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| December 16, 2013 |
 Simple mathematical formula describes human struggles Miami FL (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - Would you believe that a broad range of human struggles can be understood by using a mathematical formula? From child-parent struggles to cyber-attacks and civil unrest, they can all be explained with a simple mathematical expression called a "power-law." In a sort of unified theory of human conflict, scientists have found a way to mathematically describe the severity and timing of human c ... more |  |
 Rising mountains dried out Central Asia Stanford CA (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - A record of ancient rainfall teased from long-buried sediments in Mongolia is challenging the popular idea that the arid conditions prevalent in Central Asia today were caused by the ancient uplift of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Instead, Stanford scientists say the formation of two lesser mountain ranges, the Hangay and the Altai, may have been the dominant drivers of climate in ... more |  |
 Hydrogen-powered invasion Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - The intestine is bustling with billions of intestinal bacteria that aid digestion and keep it healthy. A vast array of microorganisms (microbiota) colonise the intestine so densely that pathogens do not usually stand a chance of multiplying. However, some pathogens, such as the diarrhoea-causing bacterium Salmonella Typhimurium, still manage to invade this densely populated ecosystem. Rese ... more |  |
 Biodegradable or not? Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - In order to improve the evaluation process for the long-term consequences of pesticides, scientists have developed a new detection method and a model that can enable determinations regarding whether and how readily biodegradable the residues of pesticides are. The study, conducted by scientists at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the Rhine-Westphalian Technical Univer ... more |  |
 Assessing the tsunami risk from very large volcanic island landslides Southampton UK (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - The risk posed by tsunami waves generated by Canary Island landslides may need to be re-evaluated, according to researchers at the National Oceanography Centre. Their findings suggest that these landslides result in smaller tsunami waves than previously thought by some authors, because of the processes involved. The researchers used the geological record from deep marine sediment cores to ... more |  |
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The garden microbe with a sense of touch Nottingham, UK (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - A common soil dwelling bacterium appears to possess a sense of touch, researchers have shown. A study, by Dr James Stratford at The University of Nottingham and Dr Simon Park at the University of Surrey, has found that Bacillus mycoides, which has been known to science since 1842, responds to forces and curvature in the medium on which it's growing. The microbe's ability to respond to subt ... more |  |
Toxic Substances in Banana Plants Kill Root Pests Jena, Germany (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - Bananas are a major food staple for about 400 million people in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, banana yields worldwide are severely threatened by pests. Dirk Holscher from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, and an international team of researchers have discovered that some banana varieties accumulate specific plant to ... more |  |
 Study of rodent family tree puts brakes on commonly held understanding of evolution Tallahassee FL (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - Rodents can tell us a lot about the way species evolve after they move into new areas, according to a new and exceptionally broad study conducted in part by Florida State University biological science Professor Scott J. Steppan. The study of the evolutionary history of rodents calls into doubt a generally held understanding that when a species colonizes a new region, such as a continent, e ... more |  |
 Where water is limited, researchers determine how much water is enough Davis CA (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - A collaboration of scientists from the US Department of Agriculture and the University of California Davis, among others, has introduced a precision instrument that can determine the water loss, or surface renewal, of agricultural systems that are threatened by water scarcity and climate change. "These systems provide growers with real-time data needed to make irrigation decisions," said D ... more |  |
Upper Rio Grande Impact Reveals Growing Gap in Supply and Demand Albuquerque NM (SPX) Dec 16, 2013 - Increasing temperatures and changes in the timing of snowmelt runoff could impact the amount of water available on the upper Rio Grande in the future. These are some of the results of the Upper Rio Grande Impact Assessment released by Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle. "This report uses the most current information and state of the art scienti ... more |  |
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 Sea Shepherd ready for aggression from Japan whalers Sydney (AFP) Dec 16, 2013 - Conservation group Sea Shepherd Australia said Monday it was preparing for increased aggression from Japanese whalers in its annual campaign to stop the slaughter of the giant animals off Antarctica. Three Sea Shepherd boats are due to leave from Melbourne and Hobart within days to harass and deter the Japanese harpoon ships which hunt minke, fin and humpback whales in the southern hemispher ... more |  |
Volcanic eruption shuts Italy airport Rome (AFP) Dec 15, 2013 - The eruption of the Mount Etna volcano in Sicily on Sunday forced the closure of nearby Catania airport because of the plumes of ash billowing into the sky, airport officials said. Twenty-one scheduled departures from Catania had to be scrapped and 26 arrivals re-routed to alternative destinations. The smaller airport of Comiso in the area was also closed down. Sac, the company that mana ... more |  |
 Snowstorm hits eastern part of Canada Montreal (AFP) Dec 15, 2013 - A snowstorm swept central and eastern Canada Sunday, disrupting air traffic and travel from Ontario to the Atlantic coast. Environment Canada issued a warning that snowfall accompanied by strong wind had dumped up to 35 centimeters (14 inches) of snow on some regions. Air traffic was seriously disrupted with hundreds of flights canceled at major airports in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and ... more |  |
 Croatia says no Syrian chemicals will enter its ports Zagreb (AFP) Dec 15, 2013 - Croatia's ports will not be used for unloading chemical agents from Syria before their destruction on a US ship, as Italy has accepted to take part in the process, an official said Sunday. "Although Croatia was ready... it will not be done here, as we have been approached relatively late and Italy has accepted after long discussions to have it done," Croatia's Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic ... more |  |
Philippine typhoon death toll rising by eight daily Manila (AFP) Dec 15, 2013 - Relief teams are still finding eight to 10 dead bodies a day, more than a month after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the central Philippines, a civil defence official said Sunday. The number of casualties, which the government placed at 6,057 dead and 1,779 missing, is almost certain to rise, said Rey Gozon, civil defence director for the areas hardest-hit by the killer storm. "For our reg ... more |  |
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Holy Land hit by heaviest snowfall in decades Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 14, 2013 - The heaviest snowfall in decades blocked roads across Israel and the West Bank Saturday, while torrential rains flooded areas of the Gaza Strip. The heavy snow, which stopped falling Saturday afternoon, prompted Israeli authorities to interrupt the Jewish sabbath to lay on relief trains. Nationwide, some 30,000 households were without electricity, nearly 9,000 of them in Jerusalem, the ... more |  |
 French carbon crook on run after bracelet fails Paris (AFP) Dec 14, 2013 - A Frenchman convicted of carbon trading fraud that cost the state some 1.6 billion euros ($2.2 billion) has gone on the run, a judicial source said Saturday, admitting that his electronic tracking bracelet had stopped working. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Michel Keslassy, 50, who was given a three-and-a-half year sentence in June for buying untaxed carbon credits abroad and addin ... more |  |
 Eight more dead in Bangladesh as PM issues warning Dhaka (AFP) Dec 15, 2013 - Eight more deaths were reported in Bangladesh Sunday in intensified riots and protests sparked by the execution of a top Islamist leader, as the prime minister warned of a crackdown on the violence. Police said Islamist supporters torched houses and fought running street battles with officers in towns and cities during a third day of unrest over the execution of Abdul Quader Molla for war c ... more |  |
Jerusalem buried in snow as rare storm pounds Mideast Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 13, 2013 - A fierce winter storm shut down much of the Middle East Friday, burying Jerusalem in snow, flooding parts of Gaza and bringing frigid, wet weather to war-ravaged Syria. The hilltop city of Jerusalem was paralysed by its fiercest snowstorm in years, with its mayor calling out the army to help stranded motorists and authorities urging residents to stay indoors. "We are battling a storm of ... more | |
Cairo sees first snow in years as cold snap hits Egypt Cairo (AFP) Dec 13, 2013 - A regional cold snap spread to Egypt on Friday, with some Cairo suburbs seeing snowfall for the first time in years, a weather official said. The Middle East has been hit by a fierce winter storm, with temperatures in Egypt plummeting over the past two days as torrential rain also lashed parts of the country. "It is the first time in very many years" that it has snowed in the suburbs of ... more |  |
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