Feature Channels: Environmental Science

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29-Sep-2010 3:25 PM EDT
Saving Tropical Forests: Value Their Carbon and Improve Farming Technology
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

As the century warms, tropical forests will be at risk from many threats, especially conversion to cropland to sustain the population. A new report shows that crop productivity improvements and carbon emission limits together could prevent widespread tropical deforestation over the next 100 years.

1-Oct-2010 2:00 PM EDT
Bioenergy Choices Could Dramatically Change Midwest Bird Diversity
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Ambitious plans to expand acreage of bioenergy crops could have a major impact on birds in the Upper Midwest, according to a study published today (Oct. 4) in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Released: 4-Oct-2010 7:00 AM EDT
Magnificent Coral Reefs Discovered
University of Haifa

Reefs of deep-sea corals are discovered for the first time in the Mediterranean, offshore of Israel, by the "Nautilus" cruise. "It's like finding a flourishing oasis in the middle of the desert," said Dr. Yizhaq Makovsky.

Released: 1-Oct-2010 1:40 PM EDT
Climate Change Forces ‘Move It Or Lose It’ Conservation Approach?
Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

What does it take to save a species in the 21st century? The specter of climate change, with predicted losses to biodiversity as high as 35 percent, has some scientists and managers considering taking their conservation strategies on the road.

Released: 1-Oct-2010 11:00 AM EDT
Study Shows Extent of Land Degradation and Recovery on Western Rangelands
USDA, Office of Research, Education, and Economics

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a new study by scientists and conservationists showing that non-federal rangelands in the Western United States are productive, but that non-native grasses and shrubs pose a potential threat to the rangelands’ productivity.

24-Sep-2010 11:45 AM EDT
Report Casts World’s Rivers in ‘Crisis State’
University of Wisconsin–Madison

The world’s rivers, the single largest renewable water resource for humans and a crucible of aquatic biodiversity, are in a crisis of ominous proportions, according to a new global analysis.

27-Sep-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Sharing Unanticipated Findings in Community Health Research
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

An article published online September 29 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) relates how the finding of unexpected biomarker results during a pilot community health study of school-age girls led to a debate about how and when to inform the study families. Ultimately, the transdisciplinary research team, which included community breast cancer advocates, was able to draw on its diverse experience and knowledge of ethical principles to craft a comprehensive plan to communicate the findings to the families.

Released: 28-Sep-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Potential Climate Change Side Effect: More Parasites on South American Birds
Wildlife Conservation Society

A Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) study on nesting birds in Argentina finds that increasing temperatures and rainfall—both side effects of climate change in some parts of the world—could be bad for birds of South America, but great for some of their parasites which thrive in warmer and wetter conditions.

24-Sep-2010 11:10 AM EDT
Complexity Not So Costly After All, Analysis Shows
University of Michigan

The more complex a plant or animal, the more difficulty it should have adapting to changes in the environment. That's been a maxim of evolutionary theory since biologist Ronald Fisher put forth the idea in 1930.

Released: 27-Sep-2010 2:00 PM EDT
Acidification Of Oceans May Contribute To Global Declines Of Shellfish
Stony Brook University

Rising CO2 levels in atmosphere contribute to lower ocean pH levels, which interfere with development of shellfish larvae.

Released: 23-Sep-2010 2:00 PM EDT
Dalhousie Builds the Greenest Building in the Land
Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University's newest academic building, is also the greenest place on campus and sets a new standard for green buildings in the university community.

Released: 23-Sep-2010 8:00 AM EDT
FSU Scientist Joins Global Study of Decomposing Permafrost
Florida State University

Florida State University oceanographer Jeff Chanton is part of an international team embarking on a new study of permafrost decomposition in arctic Sweden. What he and his fellow researchers discover there may be critical given the permafrost’s key role in climate change, and vice versa.

Released: 22-Sep-2010 1:10 PM EDT
‘Citizen Scientists’ Could Help in Response to Environmental Disasters
Virginia Tech

Jules White, with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, seeks to create a massive data collection system that would rely on information captured by “citizen scientists” who would use devices such as smart phones to take photographic evidence from the site of disaster areas. Once collected at a single source, scientists and other responders could quickly sift through data, and decide how best to react.

21-Sep-2010 1:55 PM EDT
Sudden Ocean Cooling Likely Aided Mid-20th Century Global Warming Hiatus in Northern Hemisphere
University of Washington

New research shows a mid-20th century pause in global warming in the Northern Hemisphere might have resulted from an abrupt cooling event centered over the North Atlantic around 1970.

Released: 21-Sep-2010 2:55 PM EDT
Less Toxic, More Efficient Dispersant is Scientist’s Goal
University at Buffalo

After the failure of the Deepwater Horizon oil well last spring, nearly 2 million gallons of dispersant were released into the Gulf of Mexico. The long-term effect of the dispersant on ecosystems, wildlife and humans remains to be seen.

Released: 21-Sep-2010 2:40 PM EDT
Genetically Engineered Salmon Safe to Eat, but a Threat to Wild Stocks
Cornell University

Craig Altier, a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee and an associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, comments on potential FDA approval of the first genetically engineered animal for use as food.

Released: 20-Sep-2010 12:45 PM EDT
Pollution Takes its Toll on the Heart
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (North Shore-LIJ Health System)

The fine particles of pollution that hang in the air can increase the risk for sudden cardiac arrest, according to a new study conducted by a team from Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

Released: 17-Sep-2010 3:45 PM EDT
Pickle Spoilage Bacteria May Help Environment
USDA, Office of Research, Education, and Economics

Spoilage bacteria that can cause red coloration of pickles' skin during fermentation may actually help clean up dyes in textile industry wastewater, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study.

Released: 17-Sep-2010 3:10 PM EDT
New Clean Energy Initiative Launched in Chicago
University of Chicago

The Clean Energy Trust has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help transfer research from the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and other Illinois universities and science labs into clean-energy technologies and viable businesses.

Released: 17-Sep-2010 1:00 PM EDT
One Company’s Goal: Bringing “Green Chemistry” to the Latex Industry
Vystar Corporation

So-called green chemists use all the tools and training of traditional chemistry, but instead of ending up with toxins that must be treated after the fact, they aim to create industrial processes that avert hazard problems altogether. The result is new materials that are not only safer to use but less expensive to make. Yet a decade after the phrase “green chemistry” was coined, less than 1% of patents in chemical-heavy industries are green.



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