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| January 23, 2014 |
 Meet the rainforest "diversity police" Oxford, UK (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - A new study has revealed that fungi, often seen as pests, play a crucial role policing biodiversity in rainforests. The Oxford University-led research found that fungi regulate diversity in rainforests by making dominant species victims of their own success. Fungi spread quickly between closely-packed plants of the same species, preventing them from dominating and enabling a wider range of ... more |  |
 Polar bear diet changes as sea ice melts Washington DC (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - A series of papers recently published by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History suggests that polar bears in the warming Arctic are turning to alternate food sources. As Arctic sea ice melts earlier and freezes later each year, polar bears have a limited amount of time to hunt their historically preferred prey-ringed seal pups-and must spend more time on land. The new researc ... more |  |
 Princeton model anticipates ecological impacts of human responses to climate Princeton NJ (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - Throughout history, humans have responded to climate. Take, for example, the Mayans, who, throughout the eighth and 10th centuries, were forced to move away from their major ceremonial centers after a series of multi-year droughts, bringing about agricultural expansion in Mesoamerica, and a clearing of forests. Much later, in the late 20th century, frequent droughts caused the people of Burkina ... more |  |
NASA Finds 2013 Sustained Long-Term Climate Warming Trend Washington DC (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - NASA scientists say 2013 tied with 2009 and 2006 for the seventh warmest year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years in the 134-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the warmest years on record. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which analyzes glo ... more |  |
 Great Lakes study dispels many misconceptions Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes responsible for that welcome outcome are not as simple and straightforward as you might think. Yes, extreme winter cold increases ice cover on the Great Lakes, which in turn reduces evaporation by preventing water vapor ... more |  |
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 "Sedimentary Bathtub" Amplifies Earthquakes San Diego CA (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - Like an amphitheater amplifies sound, the stiff, sturdy soil beneath the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area could greatly amplify the effects of an earthquake, pushing the potential devastation past what building codes in the region are prepared for. That's the conclusion behind a pair of studies recently coauthored by San Diego State University seismologist Kim Olsen. Greater Vancouver s ... more |  |
 Calcium absorption not the cause of evolution of milk digestion in Europeans Uppsala, Sweden (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - DNA from early Iberian farmers shows that the wideheld evolutionary hypothesis of calcium absorption was not the only reason Europeans evolved milk tolerance. Most of us grew up drinking milk. We were told it was the ultimate health drink. It is packed full of nutrients like calcium and other minerals, vitamins, including vitamin D, protein, fat and sugar in the form of lactose. In the Wes ... more |  |
Image or reality? Leaf study needs photos and lab analysis Providence RI (SPX) Jan 23, 2014 - Every picture tells a story, but the story digital photos tell about how forests respond to climate change could be incomplete, according to new research. Scientists from Brown University and the Marine Biological Laboratory have shown that the peak in forest greenness as captured by digital pictures does not necessarily correspond to direct measures of peak chlorophyll content in leaves, which ... more |  |
Australia's drinking water at risk from extreme weather events Sydney (UPI) Jan 22, 2013 - Australia's drinking water is at risk from extreme weather, a new study says. The study, commissioned by the United States-based Water Research Foundation, says flooding, prolonged rainfall, drought, cyclones and bush fires impact surface water quality. Such weather events, it says, are predicted to become more frequent and intense in many parts of Australia due to climate change. ... more |  |
 Endangered Indian snow leopards to be tracked by GPS Shimla, India (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Six snow leopards in the icy Indian state of Himachal Pradesh will be fitted with satellite-linked collars in a project aimed at deepening understanding of the endangered mountain cat, wildlife officials said Wednesday. The $40,450 project will help the state wildlife department study the movement of the snow leopards in the Himalayas where climate change and human settlements are affecting ... more |  |
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 Bitterly cold US digs out of northeast snow New York (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Millions of American commuters braved miserable conditions across the East coast Wednesday after a fierce storm dumped almost a foot of snow from the Mid-Atlantic to New England. Federal government stumbled and slipped back to work as bitter wind chills kept temperatures 10 to 25 degrees below average with hundreds of flights canceled and roads still icy. Wednesday saw little of the snow ... more |  |
 Beijing's 'rat tribe' scurry from high costs underground Beijing (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Near Beijing's $600 million Olympic stadium, migrant worker Ye Yiwen, her husband and two children cram into a tiny underground room, sheltering from the Chinese capital's biting winter and soaring property prices. Ye's family left behind a 200-square-metre (2,150 square feet) house in a rural outpost 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) away to live in the dimly-lit basement, which - at 10 square ... more |  |
Northern Kenya at risk of drought: Red Cross Nairobi (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Northern Kenya is at risk of drought if current weather trends continue, the Red Cross warned Wednesday of the harsh areas awash with guns where people depend on animals for their livelihoods. "The short rains lasting October, November and December failed, and we have not had rain so far in January," Red Cross Secretary-General Abbas Gullet told AFP, noting rains are not now expected until A ... more |  |
 Ford, researchers to work on autonomous cars Washington (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it was teaming up with researchers at two US universities to work on obstacles, technical and otherwise, to automated driving. "To deliver on our vision for the future of mobility, we need to work with many new partners across the public and private sectors, and we need to start today," said Paul Mascarenas, chief technical officer and vice president at Ford. ... more |  |
Rescued Antarctic scientists back on dry land Sydney (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Scientists whose Antarctic expedition became trapped in sea ice finally returned to dry land Wednesday, apologising for the disruption and facing questions over who will pay for the international rescue mission. The scientists were among the 52 passengers plucked by helicopter from their stranded Russian ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, on January 2 after Chinese and Australian icebreakers fai ... more |  |
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 Nigeria, Pakistan could delay polio-free goal: Gates New York (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Billionaire software baron turned philanthropist Bill Gates has warned that violence in Nigeria and Pakistan could set back his goal of eradicating polio by 2018. Last year, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - a charity that funds medical research and vaccination drives - made wiping out the crippling disease in the next six years its top priority. But the Microsoft founder, who ha ... more |  |
 Mayor of scandal-hit Italy quake town withdraws resignation Rome (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - The mayor of the Italian town of L'Aquila, which was partially destroyed in a deadly 2009 earthquake, withdrew his resignation Wednesday 10 days after stepping down amid a corruption scandal. "I am back. I am here to defend the town. I have returned because of the solidarity shown by thousands of my fellow citizens," Massimo Cialente told reporters. Cialente had resigned after four peopl ... more |  |
 Japan dolphin hunt goes on after slaughter: campaigners Tokyo (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Japanese fishermen were out at sea attempting to trap more dolphins on Wednesday, campaigners said, after the bloody slaughter of dozens of the animals the previous day was hidden from view behind screens. Clouds of blood drifted through the waters of the cove in Taiji on Tuesday as metal spikes were driven into the spinal columns of bottlenose dolphins that had been trapped for several days ... more |  |
HK employer charged with attacking Indonesian maids Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - A Hong Kong mother-of-two was charged Wednesday with a serious assault on her Indonesian domestic helper, in a case which sparked a march by thousands and expressions of concern from Indonesia's President. Law Wan-tung, 44, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who is now undergoing hospital treatment in her home country. Law was arrested Monday at Hong K ... more |  |
China activist Xu Zhiyong in silent protest at trial: lawyer Beijing (AFP) Jan 22, 2014 - Prominent Chinese activist Xu Zhiyong was tried Wednesday for his role in anti-corruption protests but defied the court by refusing to speak, his lawyer said, calling the proceedings a "piece of theatre". Prosecutors called for Xu, founder of the New Citizens Movement, to be sentenced to the maximum five years in jail for "assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place". He was ac ... more |  |
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