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Sunday, November 18, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


New model reveals how huddling penguins share heat fairly

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:45 PM PST

Penguins that face the bitter cold and icy winds of Antarctica often huddle together in large groups for warmth during storms. Mathematicians have created a model that shows how the penguins share heat fairly in the huddle.

How does groundwater pumping affect streamflow?

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 09:45 AM PST

Groundwater provides drinking water for millions of Americans and is the primary source of water to irrigate cropland in many of the nations most productive agricultural settings. Although the benefits of groundwater development are many, groundwater pumping can reduce the flow of water in connected streams and rivers.

Application of smartphone technology to economic and environmental analysis of building energy conservation strategies

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 09:44 AM PST

They can help us pass the time, socialize and yes, even work, but can smartphones also help us save the planet? A new article suggests they can.

New whale shark study used metabolomics to help understand shark and ray health

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 09:43 AM PST

New research provides evidence that a suite of techniques called "metabolomics" can be used to determine the health status of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), the world's largest fish species.

Mixing processes could increase impact of biofuel spills on aquatic environments

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 07:41 AM PST

Ethanol, a component of biofuel made from plants such as corn, is blended with gas in many parts of the country, but has significantly different fluid properties than pure gasoline. A group of researchers wondered how ethanol-based fuels would spread in the event of a large aquatic spill. They found that ethanol-based liquids mix actively with water, very different from how pure gasoline interacts with water and potentially more dangerous to aquatic life.

Indirect effects of climate change could alter landscapes

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 05:56 AM PST

Studies of a northern hardwood forest in New England point to unexpected ecological trends resulting from documented changes in the climate over 50 years. Some of the changes now taking place can be expected to alter the composition of the forest and the wildlife present. The observations may have implications for other northern forests and suggest directions for future research and monitoring.

GOCE’s second mission improving gravity map

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 05:55 AM PST

ESA's GOCE gravity satellite has already delivered the most accurate gravity map of Earth, but its orbit is now being lowered in order to obtain even better results. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has been orbiting Earth since March 2009, reaching its ambitious objective to map our planet's gravity with unrivaled precision.

Probing the mystery of the venus fly trap's botanical bite

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 05:52 AM PST

Plants lack muscles, yet in only a tenth of a second, the meat-eating Venus fly trap hydrodynamically snaps its leaves shut to trap an insect meal. This astonishingly rapid display of botanical movement has long fascinated biologists. Commercially, understanding the mechanism of the Venus fly trap's leaf snapping may one day help improve products such as release-on-command coatings and adhesives, electronic circuits, optical lenses, and drug delivery.

Mercury poisoning ruled out as cause of Tycho Brahe's death

Posted: 15 Nov 2012 10:34 AM PST

The results of this intensive work now make it possible to rule out mercury poisoning as a cause of death.

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