Hope fades for lone pine tree survivor of Japan's tsunami Reuters - 9 hours agoRIKUZENTAKATA, Japan (Reuters) - Very little was left standing in the Japanese city of Rikuzentakata after a huge tsunami tore through nearly a year ago. Even the centuries-old pine forest by the sea that … More »Hope fades for lone pine tree survivor of Japan's tsunami
RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan (Reuters) - Very little was left standing in the Japanese city of Rikuzentakata after a huge tsunami tore through nearly a year ago. Even the centuries-old pine forest by the sea that had long been a symbol of the city was obliterated. But amidst the destruction that killled about one in 12 of the city's …
EU states exceed air pollution limits – check the air quality where you live AFP Relax - 21 hours agoTwelve EU member states exceed air pollutant limits in 2010, potentially damaging health and vegetation according to a report released February 22 by the European Environment Agency (EEA), however concerned … More »EU states exceed air pollution limits – check the air quality where you live
Twelve EU member states exceed air pollutant limits in 2010, potentially damaging health and vegetation according to a report released February 22 by the European Environment Agency (EEA), however concerned EU citizens can receive real time air quality updates via the web and Twitter.
Italian engineer invents floating solar panels AFP Relax - 23 hours agoRays of the winter sun bounce off gleaming mirrors on the tiny lake of Colignola in Italy, where engineers have built a cost-effective prototype for floating, rotating solar panels. More »Italian engineer invents floating solar panels
Rays of the winter sun bounce off gleaming mirrors on the tiny lake of Colignola in Italy, where engineers have built a cost-effective prototype for floating, rotating solar panels.
Street artists join the war on Manila smog Reuters - Wed, Feb 22, 2012MANILA (Reuters) - Their canvas is a stretch of dingy concrete wall along Manila's main highway, where millions of vehicles stream past every day, belching exhaust that helps to create a noxious, unhealthy … More »Street artists join the war on Manila smog
MANILA (Reuters) - Their canvas is a stretch of dingy concrete wall along Manila's main highway, where millions of vehicles stream past every day, belching exhaust that helps to create a noxious, unhealthy smog. But the murals now blooming under the hands of street artists along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) are not …
New York eyes shark fin trade ban AFP Relax - Wed, Feb 22, 2012A group of New York legislators on Tuesday unveiled a draft law banning trade in shark fins, saying the practice, which serves the market for Chinese shark fin soup, was decimating the ocean predators … More »New York eyes shark fin trade ban
A group of New York legislators on Tuesday unveiled a draft law banning trade in shark fins, saying the practice, which serves the market for Chinese shark fin soup, was decimating the ocean predators.
- New York judge upholds fracking ban in towns Reuters - Wed, Feb 22, 2012
NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a blow to the oil and gas industry, a judge has ruled small towns in New York have the authority to ban drilling - including the controversial method known as fracking - within their borders. In a ruling released late Tuesday, state Supreme Court Justice Phillip Rumsey held that the Ithaca suburb …
- Development-weary Singaporeans back 'Green Corridor' AFP Relax - Tue, Feb 21, 2012
The air is crisp and sunlight filters softly through foliage punctuated by pink and yellow flowers as birds and crickets supply the soundtrack for joggers, cyclists and nature lovers.
- Scientists regenerate a plant -- 30,000 years on AFP Relax - Tue, Feb 21, 2012
Fruit seeds stored away by squirrels more than 30,000 years ago and found in Siberian permafrost have been regenerated into full flowering plants by scientists in Russia, a new study has revealed.
- Coasts in peril plan ahead for rising seas AFP Relax - Tue, Feb 21, 2012
Scientists warn that by the end of this century, the sea level along North America's west coast will rise by about a meter due to global warming and melting arctic glaciers.
- Photos make slow way home in tsunami-hit Japan Reuters - Tue, Feb 21, 2012
OFUNATO, Japan (Reuters) - In a large, bright room not far from the ocean that raged through this coastal Japanese city nearly a year ago, a handful of people with magnifying glasses pore over boxes of photographs of friends or loved ones. The massive March 11 tsunami that leveled buildings and flattened towns along a wide …
- First test-tube hamburger ready this fall: researchers AFP Relax - Tue, Feb 21, 2012
The world's first "test-tube" meat, a hamburger made from a cow's stem cells, will be produced this fall, Dutch scientist Mark Post told a major science conference on Sunday.
- 'Artificial leaf' eyed as holy grail in energy research AFP Relax - Tue, Feb 21, 2012
Turbo-charging photosynthesis -- by which plants and bacteria turn sunlight into food and energy -- in an "artificial leaf" could yield a vast commercial power source, scientists said.
- Record low rainfall puts UK on drought watch Reuters - Mon, Feb 20, 2012
LONDON (Reuters) - Large parts of Britain are facing a drought this year after groundwater reached levels not seen for more than 35 years, which could spell restrictions for farmers and households. Rivers, canals and reservoirs are running low after a second dry winter in a row, with some areas receiving less than 70 percent …
- Tiny shrimp leave giant carbon footprint: scientist AFP Relax - Sun, Feb 19, 2012
Measured by environmental impact, a humble shrimp cocktail could be the most costly part of a typical restaurant meal, scientists said Friday.
- Surface woes blamed for fracking flaws: study AFP Relax - Sat, Feb 18, 2012
Environmental contamination from operations to remove gas from deep within the Earth, known as hydraulic fracturing, often happens close to surface and not far below, said a US study released Thursday.
- Featherweight flyer is a long-distance champ AFP Relax - Fri, Feb 17, 2012
A tiny songbird weighing just two tablespoons of sugar migrates from the Arctic to Africa and back, a distance of up to 29,000 kilometres (18,000 miles), scientists reported on Wednesday.
- Tasmanian devil genome mapping may help humans too Reuters - Fri, Feb 17, 2012
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Scientists have mapped the genome of Australia's endangered Tasmanian devil for the first time and found that deadly facial tumours decimating the species evolve very slowly, making it possible help might be found before the animals vanish forever. Not only that, scientists at Australian National University …
- U.S. leads low-cost bid to curb global warming pollutants Reuters - Fri, Feb 17, 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - - The United States said on Thursday it will contribute $12 million to a six-country initiative to fight against climate change by low-cost programs, such as promoting clean cooking stoves. Announcing the initiative, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged the plan does not address carbon …
- Green agenda: Smart Grid Expo, Green Film Festival AFP Relax - Fri, Feb 17, 2012
Over the next few weeks hybrid and electric vehicles will be on display at the 104th Chicago Auto Show in the United States, and solar power will take center stage at Expo Solar in South Korea, a business-to-business event covering all aspects of the solar industry.
- Scientists find some of world's tiniest chameleons Reuters - Fri, Feb 17, 2012
BERLIN (Reuters) - Scientists say they have discovered a species of chameleon so small it can balance on the tip of a match. The miniature lizard - "Brookesia micra" - reaches a maximum length of 29mm, and was discovered by a team of German and American researchers on the island of Nosy Hara, just off the northern coast …