ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

Tracking parasites with satellites Posted: 15 Feb 2015 04:02 AM PST Scientists are teaming up to use satellite data to target deadly parasites to help predict patterns of parasitic diseases such as malaria, worms and hydatids.

European bison did not dwell in the forest: Modern conservation concepts are in need of revision Posted: 12 Feb 2015 03:50 AM PST Paleontologists examined the oldest known bones of bison from Europe. Their research revealed that European Bison were “mixed eaters” who preferred open landscapes to a life in the forest. These findings have a direct impact on the current conservation concept for these animals, which are threatened with extinction.

Mixing plant waste and plastic to obtain building materials Posted: 12 Feb 2015 03:50 AM PST A new company has intertwined the science of chemical engineering and technology to recycle all kinds of useless plastics and tequila agave bagasse similar to wood, but with greater resistance used as formwork in the construction industry or in the manufacture of benches, tables and chairs.

Long-term changes in dead wood reveal new forest dynamics Posted: 11 Feb 2015 12:39 PM PST Healthy forest ecosystems need dead wood to provide important habitat for birds and mammals, but there can be too much of a good thing when dead wood fuels severe wildfires. A scientist compared historic and recent data from a forest in California's central Sierra Nevada region to determine how logging and fire exclusion have changed the amounts and sizes of dead wood over time.

Urban design influences level of physical activity in Chinese cities Posted: 10 Feb 2015 06:26 PM PST Researchers explored the implications of urban design and the built environment for walking and health in Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Numerous bats killed by German wind turbines: Migratory bats at risk Posted: 10 Feb 2015 06:18 PM PST Numerous bats are killed by German wind turbines. The number of such turbines, already very high, is planned to be increased further. More than two-thirds of bats being killed by wind turbines on German ground are migrants on their way between summer and winter habitats. Due to its geographical location in Europe, Germany has consequently a central responsibility for the conservation of migratory bats.

Scientists identify the 13 most important research challenges to face global change in the Mediterranean region Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:37 AM PST Scientists consider it key to understand why droughts kill so many trees and the influence of local forest histories on tree mortality. They also warn that we know very little about the joined effects of different disturbances on each ecosystem, and highlight the necessity to plan research projects covering more time and space.

Friendly fungi: how they could help barley growers feed the world without chemicals Posted: 09 Feb 2015 10:07 AM PST Botanists have found two fungal species that prevent the spread of common seed infections that can decimate crops. Around six times as many barley plants inoculated with these natural fungal organisms survived in highly stressful environments than those without. Field trials will soon be underway which -- if successful -- could pave the way for a huge reduction in the use of environmentally damaging chemicals.

Climate change efforts backfire in Brazil's steel industry, doubling carbon emissions Posted: 09 Feb 2015 09:28 AM PST New research shows that climate change mitigation efforts in Brazil's steel industry have failed. Instead of reducing greenhouse gas pollution, scientists discovered that these strategies, promoted under the global Kyoto Protocol, led to an overall doubling of carbon dioxide emissions in the industry.

Reduced rainfall in the northern tropics linked to industrial emissions, research suggests Posted: 09 Feb 2015 08:32 AM PST Scientists have produced a rainfall record strongly suggesting that man-made industrial emissions have contributed to less rainfall in the northern tropics. The research team reconstructed rainfall patterns stretching back more than 450 years by analysing the chemical composition of a stalagmite recovered from a cave in Belize, Central America.

Understanding the copper heart of volcanoes: Scientists find link between volcanism and the formation of copper ore Posted: 09 Feb 2015 08:32 AM PST The link between volcanism and the formation of copper ore has been discovered. The findings could have far-reaching implications for the search for new copper deposits.

Using rooftop rainwater to make drinking water Posted: 09 Feb 2015 06:49 AM PST Climate change will lead to water scarcity in large parts of Africa. But there is hope – on African rooftops. Researchers in Norway are currently involved in the development of better water systems for Ghana, in order to ensure that people have more sustainable access to clean water.