New international study suggests effects of climate change may be irreversible

Unprecedented and maybe irreversible effects of Arctic warming, linked to human intervention, have been discovered by a team of international researchers led by Queen’s University biologist John Smol and University of Alberta earth scientist Alexander Wolfe.
The researchers have found dramatic new evidence of changes in the community composition of freshwater algae, water fleas and insect l

It’s the news they have all been waiting for. After years of living under the threat of another devastating epidemic of downy mildew, a disease similar to that which caused the Irish potato famine, India’s poorest farmers have been offered a lifeline in the form of a new disease-resistant hybrid. The hybrid has been produced in record time using modern biotechnology techniques.

In February 2005, India released its first hybrid using modern DNA techniques. “This is something

Micro-organisms in salt lakes produce chlorinated air pollutants

Salt lakes have a greater impact on climate change than was previously understood. This has been established by scientists from the UFZ Centre for Environmental Research (Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle) together with colleagues from Austria, Russia and South Africa. They found evidence that bacteria in salt lakes produce substances which act as greenhouse gases and destroy the ozone layer. These substances a

Scientists at Ohio State University and the Argentine Museum of Natural History have identified a new species of raptor dinosaur from fossils found in Patagonia — the very southern tip of South America.

It is the first raptor ever found in the Southern Hemisphere, but compared to other raptors, Neuquenraptor argentinus wasnt much of a standout. It was only of average height and weight for its kind, measured six feet from head to tail, and brandished a razor-sharp claw for slashin

The use of international watercourses, that is, rivers and lakes shared by two or more states, has long been the object of numerous international agreements.

States enter agreements with each other regarding the distribution of the water itself as a resource, maritime use of the waterway, or the extraction of water resources (fish stocks, minerals, energy, etc.). International watercourses have also been used as dumps for household and industrial waste. Specific stipulations pr

Analysing and evaluating chemical pollution – that is the goal of the new European large-scale project MODELKEY, starting in February. Under the management of the Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Germany (UFZ) researchers in 13 countries will be developing methods to identify so-called key chemicals and their effect on the water ecosystem until the year 2010. Three model rivers will be researched from their source to the mouth: River Elbe (Czech Republic/ Germany), River Sche

Scientists know that injecting iron into some major regions of the oceans can stimulate the growth of diatoms and other phytoplankton, but something odd occurs as these tiny marine plants continue to grow. They begin to starve in the midst of plenty, acting as though iron, an essential nutrient, still is in short supply. Why this happens is unclear, but the answer could be that iron sets off a kind of chemical warfare in the marine ecosystem, according to University of Maine oceanographer Mark

VLT NACO Performs Outstanding Observations of Titan’s Atmosphere and Surface

On January 14, 2005, the ESA Huygens probe arrived at Saturn’s largest satellite, Titan. After a faultless descent through the dense atmosphere, it touched down on the icy surface of this strange world from where it continued to transmit precious data back to the Earth.

Several of the world’s large ground-based telescopes were also active during this exciting event, observing Titan before and nea

Since they began clearing valleys and slopes for agriculture more than 9,000 years ago, and continuing with the construction of roads, buildings and cities, people have been altering landscapes. UVM geologists explore the link between human actions and landscape–and reach some important conclusions–in the cover article of the March issue of GSA Today. Produced by the Geological Society of America, the prestigious monthly journal goes to more than 20,000 geologists and libraries worldwide.

Engineering experts see how buildings and materials fared against walls of water

An inspection of Thai villages and ports struck by tsunami waves has uncovered some engineering lessons that might reduce casualties and destruction in future oceanic upheavals, a Johns Hopkins researcher said.

Robert A. Dalrymple, an internationally recognized expert on water waves and coastal engineering, was part of a nine-member team that recently toured southern Thailand, examining

In a few days, a three-man scientific expedition called Pole Track is to embark upon a gruelling 1000 km trek across the frozen Arctic to collect valuable data for climate-change research. Throughout the demanding two-month expedition, the team will also take thousands of snow depth measurements in support of ESA’s CryoSat mission.

The international Pole Track team is led by the Dutch professional explorer Marc Cornelissen who is passionate about the polar environment and de

A team of geologists from Duke University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has discovered a grinding, coordinated ballet of crustal “microplates” unfolding below the equatorial east Pacific Ocean within a construction zone for new seafloor.

The scientists deduced that relatively small sections of the ocean floor there, and perhaps in other similar places, may be slowly rotating like imperfectly meshing cogs in a machine. The unexpected findings provide new insights

The jet airliners of the future will be significantly quieter and more environmentally friendly with the help of engineers at The University of Nottingham.

Researchers have been awarded £830,000 (€1.2m) to explore new design methods that could reduce the noise of jet engines while at the same time cutting the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) they release into the atmosphere. They will play a key part in a new research project called VITAL — which stands for EnVIronmenTALly Friendly A

Bimetallic nanoparticles break down TCE 100 times faster than bulk catalysts

New research from Rice University’s Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology finds that nanoparticles of gold and palladium are the most effective catalysts yet identified for remediation of one of the nation’s most pervasive and troublesome groundwater pollutants, trichloroethene or TCE. The research, conducted by engineers at Rice and the Georgia Institute of Technology, will

The JLMD system® has received the backing of the Luxembourg shipping register. Anxious to maintain the quality of the fleet flying its flag, the country is officially supporting JLMD Ecologic Group by backing shipowners wishing to equip their ships with its oil recovery system. Moreover, JLMD Ecologic Group has just been awarded the “Florilège d’Or” (golden award) by the French Académie Nationale d’Encouragement à la Créativité Industrielle (National Academy for the Encouragement of Industrial Crea

The discovery, by an international team of scientists led by University College London (UCL), the Open University (OU), and the Free University of Berlin, of a frozen sea close to the equator of Mars has brought the possibility of finding life on Mars one step closer. This is the first evidence of there having been recent liquid water on Mars. Higher levels of methane over the same area mean that primitive micro-organisms might survive on Mars today. The 3D images of pack ice near the Martian e