Earth

Earth

Dead zones may record river floods

Microorganisms that live in seafloor sediments deposited beneath periodically anoxic waters near the mouths of rivers could chronicle the years when those rivers flooded for extended periods.

Earth

Lead’s a moving target at rifle ranges

The lead used in bullets and shotgun pellets can be a threat to the environment near rifle ranges but many of its hazards are manageable.

Earth

Can Banking Carbon Cool the Greenhouse?

Stockpiling carbon dioxide in plants and soil may be effective only for the short term, if at all.

Earth

Wafting pesticides taint far-flung frogs

Agricultural pesticides blowing into California's wilderness areas have played a role in mysterious declines in frog populations.

Earth

New accord targets long-lived pollutants

Negotiators drafted an agreement to ban or phase out some of the world's most persistent and toxic pollutants.

Earth

Choked Up: How dead zones affect fish reproduction

Some Gulf coast fish exposed to low oxygen are experiencing reproductive problems, and lab studies suggest that a particular protein that silences or reduces sex hormones may be to blame.

Earth

DDT linked to miscarriages

A study of Chinese women finds that the pesticide DDT can not only affect menstrual cycles but also foster miscarriages very early in pregnancy.

Earth

Can phthalates subtly alter boys?

Researchers have linked a mom's exposure to phthalates with a genital marker in boys suggesting a subtle feminization of their reproductive organs.

Agriculture

Frozen Assets

A U.S. gene bank has begun deep-freezing semen and other livestock 'seed' for possible future use in research or breeding.

Earth

Pesticide Disposal Goes Green

Chemists have developed a new technology to safely clean up toxic agricultural pesticides and a whole lot more.

Earth

Fighting Water with Water: To lift the city, pump the sea beneath Venice

With technology commonly used in oil fields, engineers could inject large volumes of seawater into sandy strata deep beneath Venice, Italy, to reverse the ground subsidence that plagues the city.

Earth

Lemon-scented products spawn pollutants

Some fragrances used in home-care products can play a role in generating potentially harmful air pollution.