Earth
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Earth
Monsoon Warning: Data hint at wet and blustery future
Asian monsoons have been intensifying over the last 400 years, and they're slated to get worse.
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Earth
A Stinging Forecast: Model predicts chance of encountering jellyfish
Weather forecasters usually prognosticate precipitation, pollen, and poor air quality, but in some areas, they could soon provide beachgoers with the probability of confronting a jellyfish.
By Sid Perkins -
Earth
Study links cancer to Vatican Radio
Broadcast transmissions from a forest of antennas owned by Vatican Radio, outside Rome, appear to have boosted leukemia incidence in neighboring communities.
By Janet Raloff -
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.
By Sid Perkins -
Earth
Liquid Assets
Research provides guidance on how best to bank water during times of plenty for use during subsequent droughts
By Janet Raloff -
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.
By Janet Raloff -
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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Earth
Tomato compound repels mosquitos
New insect repellents based on a compound that contributes to the smell of crushed tomato leaves are under development.
By Janet Raloff -
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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Agriculture
Killer bees boost coffee yields
Even self-pollinating coffee plants benefit substantially from visits by insect pollinators.
By Janet Raloff -
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 […]
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Pharm Pollution
Antibiotics in sewage sludge and manure have the potential to poison plants or end up in food.
By Janet Raloff