Earth

  1. Earth

    Motion of ice across Lake Vostok revealed

    New measurements of the movement of the Antarctic ice sheet across a lake that harbors microbial life beneath 4 kilometers of ice could help scientists determine where to drill to get the freshest samples of frozen water without contaminating the lake.

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  2. Earth

    Do your bit to fight toxic pool pollution

    New data suggest that showering before a swim in the community pool could help limit the formation of toxic chemicals in the water.

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  3. Agriculture

    Journal disowns transgene report

    The journal Nature now says it shouldn't have published a report that genetically engineered corn is leaking exotic genes into the traditional maize crops of Mexico.

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  4. Earth

    Stemming the Tide

    New approaches to stopping the introduction by ships of invasive species to North American waters are beginning to show promise but have a long way to go.

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  5. Earth

    Satellites discover new Arctic islands

    Danish researchers analyzing satellite observations of remote Tobias Island, discovered in 1993 off the northeastern coast of Greenland, have stumbled upon a new group of small islands nearby.

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  6. Earth

    All Cracked Up from the Heat? Major hunk of an Antarctic ice shelf shatters and drifts away

    A Rhode Island-size section of an Antarctic ice shelf splintered into thousands of icebergs in a mere 5-week period during the area's warmest summer on record.

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  7. Earth

    Rocks in Earth’s mantle could hold five oceans

    Analysis of minerals created in the laboratory under conditions that simulate those deep within the planet suggests that the zone of rocks just outside Earth's core could hold enough water to fill the oceans five times.

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  8. Earth

    Zooplankton diet of mercury varies

    By modeling a lake ecosystem in large tubs of water, researchers have found that zooplankton—an important link in the food chain—consume much less toxic methylmercury when the lake experiences an algal bloom.

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  9. Earth

    A Confluence of Contaminants: Streams’ organic mix may pose environmental risk

    The combined effects of at least some of several dozen organic contaminants newly identified in U.S. streams may pose risks to aquatic organisms.

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  10. Earth

    Water for the Rock

    A long-popular theory about how Earth got wet—that the oceans are puddles left by an ancient rain of comets—doesn't seem to hold water, and new hypotheses suggest that the celestial pantry is now empty of a key ingredient in the recipe for Earth.

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  11. Earth

    Underground Soil Economy: Microbes hidden in the dirt react to UV boost

    The community of soil microbes may live hidden in the ground, but it still changes when there's more ultraviolet radiation above.

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  12. Earth

    When the Mercury Falls: Autumn leaves taint river with poison

    Fall foliage that collects in stagnant waterways could release significant doses of a highly toxic form of mercury, which has the potential to accumulate in fish living far downstream.

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