Environment news

• Ecological consequences of amphetamine pollution in urban streams

  25-08-2016 22:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  Pharmaceutical and illicit drugs are present in streams in Baltimore, Maryland. At some sites, amphetamine concentrations are high enough to alter the base of the aquatic food web. So reports a new study released today in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, which is one of the first to explore the ecological consequences of stimulant pollution in urban streams.Lead author Sylvia S. Lee conducted the work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
  
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• Oil up on U.S.-Iran scare, dlr; Saudi output stance cuts gains

  25-08-2016 22:15
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose 1 percent on Friday on U.S.-Iran military tensions in the Gulf and speculation the dollar will fall on a monetary policy speech due from the U.S. Federal Reserve chair. The market, however, gave back some gains after an interview by Saudi Arabia's energy minister with Reuters raised fresh doubts about a potential OPEC output freeze.
  
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• A Texas startup's big energy idea: storing electricity underground

  25-08-2016 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Quidnet Energy wants to make solar and wind energy more accessible by turning abandoned oil and gas wells into energy storage vaultsIn a field in Central Texas, Aaron Mandell and his crew are running pumping equipment to bring a former oil and gas well back to life. But they’re not trying to extract black gold. Instead, they are developing a way to turn abandoned oil and gas wells into vaults for storing electricity.Related: Here comes the sun: US solar power market hits all-time highConti
  
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• Vintage films show risky (and hilarious) behavior in US national parks – video

  25-08-2016 20:27 via theguardian.com
  
  The rules of acceptable behavior in the national parks have changed drastically over the past 100 years. It was once legal to drive through trees, ride waterfalls, and boil an egg in the Yellowstone hot springs – but now such actions are generally frowned upon Continue reading...
  
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• Fracking and the burning question of regulation | Letters

  25-08-2016 20:11 via theguardian.com
  
  With respect to Professor MacDonald (Letters, 22 August), a recently published analysis of peer-reviewed literature between 2009 and 2015 demonstrates that 84% of the studies contain findings that indicate public health hazards, elevated risks or adverse health outcomes in fracking areas, all of which were confident no doubt that their regulations were world class. There are similar high levels of anxiety concerning water and air quality in fracking areas.The professor does not share w
  
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• Oil pares gains, Saudi Energy Minister talks down intervention

  25-08-2016 20:05
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday on speculation the dollar would drop on Friday's monetary policy speech by the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, before paring gains on a Reuters interview with the Saudi Energy Minister that cast doubts about an OPEC output freeze. Crude futures rose more than 1 percent earlier in the session as the dollar fell on expectations that Friday speech by Fed chair Janet Yellen would hint at further delay in U.S. rate hikes. Renewed specula
  
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• Extinct 'lion' named after Attenborough

  25-08-2016 18:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A tiny marsupial lion, extinct for at least 18 million years, is named after Sir David Attenborough after fossilised remains are found in remote Australia.
  
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• Jonathon Porritt: Business leaders are better placed than MPs to drive the green economy

  25-08-2016 18:32
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Business leaders are "more predisposed" than politicians to drive sustainable development for the foreseeable future, according to leading British environmentalist Jonathon Porritt.
  
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• Perfluorinated compounds found in African crocodiles, American alligators

  25-08-2016 18:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  American alligators and South African crocodiles populate waterways a third of the globe apart, and yet both have detectable levels of long-lived industrial and household compounds for nonstick coatings in their blood, according to two studies from researchers at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, and its affiliated institutions, which include the National Institute of Standards and Technology.Production of some compounds in this family of environmentally persistent ch
  
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• Sustainable alternative to methyl bromide for tomato production

  25-08-2016 17:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  Following the phase out of methyl bromide, scientists continue to explore effective, viable, and more sustainable options for vegetable crop production. Among nonchemical alternatives, anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is considered to be one of the most promising methods. ASD has been determined to be effective with a range of crops and environments against several soilborne fungal and bacterial plant diseases, plant-parasitic nematodes, and weeds.
  
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• America’s most remote site – the undiscovered side of Yellowstone

  25-08-2016 17:41 via theguardian.com
  
  To access farthest point in America from a road, Mark Jenkins spent a week backpacking through rugged terrain with some of the the backcountry’s most fearsome animals100 years of the National Park Service: readers’ photo and stories10 of the least-visited US national parksThe most remote place in the contiguous 48 states, the farthest you can go to get away from it all – the only place you can be more than 20 miles from a road – is deep in the south-eastern corner of Yell
  
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• Oil prices up nearly 1 percent on soft dollar, OPEC speculation

  25-08-2016 16:58
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1 percent on Thursday, bouncing back from a selloff in the previous session, on expectations the dollar would weaken ahead of a key speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday. Crude futures also saw support from players buying on dips and looking for a bottom on speculation that next month's informal meeting between OPEC and other major oil producers could result in production curbs. Some cited strength after data is
  
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• Faces of the North Dakota pipeline protest: 'Sacred land is who we are'

  25-08-2016 16:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Native Americans and protesters await a ruling on an injunction to stop work on the $3.7bn pipeline they say threatens their water and protected land Continue reading...
  
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• MPs and public in unison over maintaining post-Brexit environmental protection

  25-08-2016 16:29
  
  Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) chair Mary Creagh has supported calls for the Government to ensure that environmental protections "are not lost" during Brexit negotiations, as a new poll reveals that the British public are overwhelmingly in favour of keeping or strengthening European Union (EU) rules that protect the natural environment.
  
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• Surface water shifting around the Earth

  25-08-2016 16:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have used satellite images to study how the water on the Earth's surface has changed over the last 30 years.
  
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• Faces of the North Dakota pipeline protest: 'Sacred land is who we are”

  25-08-2016 16:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Native Americans and environmentalists proclaim ‘we are water after all.’ Photographer chronicles fight to stop the construction of the $3.7bn pipeline Continue reading...
  
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• Soft, Rubbery 'Octobot' Can Move Without Batteries

  25-08-2016 15:11
  
  The researchers say soft robots can adapt more easily to some environments than rigid machines, and this research could lead to autonomous robots that can sense their surroundings and interact with people. As the fuel gives off oxygen, pressure from the gas builds up in the controller and eventually causes some valves to open and others to close, inflating chambers in half the robot's arms and forcing them to move.
  
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• Oil prices fall as production freeze expectation fades

  25-08-2016 14:40
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Thursday as the market focused on oversupply and fading expectation of a production freeze. U.S. light crude oil was down 15 cents at $46.62 a barrel, after dropping 2.8 percent on Wednesday. Oil prices rose more than 20 percent in the first three weeks of August on talk of a potential deal by oil exporters to freeze production levels to try to support prices.
  
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• ClientEarth: UK Government should come clean on dirty air

  25-08-2016 14:28
  
  Environmental law firm ClientEarth has challenged UK government air pollution projections in light of new research that finds diesel cars are releasing six times more dangerous pollutants on the road than in factory testing.
  
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• Iraq army captures Qayyara oil region from IS, Abadi says

  25-08-2016 14:14
  The Iraqi army has dislodged Islamic State from the Qayyara oil producing region located south of their de facto capital Mosul, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday. "The liberation of Qayyara is an important step toward achieving the larger goal of restoring Mosul province," according to tweets from Abadi's media office. Iraqi forces last month captured the Qayyara airbase which it plans to use as a hub to support forces advancing on Mosul, 60 km (38 miles) further north.
  
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• China graft inspectors call on energy agency to speed up reforms

  25-08-2016 14:03
  China's graft inspectors have called on the nation's energy regulator to intensify oversight of the approval process for new projects and accelerate reforms of its massive oil, gas and power sector as Beijing cracks down on widespread corruption. Releasing its findings after months of investigations, the inspectors on Thursday named almost 40 items in a to-do list for the National Energy Administration aimed at preventing bribery and holding corrupt officials to account. China has launched probe
  
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• Dogs in Tanzania sniff out illegal ivory tusks in new anti-poaching effort

  25-08-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Two specially trained dogs help wildlife officials find tusks ‘within a minute’ as part of project between Tanzanian authorities and Wildlife Conservation SocietyA newly deployed team of specially trained dogs have helped authorities in Tanzania seize a haul of elephant tusks, with conservationists hoping the canine allies can help significantly slow rampant poaching in the country.
  The dogs – Jenny, a Belgian Malinois, and Dexter, an English springer spaniel – discovered
  
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• Biden: Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a 'bad deal' for Europe

  25-08-2016 13:58
  U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday the United States believed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline involving Russia and several European energy companies was a "bad deal" for Europe. Russia's Gazprom and its European partners agreed the project, which will run across the Baltic Sea to Germany, last year. Biden made his comments during a news conference in Sweden.
  
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• Trafigura's China oil marketer released on bail - sources

  25-08-2016 13:22
  By Chen Aizhu BEIJING (Reuters) - An oil marketing executive of Swiss trading giant Trafigura's China operation was released on bail this month after more than two years in detention, as an investigation into alleged fraudulent oil trading continues, sources with knowledge of the matter said. Tian Meng, Trafigura's Beijing-based oil marketer, has not been officially charged, the sources said. Trafigura declined comment.
  
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• 'We need to preserve this beauty': your memories of US national parks

  25-08-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  To celebrate 100 years of the National Park Service, we asked you to share what America’s natural wonders mean to youThe National Park Service turns 100 this week, and to celebrate its century of protecting American’s most treasured places, we asked you to share your memories and photos of the parks. Here’s a selection of your contributions. You can see all of them – and share your own – here.Related: Celebrating 100 years of the National Park Service: readers' phot
  
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• Rare dodo skeleton to be auctioned in West Sussex

  25-08-2016 13:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The first almost complete skeleton of a dodo to come up for sale in nearly 100 years is expected to fetch a six-figure sum at auction.
  
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• Celebrating 100 years of the National Park Service: readers' photo and stories

  25-08-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We asked you to share what America’s national parks mean to you. Here are your photos and stories• Read more from our national parks series Continue reading...
  
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• Aiming high

  25-08-2016 12:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amateur rocket enthusiasts have gathered in Scotland to mark 30 years of aiming for the skies.
  
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• British public back strong new wildlife laws post-Brexit, YouGov poll shows

  25-08-2016 12:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Majority of British public polled support protections at least as strong as current EU rules and many think farming subsidies should focus more on environmental protectionAn overwhelming majority of the British public polled want new post-Brexit laws protecting wildlife and the countryside to be at least as strong as the EU rules currently in place, according to a opinion poll published on Thursday.Many also want a new farming subsidy regime to emphasise environmental protection more than the EU
  
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• Lawnmower prompts Northern Lights alert

  25-08-2016 12:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A lawnmower has been blamed for wrongly triggering sensors that predict when the Northern Lights will be visible in the UK.
  
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• Microsoft Excel blamed for gene study errors

  25-08-2016 12:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft's Excel has been blamed for some errors in academic papers on genomics.
  
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• Global warming is melting the Greenland Ice Sheet, fast | John Abraham

  25-08-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing 110,000 Olympic size swimming pools worth of water each year. A new study measures the loss of ice from one of world’s largest ice sheets. They find an ice loss that has accelerated in the past few years, and their measurements confirm prior estimates.As humans emit heat-trapping gases, we expect to see changes to the Earth. One obvious change to be on the lookout for is melting ice. This includes ice atop mountains, ice floating in cold ocean waters, and
  
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• Oil prices fall as hopes of production freeze fade

  25-08-2016 11:03
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Thursday as the market focused on oversupply and fading hopes of a production freeze. U.S. light crude oil was unchanged at $46.77 a barrel, after dropping 2.8 percent on Wednesday. Oil prices rose more than 20 percent in the first three weeks of August on talk of a potential deal by oil exporters to freeze production levels to try to support prices.
  
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• Zimbabwe's government is standing by as its wildlife is slaughtered | Julian Rademeyer

  25-08-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Rogue state officials and disjointed land reforms have created an increasingly dangerous environment for at-risk animals It was a normal day in the Chipinge Safari area when two police officers, Robert Shumba and Vengai Mazhara, headed into the bush in Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands after getting a tip about a poacher armed with an AK-47.They were soon dead, shot by an unknown man who escaped the scene.Continue reading...
  
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• Zimbabwe's government is standing by as its wildlife is slaughtered

  25-08-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Rogue state officials and disjointed land reforms have created an increasingly dangerous environment for at-risk animals It was a normal day in the Chipinge Safari area when two police officers, Robert Shumba and Vengai Mazhara, headed into the bush in Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands after getting a tip about a poacher armed with an AK-47.They were soon dead, shot by an unknown man who escaped the scene.Continue reading...
  
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• Of hungry badgers and hidden worms

  25-08-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Old Warden, Bedfordshire In this parched landscape it was clear the hedgerow fruit had not ripened a moment too soon for the badgersIt took only a few dry weeks for the fields on the plateau above the village to forget that it had ever rained. The clay soil was beginning to crack, the footpath had turned to a sun-baked dirt track and there was no yield underfoot. Every bump and stone was hard and uncompromisingly contoured, jabbing at an instep, stubbing a toe.The worms had become dustbowl refug
  
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• Oil prices dip as focus returns to global supply overhang

  25-08-2016 06:27
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude prices dipped on Thursday as brimming U.S. and Asian fuel inventories returned investor attention to a large global supply overhang, cutting short a price-rally and restricting Brent crude futures to below the $50 a barrel mark. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures were trading down 7 cents at $48.98 per barrel at 0413 GMT, having closed down 1.8 percent. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $46.74 a barrel, down 3 c
  
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• Oil prices fall as market focus returns to global supply overhang

  25-08-2016 04:02
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude prices edged lower on Thursday as brimming U.S. and Asian fuel inventories returned investors' attention to a large global supply overhang, cutting short a price rally and restricting Brent crude futures to below the $50 a barrel mark. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures were trading at $48.95 per barrel at 0132 GMT in early Asian trade, down 10 cents, after closing down 1.8 percent previously. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude
  
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• Climate scientists write another letter warning of unfolding crisis for Turnbull to ignore

  25-08-2016 03:13 via theguardian.com
  
  More than 150 leading climate scientists at universities and government agencies ask for cuts to coal exports, saying: ‘There is no Planet B’I’m guessing that Malcolm Turnbull gets a fair few letters on any given day. You wonder how he has the time to read them all.How do you prioritise the ones worth your attention and the ones that you can toss in the round-shaped filing cabinet under your desk?Continue reading...
  
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• Pneumatic octopus is first soft, solo robot

  25-08-2016 02:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Engineers in the US have built the first self-contained, entirely soft robot - in the shape of a 7cm octopus.
  
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• Meet the octobot: A first for soft robotics

  25-08-2016 02:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  For the first time, a soft robot has been built that moves on its own with no batteries or cables.
  
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• Seeking ET

  25-08-2016 01:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How do astronomers decide whether a planet is potentially habitable?
  
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• New electrical energy storage material shows its power

  25-08-2016 01:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  A powerful new material developed by Northwestern University chemist William Dichtel and his research team could one day speed up the charging process of electric cars and help increase their driving range.An electric car currently relies on a complex interplay of both batteries and supercapacitors to provide the energy it needs to go places, but that could change."Our material combines the best of both worlds -- the ability to store large amounts of electrical energy or charge, like a battery,
  
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• How Elephant Seals Are Helping Scientists Study Climate Change

  25-08-2016 01:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  A group of southern elephant seals is helping scientists monitorhow climate change is impacting Antarctica by tracking water temperature, depth, and salinity as they swim and dive around the frozen continent. 
  
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