Topic: Science & Technology

Iowa State University researchers are part of an international project that will run computerized climate models to see how climate change may affect North America and even individual states.

Gene Takle begins talks about climate change with some strong statements.

"There is no question now that the climate is changing on a global scale," says Takle, an Iowa State University professor of geological and atmospheric sciences. "The evidence is so overwhelming."

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This image shows how much daily summer high temperatures are expected to increase from the 1990s to the 2040s, according to a climate model prepared by the Iowa State University Regional Climate Modeling Laboratory. The model suggests summers will be warmer across the U.S., but the central part of the country will warm less than the rest of the country.

Using sunn hemp as a cover crop can reduce the risk of groundwater contamination in Southern Florida.

Within Southern Florida, soil and water conditions indicate potential for leaching from the use of atrazine-based herbicides in corn crops. Scientists from USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Florida conducted studies to evaluate the specific groundwater risk from atrazine use by focusing on a specific cover crop that seems to have the potential to greatly reduce that risk. The crop is called sunn hemp. It’s a tall, herbaceous annual that grows rapidly to a height of 6 to 7 feet.

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Using sunn hemp as a cover crop can reduce the risk of groundwater
contamination in Southern Florida.

Growing food and fiber entails the use of fertilizer and irrigation systems and results in land clearing. These ‘side effects’ of agriculture can lead to regime shifts—or ‘tipping points’ which include desertification, salinisation, water degradation, and changes in climate due to altered water flows from land to atmosphere.

Growing food and fiber entails the use of fertilizer and irrigation systems and results in land clearing. These ‘side effects’ of agriculture can lead to regime shifts - or ‘tipping points’ which include desertification, salinisation, water degradation, and changes in climate due to altered water flows from land to atmosphere. As human populations shift to more meat-heavy diets, trade of agricultural products increases, and demand for biofuels grows, the pressure on agricultural systems is mounting. The challenge is to figure out how to meet these demands and keep the ecosystem functions that underpin productivity working. So say researchers who will participate in a symposium, "Tipping points in the biosphere: Agriculture, water, and resilience" during the Ecological Society of America’s Annual Meeting.

Holistic Management International’s COO Peter Holter reacted today to a recent article in The Guardian, "Eat Your Greens," which suggested that people should seriously consider shifting to a vegan diet because the global livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transport. "While I would never want to discourage anyone from switching to a vegan diet, the problem with livestock is not so much their emissions per se, but how the animals are managed under our industrialized feeding system," Holter said.

Holistic Management International’s COO Peter Holter reacted today to a recent article in The Guardian, “Eat Your Greens,” which suggested that people should seriously consider shifting to a vegan diet because – according to a well-publicized UN report - the global livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transport.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant to Drexel University chemistry professor Dr. Alan Bandy to conduct research on Earth’s cooling system and how it affects climate change.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant to Drexel University chemistry professor Dr. Alan Bandy to conduct research on Earth’s cooling system and how it affects climate change.

According to Bandy, the principal investigator in the Pacific Atmospheric Sulfur Experiment (PASE), the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere is determined by processes that heat it—such as absorption of Earth’s radiation by certain gases—and by processes that cool it –such as reflection of the sun’s radiation from Earth’s surface, aerosol and clouds.

Millions of analog television sets will become obsolete in the next 18 months. Legislators and concerned business leaders are acting to avoid an environmental emergency that could result if those sets and the toxic substances they contain end up in landfills.

State and local lawmakers are fast becoming aware of a devil in the details of a federal mandate that takes place early in 2009. On February 17, 2009 - only 18 months from now - television broadcasts in the United States will be all digital.

After an Italian researcher discovered hidden images on Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper", now an illustration specialist developed a procedure so that everybody can make this discovery for himself.

The news spread quickly about the Italian computer analyst Slavisa Pesci who discovered new images on Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper." Soon the web was filled with requests of people to see the end result of Pesci's research, the treated image showing its secret.

About twice as many Atlantic hurricanes form each year on average than a century ago, according to a new statistical analysis. The study concludes that warmer sea surface temperatures and altered wind patterns associated with global climate change are fueling much of the increase.

About twice as many Atlantic hurricanes form each year on average than a century ago, according to a new statistical analysis of hurricanes and tropical storms in the north Atlantic. The study concludes that warmer sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and altered wind patterns associated with global climate change are fueling much of the increase.

Michigan Technological University’s Wood to Wheels research played a key role in a Massachusetts biofuel company’s decision to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Michigan. The plant may become the first in the nation to produce ethanol from trees and other woody materials instead of edible agricultural projects like corn.

The state that gave birth to the American automobile industry is about to become a leader in development of the next generation of biofuels. Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm announced that the Massachusetts-based Mascoma Corporation will build a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant to manufacture automotive biofuel from woody plant materials in Michigan.

Puget Sound, home to already-imperiled salmon, orcas and shorebirds, could be further jeopardized by rising sea-levels brought on by global warming, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation. "Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Habitats in the Pacific Northwest" takes an unprecedented look at global warming's profound impact on the coastal habitats of Washington and Oregon.

Puget Sound, home to already-imperiled salmon, orcas and shorebirds, could be further jeopardized by rising sea-levels brought on by global warming, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation. "Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Habitats in the Pacific Northwest" takes an unprecedented look at global warming's profound impact on the coastal habitats of Washington and Oregon.

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The beautiful Pacific Northwest.