NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, aboard a modified NASA Gulfstream III aircraft, will study geologic processes in Hispaniola following the Haiti earthquake. NASA’s flights will help scientists better assess the geophysical processes associated with earthquakes along large faults and better understand the risks, said Paul Lundgren of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the principal investigator for the Hispaniola overflights.
Europe Leans Toward Bluefin Trade Ban
European officials are increasing pressure for an international ban on the commercial fishing of bluefin tuna, a threatened species that some experts say is on the verge of extinction.
Extraordinary owl preys on sloth
Researchers in Panama have found the first evidence of a sloth that has been killed by a owl.
Agriculture and Food Availability – Remote Sensing of Agriculture for Food Security Monitoring in the Developing World
For one-sixth of the world’s population – roughly 1 billion children, women and men – growing, buying or receiving adequate, affordable food to eat is a daily uncertainty. The World Monetary Fund reports that food prices worldwide increased 43 percent in 2007-2008, and unpredictable growing conditions make subsistence farming, on which many depend, a risky business. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are part of a network of both private and government institutions that monitor food security in many of the poorest nations in the world.
NASA satellite could pave way for policing CO2 emissions
A replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, lost during launch last year, could test technologies needed to enforce future climate treaties
Shark virgin birth study shows offspring can survive long term
Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term, according to new research. The study shows for the first time that some virgin births can result in viable offspring.
Jason ocean mission secures funds
European nations commit to build the next Jason spacecraft, a key mission to monitor the behaviour of the world’s oceans.
Molecular Venus flytrap could munch nuclear waste
A sulphide-based structure can trap radioactive caesium ions, presenting a possible method for clearing up contaminated sites.
Obama Orders Cut in Federal Government's Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
President Obama has told federal agencies to cut energy use to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 28 percent by 2020.