New research shows that we should be looking to the ground, not the sky, to see where climate change could have its most perilous impact on life on Earth.
Scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough have published research findings in the journal Nature Geoscience that show global warming actually changes the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.
"Soil contains more than twice the amount of carbon than does the atmosphere, yet, until now, scientists haven't examined this significant carbon pool closely," says Myrna J. Simpson, principal investigator and Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry at UTSC. "Through our research, we've sought to determine what soils are made up of at the molecular level and whether this composition will change in a warmer world."
Earth Changes
For several years I have been curious and concerned about reports from many parts of the world that bee colonies were vanishing or dying. Because of their ability to pollinate fruit and vegetables bees are of enormous importance to mankind. Finally a breakthrough in understanding this problem has appeared on the scene. Whether this solves the whole bee problem or is simply one part of a more complex issue remains to be seen.
An article in Natural News by David Gutierrez on September 30, 2008 has linked the bee die-off in the Baden-Wurttemburg state of Germany to direct contact with the insecticide clothianidin found on corn seeds (German Research Center for Cultivated Plants). This pesticide had been applied to rapeseed and sweet cornseeds in the Rhine River Valley. Piles of dead bees were discovered at the entrance of hives in early May 2008. Clothianidin was found in the tissues of 99% of the dead bees. This is the time when corn seeding takes place according to Walter Haefeker, president of the European Professional Beekeeping Association. The Julius Huehn Institute (federal agricultural research agency) stated "it can be unequivocally be concluded that a poisoning of the bees is due to a rub-off of the pesticide ingredient clothianidin from corn seeds." This chemical is estimated to have killed two-thirds of the bees in this state.
An article in Natural News by David Gutierrez on September 30, 2008 has linked the bee die-off in the Baden-Wurttemburg state of Germany to direct contact with the insecticide clothianidin found on corn seeds (German Research Center for Cultivated Plants). This pesticide had been applied to rapeseed and sweet cornseeds in the Rhine River Valley. Piles of dead bees were discovered at the entrance of hives in early May 2008. Clothianidin was found in the tissues of 99% of the dead bees. This is the time when corn seeding takes place according to Walter Haefeker, president of the European Professional Beekeeping Association. The Julius Huehn Institute (federal agricultural research agency) stated "it can be unequivocally be concluded that a poisoning of the bees is due to a rub-off of the pesticide ingredient clothianidin from corn seeds." This chemical is estimated to have killed two-thirds of the bees in this state.
Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.3
Date-Time
* Monday, November 24, 2008 at 09:02:58 UTC
* Monday, November 24, 2008 at 08:02:58 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 54.198°N, 154.316°E
Depth 491.7 km (305.5 miles)
Region SEA OF OKHOTSK
Distances 315 km (195 miles) WNW of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
410 km (255 miles) NNW of Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
2355 km (1460 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan
6540 km (4060 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia
Magnitude 7.3
Date-Time
* Monday, November 24, 2008 at 09:02:58 UTC
* Monday, November 24, 2008 at 08:02:58 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 54.198°N, 154.316°E
Depth 491.7 km (305.5 miles)
Region SEA OF OKHOTSK
© USGS
Distances 315 km (195 miles) WNW of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
410 km (255 miles) NNW of Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
2355 km (1460 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan
6540 km (4060 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia
It's the ultimate form of solar power: eat a plant, become photosynthetic. Now researchers have found how one animal does just that.
Elysia chlorotica is a lurid green sea slug, with a gelatinous leaf-shaped body, that lives along the Atlantic seaboard of the US. What sets it apart from most other sea slugs is its ability to run on solar power.
Mary Rumpho of the University of Maine, is an expert on E. chlorotica and has now discovered how the sea slug gets this ability: it photosynthesises with genes "stolen" from the algae it eats.
Elysia chlorotica is a lurid green sea slug, with a gelatinous leaf-shaped body, that lives along the Atlantic seaboard of the US. What sets it apart from most other sea slugs is its ability to run on solar power.
© PNAS
Elysia chlorotica, the solar-powered sea slug, is about 3 cm long.
Elysia chlorotica, the solar-powered sea slug, is about 3 cm long.
Mary Rumpho of the University of Maine, is an expert on E. chlorotica and has now discovered how the sea slug gets this ability: it photosynthesises with genes "stolen" from the algae it eats.
The freezer could be the future for frogs and other amphibians. Efforts announced today are currently underway around the world to boost amphibian numbers with cryopreservation and assisted reproduction.
Breeding frogs and their cousins to increase numbers could help vulnerable species survive looming extinctions. But getting amphibians to mate is not always straightforward, so researchers are developing other techniques to give them a helping hand.
One proposal resembles the doomsday seed vault which opened this year in Norway. Only instead of plant seed, the amphibian vault would store sperm, guaranteeing amphibian genetic diversity for times of dwindling populations.
Breeding frogs and their cousins to increase numbers could help vulnerable species survive looming extinctions. But getting amphibians to mate is not always straightforward, so researchers are developing other techniques to give them a helping hand.
© David Tipling/Image Bank/Getty
Freezing frog sperm might help bolster numbers.
Freezing frog sperm might help bolster numbers.
One proposal resembles the doomsday seed vault which opened this year in Norway. Only instead of plant seed, the amphibian vault would store sperm, guaranteeing amphibian genetic diversity for times of dwindling populations.
At least 33 people have been killed by floods in southern Brazil after days of torrential rain.
The storms, which also triggered mudslides, have forced 20,000 people from their homes in Catarina state.
Teams have been working around the clock using helicopters and motorboats to rescue those left stranded by the floods.
More than ten people died in Blumenau, where town officials declared a state of emergency late on Sunday. Seven more died in the town of Jaragua do Sul.
At least one town has been forced to ration water due to purification problems and 250,000 have been left without power.
The storms, which also triggered mudslides, have forced 20,000 people from their homes in Catarina state.
Teams have been working around the clock using helicopters and motorboats to rescue those left stranded by the floods.
More than ten people died in Blumenau, where town officials declared a state of emergency late on Sunday. Seven more died in the town of Jaragua do Sul.
At least one town has been forced to ration water due to purification problems and 250,000 have been left without power.
Ecuador is the first country in the world to announce plans to leave the oil reserves beneath its rainforests in the ground. The country wants foreign businesses, including German companies, to compensate it for making this sacrifice.
There are as many different types of wood growing on each hectare in the Yasuni rainforest in the northwestern Amazon as there are species in all of North America. Even rare species of animals, like the mountain tapir and the brown-headed spider monkey, exist in the region. This paradise is also home to a number of native tribes now living in complete isolation from the outside world.
There is more biological diversity in the Yasuni rainforest than almost anywhere else in the world. The virgin forest is protected by its status as a national park and UNESCO biosphere reserve, but for how much longer? Several oil companies are pressuring the government in the Ecuadoran capital of Quito to finally issue drilling licenses for the biosphere.
There are as many different types of wood growing on each hectare in the Yasuni rainforest in the northwestern Amazon as there are species in all of North America. Even rare species of animals, like the mountain tapir and the brown-headed spider monkey, exist in the region. This paradise is also home to a number of native tribes now living in complete isolation from the outside world.
There is more biological diversity in the Yasuni rainforest than almost anywhere else in the world. The virgin forest is protected by its status as a national park and UNESCO biosphere reserve, but for how much longer? Several oil companies are pressuring the government in the Ecuadoran capital of Quito to finally issue drilling licenses for the biosphere.
Large parts of the UK were waking up to a blanket of snow as an Arctic front swept across the country in the first prolonged cold snap of the winter.
Motorists were warned to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions with up to 10 centimetres (4in) of snow predicted to fall in eastern England.
But MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said much of the snow would be washed away by rain as the day progresses, with milder air coming from the south west.
Motorists were warned to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions with up to 10 centimetres (4in) of snow predicted to fall in eastern England.
© Unknown
Icy conditions as snow hits Britain
Icy conditions as snow hits Britain
But MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said much of the snow would be washed away by rain as the day progresses, with milder air coming from the south west.
Bogota - Landslides triggered by a volcanic eruption injured nine people and destroyed more than 20 homes and five bridges in southwest Colombia, prompting a red alert for more activity.
President Alvaro Uribe flew with disaster officials over the volcano Friday, and ordered the air force to create an "air bridge" to supply cut off towns along the Rio Paez.
President Alvaro Uribe flew with disaster officials over the volcano Friday, and ordered the air force to create an "air bridge" to supply cut off towns along the Rio Paez.
Jakarta -- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck just off the coast of southern Sumatra, Indonesia, on Saturday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
No agencies reported any damage or injuries, and a tsunami was not expected.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a "destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data.
"However, there is a very small possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than 100 kilometers from the earthquake epicenter," the tsunami warning center said in a statement.
The quake happened about 11 p.m., the USGS said. It was centered about 147 kilometers (91 miles) west-southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra, and 671 kilometers (417 miles) from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
No agencies reported any damage or injuries, and a tsunami was not expected.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a "destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data.
"However, there is a very small possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than 100 kilometers from the earthquake epicenter," the tsunami warning center said in a statement.
The quake happened about 11 p.m., the USGS said. It was centered about 147 kilometers (91 miles) west-southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra, and 671 kilometers (417 miles) from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
