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Released: 11-Jan-2012 1:00 PM EST
Russian Spacecraft Re-Entry: Orbital Debris Experts Available for Comment
Secure World Foundation

The uncontrolled re-entry of Russia’s Phobos-Grunt spacecraft is expected to occur early next week, perhaps between January 15-16. Secure World Foundation experts are available to discuss orbital debris, space situational awareness, space traffic management, space sustainability, and associated topics.

Released: 10-Jan-2012 6:00 PM EST
Fish Offspring Grow Best at Same Temperature as Parents
Stony Brook University

Fish parents can pre-condition their offspring to grow fastest at the temperature they experienced, according to research published in the February 2012 edition of Ecology Letters.

Released: 10-Jan-2012 4:20 PM EST
Lake Erie Algae and Ice Make a Nice Mix in Winter
Clarkson University

Clarkson University Prof Michael Twiss & colleagues have studied Lake Erie over the past five winters during mid-winter, a time when the lake is more than 70 percent covered by ice. They've documented very high concentrations of algae thriving in the water below the ice -- even in the ice itself.

Released: 9-Jan-2012 11:15 AM EST
New Cores from Glacier in the Eastern European Alps May Yield New Climate Clues
Ohio State University

Researchers are beginning their analysis of what are probably the first successful ice cores drilled to bedrock from a glacier in the eastern European Alps.

Released: 6-Jan-2012 4:35 PM EST
Soldiers to Learn Sustainability Techniques at Arizona State
Arizona State University (ASU)

A new graduate-level online certificate program at Arizona State University introduces soldiers and civilians in the United States Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve to major principles in sustainability science.

Released: 6-Jan-2012 3:55 PM EST
Bycatch-22: Protecting Butterfish
University of Delaware

Scientists work to assist fishermen in ways to avoid accidentally hauling in butterfish, a species protected by fishing limits. The researchers develop models to predict where the fish will be.

30-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Dialysis Treatments Go Green
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

1) Hemodialysis uses up large amounts of water and power. 2) Solar power can help offset high utility costs and make dialysis treatments greener. 3) Approximately 2 million patients in the world receive some sort of dialysis treatment.

Released: 5-Jan-2012 1:40 PM EST
Ecologists: Screen Plant Imports to Foil Invasives
University of Massachusetts Amherst

A new analysis suggests that climate change in the U.S. will boost demand for imported drought- and heat-tolerant landscape plants from Africa and the Middle East, greatly increasing the risk that a new wave of invasives will overrun native ecosystems in the way kudzu and purple loosestrife have.

Released: 5-Jan-2012 7:00 AM EST
2011 Ninth Warmest Yearin 33 Years of Satellite Record
University of Alabama Huntsville

2011 was the ninth warmest year (globally averaged) in the 33-year global satellite record despite La Niña Pacific Ocean cooling events at the start and finish of the year.

3-Jan-2012 2:30 PM EST
Russian River Water Unexpected Culprit Behind Arctic Freshening Near U.S., Canada
University of Washington

A hemispherewide phenomenon – and not just regional forces – has caused record-breaking amounts of freshwater to accumulate in the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea.

Released: 30-Dec-2011 12:45 PM EST
Giant Weed Creates Threat to Our Nation’s Ecosystems—and Border Security
Allen Press Publishing

Weed control has become a matter of national security. Along U.S. southern coastal rivers, most particularly Texas’ Rio Grande, an invasive species of plant known as giant reed is encroaching on the water, overrunning international border access roads, and creating a dense cover for illegal activities. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called for a plan to control this weed.

Released: 28-Dec-2011 7:00 AM EST
Weather Deserves Medal for Clean Air During 2008 Olympics
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Emission reductions during Beijing Olympics got help from weather.

Released: 22-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
New 'Flume Room' Contains 150 Mini Huron Rivers
University of Michigan

More than 3,000 gallons of Huron River water were trucked to the University of Michigan campus recently to create 150 mini-Hurons that are used to study how environmental changes affect freshwater habitats like rivers and streams.

Released: 22-Dec-2011 7:00 AM EST
Global Temperature Record Reaches One-Third Century
University of Alabama Huntsville

November 2011 completes 33 years of satellite-based global temperature data. Globally averaged, Earth’s atmosphere has warmed about 0.82° F during the almost one-third of a century that sensors aboard NOAA and NASA satellites have measured the temperature of oxygen molecules in the air.

Released: 21-Dec-2011 12:25 PM EST
Coal Waste Could Provide Eco-Friendly Option to Cement
University of Alabama

By adding carbon nanotubes to a coal waste product typically tossed into landfills, an engineering professor is working on a more environmentally-friendly option to cement.

Released: 20-Dec-2011 4:30 PM EST
Will Antarctic Worms Warm to Changing Climate?
University of Delaware

Researchers at the University of Delaware are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase.

19-Dec-2011 3:45 PM EST
Hellbender Salamander Study Seeks Answers for Global Amphibian Decline
University of Florida

A new study co-authored by University of Florida researchers on the endangered Ozark Hellbender giant salamander is the first to detail its skin microbes, the bacteria and fungi that defend against pathogens.

Released: 19-Dec-2011 10:00 AM EST
Data-Driven Tools Cast Geographical Patterns of Rainfall Extremes in New Light
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Using statistical analysis methods to examine rainfall extremes in India, a team of researchers has made a discovery that resolves an ongoing debate in published findings and offers new insights.

14-Dec-2011 2:35 PM EST
Upper Atmosphere Facilitates Changes That Let Mercury Enter Food Chain
University of Washington

New research shows that the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere work to transform elemental mercury into oxidized mercury, which can easily be deposited into aquatic ecosystems and ultimately enter the food chain.

Released: 16-Dec-2011 8:00 AM EST
Mercury Releases Into the Atmosphere from Ancient to Modern Time
American Chemical Society (ACS)

In pursuit of riches and energy over the last 5,000 years, humans have released into the environment 385,000 tons of mercury, the source of numerous health concerns, according to a new study that challenges the idea that releases of the metal are on the decline.

Released: 16-Dec-2011 8:00 AM EST
A New Genre of Tires: Call ‘em “Sweet” and “Green”
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Motorists may be driving on the world’s first “green” tires within the next few years, as partnerships between tire companies and biotechnology firms make it possible to produce key raw materials for tires from sugar rather than petroleum or rubber trees.

Released: 15-Dec-2011 2:30 PM EST
Human-Animal Interactions Impact Water Quality
Virginia Tech

For a number of years, Kathy Alexander noticed that many Botswana residents become ill two times during the year, and that these peaks appear to coincide with river flow. She is investigating the links between humans and animals as they influence water quality.

14-Dec-2011 4:25 PM EST
Nitrogen from Humans Pollutes Remote Lakes for More than a Century
University of Washington

Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes throughout the Northern Hemisphere for more than a century and the fingerprint of these changes is evident even in remote lakes located thousands of miles from the nearest city, industrial area or farm.

Released: 15-Dec-2011 1:05 PM EST
Acid Rain Poses a Previously Unrecognized Threat to Great Lakes Sugar Maples
University of Michigan

The number of sugar maples in Upper Great Lakes forests is likely to decline in coming decades, according to University of Michigan ecologists and their colleagues, due to a previously unrecognized threat from a familiar enemy: acid rain.

Released: 15-Dec-2011 10:20 AM EST
Declining Winter Snowpack May Not Dramatically Impact Upland Ecosystems
Boise State University

Two studies by Boise State University geoscientists provide new information about how snowmelt is stored and used in mountain environments.

Released: 14-Dec-2011 2:20 PM EST
University of Virginia, National Fish and Wildlife Partner to Address Conservation Issues
University of Virginia

The University of Virginia and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have established a unique partnership for collaborative, graduate-level training and research aimed at developing conservation professionals to tackle some of the biggest conservation problems facing the nation.

Released: 12-Dec-2011 11:00 AM EST
As Climate Change Sets In, Plants and Bees Keep Pace
Cornell University

As warm temperatures due to climate change encroach winter, bees and plants keep pace. An analysis of bee collection data over the past 130 years shows that spring arrives about 10 days earlier than in the 1880s, and bees and flowering plants have kept pace by arriving earlier in lock-step.

Released: 12-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Hundreds of Threatened Species Not on Official US List
University of Adelaide

Many of the animal species at risk of extinction in the United States have not made it onto the country’s official Endangered Species Act (ESA) list, according to new research from the University of Adelaide.

8-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Marine Science Researchers Release Study Suggesting Ocean Acidification May Directly Harm Fish
Stony Brook University

In a new article published in the December 11, 2011, online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers from Stony Brook University (NY, USA) demonstrate that “the fish are okay” belief ignores an important knowledge gap – the possible effects of CO2 during the early development of fish eggs and larvae.

Released: 9-Dec-2011 11:55 AM EST
2010 Spike in Greenland Ice Loss Lifted Bedrock, GPS Reveals
Ohio State University

An unusually hot melting season in 2010 accelerated ice loss in southern Greenland by 100 billion tons – and large portions of the island’s bedrock rose an additional quarter of an inch in response.

Released: 8-Dec-2011 5:00 PM EST
For Midwesterners, More Boxcars Mean Cleaner Air
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Shifting a fraction of truck-borne freight onto trains would have an outsized impact on air quality in the Midwest, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Released: 8-Dec-2011 11:00 AM EST
Affordable Solar: It's Closer Than You Think
Michigan Technological University

The ultimate in renewable energy is on the verge of going mainstream, says Joshua Pearce.

Released: 8-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
CAFE Standards Create Profit Incentive for Larger Vehicles
University of Michigan

The current Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards create a financial incentive for auto companies to make bigger vehicles that are allowed to meet lower targets, according to a new University of Michigan study.

Released: 6-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Researcher Finds Key to Ancient Weather Patterns in Florida's Caves
Florida State University

Darrel Tremaine has been known to go to extremes for his research, such as crawling on his hands and knees through a dark, muddy limestone cave in Northwest Florida to learn more about the weather thousands of years ago.

Released: 6-Dec-2011 7:00 AM EST
Tropical Sea Temperatures Influence Melting in Antarctica
University of Washington

New research shows accelerated melting of two fast-moving glaciers that drain Antarctic ice into the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely in part the result of an increase in sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Released: 5-Dec-2011 2:40 PM EST
Global Winds Could Explain Record Rains, Tornadoes
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Two talks at a scientific conference this week will propose a common root for an enormous deluge in western Tennessee in May 2010, and a historic outbreak of tornadoes centered on Alabama in April 2011. Both events seem to be linked to a relatively rare coupling between the polar and the subtropical jet streams, says Jonathan Martin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

Released: 5-Dec-2011 1:15 PM EST
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rebound Quickly After Global Financial Crisis
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The sharp decrease in global carbon dioxide emissions attributed to the worldwide financial crisis in 2009 quickly rebounded in 2010.

Released: 5-Dec-2011 10:35 AM EST
Public-Private Partnership Helps to Monitor Fish Populations in the Mid-Atlantic and New England
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William and Mary

Researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are working with commercial fishermen to collect and share fisheries data in a cooperative venture to build trust and foster sustainable and profitable fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

Released: 5-Dec-2011 8:00 AM EST
Climate Changes Faster than Species Can Adapt
Indiana University

The ranges of species will have to change dramatically as a result of climate change between now and 2100 because the climate will change more than 100 times faster than the rate at which species can adapt, according to a newly published study focusing on rattlesnakes.

1-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
Global CO2 Emissions and Concentrations Reach Record Levels
Appalachian State University

Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have surged to record levels following the 2008-09 global financial crisis, when a stagnant economy resulted in a temporary decline in emissions.

Released: 2-Dec-2011 2:40 PM EST
Texas Tech Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Research Used in Senator’s Plea to Postpone Endangered Listing
Texas Tech University

Preliminary research finds man-made risks created by petroleum and ranching industries don't impact the lizard as feared.

Released: 30-Nov-2011 3:00 PM EST
Scientists Propose Thinning Sierra Forests to Enhance Water Runoff
University of California, Merced

Less water used by trees would result in more runoff, which could benefit farmers and water managers statewide; Project will examine impacts on forest health and other ecosystem services.

30-Nov-2011 9:00 AM EST
Setting the Stage for Life: Scientists Make Key Discovery About the Atmosphere of Early Earth
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Scientists in the New York Center for Astrobiology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have used the oldest minerals on Earth to reconstruct the atmospheric conditions present on Earth very soon after its birth. The findings, which appear in the Dec. 1 edition of the journal Nature, are the first direct evidence of what the ancient atmosphere of the planet was like soon after its formation and directly challenge years of research on the type of atmosphere out of which life arose on the planet.

Released: 30-Nov-2011 11:30 AM EST
Petroleum-Eating Mushrooms
Universite de Montreal

Take a Petri dish containing crude petroleum and it will release a strong odor distinctive of the toxins that make up the fossil fuel. Sprinkle mushroom spores over the Petri dish and let it sit for two weeks in an incubator, and surprise, the petroleum and its smell will disappear.

Released: 29-Nov-2011 2:30 PM EST
UI Engineers Conduct Residential Soils Study, One of Few Such U.S. Studies Ever Done
University of Iowa

University of Iowa engineers have published their findings from a study of residential soils in the city of Cedar Rapids, making it one of only a few such U.S. urban soil studies ever conducted.

Released: 29-Nov-2011 1:00 PM EST
New Thinking Required on Wildlife Disease
University of Adelaide

A University of Adelaide scientist says much more could be done to predict the likelihood and spread of serious disease - such as tuberculosis (TB) or foot-and-mouth disease - in Australian wildlife and commercial stock.

Released: 29-Nov-2011 12:00 PM EST
Seaweed Hotspots, Illegal Logging, and Discovering New Species Under the Desert
University of Adelaide

More than 450 world experts from 60 countries will converge on Adelaide, Australia this week to discuss the importance of DNA "barcoding" - a rapidly growing international initiative to develop a genetic identity tool for all plants and animals on Earth.

Released: 28-Nov-2011 9:00 AM EST
Quack Medicines, Insect Immigrants, and What Eats What Revealed by DNA Barcodes
University of Adelaide

The newfound scientific power to quickly “fingerprint” species via DNA is being deployed to unmask quack herbal medicines, reveal types of ancient Arctic life frozen in permafrost, expose what eats what in nature, and halt agricultural and forestry pests at borders, among other applications across a wide array of public interests.

22-Nov-2011 3:45 PM EST
Ancient Environment Found to Drive Marine Biodiversity
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record – but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth?

Released: 22-Nov-2011 3:20 PM EST
Rowan University Protecting the Environment Through Engineering
Rowan University

An engineering professor and students at a New Jersey university are designing rain gardens to help the environment.



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