ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

Lost in translocation? How bird song could help save species

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:00:00 EDT

Translocation – or moving animals to safer places – is a vital tool for saving species from extinction. Many factors influence the success of these new populations, including habitat quality, predators, capture and release techniques, the number and sex of individuals, and their genetic diversity. Now new research, the first of its kind suggests bird song could also be important.

Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:42:42 EDT

Using a "patient monitoring" device attached to a whale entangled in fishing gear, scientists showed for the first time how fishing lines changed a whale's diving and swimming behavior. The monitoring revealed how fishing gear hinders whales' ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag gear for months or years, and can result in a slow death.

Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:40:40 EDT

Researchers have developed and tested a solar-powered nano filter that is able to remove harmful carcinogens and antibiotics from water sources -- lakes and rivers -- at a significantly higher rate than the currently used filtering technology made of activated carbon.

Engineers devise new way to produce clean hydrogen

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:39 EDT

Engineers have developed a novel method for producing clean hydrogen, which could prove essential to weaning society off of fossil fuels and their environmental implications.

Climate change and wildfire

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:26:26 EDT

Concerns continue to grow about the effects of climate change on fire. Wildfires are expected to increase 50 percent across the United States under a changing climate, over 100 percent in areas of the West by 2050 as projected by some studies. Of equal concern to scientists and policymakers alike are the atmospheric effects of wildfire emissions on climate.

Going green: U.S. equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:09:09 EDT

A new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the country's yearly needs. For the best places to produce algae for fuel, think hot, humid and wet. Especially promising are the Gulf Coast and the Southeastern seaboard.

NASA’s BARREL mission launches 20 balloons

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:45:45 EDT

In Antarctica in January, 2013 -- the summer at the South Pole -- scientists released 20 balloons, each eight stories tall, into the air to help answer an enduring space weather question: when the giant radiation belts surrounding Earth lose material, where do the extra particles actually go?

Origins of human culture linked to rapid climate change

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:14:14 EDT

Rapid climate change during the Middle Stone Age, between 80,000 and 40,000 years ago, sparked surges in cultural innovation in early modern human populations, according to new research.

Small but speedy: Short plants live in the evolutionary fast lane

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:14:14 EDT

Biologists have known for a long time that some creatures evolve more quickly than others. Exactly why isn't well understood, particularly for plants. But it may be that height plays a role. Shorter plants have faster-changing genomes.

Abundance and distribution of Hawaiian coral species predicted by model

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:57:57 EDT

Researchers have developed species distribution models of the six dominant Hawaiian coral species around the main Hawaiian Islands, including two species currently under consideration as threatened or endangered.

Geochemist aids development of geologic time scale for study of Earth's history

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:49:49 EDT

The Geologic Time Scale 2012, or GTS2012, is the latest understanding of Earth's history, and the means by which geoscientists around the world investigate the rock record.

Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:12:12 EDT

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research.

'Whodunnit' of Irish potato famine solved

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:12:12 EDT

An international team of scientists reveals that a unique strain of potato blight they call HERB-1 triggered the Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century.

New NOAA report examines national oil pollution threat from shipwrecks

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:31:31 EDT

NOAA presented to the U.S. Coast Guard a new report that finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation's coastal marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo.

The mammoth's lament: How cosmic impact sparked devastating climate change

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:55:55 EDT

Researchers have found evidence of a major cosmic event near the end of the Ice Age. The ensuing climate change forced many species to adapt or die.

Parasitic wasps use calcium pump to block fruit fly immunity

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:37:37 EDT

Parasitic wasps switch off the immune systems of fruit flies by draining calcium from the flies' blood cells, a finding that offers new insight into how pathogens break through a host's defenses. Researchers say their findings have uncovered an important component of cellular immunity, one that parasites have learned to take advantage of.

Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rainforest

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:43 EDT

Woody plant matter is almost completely digested by bacteria living in the Amazon River. This tough stuff plays a major part in fueling the river's breath. The finding has implications for global carbon models, and for the ecology of the Amazon and the world's other rivers. Until recently, people believed much of the rainforest's carbon floated down the Amazon River and ended up deep in the ocean.

Not just blowing in the wind: Compressing air for renewable energy storage

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:28:28 EDT

A comprehensive study into the potential for compressed air energy storage in the Pacific Northwest has identified two locations in Washington state that could store enough Northwest wind energy combined to power about 85,000 homes each month.

Air pollution and noise pollution increase cardiovascular risk

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:27:27 EDT

Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

Slow earthquakes: It's all in the rock mechanics

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:40:40 EDT

Earthquakes that last minutes rather than seconds are a relatively recent discovery, according to an international team of seismologists. Researchers have been aware of these slow earthquakes, only for the past five to 10 years because of new tools and new observations, but these tools may explain the triggering of some normal earthquakes and could help in earthquake prediction.

Earth's iron core is surprisingly weak

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:54:54 EDT

Researchers have used a diamond anvil cell to squeeze iron at pressures as high as 3 million times that felt at sea level to recreate conditions at the center of Earth. The findings could refine theories of how the planet and its core evolved.

Archaeological genetics: It's not all as old as it at first seems

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:51:51 EDT

Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events.

Lovelorn frogs bag closest crooner

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:51:51 EDT

What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice strategy for these colorful frogs.

Why we need to put the fish back into fisheries

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:48:48 EDT

Overfishing has reduced fish populations and biodiversity across much of the world’s oceans. In response, fisheries are increasingly reliant on a handful of highly valuable shellfish. However, new research shows this approach to be extremely risky.

Engineered microbes grow in the dark

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:11 EDT

Scientists have engineered a strain of photosynthetic cyanobacteria to grow without the need for light.

Bacteria use hydrogen, carbon dioxide to produce electricity

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:11 EDT

Researchers have engineered a strain of electricity-producing bacteria that can grow using hydrogen gas as its sole electron donor and carbon dioxide as its sole source of carbon.

Roots of future tropical rainfall: Sea level influenced tropical climate during the last ice age

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:04:04 EDT

How will rainfall patterns across the tropical Indian and Pacific regions change in a future warming world? Climate models generally suggest that the tropics as a whole will get wetter, but the models don't always agree on where rainfall patterns will shift in particular regions within the tropics.

Heat-related deaths in Manhattan projected to rise: Killing season may push into spring and fall

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:04:04 EDT

Researchers say deaths in Manhattan linked to warming climate may rise some 20 percent by the 2020s, and, in some worst-case scenarios, 90 percent or more by the 2080s. Higher winter temperatures may partially offset heat-related deaths by cutting cold-related mortality -- but even so, annual net temperature-related deaths might go up a third.

Origins of life: In early Earth, iron helped RNA catalyze electron transfer

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:56:56 EDT

A new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth. The study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth.

Frogs, salamanders and climate change

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:37:37 EDT

Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns can lead to declines in southeastern frog and salamander populations, but protecting ponds can improve their plight.

Reading rock to understand how climate change unfolds

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:32:32 EDT

Geologists reads rock, looking for the natural rules that govern the Earth’s climate in the absence of human activity. New work is challenging many assumptions about the ways drastic climate change unfolds – and what to expect next.

Invasive species: 'Away-field advantage' weaker than ecologists thought

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:23:23 EDT

For decades, ecologists have assumed the worst invasive species—such as brown tree snakes and kudzu—have an “away-field advantage.” They succeed because they do better in their new territories than they do at home. A new study reveals that this fundamental assumption is not nearly as common as people might think.

Genome sequence of Tibetan antelope sheds new light on high-altitude adaptation

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:27:27 EDT

How can the Tibetan antelope live at elevations of 4,000-5,000m on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau? Investigators now provide evidence of genetic factors that may be associated with the species' adaption to harsh highland environments.

New era of fisheries policy needed to secure nutrition for millions

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:26:26 EDT

A new study argues that for fisheries policies to be effective they must take in to account not just fish stock conservation and environmental issues, but also research data on the patterns and dynamics of fish trade, markets and user consumption.

Climate change may have little impact on tropical lizards: Study contradicts predictions of widespread extinction

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:58:58 EDT

Climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet.

GPS solution provides three-minute tsunami alerts

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:58:58 EDT

Researchers have shown that, by using global positioning systems (GPS) to measure ground deformation caused by a large underwater earthquake, they can provide accurate warning of the resulting tsunami in just a few minutes after the earthquake onset. For the devastating Japan 2011 event the analysis of the GPS data and issue of a detailed tsunami alert would have taken no more than three minutes.

Agriculture in China predates domesticated rice: Discovery of ancient diet shatters conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:57 EDT

Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionize thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region. They have uncovered evidence for the first time that people living in Xincun 5,000 years ago may have practiced agriculture -- before the arrival of domesticated rice in the region.

First ever underwater university lectures

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:57 EDT

Students at the University of Essex have taken their lectures to a whole new level -- 18 metres under the sea in remote Indonesia to be precise.

Topography of Eastern Seaboard muddles ancient sea level changes

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:20:20 EDT

The distortion of the ancient shoreline and flooding surface of the US Atlantic Coastal Plain are the direct result of fluctuations in topography in the region and could have implications on understanding long-term climate change, according to a new study.

How should geophysics contribute to disaster planning?

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:20:20 EDT

Earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters often showcase the worst in human suffering – especially when those disasters strike populations who live in rapidly growing communities in the developing world with poorly enforced or non-existent building codes. Scientists now illustrate how nearly identical natural disasters can play out very differently depending on where they strike.

Team wins Cubesat berth to gather Earth energy imbalance measurements

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:57:57 EDT

A team of scientists has won a berth on a tiny satellite to explore one of NASA's most important frontiers in climate studies: the imbalance in Earth's energy budget and the extent to which fast-changing phenomena, like clouds, contribute to that imbalance.

Research into carbon storage in Arctic tundra reveals unexpected insight into ecosystem resiliency

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:27:27 EDT

When a doctoral student and her advisor went north not long ago to study how long-term warming in the Arctic affects carbon storage, they had made certain assumptions.

World's biggest ice sheets likely more stable than previously believed

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:25:25 EDT

A new study suggests that the previous connections scientists made between ancient shoreline height and ice volumes are erroneous and that perhaps our ice sheets were more stable in the past than we originally thought. The study found that the Earth's hot mantle pushed up segments of ancient shorelines over millions of years, making them appear higher now than they originally were millions of years ago.

World's melting glaciers making large contribution to sea rise

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:25:25 EDT

While 99 percent of Earth's land ice is locked up in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the remaining ice in the world's glaciers contributed just as much to sea rise as the two ice sheets combined from 2003 to 2009, says a new study.

Invasive 'crazy ants' are displacing fire ants in areas throughout southeastern U.S.

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:39:39 EDT

Invasive "crazy ants" are displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern United States, according to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. It's the latest in a history of ant invasions from the southern hemisphere and may prove to have dramatic effects on the ecosystem of the region.

Low-grade cotton offers more ecologically-friendly way to clean oil spills

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:36:36 EDT

When it comes to cleaning up the next massive crude oil spill, one of the best and most eco-friendly solutions for the job may be low-grade cotton from West Texas.

Coral reef fishes prove invaluable in the study of evolutionary ecology

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:36:36 EDT

Coral reef fish species have proven invaluable for experimental testing of key concepts in social evolution and already have yielded insights about the ultimate reasons for female reproductive suppression, group living, and bidirectional sex change.

Moth-inspired nanostructures take the color out of thin films

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:56:56 EDT

Inspired by the structure of moth eyes, researchers have developed nanostructures that limit reflection at the interfaces where two thin films meet, suppressing the "thin-film interference" phenomenon commonly observed in nature. This can potentially improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

Spiders: Capturing prey in silken netting and sticky hairs

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:52:52 EDT

The great ecological success of spiders is often substantiated by the evolution of silk and webs. Biologists have now found an alternative adaptation to hunting prey: hairy adhesive pads, so called scopulae.

Paleontology: The eloquence of otoliths seen in a 23-million-year-old fish fossil

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:52:52 EDT

Fish fossils that are about 23 million years old give unprecedented insight into the evolutionary history of the gobioid order, one of the most species-rich groups among the modern bony fishes.

Natural 'keystone molecules' punch over their weight in ecosystems

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:39:39 EDT

Ecosystems are disproportionately influenced by "keystone molecules" that have powerful behavioral effects and contribute to ecosystem structure, according to a new general theory. The chemicals can each fill a variety of functions and affect multiple species. The actions of four keystone molecules are described, three of them toxins.

Crickets' calling song hits the high notes

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:38:38 EDT

Research has detailed how acoustic communication has evolved within a unique species of cricket which exploits extremely high frequency harmonics to interact.

Scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:30:30 EDT

A comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed articles on the topic of global warming and climate change has revealed an overwhelming consensus among scientists that recent warming is human-caused.

Insecticides lead to starvation of aquatic organisms

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:30:30 EDT

Neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects not only on bees but also on freshwater invertebrates. Exposure to low but constant concentrations of these substances – which are highly soluble in water – has lethal effects on these aquatic organisms.

World's most extraordinary species mapped for the first time

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:44:44 EDT

The black-and-white ruffed lemur, Mexican salamander and Sunda pangolin all feature on the first map of the world's most unique and threatened mammals and amphibians.

Frog once imported for pregnancy testing brought deadly amphibian disease to U.S.

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:43:43 EDT

African frogs, originally imported for early 20th century pregnancy tests, carried a deadly amphibian disease to the US, according to new findings. African Clawed Frogs have long been suspected of spreading a harmful fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The earliest known case of the fungus was found in these frogs in their native South Africa. Now scientists have found the first evidence of the disease among introduced feral populations in the US.

Clam fossils divulge secrets of ecologic stability

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:40:40 EDT

Clam fossils from the middle Devonian era now yield a better paleontological picture of the capacity of ecosystems to remain stable in the face of environmental change, according to new research.

Jekyll into Hyde: Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad'

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:40:40 EDT

Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries. The finding, shown in mice, reveals how car emissions activate the early cell and tissue damage called oxidation that causes inflammation leading to hardening of the arteries and HDL cholesterol may play a key role.

Strategies to achieve net-zero energy homes

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:50:50 EDT

Chances are you know how many miles your car logs for each gallon or tankful of gas, but you probably have only a foggy idea of how much energy your house consumes, even though home energy expenditures often account for a larger share of the household budget.

Methane emissions higher than thought across much of U.S.

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:50:50 EDT

After taking a rented camper outfitted with special equipment to measure methane on a cross-continent drive, a scientist has found that methane emissions across large parts of the US are higher than currently known, confirming what other more local studies have found.