As Alaska warms, methane emissions appear stable
Washington DC (SPX) Jun 28, 2016 -
Analysis of nearly three decades of air samples from Alaska's North Slope shows little change in long-term methane emissions despite significant Arctic warming over that time period, according to new research published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.
Scientists estimate that Arctic permafrost, a thick layer of frozen soil that encircles the glo ...
more
Google brings Earth into better focus
San Francisco (AFP) June 28, 2016 -
Google's free online mapping service is bringing the world into better focus with an updated version of Earth that takes advantage of photos from a US Landsat 8 satellite.
The Internet giant introduced a "cloud-free mosaic" of this planet three years ago at Google Earth, and on Monday began rolling out a new version that uses new techniques to process sharper images gathered by the satellite ...
more
Researchers discover oldest evidence of farming by insects
Washington DC (SPX) Jun 28, 2016 -
Scientists have discovered the oldest fossil evidence of agriculture - not by humans, but by insects. The team, led by Eric Roberts of James Cook University along with researchers from Ohio University, discovered the oldest known examples of "fungus gardens" in 25 million-year-old fossil termite nests in East Africa.
Some termite species cultivate fungi in "gardens" in subterranean nests o ...
more
What did Earth's ancient magnetic field look like
Washington DC (SPX) Jun 28, 2016 -
New work from Carnegie's Peter Driscoll suggests Earth's ancient magnetic field was significantly different than the present day field, originating from several poles rather than the familiar two. It is published in Geophysical Research Letters.
Earth generates a strong magnetic field extending from the core out into space that shields the atmosphere and deflects harmful high-energy partic ...
more
Insects were already using camouflage 100 million years ago
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Jun 28, 2016 -
Those who go to a masked ball consciously slip into a different role, in order to avoid being recognized so quickly. Insects were already doing something very similar in the Cretaceous: They cloaked themselves in pieces of plants, grains of sand, or the remains of their prey, in order, for example, to be invisible to predators.
An international research team, with participation from the Un ...
more
Riyadh (AFP) June 21, 2016 -
A ballistic missile fired early Tuesday towards the central Yemeni city of Marib has been intercepted, a Saudi-led military coalition battling rebels in the impoverished nation said.
The missile was "destroyed with no damage" after its launch at around 12:15 am (2115 GMT), a statement from the alliance said.
"Coalition air forces immediately responded by destroying the missile launching ...
more
Washington DC (SPX) Jun 21, 2016 -
With 14 electric motors turning propellers and all of them integrated into a uniquely-designed wing, NASA will test new propulsion technology using an experimental airplane now designated the X-57 and nicknamed "Maxwell."
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden highlighted the agency's first X-plane designation in a decade during his keynote speech Friday in Washington at the American Institute ...
more