Earth

Earth

Gassy Bugs: Microbes may produce propane under the sea

Microbes deep under the ocean's floor could be the source of some ethane and propane found in sediments.

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Mystery of the Missing Heat: Upper ocean has cooled slightly in recent years, despite warming climate

Between 2003 and 2005, the top layers of the world's oceans cooled slightly, but scientists aren't sure where the heat went.

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Tox Town

This Web site from the U.S. National Library of Medicine offers an interactive introduction to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks that people might encounter in everyday life and in everyday places. The site includes many links to additional information and a section for teachers. Go to: http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/

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Sustainable Design Competition

Do you have an idea for a cutting-edge technology that could protect the environment while promoting economic growth? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering college professors and their students an opportunity to turn ideas into reality through its P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) grants competition. EPA’s P3 is a student design competition […]

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Sea Turtles—What Not To Eat

Wildlife scientists hope to reduce widespread consumption of sea turtle meat and other products by pointing out the health risks they pose.

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Link between El Niños and droughts in India

Scientists have discovered a correlation between droughts in India and a particular type of El Niño, the climate phenomenon marked by increased sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific.

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Magma heats up as it crystallizes

Molten rock moving through a volcano's plumbing prior to an eruption can sometimes heat up substantially as it approaches Earth's surface.

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Plowing Down the Amazon: Satellites reveal conversion of forest to farmland

The clearing of jungle to create cropland is a major and previously underappreciated force behind deforestation in the Amazon region of Brazil, according to an analysis of satellite images.

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Genes as Pollutants: Tracking drug-resistant DNA in the environment

A study that traces antibiotic-resistance genes in the environment indicates that they are present even in treated drinking water.

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Plastics agent worsens skin allergies

Low doses of one of the most commonly used softeners in plastics can aggravate dust-mite allergy.

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Are pollutants shrinking polar bear gonads?

New research links persistent pollutants with reproductive impairment in polar bears.

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When a Shot Is Not: PCBs may impair vaccine-induced immunity

Exposure to certain pollutants early in life may do lasting harm to the immune system by blocking its response to vaccinations.