Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday 13 September 2012

ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News



Posted: 12 Sep 2012 04:14 PM PDT
In the very early hours of Sept. 1 -- just under two days since the 4:05 a.m. EDT launch of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes -- the team at the RBSP Mission Operations Center (MOC) controlling spacecraft A at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. was about to power up that spacecraft's Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT-A), one of the instruments that comprise the Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite (ECT).
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 03:45 PM PDT
The Borderea chouardii plant, which is critically endangered and is found only on two adjacent cliff sides in the Pyrenees, employs a unique and risky doubly mutualistic reproductive strategy with local ants, according to new research.
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 03:45 PM PDT
Researchers have identified a new species of African monkey, locally known as the lesula. This is only the second new species of African monkey discovered in the last 28 years.
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 09:58 AM PDT
Glaciers in the eastern and central regions of the Himalayas appear to be retreating at accelerating rates, similar to those in other areas of the world.
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 09:55 AM PDT
A number of environmental toxins pose considerable health threats to humans, and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) ranks high on the list. Most of us are exposed to it through plant-derived foods such as grains and vegetables. Now, new research offers ways in which investigators can reduce the amount of Cd found in the food we eat.
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 05:50 AM PDT
Using old deeds and witness trees, a U.S. Forest Service scientist has created a glimpse of the composition of the forests that covered today's Monongahela National Forest before settlement and logging changed the landscape.
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 05:47 AM PDT
The key catalogue of information on 'alien' (non-native) species in Europe has undergone a major update. The DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventory for Europe) database allows the public and policymakers to get a comprehensive overview of which alien species are present in Europe, their impacts and consequences for the environment and society.
Posted: 12 Sep 2012 05:47 AM PDT
The whitefly is a major problem for open field tomato cultivation throughout the world. Scientists in the Netherlands together with a number of partners have discovered genes for resistance to the whitefly in a wild relative of the common tomato. The scientists hope that resistant varieties can be brought to market within two years, making chemical pest control unnecessary.
Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:05 PM PDT
The Little Ice Age allowed a new wave of arctic foxes to colonise Iceland, according to new research. A "bridge" of sea ice appeared during a dip in temperatures between 200 to 500 years ago allowing arctic foxes to migrate to Iceland from different Arctic regions including Russia, North America and Greenland. Researchers say their findings showed the importance of sea ice in creating and maintaining the genetic population of the arctic fox across the polar regions where the animal is found.