science wire

Environment - Economics / Business - 30.04.2012

Climate Change Minister opens new sustainability research institute at Plymouth University
The Minister of State for Climate Change, Gregory Barker MP, has welcomed the opening of a new research institute dedicated to developing solutions for today’s sustainability-related issues.

Environment - 30.04.2012

Penn Pilots More Sustainability Projects Through Another Round of Green Fund Grants
The Penn Green Campus Partnership has awarded five Green Fund grants ranging from a comprehensive recycling center within the School of Engineering and Applied Science to a behavior-change project focusing on water conservation.

Health - Environment - 27.04.2012

UCLA-Peking University symposium highlights scholars’ collaborative research, innovations
The two-day UCLA-Peking University Joint Research Institute symposium will highlight the results of collaborative research by UCLA and PKU scholars in the areas of science, engineering and medicine and showcase new developments by leading faculty at both universities.

Environment - Chemistry - 27.04.2012

New lab to focus on creating sustainable energy source
Research will explore using sunlight to convert greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and water to syngas, the precursor to liquid fuel.

Environment - Chemistry - 26.04.2012

GSK and University of Nottingham collaborate to create Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry
PA122/12 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and The University of Nottingham today formalised a collaboration to establish a new laboratory to accommodate a Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry, and to construct an innovative carbon neutral sustainable chemistry laboratory.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 26.04.2012

"Warming hole" delayed climate change over eastern United States
50-year model suggests regional pollution obscured a global trend : Caroline Perry , (617) 496-1351 Climate scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered that particulate pollution in the late 20th century created a "warming hole" over the eastern United States-that is, a cold patch where the effects of global warming were temporarily obscured.

Environment - Administration - 26.04.2012

Researchers: Where International Climate Policy Has Failed, Grassroots Efforts Can Succeed
Control of greenhouse agents other than CO2 needs to reach the local level, according to a new Foreign Affairs essay The world can significantly slow the pace of climate change with practical efforts

Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 26.04.2012

Rapid ice shelf disintegration in Antarctic
For ten years ESA's Envisat satellite observed the rapid retreat of one of Antarctica's ice shelves due to climate warming. Helmut Rott, Professor at the Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics, follows this development since the start of the mission. One of the satellite's first observations following its launch on 1 March 2002 was the break-up of a main section of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica - when 3200 sq km of ice disintegrated within a few days due to mechanical instabilities of the ice masses triggered by climate warming.

Computer Science - Environment - 26.04.2012

Research project develops collaborative tool for water quality data
Scientists with federal and state agencies, academic researchers, environmental consultants, and watershed group volunteers have collected water-quality data for years as part of efforts to monitor the health of Pennsylvania's waterways.

Environment - Economics / Business - 24.04.2012

Researchers help Hawaii’s largest landholder plan an ecological future
The future of a large chunk of the island of Oahu was at stake when Stanford environmental scientists were called in to lend a helping hand.

Economics / Business - Environment - 24.04.2012

Morris Arboretum Annual Plant Sale
On Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12, the Morris Arboretum will host its annual Plant Sale at the the Arboretum's Horticulture Center at Bloomfield Farm, across the street from the Arboretum's public garden.

Environment - Physics - 24.04.2012

Latest CryoSat result revealed
After nearly a year and a half of operations, CryoSat has yielded its first seasonal variation map of Arctic sea-ice thickness. Results from ESA's ice mission were presented today at the Royal Society in London. In June 2011, the first map of Arctic sea-ice thickness was unveiled, using CryoSat data acquired between January and February of that year.

Environment - Economics / Business - 24.04.2012

Farming the sea: Leading marine ecologists call for national debate over marine management
The majority of our coastal seas could be given over to the marine equivalent of ‘commercial farming’ in order to more fully protect defined areas of ecologically sensitive habitat, say two leading names in the marine sector.

Environment - 23.04.2012

Watch online: CryoSat results
Watch online: CryoSat results Live from the Royal Society in London, watch the unveiling of the first map of the winter 2010-11 changes in Arctic sea-ice thickness measured by ESA's CryoSat satellite.

Environment - Economics / Business - 23.04.2012

Climate change may create corn market price volatility, say researchers from Stanford and Purdue
America's No. 1 crop could see its prime growing region shift to the Canadian border or its price volatility increase sharply within 30 years. A new Stanford study points to climate change as the cause. By Rob Jordan The study, based on economic, climatic and agricultural data and computational models, finds that even if climate change stays within the internationally recognized target limit of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels, the temperature changes could still make damaging heat waves much more common over the U.S. corn belt.

Environment - Chemistry - 23.04.2012

Devising a 'silver bullet' for measuring water use by plants
  For her senior thesis project, Princeton civil and environmental engineering major Ida Posner is developing a filter that could allow scientists to quickly measure water use by plants like this basil grown in the Princeton EcoHydrology Lab. Measuring plants' water use is critical for understanding how ecosystems are affected by drought, development or climate change.

Health - Environment - 23.04.2012

Researchers solve 40-year-old Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry phasing problem
Scientists at the University of Warwick have developed a computation which simultaneously doubles the resolution, sensitivity and mass accuracy of Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (FTMS) at no extra cost.

Environment - Physics - 20.04.2012

Save the City, Save the Planet
Reception and service at central level for international students after arrival at KTH. For Master's students For Exchange students At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. Nat

Life Sciences - Environment - 20.04.2012

Experts suggest steps to stop spread of resistant corn rootworms
The discovery that more Western corn rootworms are resistant to the toxin contained in widely planted transgenic corn has sparked a warning that farmers must change tactics or lose a valuable management tool against a traditional corn pest. In a March 5 letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, 22 entomologists working on corn rootworm suggested changes to prolong the utility of transgenic Bt corn.

Environment - 20.04.2012

E.ON ERC Enhances International Collaboration
Signing a memorandum of understanding, the E.ON Energy Research Center (E.ON ERC) at RWTH Aachen University and the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, have formali

Life Sciences - Environment - 19.04.2012

Double Royal Society success
Breakthroughs on the physical structure of memory and geo-environmental engineering processes have won two Cardiff academics one of the highest honours in world science. Professor John Aggleton and Professor Hywel Thomas have both been elected Fellows of the Royal Society, widely regarded in the UK as second only to a Nobel Prize in prestige.

Environment - 19.04.2012

200 environmental researchers in Lund
200 environmental researchers are in Lund to give input to the Rio+20 conference.What political measures must be taken to manage the global environmental and sustainability problems?

Environment - Economics / Business - 19.04.2012

University of Minnesota startup offers game-changing energy solutions that reduce CO2 emissions
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/19/2012) —The University of Minnesota has launched a startup that will provide renewable energy more economically than existing alternatives while reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion such as from coal-burning power plants.

Economics / Business - Environment - 18.04.2012

Optimizing biofuel supply chain is a competitive game
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. As biofuel production has increased - particularly ethanol derived from corn - a hotly contested competition for feedstock supplies has emerged between the agricultural grain markets and biofuel refineries.

Environment - 18.04.2012

Call for Media: CryoSat’s first map of changes in sea-ice thickness
Call for Media: CryoSat's first map of changes in sea-ice thickness Media representatives are invited to attend the unveiling of the first map of the winter 2010-11 changes in Arctic sea-ice thickness measured by ESA's ice mission.

Civil Engineering - Environment - 18.04.2012

Researchers look to the urban future with new book on how to design "resilient" cities
A new book based on groundbreaking research led by academics from the University of Birmingham on how to create robustly-sustainable cities is being launched in London this month. Designing Resilient Cities: A Guide to Good Practice puts forward radical ideas and solutions to ensure our cities are able to adapt to and survive change, whatever the future brings.

Economics / Business - Environment - 17.04.2012

Mechanical Engineering - Environment - 17.04.2012

Researchers aim to lessen clash between raptors, wind turbines
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Golden eagles love Pennsylvania's ridge-and-valley region. The hunched-up topography, with its long linear corridors running southwest to northeast, makes a perfect thruway for their spring and fall migrations.

Health - Environment - 16.04.2012

UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Recognized for Dedication to Sustainability
New Building is first LEED Gold certified acute care medical facility in San Diego Region The UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is the first hospital-based project in the region to receive LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Environment - 16.04.2012

Environment - Civil Engineering - 13.04.2012

Take care of water and make your garden grow
With the Environment Agency today (13 April) reporting that England and Wales received only 38% of the rainfall normally expected in March, scientists from the University of Leeds' leading interd

Environment - Architecture - 13.04.2012

Berkeley Lab to Lead a U.S.-India Clean Energy Research Center
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has been selected to lead a new joint U.S.-India research center focusing on energy efficiency technologies for buildings.

Environment - Architecture - 13.04.2012

Three Cambridge academics announced as leading lights of UK sustainability
In its inaugural list of the top 50 most influential people for sustainability in the UK, Building Design magazine has listed three Cambridge academics.

Environment - 12.04.2012

Scientists turn the spotlight on Leeds’ bees
A three year £1.3 million research project will how examine bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects are affected by city life.

Earth Sciences - Environment - 12.04.2012

Zhiming Kuang approved for promotion to tenured full professor
Climate scientist aims to understand the convective forces driving El Niño and the South Asian monsoons Harvard President Drew Faust has approved Zhiming Kuang for promotion to the role of full professor with tenure.

Environment - Life Sciences - 11.04.2012

Scientists turn the spotlight on Bristol’s insect life this spring
More than 100 parks, gardens, allotments, cemeteries and other natural and man-made habitats across Bristol will be studied by scientists from the University of Bristol this spring as part of the nex

Environment - Linguistics / Literature - 10.04.2012

Farmers into fungi can reap forest rewards
With its large clumps of cascading white tendrils, the Hericium erinaceus looks less like a mushroom and more like a lion's mane (its nickname).

Environment - Economics / Business - 10.04.2012

University of Texas at Austin Energy Poll Shows Strong Support for More Domestic Energy Production
AUSTIN, Texas — Consumers strongly support increased production of energy from domestic sources, particularly natural gas and renewables, according to the University of Texas at Austin Energy Poll that was released today.

Economics / Business - Environment - 10.04.2012

Warwick leads £3.7m project to power progress towards greener energy supply
The University of Warwick is leading a £3.7 million project to help ensure the UK has secure, environmentally-friendly and affordable power for future generations.

Environment - 10.04.2012

Gas mileage, CAFE performance up 20 percent since late 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich.-Fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States has topped 24 miles per gallon for the first time ever, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 10.04.2012

What Triggers a Mass Extinction?
The second-largest mass extinction in Earth's history coincided with a short but intense ice age during which enormous glaciers grew and sea levels dropped. Although it has long been agreed that the so-called Late Ordovician mass extinction—which occurred about 450 million years ago—was related to climate change, exactly how the climate change produced the extinction has not been known.

Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 09.04.2012

Experts suggest grazing cows, sheep, ducks in forests
Putting cows, sheep and other livestock into forests to graze could prove to be a valuable tool for New York woodland management, say Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) agriculture educators and colleagues in the Cornell Forestry Program.

Environment - Life Sciences - 05.04.2012

Which plants will survive droughts, climate change?
Droughts are worsening around the world, posing a great challenge to plants in all ecosystems, said Lawren Sack, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior author of the research. Scientists have debated for more than a century how to predict which species are most vulnerable. Sack and two members of his laboratory have made a fundamental discovery that resolves this debate and allows for the prediction of how diverse plant species and vegetation types worldwide will tolerate drought, which is critical given the threats posed by climate change, he said.

Physics - Environment - 05.04.2012

Satellite observes rapid ice shelf disintegration in Antarctic
Satellite observes rapid ice shelf disintegration in Antarctic As ESA's Envisat satellite marks ten years in orbit, it continues to observe the rapid retreat of one of Antarctica's ice shelves due to climate warming. One of the satellite's first observations following its launch on 1 March 2002 was of break-up of a main section of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica - when 3200 sq km of ice disintegrated within a few days due to mechanical instabilities of the ice masses triggered by climate warming.

Environment - Economics / Business - 05.04.2012

Nottingham is a key partner in UK’s new £13m carbon capture centre
The University of Nottingham is a key part of a new research centre that will help to tackle climate change.

Environment - 05.04.2012

Making a mess can improve your gardening
A University garden at this year's Chelsea Flower Show highlights how messy gardens can boost pollination, manage water and increase carbon capture. Research by scientists at the University of Leeds has shown that having a 'messy' area in your garden is the most effective way to give bugs a boost and improve pollination in gardens.

Environment - Civil Engineering - 05.04.2012

Bats in your belfry? Living with Melbourne’s native bats: a public forum
Melbournians are being asked to consider how they can live in harmony with bats at a forum held on April 11 at the University of Melbourne.

Environment - 05.04.2012

"Virtual water," a barometer of global water resources
When goods are produced, water is used in the process. Even though this water is "virtual," tracking its import and export gives a crucial indication of the evolution of world water resources. An international team of hydrologists has studied the global trade of virtual water, and is publishing an article this week in the journal PNAS outlining a number of striking conclusions.

Environment - Physics - 04.04.2012

ESA and NASA join forces to measure Arctic sea ice
ESA and NASA join forces to measure Arctic sea ice Marking another remarkable collaborative effort, ESA and NASA met up over the Arctic Ocean this week to perform some carefully coordinated flights directly under CryoSat orbiting above.

Environment - 04.04.2012

Thaw of polar permafrost has major implications for climate change
The thawing of polar permafrost about 55 million years ago led to a massive CO2 release, exacerbating a series of major ancient global warming events, according to new research. A study led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with support from scientists at Yale and other universities, suggests that today's thawing polar permafrost could play a similar role in the future.