Tag archives for environment
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On our radar today: 1) Fire ants inspire new rescue robots; 2) NASA plans on printing pizza in space; 3) T. Rex’s cousin ate more like a falcon than a crocodile, and…
On our radar today: 1) A tornado in Oklahoma kills at least 91 people; 2) The largest python ever caught in Florida; 3) Researchers find that a piece of hair might be able to measure your soda intake, and…
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It’s not everyday you get to see large-scale illegal fishing in progress. But on April 14, that’s exactly what passengers aboard the National Geographic Explorer seem to have witnessed. This passenger ship was two-thirds of the way through a voyage up the coast of West Africa, and guests were enjoying a day at sea. As…
On our radar today: 1) People need to learn to farm to live on Mars; 2) A Japanese reactor lies on an active fault line; 3) Shocks to the brain may improve your math skills, and…
Carbon Dioxide Milestone Revised by NOAA
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on May 16, 2013 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last week that carbon dioxide concentrations at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii surpassed the milestone 400 parts per million for a sustained period. NOAA has since revised the figure—on the basis of computer analysis—saying its May 9 readings actually remained fractions of a point below the historic level, coming in at…
Arctic Experiencing More Than Just Melt
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on May 9, 2013 Carbon dioxide emissions are soaking into Arctic waters and affecting the chemistry of the ocean, a new report by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program shows. Increasing carbon dioxide emissions and freshwater runoff challenge the ocean’s ability to neutralize acidification—an imbalance caused by absorption of the greenhouse gas from the air. The study said the Arctic’s cold water makes it more vulnerable to…
Posted by The top 10 news stories on our radar today: A volcano in the Philippines has erupted and taken the lives of at least five people, NASA telescopes caught a glimpse of the most powerful star explosion ever seen, and…
U.S. Oil Reserves Higher Than Previously Thought
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on May 2, 2013 According to a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment, two formations in the central United States hold three times the amount of natural gas and two times the amount of oil than the federal government previously estimated. Concentrated in the Dakotas and Montana, the Bakken and Three Forks formations are expected to hold 7.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil and…
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It rises in Ethiopia’s Shewa Highlands, and flows for 760 kms through terraced hillsides, volcanic outcrops and fertile grasslands as far as the world’s greatest desert lake, Lake Turkana, in Kenya. The lower valley of the Omo River is believed by some historians to have been a cultural crossroads for thousands of years, where a…
Saving Lives, Livelihoods, and Life
Posted by Guest Blogger on April 22, 2013 
By Harold E. Varmus, Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute; and Robert D. Hormats, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment For many people, the term biodiversity might seem highly technical and irrelevant to their day to day concerns. If you think that, think again. It may just save your life.…
On our radar today: A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Madagascar, Human Rights Watch has accused Myanmar of crimes against humanity, and…
European Union Rejects Carbon Market Solution
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on April 18, 2013 The European Union Parliament rejected a proposal to backload the auctioning of credits within its Emissions Trading Scheme this week. The proposed “backloading” plan would have removed a surplus of emissions permits from the world’s largest carbon market—potentially saving it from collapse and making fossil fuels more expensive for utilities and factories to burn. The surplus, partly a result of the…
On our radar today: A ‘living fossil’ fish gets its genome sequenced, x-rays show remnants of an ancient supernova, and…
On our radar today: The tragedy in Boston joins a number of other attacks on sporting events throughout history; a 7.8 magnitude quake rocks Iran, and…
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Things are changing for a motley crew of pint-sized slowpokes on a previously undisturbed island ten miles off the coast of Panama. But scientists are utilizing an “environmental air force” to slow the tide.
On our radar today: The Supreme Court will debate whether we can—or should—patent genes; enormous, slimy snails are invading Florida; a lab-grown kidney has been successfully implanted into live animals; and…
Moniz, McCarthy Face Questions at Senate Confirmation Hearings
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on April 11, 2013 Senate confirmation hearings for Ernest Moniz and Gina McCarthy—President Barack Obama’s appointees to oversee the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—began this week. For Moniz, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist, committee grilling started Tuesday. Natural gas exports were a popular topic throughout Moniz’s hearing—signaling his likely support for exports as a way to combat climate change. With…
His name means “Hawk” in his language. Yet even with the acuity of vision the moniker suggests, Karapiru could not have foreseen thetragedy that befell his people, the Awá tribe of northeastern Brazil. He could never have imagined the day that he would flee for his life far into the rainforest, a shotgun pellet burning…
On our radar today: 1) Researchers share tips on how to make a brain transparent, 2) World’s oldest dinosaur embryo has been found, 3) The use of the death penalty around the globe is declining, and…
Posted by On our radar today: 1) Scientists try to copy leaves that impale bedbugs; 2) Oregon set to name its official microbe; 3) Broad-faced men are better at baseball…
On our radar today: 1) Monkeys may be talking about us behind our backs; 2) The hunt for a new Earth will begin in 2017; 3) A California town harnesses the sun, and…
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Icon of the Arctic, the polar bear thrives in the remote Arctic landscape of ice and snow. World-renowned polar bear scientist Ian Stirling offers his thoughts on the state of polar bears in the wild, the threats they face today, and insights from his recent book, Polar Bears: A Natural History of a Threatened Species.
On our radar today: 1) A real life Roman ring may have inspired the Lord of the Rings saga, 2) Scientists are able to decode your dreams, 3) Baby lizards can hatch early if they sense danger, and…
EPA Proposes Clean Air Measures for Gasoline, Finalizes MATS Rules
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on April 4, 2013 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday announced its proposed Tier 3 rules, which would reduce allowable amounts of sulfur in gasoline and help automobiles’ catalytic converters capture more pollutants. The new measures would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent—from the present average of 30 parts per million to 10 parts per million by 2017—an environmental benefit comparable to taking 33 million…
On our radar today: 1) A suspected portal to other universes may have closed, 2) Historic weapons reveal two “lost” shark species, 3) Gigantic tarantula discovered, and…
