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| January 17, 2014 |
 Large landmasses existed 2.7 billion years ago Cologne, Germany (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - A Cologne working group involving Prof. Carsten Munker and Dr. Elis Hoffmann and their student Sebastian Viehmann (working with Prof. Michael Bau from the Jacobs University Bremen) have managed for the first time to determine the isotope composition of the rare trace elements Hafnium and Neodymium in 2,700 million year-old seawater by using high purity chemical sediments from Temagami Banded Iro ... more |  |
 Oldest trees are growing faster, storing more carbon as they age Corvallis OR (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - In a finding that overturns the conventional view that large old trees are unproductive, scientists have determined that for most species, the biggest trees increase their growth rates and sequester more carbon as they age. In a letter published in the journal Nature, an international research group reports that 97 percent of 403 tropical and temperate species grow more quickly the older t ... more |  |
 Key species of algae shows effects of climate change over time Chicago IL (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - A study of marine life in the temperate coastal waters of the northeast Pacific Ocean shows a reversal of competitive dominance among species of algae, suggesting that increased ocean acidification caused by global climate change is altering biodiversity. The study, published online January 15, 2014, in the journal Ecology Letters, examined competitive dynamics among crustose coralline alg ... more |  |
The life cycle of a jellyfish and a way to control it London, UK (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - Those free-swimming jellyfish in the sea don't start out in that familiar medusa form, but rather start as sessile and asexual polyps. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 16 have discovered what triggers that transformation in the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). The key is a novel metamorphosis hormone that accumulates during the cold winter to induce ... more |  |
Researchers target sea level rise to save years of archaeological evidence Tallahassee FL (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - Prehistoric shell mounds found on some of Florida's most pristine beaches are at risk of washing away as the sea level rises, wiping away thousands of years of archaeological evidence. "The largest risk for these ancient treasure troves of information is sea level rise," said Shawn Smith, a senior research associate with the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State ... more |  |
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Coral Reefs in Palau Surprisingly Resistant to Naturally Acidified Waters Washington DC (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - Ocean researchers working on the coral reefs of Palau in 2011 and 2012 made two unexpected discoveries that could provide insight into corals' resistance and resilience to ocean acidification, and aid in the creation of a plan to protect them. The team collected water samples at nine points along a transect that stretched from the open ocean, across the barrier reef, into the lagoon, and t ... more |  |
Bald reef gets new growth with seaweed transplant Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - Marine ecologists in Sydney have successfully restored a once thriving seaweed species, which vanished along a stretch of the city's coastline during the 1970s and 80s during high levels of sewage outfalls. A team of researchers from UNSW, the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and the NSW Department of Primary Industries has transplanted fertile specimens of the missing crayweed (Phyllosp ... more |  |
Sunscreen Chemical In Soaps, Cosmetics And Body Fragrances Threaten Coral Reefs Clifford VA (SPX) Jan 17, 2014 - A team of marine scientists from Virginia, Florida, Israel, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a study demonstrating that a common UV absorber found in over 380 different product lines of soaps, laundry detergents, cosmetics, and body fragrances is highly toxic to corals. This chemical, benzophenone-2, commonly known as "BP- 2", is released into the environmen ... more |  |
 Success reported in protecting whales during seismic oil-gas surveys Gland, Switzerland (UPI) Jan 16, 2013 - The oil/gas industry, scientists and conservationists have worked to produce a way to minimize seismic survey impacts on rare whales, a conservation group says. A study published in the journal Aquatic Mammals described what it called the most thorough, robust and practical approach to minimizing and monitoring the risk of harm to vulnerable marine species when intense sounds are used i ... more |  |
 Fresh cyclone brews as Tonga struggles to recover Nuku'Alofa, Tonga (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - A fresh cyclone was brewing in the Pacific near the Solomon Islands Thursday as humanitarian groups struggled to get relief supplies to outlying islands in Tonga devastated by Cyclone Ian. Solomons forecasters said the region's second cyclone of the summer could hit this weekend, a week after Ian slammed into Tonga, killing one person, leaving about 4,000 homeless and destroying crops on out ... more |  |
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 Dangerous pollution hits China's capital Beijing (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - China's capital was shrouded in dangerous smog on Thursday, cutting visibility down to a few hundred metres as a count of small particulate pollution reached more than 25 times recommended levels. A grey haze filled the sky, leaving an industrial, burning smell hanging in the air as PM2.5 reached over 500 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of Beijing, according to official statistics. F ... more |  |
Warmer Pacific worsened cyclone risk for E. Asia Paris (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - China, Korea and Japan have been placed in the firing line of powerful tropical cyclones by a warming of water in the western Pacific, according to a three-decade study published on Thursday. Researchers led by Chang-Hoi Ho from Seoul National University in South Korean looked at five sets of background data for tropical cyclones that occurred in the northwest Pacific between 1977 and 2010. ... more |  |
Indonesia floods leave 16 dead, tens of thousands displaced Manado, Indonesia (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - At least 16 people have been killed and 40,000 have fled their homes after torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's northern Sulawesi island, officials said Thursday. Rivers on the island's northern tip overflowed and burst their banks, sending torrents of water surging through the city of Manado and surrounding areas that swept away poorly-constructed houses and ... more |  |
 Australian heatwave set to worsen as fires rage Sydney (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - Australians sweltering through a severe heatwave were warned Thursday that the worst is yet to come, with hundreds of fires raging in several states and temperatures nearing record highs. Most of southeast Australia has been sizzling in a heatwave that triggered a devastating wildfire on the west coast, razing 55 homes and claiming one life on Sunday. The mercury has soared above 40 degr ... more |  |
 Greenpeace says Russia still holding Arctic protest ship Moscow (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - Russia is still holding a Greenpeace ship despite an international court order demanding its release, the environment lobby group said Thursday. The Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise ship was seized in September over Greenpeace's protest against oil drilling by Russian energy giant Gazprom. Thirty activists, including four Russians were detained in the process, before being bailed and then be ... more |  |
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Limited water predicted west of the Continental Divide Washington (UPI) Jan 16, 2013 - A limited water supply is predicted west of the Continental Divide - west of the Rocky Mountains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. In its first forecast for the year, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water and Climate Center also predicts normal water supply east of the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide is the principal, and largely mountaino ... more |  |
 Build it and they will believe, says defiant China tycoon Changsha, China (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - A Chinese multi-millionaire who built himself an Egyptian pyramid and a replica of Versailles vows to construct the world's tallest building in just six months - despite authorities preventing work amid safety concerns. Zhang Yue is worth an estimated 1.1 billion yuan ($180 million)and has grandiose aspirations, the biggest of them to build an 838 metre tall tower he calls "Sky City" by the ... more |  |
 Gulf between rich and poor is biggest global risk: WEF London (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - The growing gulf between the rich and the poor represents the biggest global risk this year, the World Economic Forum declared Thursday ahead of this month's Davos summit. The institution issued the gloomy warning in its annual Global Risks survey, published before its annual get-together of decision-makers at the Swiss mountain resort of Davos from January 22-25. "The chronic gap betwee ... more |  |
China army officer's gold, liquor haul seized in graft expose Beijing (AFP) Jan 16, 2014 - A top Chinese military officer has been exposed as owning dozens of homes, gold statues and crates of luxury liquor, reports said Thursday, in rare revelations of corruption in the country's armed forces. The revelations about Gu Junshan, a former lieutenant general and deputy logistics chief for the People's Liberation Army believed to be under investigation, came as China's leaders ramp up ... more |  |
 Ultrasound directed to the human brain can boost sensory performance Blacksburg VA (SPX) Jan 16, 2014 - Whales, bats, and even praying mantises use ultrasound as a sensory guidance system - and now a new study has found that ultrasound can modulate brain activity to heighten sensory perception in humans. Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have demonstrated that ultrasound directed to a specific region of the brain can boost performance in sensory discrimination. The study, ... more |  |
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