SciTech News Articles Archive Page 21 from Wed 20 Apr 2011 to Mon 23 May 2011

Rock-breathing bacteria to power microbial batteries?

Posted Mon, 23 May 2011 19:00:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

An off-the-wall alternative energy source - bacterial batteries - is drawing closer thanks to new research published today, on the electricity-generating potential of 'rock-breathing' microbes. A paper out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes in detail the mechanism by which these bizarre bacteria can pass electrical currents when attached to iron particles.

Rock-breathing bacteria to power microbial batteries?

'Greenhouse' Effect Endangers Ocean Life

Posted Thu, 19 May 2011 15:09:01 GMT by Kieran Ball

Scientists discover that the 'greenhouse' effect isn't constrained to the atmosphere. A team of geologists from Newcastle University in the UK have discovered evidence that 'greenhouse oceans' occurred in prehistoric times, resulting in areas of ocean with little or no life due to low levels of oxygen in the water.

'Greenhouse' Effect Endangers Ocean Life

Melting model for Greenland's accelerating ribbons of ice shows 'locked-in' sea level rise

Posted Mon, 16 May 2011 19:02:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

A new study has projected future sea-level rises, just from Greenland's melting ice-sheets, at 3.5 inches over this century. The paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science attempts to produce more complex computer models of recent dramatic ice-shelf losses that have kick-started accelerating Greenland glaciers - something the IPCC admits is poorly understood.

Melting model for Greenland's accelerating ribbons of ice shows 'locked-in' sea level rise

African farmers to benefit from genes resistant to cattle 'sleeping sickness'

Posted Mon, 16 May 2011 19:00:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

An important research project that could ultimately see the defeat of the trypanosome parasite - the scourge of Africa's cattle herds - comes out today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With millions of African farmers reliant on healthy cattle for food, as milk-producers and for the plowing of fields, the discovery of the specific genes responsible for resistance to the cattle-form of 'sleeping sickness' is being seen as a major breakthrough.

African farmers to benefit from genes resistant to cattle 'sleeping sickness'

Calls for Independent Monitoring of Deep Sea Oil Exploitation

Posted Fri, 13 May 2011 22:33:00 GMT by Mike Campbell

Dr Henry Ruhl of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton and Professor Monty Priede of the University of Aberdeen, argued for independent monitoring of the deep-sea hydrocarbon industry as a means to gain a better understanding of its potential ecological activity and as a means of providing early warning of problems.

Calls for Independent Monitoring of Deep Sea Oil Exploitation

Hot Jupiters - Flipped or Otherwise

Posted Thu, 12 May 2011 17:12:00 GMT by Mike Campbell

A ''hot Jupiter'' is a planet larger than the Jupiter of our own solar system which occupies an orbit close into its own star - hence ''hot Jupiter''. The conundrum was why should these giants be travelling in the wrong direction?

Hot Jupiters - Flipped or Otherwise

Semiconductor uses solar power to take H2 from water

Posted Wed, 11 May 2011 17:22:00 GMT by Gracie Valena

In what is being touted as artificial photosynthesis, researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have devised a technique for coating a cuprous oxide semiconductor so that it can use energy from the sun to take hydrogen from water.

Semiconductor uses solar power to take H2 from water

World's Largest Fleet of Electric Taxis Celebrates One Year of Operation

Posted Mon, 09 May 2011 12:55:01 GMT by Julian Jackson

Chinese city of Shenzhen has success with zero-emission public transport. China is making great strides to reduce its position as the world's number one greenhouse gas emitter. It has the largest fleet of electric taxis in the world, operating in the southern city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. Fifty of these five-seat taxis have been taking passengers since April 29th 2010 and have clocked up over 1,730,000 all-electric miles.

World's Largest Fleet of Electric Taxis Celebrates One Year of Operation

Scientists' research sounds warning for our oceans

Posted Wed, 04 May 2011 14:52:00 GMT by John Dean

Scientists in America have unveiled information that suggests oceans can take vast amounts of time to recover from disasters such as mass extinctions. Researchers from the University of Chicago, West Virginia University and The Ohio State University examined fossil records dating from a mass extinction that devastated ocean life 360 million years ago, known as the Hangenberg event.

Scientists' research sounds warning for our oceans

Ancient hominid goes from from nut-cracker to grass-grazer

Posted Tue, 03 May 2011 14:06:01 GMT by Martin Leggett

A remote ancestor of humans, which had long been thought to have jaws and teeth specially adapted for nuts, has now been found to be more of a grass-mower than a nut-chomper. That's the conclusion of carbon isotope analysis of teeth enamel of Paranthropus boisei, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ancient hominid goes from from nut-cracker to grass-grazer

Solar Powered Plane Prepares for First International Flight

Posted Sun, 01 May 2011 13:54:00 GMT by Kieran Ball

Solar Impulse, an aircraft powered only by solar power, prepares for its inaugural international flight. Previously, the single seated prototype, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 777, made history when it became the first solar powered plane of its type to fly 24 hours on solar power alone. Some 11,600 solar cells, situated on the wings, charge lithium batteries, which, in turn, power the engines.

Solar Powered Plane Prepares for First International Flight

Survey of deep-diving beaked whales helps assess sonar risk

Posted Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

Acoustic surveying is bringing the amazing deep-sea hunts of beaked whales to light, in research published today in PloS One, the open-access science journal. Not only does the study provide a better understanding of an enigmatic group of marine mammals - the information could help avoid the tragedy of sonar-associated whale strandings.

Survey of deep-diving beaked whales helps assess sonar risk

Mapping Subtle Changes in Gravity

Posted Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:30:01 GMT by Mike Campbell

Any schoolchild should know that gravity is the force that keeps us on the ground and that the force of gravity is 9.8 ms-2. However, the force of gravity is not exactly the same at all points on the planet. This is because the density of the earth is not uniform; the earth is not a perfect sphere and therefore the height of the surface above the core varies from ocean deeps to high mountains. The gravitational pull of the earth is inversely proportional to the height one is above it - if you are far enough from the surface you experience weightlessness, after all.

Mapping Subtle Changes in Gravity

Much of ancient Martian atmosphere frozen at poles

Posted Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:00:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

Mars may well have had a much denser CO2-rich atmosphere hundreds of thousands of years ago - one with wilder dust storms and that was more likely to support running water. That's the claim coming from a new analysis of satellite radar data over the Martian southern ice cap - published in Science today - which hints at a thick wedge of frozen CO2 there that contains 30 times the 'dry ice' of previous estimates.

Much of ancient Martian atmosphere frozen at poles

Carbon counting in the USA - with a ground-breaking new biomass map

Posted Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:00:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

An incredibly detailed three dimensional map of the 'green architecture' of the US, including forest canopy heights and vegetation levels down to each hectare, has been released today by the Woods Hole Research Center. The fruit of five years labor, which is freely downloadable, paints a detailed snapshot of the carbon stocks above the soil, one that will aid forest managers, ecologists and climate scientists for years to come.

Carbon counting in the USA - with a ground-breaking new biomass map

Microblog post saves truckload of dogs in China

Posted Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:03:01 GMT by Gracie Valena

An animal rights activist in China stopped a truckload of dogs from being transported to Beijing restaurants, then microblogged for help to successfully prevent the delivery of the dogs. Online news report different numbers for the dog count, but there were more than 400 of them cramped togther in cages stacked in the truck.

Microblog post saves truckload of dogs in China

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