Month: August 2015

  • NASA's latest satellite data reveals global sea level rise

    Global sea levels have risen nearly 3 inches in less than 25 years, with some locations around the world rising more than 9 inches, according to NASA’s latest satellite data. An intensive research effort now underway, aided by NASA observations and analysis, points to an unavoidable rise of several feet in the future.

  • Carbon Credits Under Kyoto Protocol Actually Increased Emissions

    At the end of November, governments will come together in Paris to hammer out agreements for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Under the KP, there are two greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions offsetting mechanisms: joint implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).JI allows countries with emissions-reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to generate Emission Reduction Units (ERUs) from…

  • The Fingerprints of Sea Level Rise

    When you fill a sink, the water rises at the same rate to the same height in every corner. That's not the way it works with our rising seas.According to the 23-year record of satellite data from NASA and its partners, the sea level is rising a few millimeters a year — a fraction of…

  • Trash or Treasure? Repurposing Food Waste to Feed the Hungry and Create Jobs

    "If I offered you a bruised banana, you probably wouldn’t be interested,” said Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, director of Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management. “But what if I offered you some banana ice cream on a hot summer day? I bet you’d find that a lot more appealing.”It was this simple observation that…

  • Plastic particles found in cosmetics

    Everyday cosmetic and cleaning products contain huge quantities of plastic particles, which are released to the environment and could be harmful to marine life, according to a new study. Research at Plymouth University has shown almost 100,000 tiny ‘microbeads’ – each a fraction of a millimetre in diameter – could be released in every single application…

  • Anti-aging proteins

    Individuals previously diagnosed with heart disease may be less likely to experience heart failure, heart attacks, or stroke, or to die from these events, if they have higher blood levels of two very closely related proteins, according to a new study led by a UC San Francisco research team.One of these proteins, known as GDF11,…

  • Access to nature may help you sleep better

    Men and persons age 65 and older who have access to natural surroundings, whether it’s the green space of a nearby park or a sandy beach and an ocean view, report sleeping better, according to a new University of Illinois study published in Preventive Medicine.

  • Arctic may help remove, not add, methane

    In addition to melting icecaps and imperiled wildlife, a significant concern among scientists is that higher Arctic temperatures brought about by climate change could result in the release of massive amounts of carbon locked in the region’s frozen soil in the form of carbon dioxide and methane. However, new research led by Princeton University researchers and…

  • Yosemite Black Bears' Diet Surprises Researchers

    Black bears in Yosemite National Park that don’t seek out human foods subsist primarily on plants and nuts, according to a study conducted by biologists at UC San Diego who also found that ants and other sources of animal protein, such as mule deer, make up only a small fraction of the bears’ annual diet.

  • More American shoppers becoming “locavores”

    More Americans than ever before are supporting their local food markets, and new research has found it's not just because they believe the food is fresher and tastes better.