Earth
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Earth
Earth & Environment
Mountaintop mining, plastic fish and the return of the right whale in this week's news
By Science News -
Tech
Some comfort about broken CFLs
My night-owl daughter woke me in a panic at around 2 a.m., a couple of weeks back. While swatting at a fly, she’d just broken the compact fluorescent light illuminating her closet. Having heard me warn endlessly of how we should be careful in handling these bulbs — since they contain mercury — she wanted to know what kind of damage control was called for. I only wish I knew then what I do now.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Greenland’s ice sheets face new threat
Subsurface ocean warming is likely to be dramatic in that region, a new study finds.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Sulfur stalls surface temperature rise
A new study shows how pollutants helped balance out the effects of greenhouse gases from 1998 to 2008.
By Nadia Drake -
Physics
Rare earth elements plentiful in ocean sediments
The economically vital metals could be mined from the deep sea, Japanese geologists propose.
By Devin Powell -
Earth
Earth/Environment
Airplanes knock rain from the sky, plus a quick-melting glacier and BPA's diabetes link in this week's news.
By Science News -
Humans
AAAS board defends climate scientists
“AAAS vigorously opposes attacks on researchers that question their personal and professional integrity or threaten their safety based on displeasure with their scientific conclusions.” This declaration was contained in a 400-word denunciation of attacks on climate scientists and the politicization of climate science that was issued June 29 by the organization's board of directors.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
BPA makes male mice less macho
Studies show that exposures in the womb or during adolescence can erase masculine habits or reverse sexes' behavior.
By Janet Raloff -
Animals
Lionfish no match for big groupers
Despite its invasive success, the lionfish can't withstand grouper appetites.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Floodwaters may trigger fault motion
In sediments under California’s Salton Sea, geologists find evidence for a natural disaster one-two punch.
By Devin Powell