Earth ChangesS

Bizarro Earth

Polluted Prey Causes Wild Birds To Change Their Tune


sciencedaily.com
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:40 UTC
Considerable attention has been paid to the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in aquatic environments, but rather less attention has been given to routes of contamination on land. A new study by researchers at Cardiff University, reveals that wild birds foraging on invertebrates contaminated with environmental pollutants, show marked changes in both brain and behaviour: male birds exposed to this pollution develop more complex songs, which are actually preferred by the females, even though these same males usually show reduced immune function compared to controls.

European starling
©iStockphoto/Andrew Howe
European starling feeding a fledgling. Researchers found that those birds exposed to environmentally-relevant levels of synthetic and natural estrogen mimics developed longer and more complex songs compared to males in a control group.
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Question

Enormous 'Sea Monster' Fossil Found in Norway


Red Orbit
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:05 UTC
Scientists from the University of Oslo announced their discovery of a fossilized, 150 million-year-old "sea monster" on Spitspergen, in the Arctic island chain of Svalbard.

The 50 ft. sea reptile, nicknamed "The Monster", is the biggest on record, and is one of 40 such fossils discovered on the island. A prior field expedition in the area revealed remains of another large pliosaur that is thought to be among the same species as "The Monster".
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X

Cold kills 1,300 in Afghanistan


RIA Novosti
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:58 UTC
Around 1,300 people have died as freezing weather continues to cause havoc in Afghanistan with heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures hitting 17 of the country's 34 provinces, local authorities said Wednesday.

This winter is the coldest in the last 30 years in war-torn Afghanistan, with temperatures reaching lows of -30 degrees Centigrade (-22 Fahrenheit). Some northern regions have been without food and medical supplies for over two months.

On February 20, the death toll since the cold struck in December had risen to over 1,100 with around 200 dying in the past week and hundreds losing their limbs from severe frostbite, the country's Ministry for Emergency Situations said.

More than half of the casualties have been reported in the western province of Heart, but with so many regions cut off it is hard to get a true picture of the devastation.
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Life Preserver

China water supplies resume along China's algae-affected Hanjiang river


Xinhua
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:29 UTC
Water supplies resumed on Wednesday to almost 200,000 people along the three tributaries of Hanjiang river affected by an algae bloom, local authorities of central China's Hubei Province said.

The algae bloom had turned the water red since Sunday, forcing authorities to cut supplies to nearby residents and eight schools.

Image
©chinadaily.com.cn
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Arrow Up

Study: Contaminent Levels High in Parks

Matthew Brown
Associated Press
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:35 UTC
Billings, Mont. - Pesticides, heavy metals and other airborne contaminants are raining down on national parks across the West and Alaska, turning up at sometimes dangerously high levels in lakes, plants and fish.

A sweeping, six-year federal study released Tuesday found evidence of 70 contaminants in 20 national parks and monuments - from Denali in Alaska and Glacier in Montana, to Big Bend in Texas and Yosemite in California.
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Target

Minor quake hits southeastern Iran


Press TV
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:51 UTC
A moderate earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale has jolted the city of Hejdakin in the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman.

Iran quake
©Unknown
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Alarm Clock

Update! 5.2 Quake shakes Britain, no deaths reported

Paul Majendie
Reuters
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:13 UTC
LONDON - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 shook parts of Britain on Wednesday but officials said there were no reports of anyone being killed or serious damage.

The quake struck about an hour after midnight and many people in the capital London and other areas said they had been woken up by the tremors. Quakes are uncommon in Britain and Wednesday's was the strongest for nearly quarter of a century.

UK earthquake
©Reuters
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Bizarro Earth

Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake Hits Islands South of Tokyo, USGS Says

Aaron Sheldrick
Bloomberg
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:35 UTC
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck a group of Japanese islands south of Tokyo at 4:54 p.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

The quake hit near the island of Iwoto, formerly known as Iwo Jima, 1,005 kilometers (603 miles) south of Tokyo and was 14 kilometers deep, the USGS said. The magnitude was initially put at 6.6.
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Bizarro Earth

2.9 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Colorado Town


7News
Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:55 UTC
Denver, Colorado - An earthquake briefly rattled the small town of Lake George Tuesday afternoon.

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Alarm Clock

Groundwater from hell

Julian Cribb
The Australian
Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:36 UTC
Each day about 100 million people are being poisoned with one of the deadliest substances known. In India and Bangladesh, China and Southeast Asia, even in countries such as Australia, the silent tragedy of arsenic poisoning continues to unfold.

arsenic
©Reuters
A Kolkata woman displays her wrinkled hands, caused by drinking arsenic-contaminated water.
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