Month: July 2010

  • Here Come the Electric Cars: “Leaf” and “Volt”

    Here’s an article from Triple Pundit talking about the launch of two new electric cars: the Nissan “Leaf” (eco-friendly name, huh) and the GM “Volt.” Read the article and let us know – would you buy either of these two vehicles? The Plug-In 2010 Conference in San Jose was the site of major announcements by…

  • BP to try well kill Tuesday

    BP Plc said on Friday it could seal its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well by next week as the House of Representatives voted to toughen regulation of offshore energy drilling. Incoming BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said the British energy giant would attempt a “static kill” operation on Tuesday to try to plug the…

  • Nuclear Fusion

    Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion reactions. In this kind of reaction, two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus and in doing so, release a large amount of energy. The major difference between fission and fusion reactors is that there is no possibility of a catastrophic accident in…

  • Good News for Gulf Fishermen

    In response to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal government closed off vast areas of the ocean to fishing operations. Much of the area was closed off as a precaution, even if it was minimally touched by the spreading oil, to avoid a public health disaster from contaminated seafood. The good…

  • Backbone of marine food chain in alarming decline

    Tiny marine algae, known as phytoplankton, are the backbone of the marine food chain, yet a new study in Nature has found that this backbone is disintegrating. Researchers discovered that since 1950 phytoplankton has declined by approximately 40 percent across the Northern Hemisphere, a decline that corresponds to warming waters due to climate change. Given…

  • Wildfires sweep central Russia

    Forest fires swept across central Russia on Friday, killing at least eight people and forcing the evacuation of thousands during the hottest summer since records began 130 years ago. Fanned by strong winds, raging fires ripped through woods and fields already scorched by the heatwave. The emergencies ministry said 866 square km, an area about…

  • The Might of the Spider

    Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring. Spider silk is as strong as many industrial fibers. There is commercial interest in duplicating spider silk artificially,…

  • Health Risks at the Beach

    Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water… Sharks can be scary to encounter when swimming in the ocean. But they are not the most dangerous threat one can face at the beach. A new study from the University of Miami suggests that microbes in the water should be of much…

  • Mekong dams threaten rare giant fish

    Wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if hydropower dams planned for the Mekong River go ahead, says a new report by WWF. Current scientific information suggests the Mekong giant catfish migrate from the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia up the Mekong River to spawn in northern Thailand and…

  • Galapagos Removed From Endangered List

    The Galapagos Islands have been removed from the UNESCO list of sites endangered by environmental threats or overuse. The island chain, about 620 miles off Ecuador’s coast, is home to unique animal species that inspired Charles Darwin’s ideas on evolution.