Earth

  1. Earth

    Rocks for Kids

    Can’t tell pyrite from magnetite? Looking for an entertaining, colorful introduction to rocks and minerals? The Mineralogical Society of America has created a Web site, aimed at kids, that provides information about minerals and their classification, properties, and uses. It includes a selection of games with a mineral theme. Go to: http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/K12/K_12.html

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  2. Earth

    More fish survive if plankton bloom early

    Data collected by Earth-orbiting satellites and oceangoing trawlers suggest that juvenile haddock of Nova Scotia are more abundant in years when plankton populations peak earlier than normal.

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  3. Earth

    Satellites unravel a spot of mystery

    Five satellites that happened to be in the right places at the right time may have confirmed the cause of proton auroral spots, aurora-like phenomena that appear high in Earth's atmosphere.

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  4. Earth

    Oceans Aswirl

    Whirls of ocean water up to hundreds of kilometers across create biological oases, transport heat from tropical climes to cooler latitudes, and affect everything from offshore oil platforms to long-distance yacht races.

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  5. Earth

    Sticky Situation: Nonstick surfaces can turn toxic at high heat

    Nonstick cookware can, if overheated, sicken people and kill birds, according to a new analysis of research published over the past 40 years.

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  6. Earth

    Whale meat in Japan is loaded with mercury

    Some people in Japan who eat dolphins and other toothed whales are ingesting amounts of mercury that exceed legal health limits.

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  7. Earth

    Vermiculite turns toxic

    Federal agencies issued a warning that much of the vermiculite ceiling insulation installed a decade or more ago may be tainted with cancer-causing asbestos.

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  8. Earth

    To contain gene-altered crops, nip them in the seed

    Researchers have demonstrated that, in principle, they can add genes that block genetically modified crops from breeding with conventional varieties and thus from spreading their artificial traits.

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  9. Agriculture

    Mad Cow Future: Tests explore next generation of defenses

    As Canadian health officials investigate mad cow disease within the country's borders, researchers are already working on the next generation of defenses.

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  10. Earth

    Count Down: Chemicals linked to inferior sperm

    New data suggest that typical exposures to chemicals called phthalates are associated with reduced fertility in men, but the specific phthalates they finger aren't those that researchers most expected to cause problems.

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  11. Agriculture

    Global Food Trends

    Last year, for the third year in four, world per-capita grain production fell. Even more disturbing in a world where people still go hungry, at 294 kilograms, last year’s per capita grain yield was the lowest in more than 30 years. Indeed, the global grain harvest has not met demand for 4 years, causing governments […]

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  12. Agriculture

    How Olives Might Enhance Potatoes—and Strawberries

    Many people savor the flavor of olive oil. Few who have ever encountered the “cake” that remains after the oil is pressed, however, savor the experience. Thats because the pressed olive flesh ends up in unused, smelly heaps. In the European Union alone, olive processors produce some 8 million metric tons of these rank wastes […]

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