Articles in the Category: Environment
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Environment, Marine Science, New Discoveries, Video, Weird Weather on 02 26th, 2010 | No Comments
Mammoth Icebergs Could Alter Ocean Currents, Weather
An iceberg about the size of Luxembourg, which struck a glacier off Antarctica dislodging another massive block of ice, could lower oxygen levels in the world’s oceans, affect ocean currents and even change global weather patterns.
With the equivalent of the world’s annual freshwater consumption...
Bloom Box May Rock Fuel Cell World
With California’s governor and a former Secretary of State on hand, Bloom Energy held its official launch. The clean-energy startup revealed some of its plans for making fuel-cell technology affordable enough for people to buy for their homes.
With roots in NASA’s Mars program, here’s...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Climate, Environment, Global Warming, Video on 02 8th, 2010 | No Comments
New Study Shows Accelerated Arctic Heating
An ice-free Arctic in the summer may just be a few years away, according to preliminary Canadian Research that began during the International Polar Year.
And less sea ice this winter allowed the coast guard icebreaker Amundsen to spend the whole winter research season in the Arctic, studying the climate...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Engineering, Environment, Geology, Oceanography, SciClips on 02 2nd, 2010 | No Comments
Branson Explores Underwater Flight
The man who is planning to send tourists to space is diving into the world of ocean exploration. The first underwater plane is designed for use by Sir Richard Branson’s guests who visit his private Caribbean island.
This fun toy could be the beginning of a new Virgin brand — this called...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Energy, Environment, Global Warming, SciClips, Solar on 01 25th, 2010 | No Comments
The Sun’s Hot Solar Promise
The sun is one-stop shopping when it comes to finding an unlimited supply of power. But harnessing light and turning it into electricity has proven to be a tricky and expensive proposition.
But if we could squeeze our huge thirst for power from the sun, one way to go may be something called “solar...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Animals, Biology, Endangered Species, Environment, SciClips on 01 20th, 2010 | No Comments
Make Room for the Mesopredators
The top predators in every animal niche are disappearing. Development and other forces are pushing these animals toward the brink of extinction.
New research shows that conservation efforts and a plan to return apex predators to the wild may be more cost-effective than trying to control the predators...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Backyard Science, Energy, Engineering, Environment, Solar, Video on 01 7th, 2010 | No Comments
A House of Cards in the Columbian Jungle
Dedicated environmentalists, or eccentric architects? Nearly a decade ago, the Jimenez family moved from the Colombian city of Cali to a humble home in the jungle made entirely out of paper.
They keep cool, cook, do laundry and demonstrate how to live off the grid by generating their own energy.
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Adaptation and Extinction, Climate, Engineering, Environment, Geoengineering, Global Warming, Politics and Science, SciClips, Video on 12 21st, 2009 | No Comments
Science Looks for Plan B after Getting the Cold Shoulder at Warming Talks
Many scientists are disappointed after two weeks of climate change negotiations resulted in a toothless agreement that didn’t limit carbon dioxide, the main culprit of global warming. The new Copenhagen Accord(PDF) did not cut emissions as previously thought, dimming some hope that a global treaty...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Animals, Biology, Endangered Species, Environment, Featured Articles, Global Warming, SciClips, Video on 12 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Tree Kangaroos Fate Up in the Air
Matschie's Tree Kangaroo courtesy of Woodland Park Zoo
Climate negotiations over how to limit carbon dioxide emissions are heating up in Copenhagen. But one other important area negotiators are addressing — how to sequester existing CO2.
Climate sinks — like oceans, forests and permafrost...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Energy, Environment, Science & Religion, Video, Wind on 12 14th, 2009 | No Comments
Wind Powered Menorah
Two Yeshiva University students are introducing science to religion in the wind tunnel of New York where powerful blasts of air rip down skyscraper lined streets. Wind power offers a new way to power Hanukkah.
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Environment, Featured Articles, Health and Medicine, Politics and Science, SciClips on 12 8th, 2009 | No Comments
Gaga for Zhu Zhu
The world has gone nuts for five robotic hamsters, called Zhu Zhu Pets. While the cute and cuddly creatures race around on a surfboard, skateboard or in a car, the “it” toy of 2009 has some heavy metals that are within safety limits but beg the question: Do toys need to have these toxic...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Climate, Environment, Featured Articles, Global Warming, Politics and Science, President Obama Science Policy, SciClips on 12 3rd, 2009 | No Comments
Deconstructing Carbon Emissions
Over the course of the next few weeks we are going to be hearing a lot about carbon emissions–the gas released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels and a whole host of other human activities. While the catch-all is called “carbon emissions” they aren’t confined to carbon...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Climate, Environment, Global Warming, Politics and Science, President Obama Science Policy, SciClips on 11 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment
Copenhagen Diagnosis Reveals Dire Climate Future
just as world leaders are getting ready to head to Denmark for a big climate negotiations conference that will determine the treaty to follow the Kyoto Protocol, a new scientific assessment is painting a dark picture of the future, based on recent climate science.
Though not an official report of the...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Backyard Science, Ecology, Environment, Global Warming, Plants, SciClips on 10 29th, 2009 | No Comments
Open Data Opens Doors for Citizen Scientists
Members of the Surui tribe in Brazil test Open Data Kit, photo courtesy of Carl Hartung, UW
Cell phones are coming to the aid of international health workers, environmental monitors and even citizen scientists. Now loaded with a data collection tool, Open Data Kit is the brainchild of some doctoral students...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Adaptation and Extinction, Backyard Science, Books, Ecology, Environment, Global Warming, Physics and Chemistry, Video, Wind on 10 28th, 2009 | 3 Comments
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
They call William Kamkwamba “the boy who harnessed the wind.” At 14, after dropping out of school, the African boy in a rural Malawi village taught himself how electricity works, and built a windmill from scraps and pieces of a bicycle.
Now 22, Kamkwmaba has a book, detailing how he built...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biochemistry, Ecology, Environment, Geology, Global Warming, Oceanography, Physics and Chemistry, SciClips on 10 16th, 2009 | No Comments
Arctic Tipping Point on the Horizon
Evidence of global warming is hitting the Arctic harder than anywhere else. The rate of climate change is twice that of the rest of the world.
And, now scientists are discovering the Arctic region plays an important role in capturing atmospheric carbon, both in the ocean and on land.
But that delicate...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Animals, Anthropology, Astronomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Diseases, Ecology, Environment, Geology, Health and Medicine, Marine Science, Oceanography, Physics and Chemistry, Podcast, SciClips, Space on 10 13th, 2009 | No Comments
Science Sticks its Head in the Cloud
Visualization of a river bed created using VisTrails, a system developed by University of Utah computer scientists Photo by: Juliana Freire and Claudio Silva, University of Utah
A two-year experiment to build a framework to analyze the massive amount of data scientists are collecting will push research...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biochemistry, Climate, Diseases, Energy, Environment, Featured Articles, Global Warming, Health and Medicine, Marine Science, Oceanography, Politics and Science, SciClips on 10 1st, 2009 | No Comments
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Calls for Global Warming Trial
The biggest business lobby in the U.S. is pushing for the EPA to hold a public hearing to debate the science of global warming.
The move, calling for the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st Century, is proving too much for some chamber members, from big utilities to Nike and Johnson & Johnson.
Yesterday,...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Adaptation and Extinction, Energy, Environment, Featured Articles, Global Warming, Politics and Science, President Obama Science Policy, SciClips, Solar, Video, Wind on 09 23rd, 2009 | 1 Comment
President Obama Vows to Fight Climate Change
President Obama Addresses UN Climate Summit
In what could be considered his most strongly-worded warning about the threat of climate change, U.S. President Barack Obama told the United Nations that there is little time to act before permanent environmental damage is irreversible.
In a stirring speech,...
Drilling for Heat Triggers Quakes
AltaRock Energy Site in California
The search for a renewable form of Earth-generated power keeps hitting a snag. The process to create geothermal heat seems to cause earthquakes–a lot of them.
After hitting a fault in Basel, Switerland and triggering a 3.4 earthquake that shook the city, Markus...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Environment, Geology, Global Warming, Video on 09 9th, 2009 | No Comments
Storing Carbon at the North Pole
Scientists on Svalbard near the North Pole are drilling one kilometer into the ground where they hope to store carbon dioxide, given off by a coal-fired power station.
The project is part of a new wave of technology designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming. This decade’s...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Engineering, Environment, Global Warming, Marine Science, New Discoveries, Video on 09 3rd, 2009 | No Comments
New Ocean Observatory Initiative Gets Funding
The University of Washington is spearheading a giant construction project to create a power and Internet grid along the ocean floor as part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative that will dramatically change the way we do ocean research.
The National Science Foundation grant of $126 million is the...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Animals, Environment, Marine Science, Video on 08 31st, 2009 | No Comments
Scientists Find Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Researchers say a Texas-sized garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean is possibly killing marine life and birds that are ingesting the trash.
Scripps oceanographers are studying the effects the patch has on marine life.
And there may be a new, bigger patch floating in the Southern Ocean, where ocean currents...
