Science & Technology News
Essential oils from peppermint boosted with a splash of sage, rosemary and thyme
Posted Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:59:01 GMT by Martin LeggettSpraying peppermint with waste-waters from distilling aromatic herbs boosts their essential oil content, according to Mississippi State University researchers. Rather than just discharging waters left over from the processing of herbs, such as sage, rosemary and thyme, it is hoped they can now be used to give their herbal cousins a helping hand.
Essential oils from peppermint boosted with a splash of sage, rosemary and thyme
Solar flare cycle driven by rivers of plasma
Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:34:00 GMT by Martin LeggettNew models of the huge streams of plasma on the surface of the Sun are raising understanding of the complex mechanisms at play. As the solar sunspot cycle picks up speed, and starts sending out new flares towards the Earth, understanding exactly what makes the Sun tick looks to be increasingly important for the stability communications and power systems, as well as of the climate.
Solar flare cycle driven by rivers of plasma
Florida, the sunshine state just got 10 million years older
Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:21:00 GMT by Martin LeggettFlorida, the sunshine stats may not be as youthful as looks suggest. A new analysis of samples collected from water boreholes have pushed back the time, when Florida first emerged from the sea, to 45 million years ago. The study describes a familiar landscape of palm trees and islands, and provides useful information for those looking to keep water flowing for local residents.
Florida, the sunshine state just got 10 million years older
Buildings that repair and heat themselves
Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:03:06 GMT by Martin LeggettA new approach to getting organic materials into tiny glass beads opens up a number of new possibilities for intelligent cement that can heal cracks, and regulate temperatures. This exciting development is described in a thesis presented to the University of the Basque Country, and raises the prospect of buildings lasting longer and requiring less energy to be heated and cooled.
Buildings that repair and heat themselves
Crop diversification may help protect farmers from climate change
Posted Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:06:00 GMT by Colin RickettsMonocultures might be the most efficient way to grow but they're also great for the nasties that destroy crops a new report finds. Now scientists have come up with a very good reason for farmers to grow a wider diversity and variety of crops to protect themselves from the changes likely to result from climate change.
Crop diversification may help protect farmers from climate change
A warming beer! Scientists look for biofuels in brew waste
Posted Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:23:02 GMT by Colin RickettsMicrobes in brewery waste already saves brewers millions by producing methane and now scientists want to put these miniature workers to work on other useful tasks. Cornell scientists have been working with Anheuser-Busch Inbev, which brews Budweiser, to see if microbes which currently produce methane as they break down brewery waste can be put to other uses.
A warming beer! Scientists look for biofuels in brew waste
Using less fertilizer aids corn for fuel
Posted Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:07:01 GMT by Martin LeggettProducing bioethanol from corn residues offers a potentially new twist on the food versus fuel debate. New research suggests that maximizing cellulose production from such residues requires less fertilizer - which also has environmental benefits. But how will that impact grain yields?
Using less fertilizer aids corn for fuel
Warming world could send plants downhill, not up
Posted Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:21:01 GMT by Laura GoodallA hotter climate could make some plants move downhill to seek water, suggests new research that challenges the assumption that plants would move uphill to reach cooler elevations. Scientists at the University of Montana, the University of California, Davis, and the University of Idaho are the first to find a widespread downward shift in Californian mountain plants.
Warming world could send plants downhill, not up
Will Facebook Go Green by Earth Day?
Posted Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:29:01 GMT by Lucy BrakeGreenpeace is putting pressure on Facebook to become a world leader in clean energy by this year's Earth Day. Earth Day is a global celebration of the Earth's natural environment and is a chance to promote and inspire awareness to taking better care of our precious resources.
Will Facebook Go Green by Earth Day?
Scavenger T.rex much more like a hyena than a lion
Posted Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:02:00 GMT by Louise MurrayAn epic Montana fossil bed census suggests Tyrannosaurus rex was more of an opportunistic scavenger like a hyena, than an apex predator like a lion. This is the largest study of its kind in the world and the first complete picture of an ancient ecosystem dominated by dinosaurs.
Scavenger T.rex much more like a hyena than a lion
'Thunderthighs' - a new species of dinosaur discovered
Posted Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:22:00 GMT by Louise MurrayA new species of dinosaur, Brontomerus, literally 'thunderthighs', has been found in a quarry in Utah, USA. Named for it's extremely large thigh muscles, the larger than elephant-sized beast may have used them to kick fight predators or rivals.
'Thunderthighs' - a new species of dinosaur discovered
Biodiesel produced from wastewater microalgae
Posted Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:04:00 GMT by Lucy BrakeScientists have developed a way to extract a new kind of biodiesel from microalgae. They have worked out that once the microalgae have been through the treatment system and purified the wastewater then it can potentially be used to run construction vehicles, buses and farm equipment.
Biodiesel produced from wastewater microalgae
John Michael Greer Looks Forward to Our Ecotechnic Future
Posted Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:33:01 GMT by Julian JacksonBook Review of an excellent road map to a possible future way of living. The American Archdruid - yes, he really is a druid - and ecological author John Michael Greer has written a book called The Ecotechnic Future: Envisioning a Post-Peak World, a follow-on to his analysis of the short term predicament our society is in: The Long Descent.
John Michael Greer Looks Forward to Our Ecotechnic Future
Wind-powered car sails its way across continent
Posted Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:15:00 GMT by Astrid MadsenThe Wind Explorer, a wind-powered vehicle recently completed journey across Australia. You've heard of solar powered cars, now it's time to welcome wind powered vehicles, which by and large avail of the same basic technology - bar the kites and the turbine!
Wind-powered car sails its way across continent
Did some dinosaurs survive the mass extinction?
Posted Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:59:00 GMT by Michael EvansA new method of dating indicates that a New Mexico dinosaur was alive 700,000 years after the ''mass extinction'' of all the others. Is it possible that the previously accepted date is wrong? Researchers from the University of Alberta have cast shadow of doubt on this timescale after they examined a fossilised hadrosaur bone that was discovered in New Mexico.
Did some dinosaurs survive the mass extinction?
Evolution stumbling block to strong scientific education in US
Posted Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:31:00 GMT by Michael EvansThe reluctance of US high school science teachers to teach evolutionary biology is causing a major stumbling block in the provision of a sound scientific education. Evolution is one of those things that you either believe in or you don't and recent research indicates that more than half of US public school science teachers are not strong advocates of evolutionary biology.
Evolution stumbling block to strong scientific education in US
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The Galapagos tortoise is, along with one or two other island species, precious and almost mythical in its great size and long life. Now, we at last, we are conserving these interesting creatures properly, instead of letting them slowly die out, like Lonely George!
While many of our articles concentrate on raptors or rare species, the birds we look at tend to duck
the more obvious species of waterfowl. In the case of the beautiful smew, a lot of work has gone into investigating every country it migrates through on its long journey across Eurasia. Gathered together by Diego Pavon-Jordan from the Finnish Museum of Natural History and NOWAC, this ornithological group have established valid links between global warming and a switch in an animals habits of migration.
Deeply involved in the past, this insight into how the archipelago of Europe survived the terrible disaster of the K-Pg boundary is essential reading- if you are a North American dinosaur, that is!
Recent Blog Posts
Need to save money after the spending boom to end them all? Here are 2 sets of opinions on how to pull out the plugs at night at least.
When dolphins are 'rescued' in various countries, the car given seems to be ill-considered. We are simply looking at the success rate which is reported to be low, in most places. They could even end up in commercial aquarium shows, but they certainly rarely make it back to the sea.
What is killing bees? Chelsea has the answer here.
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