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Saturday, March 10, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Don’t bite the hand that feeds: Using satellite technology to evaluate the effects of ecotourism on tiger sharks

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 10:58 AM PST

Ecotourism activities that use food to attract and concentrate wildlife for viewing have become a controversial topic in ecological studies. This debate is best exemplified by the shark dive tourism industry, a highly lucrative and booming global market. Use of chum or food to attract big sharks to areas where divers can view the dwindling populations of these animals has generated significant criticism because of the potential for ecological and behavioral impacts to the species. However, the debate has been largely rhetorical due to a lack of sufficient data to make any conclusions either way.

Environmentally friendly cleaning and washing

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:48 AM PST

More and more everyday products are based on renewable resources, with household cleaners now containing active cleaning substances made from plant oils and sugar. These fat and dirt removers are especially environmentally friendly and effective when produced using biotechnology, with the aid of fungi and bacteria.

Mid-Atlantic suburbs in U.S. can expect an early spring thanks to the heat of the big city

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:48 AM PST

If you've been thinking our world is more green than frozen these days, you're right. A recent study has found that spring is in arriving earlier -- and autumn later -- in the suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, DC. The reason? The urban landscape traps heat in the summer and holds it throughout the winter, triggering leaves to turn green earlier in the spring and to stay green later into autumn. The result is an extended growing season.

Orientation of ants: Every cue counts

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:41 AM PST

Foraging desert ants always find their way back to the nest, even when it is only marked by a magnetic cue, vibration, or carbon dioxide.

Insect DNA offers tiny clues about animals' changing habitats

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

The long-term impact of climate change on natural communities of wild animals could be better understood thanks to a new study.

Clock gene helps plants prepare for spring flowering, study shows

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

Scientists have made fresh discoveries about the processes that govern plants' internal body clocks and help them adjust to changing seasons, triggering the arrival of flowers in spring.

Reducing the urban heat island effect: Bright is the new black as New York roofs go cool

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:51 PM PST

On the hottest day of the New York City summer in 2011, a white roof covering was measured at 42 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the traditional black roof it was being compared to, according to a new study that details the first scientific results from the city's unprecedented effort to brighten rooftops and reduce its "urban heat island" effect.

Commonly used herbicides seen as threat to endangered butterflies

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 01:28 PM PST

A toxicologist has found that three commonly used herbicides can dramatically reduce butterfly populations. The research was aimed at possible effects on the Lange's metalmark, an endangered species in northern California, but it has implications for other at-risk and endangered butterflies wherever herbicides are used.

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