Earth

  1. Earth

    Crisis on Tap?

    Because people are becoming ever more dependent on underground aquifers as sources of water, scientists are striving to understand better how groundwater systems interact with the water that flows across Earth's surface.

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  2. Earth

    Liquid Assets

    Research provides guidance on how best to bank water during times of plenty for use during subsequent droughts

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  3. Earth

    Backyard burning is recipe for dioxin

    A few rural households burning trash may generate more toxic dioxins than a major, properly operated municipal incinerator.

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  4. Earth

    Major mood swing alters Pacific character

    The temperature of the North Pacific Ocean has apparently veered from one extreme to the other—a change that could alter North American weather for the next decade or two.

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  5. Earth

    Tomato compound repels mosquitos

    New insect repellents based on a compound that contributes to the smell of crushed tomato leaves are under development.

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  6. Earth

    Teenage Holdup: Pollution may delay puberty

    A new study of adolescents suggests that widespread environmental pollutants such as PCBs and dioxins may delay sexual development.

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  7. Agriculture

    Killer bees boost coffee yields

    Even self-pollinating coffee plants benefit substantially from visits by insect pollinators.

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  8. Agriculture

    Slugging It Out with Caffeine

    Anyone who has raised tomatoes in a moist environment knows the tell-tale sign: Overnight, a ripe, juicy orb sustains a huge, oozing wound. If you arrive early, you might catch the dastardly culprit: a slug. In one test, scientists sprayed soil with dilute caffeine and then watched as slugs, like this one, made haste to […]

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  9. Earth

    Pharm Pollution

    Antibiotics in sewage sludge and manure have the potential to poison plants or end up in food.

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  10. Earth

    As globe warms, atmosphere keeps its cool

    Scientists confirm a confusing discrepancy between temperatures at Earth's surface and in its atmosphere.

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  11. Earth

    The Importance of Being Electric

    By coordinating measurements from telescopes, planes, balloons, and a battery of instruments, terrestrial and space scientists have now placed themselves on almost intimate terms with sprites—luminous shapes that fleetingly appear high above lightning storms.

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  12. Earth

    Famed undersea vent may be lost

    When scientists last month tried to revisit an undersea hydrothermal vent first discovered nearly a quarter of a century ago, they found the site desolate, possibly paved by a fresh volcanic eruption.

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