By Alexander Villegas, Reuters PUCON, Chile, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Nearly 1,500 academics, researchers and scientists specializing in Antarctica gathered in southern Chile for the 11th Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research conference this week to share the most cutting-edge research from the vast white continent. Nearly every aspect of science, …
‘We should have better answers by now’: climate scientists baffled by unexpected pace of heating
By Jonathan Watts, The Guardian The leap in temperatures over the past 13 months has exceeded the global heating forecasts – is this just a blip or a systemic shift? In a remarkably candid essay in the journal Nature this March, one of the world’s top climate scientists posited the alarming …
Scientists Uncovered the Amazon’s Secret Dark Earth. What If It Saves the World?
By Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics This ancient soil buried deep in the forest might just be our greatest hope for the future. The Amazon Rainforest is known in part as one of the biggest carbon reserves on the planet (despite our best efforts to make it less so). A new …
Natural forest regrowth can be better than planting trees: study
By Chloe Farand, Yahoo News Countries have pledged to plant billions of trees to tackle climate change, but half the time letting forests regenerate naturally would be a better option, a major study said Wednesday. “There are places where it makes sense to plant trees, and there are places where …
Veteran anti-whaling activist Paul Watson could be extradited to Japan after arrest in Greenland, his foundation says
By Helen Regan, CNN Paul Watson, then founder and President of the animal rights and environmental Sea Shepherd Conservation, in Berlin, Germany, on May 23, 2012. Markus Schreiber/AP Veteran environmentalist Paul Watson was arrested in Greenland on Sunday and faces possible extradition to Japan allegedly over anti-whaling activities in the Antarctic years …
In Georgia, companies want to cut emissions. Utilities are holding them back.
By Emily Jones, Grist With less than half of Georgia Power’s electricity carbon-free, businesses and governments are scrambling to meet looming clean energy targets. With much fanfare and celebration, Georgia Power, the state’s largest electricity provider, just marked a major milestone: Two new nuclear reactors near Augusta are now generating enough …
Joe Biden’s legacy on climate and energy
By Ben Geman, Axios President Biden’s fight against climate change is unprecedented — but his legacy is fragile as he steps aside from seeking a second term. Why it matters: The U.S. is the world’s largest historical carbon emitter and the second-largest today behind China. Future U.S. emissions — and leaders’ success at …
Ant Surgeons? Transatlantic Butterflies? Worms That Make Antibiotics?
By Jules Howard, Slate Invertebrate science is crawling with breakthroughs. It should always be this way. It’s been a busy few weeks in the news in so very many ways, including for science stories about creepy-crawlies and other unsightly animals that make most people—unfairly—recoil in horror. First, there was the …
One Man’s Quest to Save Okinawa’s Coral Reefs From Collapse
By Alina Joan Ito, Tokyo Weekender Koji Kinjo has pioneered a way to successfully transplant farm-grown coral back into the ocean. Could it help save the seas from ecologic catastrophe? Each year, as spring bleeds into summer, a small universe is born in Yomitan, a village in central Okinawa. Under …
New study reveals oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclones
By Francesco Ventura, Phys.Org A new study published today in Current Biology, “Oceanic Seabirds Chase Tropical Cyclones,” reveals that the rare Desertas Petrels (Pterodroma deserta), a wide-ranging seabird in the North Atlantic, exhibit unique foraging behaviors during hurricane season. Contrary to other pelagic seabirds, these petrels do not avoid intense tropical cyclones but instead …