New Amphibian Discovered in India
After 250 digging operations over five years, scientists from the University of Delhi, India, have found a new family of caecilians, a type of amphibian resembling earthworms. The amphibians live underground or under leaf litter making them hard to find, and are threatened by human population growth and slash and burn agriculture. They were found in the soil of both secluded rainforests and densely populated areas.
22-Feb-2012
Productive Farms Best Choice
A recent Oxford University, UK, study has found that farms that aim for high yield, but use environmentally friendly techniques may be better for the environment than organic and conventional farms. By using techniques such as crop rotation, organic fertilizers, winter cover crops, and minimal use of pesticides, farms can use less energy and produce less greenhouse gas emissions than organic farms while producing more food.
22-Feb-2012
Floating Solar Plant
An Israeli company, Solaris Synergy, has developed a floating solar power plant that can generate between several kW and dozens of MW depending on size. This may help limit land use competition by moving vast expanses of land saved for solar panels to the ocean, giving more room for other uses. The water also acts as a free cooling system saving money, increasing power generation efficiency, and extending the life span of the cells.
22-Feb-2012
Controversial Fracking Study
A team of researchers from the University of Texas-Austin, US, has found that there is no direct link between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and groundwater contamination. The team studied several sites in Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and New York, and found no evidence of drilling fluids deep underground. The team did, however, find that contamination was occurring closer to the surface from poorly maintained wells or storage ponds.
22-Feb-2012
Ancient Plants Brought to Life
Scientists at Russia’s Institute of Cell Biophysics were able to extract “placental tissue” and grow living plants from seeds buried 20-40 m (66-131 ft) deep along the Kolmya River in Siberia. The seeds were found in squirrel hibernation burrows among the remains of mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, and several other animals and plants that date the seeds to be approximately 30,000 years old.
21-Feb-2012
Antifreeze Fish at Risk
A suborder of Antarctic fish, the notothenioids, may be among the most at risk fish as ocean temperatures rise. The approximately 100 species of notothenioids thrive in freezing waters, between -2°C and 4°C (28-39°F), due to the development of antifreeze glycoproteins 22 to 42 million years ago. A water temperature rise of only 2°C (36°F) could have a devastating effect on this Antarctic fish.
21-Feb-2012
EU-US Organic Partnership
The European Union and United States, the world’s two largest producers of organic products valued at a combined €40 billion ($52 billion), have announced that organic products certified in either region can be sold as such in the other. This partnership is expected to benefit the growing organic industry, supporting jobs and businesses, while still promoting a healthy environment.
21-Feb-2012
Cost of an Omnivorous Diet
A new study by Lancaster University, UK, has found that greenhouse gas emissions from the UK could be reduced by 40 million tons, nearly 25% of the total 167 million tons from food production, if all of its citizens became vegetarians. Fresh meats at checkout have has a carbon footprint of 17 kg of CO2 per kilogram of meat, and cooked meats have an average footprint of 11 kg per kilogram of meat.
21-Feb-2012
Indian Study to Determine Effect of Phone Towers on Birds
India’s Ministry for Environment and Forests has begun a three month study to understand the effect cell phone tower radiation has on birds and insects. The announcement of this study comes in the wake of disappearing birds and bees, and several claims of birds dropping dead from the sky in the Odisha state of India.
20-Feb-2012
Scientists Suggest Government Reform
A paper by 20 Blue Planet Prize winners claims the current system for how the government views the environment is doing more harm than good. The paper advises governments to eliminate energy, transportation, and agriculture subsidies; conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services; and tackle overconsumption through education in order to prevent climate, biodiversity and poverty crises.
20-Feb-2012
Arsenic in Commercial Food
Researchers from Dartmouth College, US, have found alarming levels of arsenic in foods containing brown rice syrup. The researchers tested 17 baby formulas, two of which contained brown rice syrup and had arsenic levels more than 20 times higher than the other formulas; 29 cereal bars, 22 of which contained brown rice syrup and ranged from 23 to 128 ppb of arsenic; and three energy drinks which ranged from 84 to 171 ppb.
20-Feb-2012
Environment Canada's Budget Cuts
Environment Canada has announced several departments will experience budget cuts, including ozone monitoring, which some scientists believe may be the most devastating. Canada’s ozone program played an essential role in discovering the Artic ozone hole last year, and will need as much money as possible to continue monitoring the ozone. Other programs that may be cut monitor toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes and pollutants released from Asia and Europe.
20-Feb-2012
Fight Over Syngas Plant
Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) and several other local environment agencies are fighting Australia's decision to build a new 300 MW syngas, a combination of brown coal and natural gas, power plant. While syngas has been promoted as a safer and cleaner fuel source, DEA fight its use because it still burns coal which releases several toxic pollutants which are hazardous to human health and the environment.
17-Feb-2012
UAE's New Air Quality Laws
The United Arab Emirate's Ministry of Environment and Water has announced plans to draft several new laws in order to improve national air quality. The laws are aimed at reversing air quality damage caused by an increase in pollution from industrial facilities, power plants, and vehicles.
17-Feb-2012
Mariana Trench Clam Communities
A joint team of US and Japanese scientists have discovered several clam communities living near some of the lower temperature vents along the Mariana Trench. While most clams along the Mariana Trench need the heat and nutrients associated with the higher temperature vents, the scientists believe the serpentinization of peridotite rock creates enough hydrogen and methane to support the newly discovered clams.
17-Feb-2012
Ancient Chinese Medicine
Researchers at Harvard University, US, have found a number of uses for chang shan, the root from a type of blue evergreen hydrangea that the Chinese have used for nearly 2,000 years as a treatment for malaria. More specifically, the researchers found that halofuginone (HF), a compound derived from the roots main active ingredient, can block the development of Th17 cells, a harmful class of cells linked to many autoimmune disorders.
17-Feb-2012
Fear of Iran Oil Cuts Leads to Increased Prices
Iran's state run English television, Press TV, has caused a little turmoil by incorrectly reporting that Iran will stop exporting oil to the Netherlands, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Officials from Iran's foreign and oil ministry quickly worked to disband this rumor, but not before oil prices jumped up by $1 a barrel. While this was a mistake, it shows what could ensue if Iran does follow through with cutting off oil to Western Europe.
16-Feb-2012
Crack Down on Tiger Trade
At an International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime meeting in Bangkok, the heads of police and customs of 13 nations agreed to tighten controls and improve cross-border co-operation in an attempt to crack down on the illegal trade of tigers and their parts. This is the latest effort in protecting the tiger population which has dropped from 100,000 to 4,000 in the last century, with a 40% decline in the past decade.
16-Feb-2012
Malta's New Environmental Policy
The Minister for Tourism, Environment, and Culture in Malta, Mario de Marco, has announced the launch of the National Environment Policy which will be in place until 2020. The policy is based in six areas; green economy, environmental health protection, the use of resources in an efficient and sustainable way, the environment in Gozo, and environmental sustainability, and includes measurable and time-bound initiatives in order to achieve these objectives.
16-Feb-2012
Phase Change of Magma
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have used high powered lasers to cause molten magnesium silicate to undergo a phase change within the liquid state, transforming into a more dense liquid with increased pressure. Due to the difference in densities the liquids separated, which the scientists believe could be similar to how the earth's mantle and core formed.
16-Feb-2012
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High and Low Waters - Video
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Big City Conservation: New York City’s Hidden Biodiversity
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Ecology Week in Review | 18-Feb-2012
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Join the Great Backyard Bird Count: February 17-22
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"World Water Monitoring Day" is Now the "World Water Monitoring Challenge"
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Hubble Space Telescope Reveals a New Class of Watery Exoplanet
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Poachers Kill 200-300 Elephants in Cameroon in Five Weeks
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Microbes Found Thriving in the Driest Place on Earth
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China Green Channel International Brings Ecological, Environmental Television to China
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Costa Concordia Fuel Salvage Operation Finally Begins
