Chemicals Causing Infertility
Scottish and French researchers have found that exposure to everyday chemicals and pollutants can cause differing levels of infertility in men. The team looked at the testicles of sheep that had been exposed to typical levels of chemicals from conception through puberty, and found low sperm counts in the testicles of 42% of the sheep. Factors such as size of the testes and concentration of male hormones in the blood did not seem to make a difference.
16-May-2012
Electric Vehicle Recharging Standards
Eight of the largest automakers in Germany and the US have agreed on some standards for electric vehicle recharging. The main standardization point agreed upon was the use of the same shaped plug in all vehicles to negate the need of a converter and allow for charging to be done using one-phase AC power, fast three-phase AC power, DC power at home, and ultra-fast DC power at charging stations.
16-May-2012
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
The European Environment Agency has released a study that has found that the increased use of endocrine disrupting chemicals, found in food, pesticides, and several household products, may be a contributing factor in increased neurological development problems, cancer, and infertility among wildlife and humans. Risk assessment has been made difficult since brain, immune, and reproductive damage can be done early in life, but not witnessed until much later.
16-May-2012
Egypt's Innovative Test
The Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology has announced the launch of a trial project that will create energy and desalinated water using solar power, biomass, and biogas. The four year test project is expected to generate one megawatt of electrical power and 250 cubic m (8,800 cubic ft) of desalinated water daily. If this project is successful, Egypt will be able to cheaply export electricity to the rest of Africa and Europe.
16-May-2012
The Real Hunger Games
As the dry season, also known as the hunger season, begins in the African Sahel, drought and famine threaten the lives of everyone in the region. UNICEF estimates that in 2012 there will be over one million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. In many of these countries, conflict and an ineffective government only act to worsen the situation. Scientists argue that droughts are worsening faster than the people and crops can adapt.
15-May-2012
Groundwater Extraction
Dutch hydrologists have found that groundwater extraction may account for more than one quarter of annual sea level rise. Groundwater extraction is common in arid areas and is used for agricultural, industrial, and domestic purposes. The team used estimates of the amount of groundwater extracted annually in most of the world's countries, and knowing that the majority of groundwater ends up in the sea, calculated its contribution to be a rise of 0.8 mm (0.03 in) annually.
15-May-2012
Refueling Vapor Recovery
In 1994, US gas stations in areas that did not meet air quality standards were required to use gasoline vapor recovery systems to limit air pollution. In 1998, the Clean Air Act required manufacturers to install an onboard vapor recovery system. Despite the redundancy, many gas stations that installed these systems still use them today, something the Obama Administration is trying to end; saving approximately 31,000 stations $3,000 annually.
15-May-2012
Koalas and Logging
Two weeks after Australia's Environment Minister Tony Burke announced that koalas would be considered endangered in parts of Australia, the State Office of Environment and Heritage has announced that logging will continue in New South Wales with the exclusion of certain koala hotspots. The government will spend nearly $2 million over the next six years to set up exclusion zones in the Mumbulla, Murrah and Bermagui State Forests.
14-May-2012
Algae Farms
Scientists from the University of Cambridge, UK, have suggested that for algae to become a viable green fuel, it must be grown in a synthetic community with multiple other species. The team found that ecosystems with more species tend to be more stable and resilient to change than monoculture ecosystems. Algae farms could be more cost effective and less carbon intensive if so much energy wasn't used trying to keep the algae isolated.
14-May-2012
Microsoft to Be Carbon Neutral
Microsoft has committed to become carbon neutral throughout all of its branches in over 100 countries starting on July 1. Each unit of the company will be expected to decrease the amount of energy they use from carbon emitting sources, and have to pay a fee for each metric ton of carbon associated with their operation. The money will be added to a central fund which will then be allotted to purchase carbon offsets and renewable energy.
14-May-2012
New Fungus Attacking Avocados
Researchers from the University of California-Riverside, US, have discovered a new fungus, currently known as Fusarium dieback as it has not been identified with a specific classification yet, that is being transmitted by the Tea Shot Hole Borer beetles and is wreaking havoc on trees in the Los Angeles area. The beetles and fungus have been doing great damage to avocado trees, causing economic concerns for the avocado farmers.
14-May-2012
Stone Throwing Chimp
Santino, a chimpanzee at the Furuvik Zoo in Sweden, made headlines a few years ago when he was observed piling stones to later throw at zoo guests. A debate ensued whether Santino was planning ahead or simply repeating previously learned actions. Santino is now back in the spotlight after it was discovered he had been concealing stones around his enclosure so he could get closer to his targets before throwing, reigniting the previous debate.
11-May-2012
Similar Octopi Separated by a Continent
An international team of scientists has found that the genetic makeup of Turquet's octopi found in the Weddell and Ross seas were remarkably similar, despite their separation by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The scientists believe that this could only occur if there had been a previous collapse of the ice sheet, possibly as recent as 200,000 years ago, giving justification to scientists' current concerns on the state of the ice.
11-May-2012
Solar Powered ATM
Indian company, Vortex Engineering has created an energy efficient, solar powered ATM called Gramateller. The Gramateller, “gram” meaning “village” in Hindi, uses 90% less energy than traditional ATM's, and can be situated in many smaller villages allowing for more transactions without the day long trip to a nearby city. 450 units have already been installed, and 10,000 more are planned for the next two years.
11-May-2012
Time Outdoors Leads to Less Allergies
Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, have completed a study of the microbial diversity of 118 teenagers that had lived in the same house growing up; some in rural Finland and others in larger cities. The researchers accounted for factors such as family members that smoke and house pets, and found that the prevalence of allergies had an inverse correlation with the amount of agricultural land around the house.
11-May-2012
New Spider Species Discovered
Researchers at Auburn University, US, have discovered a new species of trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila tigris, also referred to as the Auburn Tiger Trapdoor spider after the university's mascot, in a local housing subdivision. The discovery of a new species in such a developed and highly populated are demonstrates the amount of biodiversity on this planet that is still unknown to us.
10-May-2012
Man's Best Friend… Man's Energy Source?
Welsh company Streetkleen has constructed a dog waste to biogas conversion station, in which dog owners drop the waste into special receptacles that break down the waste using microorganisms and trap the methane gas is it's produced. With an estimated 1,000 tonnes (1,102 tons) of dog excrement produced daily in the UK, there is great potential in this industry.
10-May-2012
Sustainable Sterile Water
Researchers at the University of Hull, UK, are developing a method of creating sterile water by using just sunlight and air. The team is attaching molecules, known as porphyrins, to glass beads in a transparent tube. As water flows through the tube in natural light, the porphyrins react to create a toxic form of oxygen that kills bacteria and parasites. The toxic oxygen will convert itself back into normal oxygen, and the glass beads can then be reused.
10-May-2012
Plants Employ Ants
Scientists from the Montpellier 2 University, France, have found that carnivorous plants that ally with ants fare much better than plants without ants. The ants act to cart away and eat larger prey not digested by the plant, attack escaping prey, and their droppings fertilize the plant allowing for growth in nutrient poor soils. Nepenthes bicalcarata, found mostly in the swamp forests of Borneo, relies on ants and can reach heights of 20 m (65 ft).
10-May-2012
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Endangered Species Day is May 18th, 2012
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Topping America's Most Threatened Rivers is the Potomac, Running through the Nation's Capital
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‘Map of Life’ Aims to Document Global Distribution and Abundance of Known Earth Species
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National Public Gardens Day Friday May 11
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World Migratory Bird Day: May 12-13
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More African Nations Meet Agricultural Investment Targets
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Ash from Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano Closes Airport Again After Eruptions Intensify
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ESA Unable to Rescue Envisat Earth-Observing Satellite; Loss Disrupts Continuity of Environmental Data
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Methane Leaking Through Cracks in Arctic Sea Ice
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January-April U.S. Temps Warmest on Record, Contributing to Warmest 12-month Period since 1895
