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| September 30, 2013 |
 Future sea level rises should not restrict new island formation in the Maldives Exeter, UK (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - The continued accumulation of sand within the iconic ring-shaped reefs inside Maldivian atolls could provide a foundation for future island development new research suggests. Islands like the Maldives are considered likely to be the first to feel the effects of climate change induced sea level rise, with future island growth essential to counter the threat of rising sea levels. The study p ... more |  |
Breathing underwater: Evidence of microscopic life in oceanic crust East Boothbay, ME (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - Although long thought to be devoid of life, the bottom of the deep ocean is now known to harbor entire ecosystems teeming with microbes. Scientists have recently documented that oxygen is disappearing from seawater circulating through deep oceanic crust, a significant first step in understanding the way life in the "deep biosphere" beneath the sea floor is able to survive and thrive. The n ... more |  |
 Seeing the forest and the trees St. Louis MO (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - Ever wonder what plants do when you're not around? How about an entire forest or grassland? Not even the most dedicated plant researcher can be continuously present to track environmental effects on plant behavior, and so numerous tools have been developed to measure and quantify these effects. Time-lapse photography has been used to study many aspects of plant behavior, but typically only ... more |  |
Global study reveals new hotspots of fish biodiversity Gloucester Point VA (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - Teeming with millions of species, tropical coral reefs have been long thought to be the areas of greatest biodiversity for fishes and other marine life-and thus most deserving of resources for conservation. But a new global study of reef fishes reveals a surprise: when measured by factors other than the traditional species count-instead using features such as a species' role in an ecosyste ... more |  |
 Discovery offers bio-solution to severe canola crop losses Calgary, Canada (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - A genetic discovery by a University of Calgary-led international research team offers a solution to a long-standing "green seed problem" that causes millions of dollars annually in canola crop losses. Led by Marcus Samuel in the Faculty of Science, researchers from the U of C, the University of Toronto and the University of Bordeaux in France, have uncovered a plant gene regulatory network ... more |  |
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 Ancient soils reveal clues to early life on Earth Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - Oxygen appeared in the atmosphere up to 700 million years earlier than we previously thought, according to research published today in the journal Nature, raising new questions about the evolution of early life. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and University of British Columbia examined the chemical composition of three-billion-year-old soils from South Africa - the oldest so ... more |  |
 Greater desertification control using sand trap simulations Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Sep 30, 2013 - In the fight against desertification, so-called straw checkerboard barriers (SCB) play a significant role. SCB consists of half -exposed criss-crossing rows of straws of wheat, rice, reeds, and other plants. The trouble is that our understanding of the laws governing wind-sand movement in SCB and their surrounding area is insufficient. Now, Ning Huang and colleagues from Lanzhou University ... more |  |
 Walker's World: Berlusconi's revenge Zurich, Switzerland (UPI) Sep 30, 2013 - Just when the intermission of the German elections seemed destined to continue as Chancellor Angela Merkel tries to put together a governing coalition, Italy has rung the bell to launch the next round of the euro crisis. In consequence, Italy's bonds are heading for junk status. Faced with expulsion from the Italian Senate, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the weekend threw ... more |  |
 Dozens missing as boats sink in South China Sea typhoon: Xinhua Beijing (AFP) Sept 30, 2013 - More than 70 people were missing after three Chinese boats sank in a powerful typhoon in the South China Sea, state media said on Monday, as Vietnam undertook mass evacuations. So far 74 people have been confirmed missing as "three fishing boats have sunk since Sunday afternoon", China's official Xinhua news agency reported, citing maritime authorities. They were caught in rough waters ... more |  |
 Nearly 9 in 10 kids in China know cigarette logos: study Washington (AFP) Sept 30, 2013 - Nearly nine in 10 children in China can identify a cigarette logo, according to a US study out Monday that measured tobacco recognition among five- and six-year-olds in various countries. The study in the journal Pediatrics covered six nations - China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, as well as China - where adult smoking rates are the highest, according to the World Health Organization. ... more |  |
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Life among the ruins of Pakistan's earthquake Gajjar, Pakistan (AFP) Sept 27, 2013 - Once a town of 7,000 inhabitants, Gajjar is now little more than a moonscape of dusty ruins, its mud houses reduced to rubble by the huge earthquake that hit southwest Pakistan. The death toll from the 7.7-magnitude quake which hit the vast, impoverished province of Baluchistan stands at 359 and even after three days the government is struggling to reach survivors. The National Disaster ... more |  |
 Roma families face wholesale expulsion from France Paris (UPI) Sep 27, 2013 - The latest French government crackdown on the Roma communities in France has drawn protests from rights advocacy groups but not from the European Union itself, which is usually quick on the draw over any human rights controversies outside the EU. In the most widely reported incident this week police dismantled a Roma settlement in the northern French town of Roubaix. Rights advocacy gro ... more |  |
China Tiananmen Square makeover meets cost complaints Beijing (AFP) Sept 29, 2013 - A giant vase installed in Beijing's Tiananmen Square ahead of a national holiday has met with scathing criticism from Chinese internet users after a newspaper revealed its cost on Sunday. An enormous psychedelic-looking red pot topped with huge fake flowers and imitation peaches was installed this week on the square, the symbolic center of the Chinese state. But it came at a cost of more ... more |  |
 Global partnership formed to save African elephants in protected areas New York (UPI) Sep 27, 2013 - Conservation groups and six African countries committed to protect African elephants, reduce trafficking and lower consumer demand for ivory, organizers said. The commitment is backed by an $80 million action plan from the United States to strengthen security for elephants in their range while investing more in intelligence networks, customs inspections and consumer education, National ... more |  |
Pakistan buries victims of new quake Awaran, Pakistan (AFP) Sept 29, 2013 - The victims of a new earthquake to hit southwest Pakistan, days after a massive tremor, were buried Sunday as officials distributed a fresh consignment of relief goods to survivors. The powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday and killed at least 22 people in a region already devastated by a 7.7-magnitude quake which killed more than 300 people last Tuesday. "All the 22 victi ... more |  |
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Swedish team hope to create buzz in fight against bee deaths Stockholm (AFP) Sept 27, 2013 - Researchers in Sweden said Friday they had developed a new medicine to protect bees from diseases that kill entire populations of the insect in the US and Europe. A team of microbiologists at Lund University have patented the treatment, known as SymBeeotic - made from lactic acid bacteria from the stomachs of healthy bees - which they described as a major "boost" to bees' immune system and ... more |  |
 Japan takes issue with Google maps over islands: reports Tokyo (AFP) Sept 29, 2013 - Japan has asked local authorities and state-run universities not to post Google maps on their websites because some of them use non-Japanese names for disputed islands, reports said Sunday. The disputed territory includes the South Korean-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, and the Japan-held Senkaku islands in the East China S ... more |  |
 Outside View: First Obamacare, then a single-payer system College Park, Md. (UPI) Sep 27, 2013 - Republicans must live with Obamacare. They have few prospects for electing 60 senators needed to repeal the law and, unless they work to make it more palatable, something they have few ideas to accomplish - the country is headed for socialized medicine. Obamacare seeks to substantially reduce the ranks of uninsured. - It requires businesses with more than 50 employees to provid ... more |  |
U.S. Secretary of State Kerry calls climate change report 'alarm bell' Stockholm, Sweden (UPI) Sep 27, 2013 - Human activity has likely been the most dominant cause of global warming since the mid-20th century, says an international report issued in Sweden Friday. Warming in the climate system is undeniable, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report said. Since 1950, changes have been observed throughout the climate system that are unprecedented, it said. Each of t ... more |  |
Is it time to ditch the climate 'bible'? Stockholm (AFP) Sept 27, 2013 - Top UN experts have just delivered the first volume of a massive new climate change report, but already whispers are starting to be heard: Will it be the last such review? By the end of 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should have delivered all three tomes, plus a synthesis of the trio, of only its fifth such report in more than a quarter-century of existence. T ... more |  |
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