Exploiting male killing bacteria to control insects
Riverside CA (SPX) May 11, 2016 -
A team of scientists have discovered a key mechanism that drives a bacteria that kills male insects, a development that could potentially be exploited to control insect pest species in the future.
Numerous insects, including beetles, wasps and butterflies, harbor types of bacteria that are transmitted by females and induce the preferential death of males. This sex-specific lethality benefi ...
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China and Caribbean cosy up to the sound of music
Beijing (AFP) May 8, 2016 -
Gyrating in the night, Trinidadian soca singer Lil Bitts's derriere, hugged by a pair of hot pants, is centre stage in efforts to bring together China and the Caribbean as Beijing seeks a more prominent presence in Washington's back yard.
"I want to teach people how to jump and wave and wind and enjoy yourself like a Caribbean person," she told AFP at Beijing's biggest Latin American and Car ...
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Achieving fish biomass targets
Washington DC (SPX) May 11, 2016 -
Scientists from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), University of Queensland, James Cook University, and Macquarie University have completed a massive study that will help communities and countries of the Western Indian Ocean measure and restore fish populations while identifying the best policies for achieving global sustainable and conservation targets.
The researchers utilized more tha ...
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Extreme rainfall doesn't always mean extreme erosion
Philadelphia PA (SPX) May 11, 2016 -
In the Puerto Rican rain forest, a strong storm can drop a meter of rain in a single day. All that water rushes into mountain rivers and causes a torrent as the water overflows the riverbanks and charges downstream.
It seems intuitive that the force of so much water would lead to massive erosion of a riverbed. But according to a new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers, that int ...
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Oil-eating bacteria came to the rescue after BP spill
Paris (AFP) May 9, 2016 -
Microscopic bacteria played a crucial role in the cleanup of the devastating 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, scientists who decoded the genomes of the oil-eating organisms reported Monday.
The findings published in the Nature Microbiology journal suggest that certain bacteria have far greater potential for containing chemical pollution in the ocean than previously thought.
An explosion ...
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Oil firms in fire-hit Canada region back to work in coming days at best: premier
Edmonton, Canada (AFP) May 10, 2016 -
Oil companies forced to halt production when Fort McMurray was hit by raging forest fires should resume production "in the coming days and short weeks ahead," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said Tuesday.
Conditions have to be met first, including ensuring that local roads are safe, that thousands of workers get back and hospitals and clinics reopen, she said after meeting with oil company off ...
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U.S. gasoline prices hold steady
Washington (UPI) May 10, 2016 -
Retail gasoline prices in the United States remain relatively stable as markets tilt toward balance, though motor club AAA said that could end come summer.
AAA reports a national average retail price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at $2.20 for Tuesday, slightly less than the previous day and 0.7 percent, or 2 cents, lower than one week ago.
Prices started moving higher ...
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