Earth Changes
India's annual monsoon rains have swept across the country about two weeks ahead of schedule, causing deadly floods.
Scientists have discovered that there are more bee species than previously thought. In the first global accounting of bee species in over a hundred years, John S. Ascher, a research scientist in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, compiled online species pages and distribution maps for more than 19,200 described bee species, showcasing the diversity of these essential pollinators. This new species inventory documents 2,000 more described, valid species than estimated by Charles Michener in the first edition of his definitive The Bees of the World published eight years ago.
"The bee taxonomic community came together and completed the first global checklist of bee names since 1896," says Ascher. "Most people know of honey bees and a few bumble bees, but we have documented that there are actually more species of bees than of birds and mammals put together."
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| A new inventory documents 2,000 more described, valid bee species than estimated before. |
"The bee taxonomic community came together and completed the first global checklist of bee names since 1896," says Ascher. "Most people know of honey bees and a few bumble bees, but we have documented that there are actually more species of bees than of birds and mammals put together."
A federal parliamentary committee is warning that Australia's food security could be compromised if the future of the honey bee and pollination industry is not supported.
WASHINGTON - The federal government predicts that 27 levees could potentially overflow along the Mississippi River if the weather forecast is on the mark and a massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, according to a map obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
OAKVILLE - The floodwaters that deluged much of Iowa have done more than knock out drinking water and destroy homes. They have also spread a noxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel that could sicken anyone who wades in.
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Vulcanologists are continuing to keep a close eye on White Island.
Two or three hundred aftershocks continue to rattle it after a 5.4 magnitude earthquake centred just 10 kilometres south-west of the volcano on Friday.
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The Chaiten volcano in southern Chile has erupted with renewed strength, belching thick clouds of ash and hurling molten rocks into the air, regional authorities said Friday.
The 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) tall Chaiten volcano, located some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) south of Santiago, first began to erupt in May after lying dormant for centuries.
"There has been an increase in the volcano's activity," Sergio Galilea, the governor Los Lagos region, told reporters Friday.
Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 25 people in northeast India, national media reported on Monday.
Unexpectedly heavy rains began lashing the area on Thursday, nearly two weeks ahead of the normal monsoon season, which usually covers the country from early July to September.
The first wave of floods hit the northeastern state of Assam, cutting off road and rail links. Six people who tried to cross a swollen river on bamboo rafts drowned.
Unexpectedly heavy rains began lashing the area on Thursday, nearly two weeks ahead of the normal monsoon season, which usually covers the country from early July to September.
The first wave of floods hit the northeastern state of Assam, cutting off road and rail links. Six people who tried to cross a swollen river on bamboo rafts drowned.
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An expanding drought in Australia's grain belt has already been blamed for contributing to a world food crisis, and now floods in the US midwest, which have devastated the corn crop, are adding to the misery.
DES MOINES - "Nearly one third of Iowa is already under water and water levels continue to rise," said U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, urging federal financial assistance for his state. Waters are still rising in many parts of the state and the president responded.
