Nature & Environment : Science World Report

Feb 18, 2012 03:59 PM EST

Building Blocks of Early Earth Survived Collision that Created Moon

Unexpected new findings by a University of Maryland team of geochemists show that some portions of the Earth's mantle (the rocky layer between Earth's metallic core and crust) formed when the planet was much smaller than it is now, and that some of this early-formed mantle survived Earth's turbulent...

Feb 18, 2012 03:31 PM EST

Steam and Ash Plume over Tinakula Island

Tinakula is a small, volcanic island in the South Pacific, located about 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) northeast of Brisbane, Australia. This natural-color satellite image (top) shows a plume of volcanic gas, possibly mixed with a bit of ash, rising above the islandâ€™s summit.

Feb 18, 2012 02:33 PM EST

Man-made Photosynthesis to Revolutionize Food and Energy Production

Improving natural photosynthesis to make new fuels and boost crop production is the focus of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting today. It could see us one step close...

Feb 18, 2012 06:42 AM EST

Japan, IAEA to Hold Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety

On 17 February 2012, the Japanese Government announced that it will hold The Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, in co-sponsorship with the IAEA.

Feb 17, 2012 04:34 PM EST

AAAS-SFU Research: Controlling Forest Fires

Simon Fraser University statistician Rick Routledge will share his knowledge of what layers of charcoal in lake-bottom sediment can tell us about an area's forest fire history, at the world's largest science fair in Vancouver.

Feb 17, 2012 03:10 PM EST

Rain-soaked Madagascar Again Threatened by Cyclone Giovanna

Rainfall data from NASA's TRMM satellite revealed that parts of Madagascar's east coast received over a foot (30 cm) of rainfall from Cyclone Giovanna's passage, and new satellite data shows Cyclone Giovanna re-strengthening and turning back toward southeastern Madagascar.

Feb 17, 2012 02:18 PM EST

Driving Scientific Innovation

For more than 60 years, research reactors have been one of the locomotives of nuclear science and technology. According the IAEA Research Reactor Database (RRDB), to date approximately 670 research reactors have been built, and some 240 of these facilities, in 55 countries, continue to operate. In t...

Feb 17, 2012 09:06 AM EST

Researchers Find Strange New Nanoregion can Form in Quasicrystals

A team of international researchers has discovered a new type of structural anomaly, or defect, that can appear in quasicrystals, a unique material with some crystal-like properties but a more complex structure.

Feb 17, 2012 08:34 AM EST

Mother of Pearl Tells a Tale of Ocean Temperature, Depth

Nacre -- or mother of pearl, scientists and artisans know, is one of nature's amazing utilitarian materials.

Feb 17, 2012 08:07 AM EST

NASA Sees Cyclone Giovanna Moving through the Mozambique Channel

Infrared NASA satellite imagery showed Cyclone Giovanna moving south through the Mozambique Channel on Thursday, February 16, 2012. Infrared data showed that Giovanna was regaining strength in the warm waters of the Channel, and the strongest thunderstorms were west of the storm's center.

Feb 16, 2012 05:07 PM EST

Fukushima at Increased Earthquake Risk

Seismic risk at the Fukushima nuclear plant increased after the magnitude 9 earthquake that hit Japan last March, scientists report. The new study, which uses data from over 6,000 earthquakes, shows the 11 March tremor caused a seismic fault close to the nuclear plant to reactivate.

Feb 16, 2012 11:19 AM EST

Microbial Oasis Discovered Beneath the Atacama Desert

Two metres below the surface of the Atacama Desert there is an 'oasis' of microorganisms. Researchers from the Center of Astrobiology (Spain) and the Catholic University of the North in Chile have found it in hypersaline substrates thanks to SOLID, a detector for signs of life which could be used in...