|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
 ScienceNitrogen loss threatens desert plant life, study shows As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new Cornell study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. 
National Science Foundation
Contact: Blaine Friedlander
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Geological Society of America BulletinPast climate of the northern Antarctic Peninsular informs global warming debate The seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial ice are unprecedented.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Dr. Rory Howlett
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
3rd International Barcode of Life ConferenceDNA barcodes: Creative new uses span health, fraud, smuggling, history, more Some 350 experts from 50 nations gathering in Mexico for their 3rd global meeting will outline the latest creative applications of DNA barcoding, including several projects related to human health, fraud, smuggling, the food chain and reconstructing environmental history. Contact: Terry Collins
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Geophysical Research LettersAGU journal highlights -- Nov. 5, 2009 Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: "Antarctica warming a regional, not local, trend"; "New model factors storms into shoreline loss"; "Study agrees reservoir contributed to Wenchuan earthquake"; "Much Arctic warming linked to sea-ice, cloud-cover changes"; "Sorting out natural from human influences in ocean warming"; and "Meteoritic impacts may have cooked up life's components." Contact: Maria-Jose Vinas
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
BiotropicaResearchers hail innovative plan to save rainforest, reduce greenhouse gas emissions An innovative proposal by the Ecuadorian government to protect an untouched, oil rich region of Amazon rainforest is a precedent-setting and potentially economically viable approach, says a team of environmental researchers from the University of Maryland, the World Resources Institute and Save America's Forests. Contact: Lee Tune
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
November 2009 story tips from the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory Fuel economy ratings for the new 2010 model year automobiles are posted at www.fueleconomy.gov, which ORNL maintains for the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A team led by ORNL's Nina Balke has moved closer to developing more rugged memory and logic devices. Heavy trucks are less heavy but just as safe and rugged because of steel rail frames. A new approach to crunching massive volumes of data uses neural networks like an artificial brain. Contact: Ron Walli
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
TectonophysicsAre the Alps growing or shrinking? The Alps are growing just as quickly in height, as they are shrinking. This paradoxical result could be proven by a group of German and Swiss geoscientists. Contact: F. Ossing
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
PTB Terahertz calibration satisfies US laser manufacturer Terahertz radiation still lies in a metrological no man's land -- a metrology gap. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt can now close this gap. For the first time, a commercial Terahertz laser was traced back to the international system of units by measuring its output power absolutely. Therefore, this laser is the first THz laser in the field with a reliably proven output power enabled by a novel calibration capability set up at the PTB. Contact: Dr. Andreas Steiger
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
ScienceAirborne nitrogen shifts aquatic nutrient limitation in pristine lakes The impact of airborne nitrogen released from the burning of fossil fuels and wide-spread use of fertilizers in agriculture is much greater that previously recognized and even extends to remote alpine lakes, according to a study published Nov. 6 in the journal Science.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Margaret Coulombe
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Genome ResearchGenomes of biofuel yeasts reveal clues that could boost fuel ethanol production worldwide As global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two studies published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale. Contact: Peggy Calicchia
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
American Journal of Public HealthUSC study finds big air pollution impacts on local communities Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California.
NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US Environmental Protection Agency, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Hastings Foundation, Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, others
Contact: Meghan Lewit
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
HortScienceCommon plants can eliminate indoor air pollutants Air quality in homes and offices is becoming a major health concern. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in indoor air emanate from adhesives, furnishings, clothing, and solvents and have been shown to cause illnesses in people. Researchers tested ornamental indoor plants for their ability to remove harmful VOCs from indoor air. The study concluded that simply introducing common ornamental plants into indoor spaces has the potential to significantly improve the quality of indoor air. Contact: Michael W. Neff
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
GeologyStudy uses satellite imagery to identify active magma systems in East Africa's Rift Valley A team from University of Miami, University of El Paso and University of Rochester used Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images compiled over a decade to study volcanic activity in the African Rift. A paper, published in the November issue of Geology, focuses on the section of the rift in Kenya. Surface deformation of four active volcanoes underscore possibility for human hazard, as well as the potential of geothermal resources. Contact: Barbra Gonzalez
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Inorganic ChemistryToward home-brewed electricity with 'personalized solar energy' New scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of "personalized solar energy," in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their own homes and communities. That's the topic of a report by an international expert on solar energy scheduled for the Nov. 2 issue of ACS' Inorganic Chemistry, a bi-weekly journal. Contact: Michael Bernstein
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPaleoecologists offer new insight into how climate change will affect organisms An article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science written by a team of ecologists, including Robert Booth, assistant professor of earth and environmental science at Lehigh University, examines some of the potential problems with current prediction methods and calls for the use of a range of approaches when predicting the impact of climate change on organisms. Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Geophysical Research LettersNew insight into predicting cholera epidemics in the Bengal Delta In Bangladesh cholera epidemics occur twice a year. Scientists have tried, without much success, to determine the causes -- and advance early detection and prevention efforts. Now, researchers from Tufts University have proposed a link between cholera and fluctuating water levels in the region's three principal rivers -- the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Alexander Reid
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
CHEST 2009 ChestNew COPD and smoking research presented at CHEST 2009 New research presented at CHEST 2009 highlights COPD abstracts related to how air pollution affects patients with COPD, calculating a smoking patient's "lung age," varenicline as an effective treatment for smoking cessation and more. Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual MeetingsGreat wines come from great soils Experts will discuss terroir with an emphasis on soil science in a symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in Pittsburgh. "Terroir: Winegrapes and the Environment" will be presented in two parts at the 2009 Annual Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America in Pittsburgh, Pa. Contact: Sara Uttech
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
Tropical Depression 97W passing through central Philippines Tropical Depression 97W hasn't grown into a tropical storm and is now tracking through the central Philippines, far south of Manila. The storm is weakening and is dissipating, and NASA's Aqua satellite verified that the thunderstorm cloud tops are not as cold as they were yesterday, indicating a weakening storm.
NASA
Contact: Rob Gutro
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
NASA's TRMM satellite provides a rainfall map of Mirinae's flooding rains The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite is managed by NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA. From its vantage point in space, TRMM flew over Typhoon Mirinae during its lifetime and cataloged its rainfall.
NASA
Contact: Rob Gutro
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
SMOS forms 3-pointed star in the sky Following the launch of ESA's SMOS satellite on Nov. 2, the French space agency CNES, which is responsible for operating the satellite, has confirmed that the instrument's three antenna arms have deployed as planned, and that the instrument is in good health. Contact: Robert Meisner
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by NRL's Space Science Division and Spacecraft Engineering Department offers a first of its kind technique for remote sensing of the ionosphere and thermosphere from space. Contact: Daniel Parry
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
Royal Meteorological Society's International Journal of ClimatologyStudy gives clearer picture of how land-use changes affect US climate A study by researchers from Purdue University and the universities of Colorado and Maryland concluded that greener land cover contributes to cooler temperatures, and almost any other change leads to warmer temperatures.
US Department of Energy, NASA, National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Contact: Greg Kline
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
CHEST 2009 ChestNew asthma research presented at CHEST 2009 New asthma research presented at CHEST 2009 highlights studies related to zinc deficiency and its relation to asthma, electrical stimulation as a treatment for asthma, how air pollution affects asthma, and more. Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesSnows of Kilimanjaro shrinking rapidly, and likely to be lost The remaining ice fields atop famed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania could be gone within two decades and perhaps even sooner, based on the latest survey of the ice fields remaining on the mountain. The findings indicate a major cause of this ice loss is very likely to be the rise in global temperatures. Although changes in cloudiness and precipitation may also play a role, they appear less important, particularly in recent decades.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Lonnie Thompson
|
|
|
||||
|
|
 |
|
