Environment news

• Lights! Action! Photo-Activated Catalyst Grabs CO2 to Make Ingredients for Fuel

  28-07-2017 21:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  Scientists have developed a light-activated material that can chemically convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide without generating unwanted byproducts. The achievement marks a significant step forward in developing technology that could help generate fuel and other energy-rich products using a solar-powered catalyst while mitigating levels of a potent greenhouse gas.
  
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• Eat, prey, love: bald eagles adopt baby hawk into their nest in Canada

  28-07-2017 20:48 via theguardian.com
  The hawk, which is usually prey for eagles, is in excellent health after being taken in, and now ‘thinks he’s a bald eagle’, according to one expertBiologists and bird watchers in Canada are closely monitoring a young red-tailed hawk that has – against all odds – been adopted into a nest full of bald eagles and is seemingly thriving after taking on eagle-like behaviour.The chick was first seen in the nest in British Columbia in early June, said biologists – po
  
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• NASA's Aqua Satellite Tracks Typhoon Nesat Headed Toward Taiwan

  28-07-2017 18:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Typhoon Nesat as the storm continued moving north toward Taiwan.   
  
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• EU court orders Poland to stop logging in Białowieża forest

  28-07-2017 18:46 via theguardian.com
  European Union’s top court orders an immediate halt to large-scale logging in the Unesco-listed ancient forestThe European Union’s top court has ordered Poland to immediately halt large-scale logging in an ancient protected forest, one of many cases that has pitted the nationalist, eurosceptic government in Warsaw against the bloc. The EU’s executive commission earlier this year sued Poland at the European court of justice (ECJ) over logging in the Białowieża forest,
  
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• Observer Ethical Awards 2017: terms and conditions

  28-07-2017 18:26 via theguardian.com
  Terms and conditions relating to nominating in the awardsThe Observer Ethical Awards 2017 (the “Awards”) consist of 7 separate categories (each an “Award Category”), which are each governed in accordance with the general terms and conditions, and the award category-specific terms and conditions (collectively, “Terms and Conditions”), specified below. The Award Categories are as follows:a) Young green leaders; Continue reading...
  
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• London's hidden gas plant which could heat and power the future

  28-07-2017 18:10 via theguardian.com
  A £26m refit of a power station beside Smithfield market has made E.ON’s Citigen the largest urban combined heat and power plant in the UKThe beautiful, listed facades of the Port of London Authority and the Central Cold Store, which once held animal carcasses from Smithfield market opposite, stand as a reminder of London’s industrial and commercial past.But behind these brick walls in the heart of London is a hidden power station that could resolve how the UK heats, cools and
  
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• Chlorinated chicken, air pollution plans and alien species – green news roundup

  28-07-2017 17:45 via theguardian.com
  The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
  
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• LSUHealthNO Research Finds Walnuts May Promote Health by Changing Gut Bacteria

  28-07-2017 17:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  Research led by Lauri Byerley, PhD, RD, Research Associate Professor of Physiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has found that walnuts in the diet change the makeup of bacteria in the gut, which suggests a new way walnuts may contribute to better health. The findings are published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry available online.
  
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• NASA Sees Hilary Weaken to Tropical Storm Status

  28-07-2017 17:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  NASA’s Aqua satellite provided infrared imagery Hurricane Hilary that showed it weakening. Within 12 hours the storm weakened to a tropical storm.
  
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• 'Missing lead' in Flint water pipes confirms cause of crisis

  28-07-2017 17:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  A study of lead service lines in Flint's damaged drinking water system reveals a Swiss cheese pattern in the pipes' interior crust, with holes where the lead used to be.The findings—led by researchers at the University of Michigan—support the generally accepted understanding that lead leached into the system because that water wasn't treated to prevent corrosion. While previous studies had pointed to this mechanism, this is the first direct evidence. It contradicts a regulator's clai
  
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• Rice U. scientists reel in structure of salmon virus

  28-07-2017 16:58 via feedproxy.google.com
  The structure of a protein key to the survival and spread of a virus that affects salmon could inform strategies to treat the flu in humans, according to scientists at Rice University.
  
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• 'Breakthrough' mosquito trap uses human smell and heat

  28-07-2017 16:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  A mosquito trap that uses a person’s smell combined with warm water and a dark cylindrical shape could transform how the insects are caught in developing countries, say its creators.
  
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• Using Science to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade

  28-07-2017 16:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  Leading scientists from around the world convened this week at the International Congress for Conservation Biology in Cartagena, Colombia, to discuss how to better leverage science to combat illegal wildlife trade – both within countries and across international borders.
  
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• Three species of tiny frogs discovered in Peruvian Andes

  28-07-2017 15:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  A University of Michigan ecologist and his colleagues have discovered three more frog species in the Peruvian Andes, raising to five the total number of new frog species the group has found in a remote protected forest since 2012.
  
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• Study: Indian monsoons have strengthened over past 15 years

  28-07-2017 15:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  An MIT study published today in Nature Climate Change finds that the Indian summer monsoons, which bring rainfall to the country each year between June and September, have strengthened in the last 15 years over north central India.This heightened monsoon activity has reversed a 50-year drying period during which the monsoon season brought relatively little rain to northern and central India. Since 2002, the researchers have found, this drying trend has given way to a much wetter patter
  
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• Ultimate bogs: how saving peatlands could help save the planet

  28-07-2017 15:00 via theguardian.com
  They are one of the harshest environments on the planet and also one of the most important in terms of carbon storage. New research hopes to reveal the role these threatened bogs could play in the climate change storyRandy Kolka hands me a fist-sized clump of brownish-black material pulled up by an auger from a bog. It’s the color and texture of moist chocolate cake. When I look closely I can see filaments of plant material. This hunk of peat, pulled from two meters (7ft) below the surface
  
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• Inquiry launched after mystery air crash kills Brazilian environmentalists

  28-07-2017 14:42 via theguardian.com
  Army and police investigate unexplained incident in which scientists tasked with fighting deforestation and illegal mining in the Amazon diedInvestigation is underway into an unexplained plane crash in the Amazon that left four dead, including members of Brazil’s special environmental protection forces.
  Environmental analysts Olavo Perim Galvão and Alexandre Rochinski died alongside administrative technician Sebastião Lima Ferreira Junior and the aircraft’s pilot, Marco
  
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• Millions of small scale fishers facing economic exclusion

  28-07-2017 14:33 via theguardian.com
  A summit in Bali last week sought new strategies to help small scale fishers access global markets in an effort to alleviate poverty and improve sustainabilityExperts gathered in Bali last week to address the growing plight of small scale fishers, who are being excluded from key global markets, as policy makers tighten fisheries regulations in a bid to improve transparency and sustainability. Hosted by Indonesia based fisheries NGO MDPI with support from the Walton Family Foundation, Wageningen
  
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• Brexit likely to create a rise in UK megafarms

  28-07-2017 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Smaller farms may be squeezed out if farmers switch to vast, intensive facilities due to the pressures the industry faces from leaving the EU, say farmers and campaignersLeaving the EU is likely to lead to an increase in the number of megafarms dominating the British countryside, campaigners and farmers agree, with far-reaching effects for farms, consumers and those who live in the countryside.
  The huge intensive farms, in which as many as 1.7 million animals may be kept on a single holding, are
  
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• Secrets of the world's toughest creatures revealed

  28-07-2017 13:40 via bbc.co.uk
  DNA analyses of tardigrades has given scientists an insight into their incredible survival abilities.
  
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• Environment agencies oppose Trump plans for Scottish golf course

  28-07-2017 13:30 via theguardian.com
  US president’s resort wants to build second 18-hole links in Aberdeenshire but critics say it breaches sewage and pollution rules The Trump Organization faces a long battle with Scotland’s environment agencies after they objected to its plans to build a new golf course on the coast of Aberdeenshire.The agencies have told Donald Trump’s company its plans for a second 18-hole course at his Trump International Golf Links Scotland resort north of Aberdeen breach strict rules on sew
  
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• The Environmental Protection Agency is not the nation's janitor | Leif Fredrickson

  28-07-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  For Scott Pruitt, the primary role of the EPA is janitorial: using taxpayer money to clean up after polluting industries. That’s not what it’s there for
  Leif Fredrickson is an environmental historian.The Environmental Protection Agency’s new administrator, Scott Pruitt, has called for a “back-to-basics” or “originalist” approach to the agency. It is unclear what he means, but in a 22 May memo he said he would prioritize the EPA’s program that handl
  
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• Mater hospital pulls logo from Queensland coalmine ad campaign

  28-07-2017 10:51 via theguardian.com
  Chair of its board, mining magnate Brian Flannery, says it ‘regrets’ use of logo in ads pushing for approval of controversial Acland mine expansionA major Queensland hospital has abandoned its role in a campaign endorsing a new coal project that a court recommended for state government refusal after the proponent possibly breached air pollution limits.The Mater hospital on Friday confirmed it had pulled its logo from an advertising campaign that called for government approval of New
  
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• Laurie Penny: ‘Women shouldn’t apologise for the pitter-patter of tiny carbon footprints’

  28-07-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  In our series marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the author calls for an end to blaming mums for everything, including climate changeEveryone has mummy issues these days – including climate scientists. A recent study made headlines by suggesting that the number-one thing a person can do to reduce their carbon footprint is to have fewer children. Right on cue, a neo-Malthusian chorus seized on the study as another opportunity to shame women for their reproductive choices. Ave
  
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• For richer, for poorer … a tenth of all wedding food is thrown away

  28-07-2017 08:01 via theguardian.com
  Couples splash out an average of £3,245 on food but end up throwing about £500-worth away Continue reading...
  
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• We know how to reduce deforestation – so where's the money?

  28-07-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Paying people not to cut down trees works, evidence shows – so can we really afford not to do so?For years some environmentalists and economists have argued that you could pay people to keep their forests standing, maintaining carbon sources and habitat for threatened species. Yet, the idea – known as payments for ecosystem services or PES – has faced critics, who argued it wouldn’t live up to the hype. A new study in Science this week may make them think twice. “We
  
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• Bream sunbathe in Ælfgifu’s river

  28-07-2017 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Northamptonshire Canute’s queen would have known these fish but not the now local mink – or the roses that are taking over Denmark’s dunesThe broad river Nene is ponded by a substantial weir to the south-east of Northampton. The deep water is still, clear and, at present, sunlit. The northern side of the river supports extensive patches of lily pads; they blast out green as the sun sparks and flashes between them. The open water to the south side is occupied by great herds of b
  
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• Qantas to stop using toxic firefighting foam after Brisbane river spill

  28-07-2017 04:08 via theguardian.com
  Airline will make a national-level switch to foam that does not contain the group of chemicals known as PFAS• ‘Children are being poisoned’: fury at scandal of toxic firefighting chemicalsQantas will stop using a toxic firefighting foam after thousands of litres spilled from a hangar into the Brisbane river earlier this year.A faulty pressure gauge at the airline’s Brisbane hangar has been blamed for the spill of about 22,000 litres of the toxic substance in April, and abo
  
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• Slimy slugs inspire 'potentially lifesaving' medical glue

  28-07-2017 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  The secretion is very strong, moves with the body and sticks to wet surfaces, scientists say.
  
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• Climate change drawing squid, anchovies and tuna into UK waters

  28-07-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Squid and anchovies are moving into warming waters in large numbers, a report finds, with the long-lost bluefin tuna also returningSquid and anchovies, more commonly eaten by Britons holidaying abroad, are being drawn into UK waters in large numbers by climate change, according to major new report that suggests the nation’s long-lost bluefin tuna is also returning.However, global warming is harming sea birds, such as puffins, fulmars, terns and razorbills, as the fish they rely on are driv
  
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