Nature & Environment : Science World Report

Apr 26, 2012 04:07 PM EDT

Oil Palm Surging Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Continued expansion of industrial-scale oil palm plantations on the island of Borneo will become a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 unless strong forest and peatland protections are enacted and enforced, according to a National Academy of Sciences study.

Apr 26, 2012 03:42 PM EDT

First Evaluation of the Clean Water Act's Effects on Coastal Waters Reveals Major Successes

Levels of copper, cadmium, lead and other metals in Southern California's coastal waters have plummeted over the past four decades, according to new research from USC.

Apr 26, 2012 11:25 AM EDT

Heart Study Suggests City Center Pollution Doubles Risk of Calcium Build-up in Arteries

City centre residents who took part in a study were almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery calcification (CAC), which can lead to heart disease, than people who lived in less polluted urban and rural areas, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Internal Me...

Apr 26, 2012 08:47 AM EDT

Wind Pushes Plastics Deeper into Oceans, Driving Trash Estimates up

While working on a research sailboat gliding over glassy seas in the Pacific Ocean, oceanographer Giora Proskurowski noticed something new: The water was littered with confetti-size pieces of plastic debris, until the moment the wind picked up and most of the particles disappeared.

Apr 26, 2012 07:07 AM EDT

Greenpeace Says Finds Tainted Lipton Tea Bags in China

Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace said on Tuesday that an investigation it had conducted found tea bags sold in China by Unilever's Lipton brand contained unsafe levels of pesticide residue, though Unilever said the product was safe and to standard.

Apr 26, 2012 06:23 AM EDT

Analysis: Dow's New Corn: "Time Bomb" or Farmers' Dream?

A new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences could answer the prayers of U.S. farmers plagued by a fierce epidemic of super-weeds. Or it could trigger a flood of dangerous chemicals that may make weeds even more resistant and damage other important U.S. crops.

Apr 26, 2012 06:17 AM EDT

Fewer Storms Forecast for 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is projected to be less active than in recent years with 11 tropical storms, six of which will intensify into hurricanes, U.S. private forecaster Weather Services International said on Wednesday.

Apr 26, 2012 06:08 AM EDT

Scientists Call for Rethink on Consumption, Population

Scientists have called for a radical rethink of our relationship with the planet to head off what they warn could be economic and environmental catastrophe.

Apr 25, 2012 04:43 PM EDT

Warm Ocean Currents Cause Majority of Ice Loss from Antarctica

Warm ocean currents attacking the underside of ice shelves are the dominant cause of recent ice loss from Antarctica, a new study using measurements from NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) revealed.

Apr 25, 2012 11:40 AM EDT

Global Warming Has Driven Europe's Mountain Plants to Migrate 2.7 Meters Upwards in 7 years

Researchers at the University of Granada Department of Botanic have participated in an international study that has confirmed that global warming is causing plants to migrate to higher altitudes. The study -recently published in Science- analyzed species diversity shifts in 66 summits of 17 European...

Apr 25, 2012 11:19 AM EDT

Rapid Tsunami Warning by Means of GPS

For submarine earthquakes that can generate tsunamis, the warning time for nearby coastal areas is very short. Using high-precision analysis of GPS data from the Fukushima earthquake of 11 March 2011, scientists at the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ showed that, in principle, the earthqu...

Apr 24, 2012 05:11 PM EDT

NASA Goes on Top of the Smokies, All Covered in Light Rain

If you walk into a cloud at the top of a mountain with a cup to slake your thirst, it might take a while for your cup to fill. The tiny, barely-there droplets are difficult to see, and for scientists they, along with rain and snow, are among the hardest variables to measure in Earth Science, says An...