Christchurch, New Zealand (SPX) Feb 15, 2023 University of Canterbury (UC) researchers have summarised the threats that future rocket launches would pose to Earth’s protective ozone layer, in a new review article published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. The ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, was severely damaged in the 1980s … Continue reading Upsurge in rocket launches could impact the ozone layer

Exeter UK (SPX) Feb 15, 2023 Seabed mining could soon begin in the deep ocean – but the potential impact on animals including whales is unknown, researchers have warned. Commercial-scale deep seabed mining in international waters could be permitted for the first time later this year. In a new paper, scientists from the University of Exeter and Greenpeace Research Laboratories say that deep seabed mining … Continue reading Whale warning as clock ticks towards deep-sea mining

Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Feb 14, 2023 The idea that forest trees can “talk” to each other, share resources with their seedlings – and even protect them – through a connective underground web of delicate fungal filaments tickles the imagination. The concept is so intriguing, it’s taken root in popular media – even being raised in the popular Apple TV show Ted Lasso – and been … Continue reading Do forest trees really “talk” through underground fungi

Washington (AFP) Feb 13, 2023 Some 400 scientists and climate experts expressed support on Monday for a US government proposal to revise a key metric that estimates the damage from carbon dioxide emissions. The number in question is the social cost of carbon and it represents the dollar value of the climate change harm attributable to a metric ton of carbon dioxide. It is a … Continue reading Experts back more robust US estimates of social cost of carbon

Johannesburg (AFP) Feb 13, 2023 The owner of a huge South African rhino conservation farm, the world’s largest, said Monday that it would be sold at auction in April because it could no longer afford to breed the endangered animals. Platinum Rhino, home to nearly 2,000 southern white rhinoceros spread across 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) in the country’s North West province, says it is “the … Continue reading South Africa’s largest rhino farm puts itself up for sale

Mexico City (AFP) Feb 13, 2023 Mexico on Monday paid tribute to a military rescue dog that died while searching for survivors buried under the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey. Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced the death of the German shepherd called Proteo at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s daily news conference. “You accomplished your mission… thank you for your heroic work,” the … Continue reading Mexico hails ‘heroic’ rescue dog that died in Turkey

Harim, Syria (AFP) Feb 13, 2023 While his wife and two daughters lay under the rubble after Syria’s earthquake, Abdelbaset Khalil tended to hundreds of patients who flooded into his hospital. Khalil, a nurse anaesthetist, was already at work when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria last week, flattening entire neighbourhoods and leaving a combined death toll of more than 35,000, including at least … Continue reading Syria’s health workers hit by double tragedy after quake

Washington (AFP) Feb 10, 2023 Long-term exposure to air pollution raises the risk of depression, according to a pair of new studies published in the JAMA network of scientific journals. A study published on Friday in JAMA Network Open found that long-term exposure to elevated levels of air pollution increases the risk of late-onset depression among the elderly. The other study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, … Continue reading Long-term air pollution exposure raises depression risk: studies

University Park PA (SPX) Feb 13, 2023 Bound for the landfill, agricultural waste contains carbon sources that can be used to produce high-value compounds, such as p-coumaric acid, which is used in manufacturing pharmaceuticals. Electrodeionization, a separation method that uses ion-exchange membranes, is one way to capture the acids and other useful components. However, to capture large quantities at scale, improvements to the methohttp://dlvr.it/SjKTth Continue reading Researchers use water treatment method to capture acids from agricultural waste

Pijao, Colombia (AFP) Feb 11, 2023 During the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, millions of armchair fans will tuck into a tasty snack of tortilla chips and guacamole. But unbeknown to them, in far away Colombia, local farmers are paying the price for their gastronomic pleasure, while environmentalists are warning of water pollution. The explosion of avocado plantations … Continue reading Super Bowl snack hurting Colombian farmers, environment