Earth

Earth

Dating a massive undersea slide

Pieces of moss buried in debris left along the Norwegian coast by an ancient tsunami have enabled geologists to better determine the date of the immense underwater landslide that triggered the inundation.

Earth

Irony on High: Global warming cools, thins upper atmosphere

Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the air, which cause temperatures at Earth’s surface to warm, will turn the upper layers of the atmosphere cooler and thinner in coming decades, new research suggests. This counterintuitive phenomenon, first predicted in the late 1980s and recently inferred from satellite data, will probably lead […]

Earth

Rocking the House

A recent test that simulated the effect of a magnitude-6.7 earthquake on a full-size, wood-frame townhouse may help engineers and analysts design more earthquake-resistant homes. With sound and video.

Earth

Spread Out: Organic matter scatters carbon nanotubes in water

Although carbon nanotubes usually clump in water, they readily disperse when the water contains natural organic matter.

Earth

Pesticides mimic estrogen in shellfish

Two common water pollutants can function in shellfish as estrogen does, but they have different behavioral effects on two species.

Earth

Sustainable Table

Created by the GrassRoots Action Center for the Environment (GRACE), this Web site aims to help consumers understand problems with the nation’s food supply and offer viable solutions and alternatives. It provides an introduction to the burgeoning sustainable food movement and information about organizations, people, and programs that are trying to change the way people […]

Earth

Dim Harvest: Asian air pollution has limited rice yields

Thick clouds of air pollution over southern Asia and increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere worldwide have reduced rice harvests in India for the past 2 decades.

Earth

Woods to Waters: Wildfires amplify mercury contamination in fish

Forest fires mobilize mercury from the soil and can send the toxic metal into nearby streams and lakes where it accumulates in fish.

Agriculture

Wheat gone wild

Researchers have identified a gene responsible for boosting the protein, iron, and zinc content of some varieties of wild wheat by 10 to 15 percent.

Earth

Lead in the Water: Mapping gets a handle on disinfectant’s danger

Researchers are investigating the link between lead-contaminated water and chloramine, a chemical disinfectant that is increasingly used in municipal water supplies.

Earth

Leaden swan song

Large numbers of trumpeter swans are succumbing to lead poisoning as a result of ingesting old shotgun pellets in areas where use of lead shot has been banned for more than a decade.

Earth

No-stick chemicals can mimic estrogen

Some of the perfluorinated compounds used to impart nonstick properties to fabrics and cookware can not only activate a receptor for sex hormones but also inappropriately feminize fish.