Once a seafarers' scourge, the gribble could be biofuel hero

Mar 9 | News

Tiny marine isopods called gribbles were for centuries the bane of sailors, whose vessels were quickly devoured. Even today, piers and docks are rapidly gnawed away, and researchers have now been attracted to the enzymes in their gut, which can convert wood into sugars without the help of microbes.

Oldest measurement of Earth's magnetic field reveals battle between sun and Earth

Mar 5 | News

According to findings by Univ. of Rochester researchers who visited sites in Africa known to contain extremely old rocks, the Earth’s magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was only half as strong as it is today. This may mean the Sun took away much of Earth’s hydrogen and water.

Huge sandstorm covers Beijing, turns sky orange

20 hours ago | News

Tons of sand turned Beijing's sky orange as the strongest sandstorm this year hit northern China, a gritty reminder that the country's expanding deserts have led to a sharp increase in the storms.The sky glowed Saturday and a thin dusting of sand covered Beijing, causing workers and tourists to...

Year's strongest sandstorm hits northern China, turns Beijing skies orange with grit

20 hours ago | News

Tons of sand turned Beijing's sky orange as the strongest sandstorm this year hit northern China, a gritty reminder that the country's expanding deserts have led to a sharp increase in the storms.The sky glowed Saturday and a thin dusting of sand covered Beijing, causing workers and tourists to...

NSF dispatches rapid response oceanographic expedition to Chile earthquake site

Mar 19 | News

Scientists funded by the National Science Foundation and affiliated with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California at San Diego are undertaking an expedition to explore the rupture site of the 8.8-magnitude Chilean earthquake.

Wastewater sludge to be turned into 600 kW a day

Mar 19 | News

The project hasn’t reached full-scale yet, but the renewable energy research project that started out in a Nevada lab has reached demonstration stage at a water reclamation facility. The process dries sludge that is normally trucked away for disposal, converting it to solid fuel that can be gasified to produce electricity.

Bacteria could put lock on uranium that threatens groundwater

Mar 19 | News

Scientists already know that some types of bacteria can alter uranium (VI)—a radioactive, toxic, and water-soluble relic of the Cold War era—into uranium (IV)—insoluble, stationary, and less harmful. Argonne Lab studies are beginning to unlock this pathway, but because bacteria interact with so many other elements, harnessing their abilities will prove difficult.

Report: Actions to protect fish in California Bay-Delta 'scientifically justified'

Mar 19 | News

Most of the actions proposed by two federal agencies to reduce water diversions in the California Bay-Delta in order to protect endangered and threatened fish species are "scientifically justified," but the basis for the specific environmental triggers that would indicate when water diversions...

Perils of plastics: Risks to human health and the environment

Mar 19 | News

Rolf Halden, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University and assistant director of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute has undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and to...

Students discover new species of raptor dinosaur

Mar 19 | News

A new species of dinosaur, a relative of the famous Velociraptor, has been discovered in Inner Mongolia by two Ph.D. students.

Calif. college: Teacher violated gay bias policy

Mar 18 | News

A Fresno City College science instructor violated a campus anti-discrimination policy when he told students that homosexuality is a mental disorder that should be treated with psychotherapy, campus administrators have concluded.Christopher Villa, vice president of student services, reported the...

University of Arizona astronomers discover most primitive supermassive black holes known

Mar 18 | News

Astronomers have come across what appear to be two of the earliest and most primitive supermassive black holes known. The discovery, based largely on observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, will provide a better understanding of the roots of our universe, and how the very first black...

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A clean energy America…is it coming or not?

Feb 24 | RDBlog

Almost a year ago, the buzz during the downturn was that the economic stimulus will help boost jobs in a sort of national improvement program reminiscent of the 1930s. Our coal would be phased out. Our grids would get smart. Our cars would get hybridized.

Build-up over the Y chromosome

Jan 15 | RDBlog

The Y chromosome—it is the one genetic factor that determines whether you will be a male or female and now it is also evolving faster than expected. However, what does this new discovery actually mean to the world of genetics without opening a debate that may cause gender disagreements?

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