ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

First-ever evidence of drastic climate change of Northern China region 4,200 years ago Posted: 16 Feb 2015 01:00 PM PST Using a relatively new scientific dating technique, geologists were able to document -- for the first time -- a drastic climate change 4,200 years ago in northern China that affected vegetation and led to mass migration from the area.

Ancient rocks show life could have flourished on Earth 3.2 billion years ago Posted: 16 Feb 2015 10:11 AM PST A spark from a lightning bolt, interstellar dust, or a subsea volcano could have triggered the very first life on Earth. But what happened next? Life can exist without oxygen, but without plentiful nitrogen to build genes -- essential to viruses, bacteria and all other organisms -- life on the early Earth would have been scarce. The ability to use atmospheric nitrogen to support more widespread life was thought to have appeared roughly 2 billion years ago. Now research looking at some of the planet's oldest rocks finds evidence that 3.2 billion years ago, life was already pulling nitrogen out of the air and converting it into a form that could support larger communities.

Genetic evidence shows penguins have 'bad taste' Posted: 16 Feb 2015 10:11 AM PST Penguins apparently can't enjoy or even detect the savory taste of the fish they eat or the sweet taste of fruit. A new analysis of the genetic evidence suggests that the flightless, waddling birds have lost three of the five basic tastes over evolutionary time. For them, it appears, food comes in only two flavors: salty and sour.

New ozone-destroying gases on the rise; not controlled by treaty Posted: 16 Feb 2015 10:02 AM PST Scientists report that chemicals that are not controlled by a United Nations treaty designed to protect the Ozone Layer are contributing to ozone depletion.

Controlling car pollution at the quantum level Posted: 16 Feb 2015 06:20 AM PST Researchers are working towards a new generation of automotive catalytic converters.

More infectious diseases emerging in animals as climate changes, say zoologists Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:49 AM PST The appearance of infectious diseases in new places and new hosts is a predictable result of climate change, say zoologists in a new article. Climate change brings humans, crops, wildlife and livestock into contact with new pathogens, which are more likely to jump from one host to another than scientists previously believed.

Satellite images reveal ocean acidification from space Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:49 AM PST Pioneering techniques that use satellites to monitor ocean acidification are set to revolutionize the way that marine biologists and climate scientists study the ocean. This new approach offers remote monitoring of large swathes of inaccessible ocean from satellites that orbit the Earth some 700 km above our heads.

Cold-blooded animals grow bigger in the warm on land, but smaller in warm water Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:48 AM PST Scientists studying arthropods, the group of cold-blooded animals that includes crabs and insects, have found that individuals within species living on land tend to grow to a larger size in the warm and nearer the equator, but that the reverse is true of species found in water.

Climate change can cause loss of important ice dynamics in streams Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:48 AM PST Ice and winter floods are important natural disturbances for maintaining species-rich riparian zones along northern watercourses. If the climate becomes warmer this disturbance might be lost. This could potentially lead to a less diverse riparian zone.

Large scale study warns of unsustainable ecological decline in rural China Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:48 AM PST The agricultural development of a region of eastern China is ecologically unsustainable and actions are needed soon to reverse its decline, according to a new study. The work used complex system science to examine the long-term health of the ecosystem of the Lower Yangtze River Basin, around Nanjing and Shanghai. Researchers found the region has been in environmental decline since it passed a tipping point in the late 1970s.

How carbonates behave in Earth's interior Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:47 AM PST Carbonates are the most important carbon reservoirs on the planet. But what role do they play in Earth's interior? How do they react to conditions in Earth's mantle? These are the questions being asked by a group of scientific researchers from various geoscience disciplines.

New algorithms locate where a video was filmed from its images and sounds Posted: 16 Feb 2015 03:47 AM PST Researchers have created a system capable of geolocating videos by comparing their audiovisual content with a worldwide multimedia database. In the future this could help to find people who have gone missing after posting images on social networks, or even to recognize locations of terrorist executions.

iSpot: Crowdsourcing effective for gathering biodiversity data Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:23 AM PST New research on iSpot -- The Open University's platform to help people share and learn more about nature -- has recognised crowdsourcing as having a key role in the identification of plant species and wildlife.

Enhancing microbial activity contributes to the remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with pesticides Posted: 11 Feb 2015 05:32 AM PST The addition of carbon, which is required as a nutrient by the microorganisms in soil and groundwater, was found to be the most promising remediation method in the remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with the pesticide atrazine. There is a demand for the remediation method, as atrazine is the most common pollutant found in groundwater in Finland.

The first kobuviruses described from Africa Posted: 11 Feb 2015 05:32 AM PST Scientists have genetically describe the first kobuviruses to be reported from Africa. The results show that the viruses are less host-specific than previously assumed.