Environment news

• Rare baby giraffe takes first steps outdoors – video report

  14-04-2017 13:58 via theguardian.com
  
  A rare Rothschild’s giraffe, born last week, takes its first steps on Thursday. Narus is already over 6ft (1.8m) at only a week old, but remained under the watchful eyes of his parents Orla and Meru as he explored his enclosure at Chester Zoo. The Rothschild’s species are named after zoologist Lord Walter Rothschild, founder of the National History Museum in Tring, Hertfordshire but are critically endangered, numbering as few at 1,600 worldwideSpotted: baby giraffe Narus has first pu
  
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• New study shows worrisome signs for Greenland ice | John Abraham

  14-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Greenland ice is melting fast, and could potentially cause many meters of sea level rise
  As humans put more heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, ice around the planet melts. This melting can be a problem, particularly if the melting ice starts its life on land. That’s because the melt water flows into the oceans, contributing to rising sea levels. Right now there are three main reasons that sea levels are rising. First, as ocean waters heat, they expand. Second, me
  
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• Spotted: baby giraffe Narus has first public outing at Chester zoo

  14-04-2017 11:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Born to his mother Orla a week ago as part of a captive-breeding programme, Narus is an endangered Rothschild’s giraffeUnder the watchful eye of his mother Orla, the baby giraffe Narus took her first wobbly steps within an hour of being born. Narus is the second calf to be born into Chester zoo’s herd of 11 endangered Rothschild’s giraffes in the past five months. Continue reading...
  
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• How the humble fly can help to solve our most gruesome crimes

  14-04-2017 10:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Flies are often the first visitors to a murder scene. Studying their grisly dining habits can reveal vital clues to help catch the killerFlies are regarded by most people as a nuisance at best, a harbinger of death at worst. They elicit little more than feelings of disgust and many people are happy to kill them without a second thought. But there is another side to the story. The fly is one of nature’s great marvels and, perhaps, the criminologist’s best friend. In addition to famili
  
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• What ingredients are needed for life beyond Earth?

  14-04-2017 10:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nasa believes one of Saturn's moons may be the best place to look for life beyond Earth.
  
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• Toshiba's US nuclear problems could provide cautionary tale for UK

  14-04-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Experts say construction delays and cost problems at two plants are due to lack of experience and absence of supply chainsThe roots of Toshiba’s admission this week that it has serious doubts over its “ability to continue as a going concern” can be found near two small US towns. It is the four reactors being built for nuclear power stations outside Waynesboro, in Georgia, and Jenkinsville, South Carolina, by the company’s US subsidiary Westinghouse that have left the Japa
  
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• Six megatrends that could alter the course of sustainable development

  14-04-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As the world works to achieve the sustainable development goals, a recent UN report identifies six issues that challenge ambitious targetsWe are approaching two years into implementing the ambitious 2030 Agenda – a historic agreement to end poverty, combat inequalities, promote peaceful and inclusive societies, and protect the environment. The new global framework, with 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) at its core, commits to promoting development in an integrated way – econom
  
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• Quarantine alert might have prevented white spot disease outbreak, review finds

  14-04-2017 07:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Federal authorities investigating prawn imports did not tell Biosecurity Queensland about breachesThe white spot virus outbreak that devastated prawn farms in south-east Queensland may have been avoided if federal authorities investigating quarantine failures had warned the state’s biosecurity agency, a review has found. The damning assessment is contained in the report of a marine biologist, Ben Diggles, who was contracted to investigate the white spot outbreak by the Fisheries Developmen
  
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• Tumps of tunnelling moles reveal the past

  14-04-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The Trundle, West Sussex Ramparts’ busy archaeologists send forth iron age pottery, shells and bones as they excavateAs we walked the perimeter of the ramparts, we noticed that the cropped turf-covered contours below were heavily tracked with molehills. We came across an area of fresh tumps, the newly excavated soil still damp and dark like coffee grounds.Related: Moles dig up buried treasure where human trowels are bannedContinue reading...
  
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• Firefighting foam spilled at Brisbane airport enters river and kills fish

  14-04-2017 03:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Anglers warned to avoid area as authorities and Qantas investigate leak of chemicals classified as an ‘emerging contaminant’A significant spill of firefighting foam at Brisbane airport has contaminated nearby waterways, killing fish and prompting warnings to recreational anglers.About 22,000 litres of the foam leaked in a Qantas hangar on Monday, the Queensland government confirmed. Continue reading...
  
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