Earth

Urine-Powered Fuel Cells: Pee Power to the People!

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:03:45 GMT

Researchers have figured out a way to make the world's first urine-powered fuel cells a significant feat, because most fuel cell systems today are too costly to be a source for renewable energy or allow for easy commercial use, especially in poorer developing countries. And, they're safer too. Fuel cells usually rely on flammable hydrogen gas or toxic methanol to generate

Potomac River Now Healthier Than in '50s, Study Shows

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:14:38 GMT

The Potomac River, once so polluted it was labeled a "national disgrace," is now the cleanest it has been in decades its comeback signaled by the re-growth of large areas of underwater grasses.

A new scientific study, released Tuesday, paints an evocative picture of the Potomac's rebound from the 1960s, when its bottom was bare mud and its algae-choked water was AstroTurf green.

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The Unsung Hero Behind the Polluted Rouge River's Rebirth

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:47:21 GMT

Ed Bagale was honored with an Unsung Hero Award for his efforts to help transform the Rouge River from among the most polluted bodies of water in Michigan to one that is showing promise.

"We went, in the matter of 10 years, from a river that only one or two days a year had enough oxygen to support life to a river that has 27 species of

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Goats Rescued After 2 Days on 6-inch Ledge in Montana

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:42:45 GMT

Two young goats wandered onto the thin ledge of a railroad bridge and spent nearly two days high above the ground until rescuers in a towering cherry picker plucked them from their perch, hungry but safe.

"The whole time, we thought they were going to fall off," said Sandy Church, of the Rimrock Humane Society, who was called by a driver
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Russia and China Vow to Protect Siberian Tigers

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:51:06 GMT

China and Russia have agreed to set up the first cross-border protection zone for rare Siberian tigers.

Only about 500 of the big cats are thought to be left in the wild.

The zone will straddle the border, where both sides will enforce anti-poaching measures.

(READ the story in BBC)

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Staying Up All Night to Save Sea Turtles (Video)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:51:50 GMT

Ever since the night 10 years ago, when Oscar Aranda, a biology student out of college, witnessed the gruesome death of a sea turtle killed for its eggs and meat, he has patrolled Puerto Vallarta's beaches as an unofficial keeper of the sea turtle maternity ward.

He later founded a conservation group, La Sociedad Ecológica del Occidente, dedicated to protecting turtles that nest along Mexico's northwest
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UK Bee Industry Abuzz with Mite Resistant Breed

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:56:50 GMT

A British beekeeper said on Wednesday he may have discovered a strain of honey bee immune to a parasite that has been gradually wiping out populations of the vital insect worldwide.

Scientists have been trying to find a way to fight the pesticide-resistant Varroa mite. But now a retired man who has spent 18 years searching for a mite-resistant breed may have made a breakthrough.

Ron
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New Microbe Discovered Eating Gulf Oil Spill

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:04:21 GMT

A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe suddenly is flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico and gobbling up the BP spill at a much faster rate than expected, scientists reported Tuesday.

Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled since the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Also, the microbe works
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Cleanup of Toxic Superfund Site Completed in New Jersey

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:21 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has successfully completed cleanup work at the Asbestos Dump Superfund site in Morris County, New Jersey, which is adjacent to a National Wildlife Refuge.

After assessing monitoring data, EPA has determined that the asbestos has been successfully contained, and no longer poses a significant threat to public health or the environment.

To date, nearly 350 Superfund sites nationally have been cleaned
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Global CO2 emissions Down 1.3 percent in 2009

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:10:30 GMT

Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2009 fell 1.3 percent, marking the first such decline in a decade, German renewable energy institute IWR said on Friday.

The institute cited the global economic crisis and rising investments in renewable energies for the fall in emissions.

(READ more from Reuters)

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Tennessee Purple Coneflower No Longer Endangered: An Environmental Success Story

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:32:38 GMT

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed removing the Tennessee purple coneflower from the list of threatened and endangered species, marking the success of a decades-long cooperative conservation effort under the Endangered Species Act.

“More than 30 years of protecting and expanding Tennessee purple coneflower colonies finally brought success to conservation partners,” said Cindy Dohner, the Service’s Southeast Regional Director. “Thanks to
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New Study Finds Solution to Lionfish Invasion, Eat The Delicious Fish!

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:46:12 GMT

Chefs need to introduce this “delicious” fish to consumers, says a new government study looking at how to curb the rapid growth of lionfish, an invasive species not native to the Atlantic Ocean. NOAA researchers suggest that approximately 27 percent of mature lionfish will have to be removed monthly during an entire year for its population growth rate to be reduced to zero.

But the good news is
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Bio-Bug VW Runs on Human Waste

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:21:50 GMT

A car that is powered by methane gas produced by human waste has been launched and its makers claim drivers cannot tell the difference.

The Bio-Bug is a Volkswagen Beetle converted by a team of British engineers to run on biogas, which is produced from human waste at sewage works across the country.

They believe the car is a viable alternative to electric vehicles.

(READ
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Tower of Pisa Mystery is Solved: The Leaning is Halted

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:05:44 GMT

Professor John Burland has spent the last two decades striving to save and understand the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After defying gravity, Italian bureaucracy and accusations of corruption, it seems he’s finally cracked the case.

"Without our intervention, any local storm or earth tremor could have finished it off," Burland said of the freestanding bell tower, adjacent to the cathedral of the Italian city of
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Exterminated 50 Years Ago, Cheetahs to Run Again in India

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:35:36 GMT

The cheetah is poised to sprint once again along India's grassland, nearly half a century after it was hunted to extinction.

The fastest mammal on Earth and the only one whose name has been derived from Sanskrit will be reintroduced into three specified sites under a planned $6 million rehabilitation project.

India’s federal environment ministry plans to import 18 African cheetahs acquired from Iran, Namibia and South
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Feds and Farmers Create Wetlands for Migrating Birds Headed for Gulf

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:03:35 GMT

Government officials hope to turn 150,000 acres of farmland into wetlands by Aug. 15 to be ready for migratory birds that would otherwise be visiting their usual Gulf of Mexico wintering grounds which are threatened by oil.

Across eight states, farmers with fallow fields of rice and crawfish will try to provide an alternative for some of the tens of millions of ducks, geese and shorebirds that are
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Galapagos Removed From Endangered List

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:17:47 GMT

The Galapagos Islands have been removed from the UNESCO list of legacy sites around the globe under threat by environmental or human assault.

After meeting on Wednesday, the UNESCO committee said proactive measures by Ecuador's government to limit dangers to the nearby island chain have left the Galapagos Islands safer now.

The Galapagos Islands, which have been called a unique “living museum and showcase of
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Fly-over Shows Progress In Gulf

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:14:46 GMT
A recent Coast Guard flight over the site of the exploded BP oil well shows that the thick black swaths of oil have dissipated in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Two months ago, I took a boat ride to this exact spot and it was thick with black oil," said one NPR reporter. "The flight this week revealed a dramatic difference."

"Between the skimming, the surface
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FedEx On the Move Saving Gulf Sea Turtles

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:29:08 GMT

To help thousands of endangered sea turtles survive the oiled Gulf waters, wildlife experts have begun lifting turtle eggs out of the sand and packing them in Styrofoam nest boxes that will be transported for free by FedEx across the state of Florida to the eastern beaches.

FedEx drivers in special cooling trucks will be working over the next four months on what may be their most important
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Volunteers Help Injured Baby Raccoon to Recover

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:27:14 GMT

Veterinarians and rehabbers give their time to a baby raccoon, orphaned and paralyzed shortly after birth. One brain scan and spinal operation later, and this once injured animal is running around with a friend, preparing to be returned to the wild.

WATCH the video below, or at ABC local...

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