population introduces genetic changes that harm the overall fish population, a UC Riverside graduate student and colleagues have determined. Removing the large fish over several generations of fish causes the remaining fish in the populations to become progressively smaller, have fewer and smaller eggs with lower survival and g
New Zealand ranks first in the world in environmental performance, according to the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by a team of environmental experts at the environment school at Yale University and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
The 2006 EPI, to be released Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum on January 26, ranks Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom two to five respectively. The top-ranked countries all commi
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have launched a large scale experiment to monitor the impact of climate change on freshwater systems.
Dr Heidrun Feuchtmayr and a team from the School of Biological Sciences are conducting a two year project in collaboration with scientists from Belgium, Germany, Norway, Iceland and Denmark, to assess whether a predicted rise in climate temperature for the UK and parts of Europe will increase the toxicity of algae in the country’s lake
Five international partnerships have recently been awarded funding through ESA’s TIGER Innovators project to develop new ways of applying Earth Observation data as a tool for water resource management in Africa.
-ESA launched the TIGER Initiative in 2002 following the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Focusing on the use of space technology in water resource management in Africa, the primary objective of TIGER is to help African countries overcome proble
An organism widely used for genetics-versus-environment studies has joined the panoply of mice, rats, dogs, humans and other species whose entire genomes have been sequenced.
At the Daphnia Genomics Consortium’s annual meeting in Bloomington this week, Indiana University and Joint Genome Institute scientists announced they’ve completed a “shotgun” sequence for Daphnia pulex, or the water flea, as it’s better known to high school biology students.
“Daphn
A team of scientists has just discovered a new species of mountain triton in the Montseny Nature Reserve. The species has been given the scientific name Calotriton arnoldi. It is the only endemic vertebrate species currently known to exist in Catalonia and a report of the discovery has been published in the December edition of the prestigious Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. The authors are Salvador Carranza, ‘Ramon y Cajal’ researcher from the Department of Animal Biology at the Univer
54% Of Public Vote For More Nuclear Power In Mori Poll
The British public sees the need to tackle climate change: but only reluctantly accepts nuclear power as a part of the solution, overwhelmingly preferring renewables and energy efficiency
As the Government next week begins its major review on the future of energy, an extensive survey published today (17th January) of the British public’s attitudes towards future energy options shows that just over 50% may be prepared
The British Ecological Society has set up an innovative new fund designed to build capacity in ecological science in Africa and Eastern Europe. The Building Capacity for Ecology Fund will make £500,000 available over five years to support the establishment and development of ecological societies in Africa and Eastern Europe.
Learned societies are a vital part of the scientific infrastructure. By setting professional standards and facilitating the exchange of scientific information
Pristine Blue, the UK’s first practical non-chlorine water treatment for swimming pools and spas, is officially launched at the SPATEX exhibition on 6th Feb 2006 in Brighton.
Pristine Blue works using a natural copper sulphate solution used at levels safe enough to drink. Overnight, it can banish algae and bacteria, with no noxious odours, aggravated eyes or skin, and no damage to hair, costumes, pool liners or equipment.
Pristine Blue is already used in 600,000 US pools
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