Water


Could Saltwater Make Microbial Life on Mars Possible?

How common are droplets of saltwater on Mars? Could microbial life survive and reproduce in them? A new million-dollar NASA project led by the University of Michigan aims to answer those questions.

Study Shows Human Sewage Kills Imperiled Coral

A research team from Rollins College in Florida and the University of Georgia has identified human sewage as the source of the coral-killing pathogen that causes white pox disease of Caribbean elkhorn coral. Once the most common coral in the Caribbean, elkhorn coral was listed for protection under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2006, largely due to white pox disease.

Research Shows Polar Ice Caps Can Recover From Warmer Climate Induced Melting

A growing body of recent research indicates that, in Earth's warming climate, there is no "tipping point," or threshold warm temperature, beyond which polar sea ice cannot recover if temperatures come back down. New University of Washington research indicates that even if Earth warmed enough to melt all polar sea ice, the ice could recover if the planet cooled again.

One in 10 Deaths in Mongolian Capital Caused by Air Pollution

Using government-supplied measurements, the researchers found concentrations of fine particles in Ulaanbaatar’s air were more than seven times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization

Smart EV Charging Will Require Utilities to Invest in Cybersecurity Systems

A report forecasts that the EV cybersecurity market will increase from just $26 million in 2011 to $144 million by 2015, with a cumulative investment of $432 million during that period.

Study Aims to Improve Fuel Economy by 30 Percent

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside along with their research partners received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to study and evaluate technologies that provide feedback to drivers so they can cut harmful emissions and reduce fuel use by up to 30 percent.

Peter Martin Kuhn Added to EPA Fugitive List

The former president and CEO of French Gulch Nevada Mining Corporation and Bullion River Gold Corporation failed to surrender to federal authorities after he was indicted for his role in a conspiracy to illegally dispose of mining wastes containing hazardous concentrations of arsenic and lead.

Increased Tropical Forest Growth Could Release Carbon from the Soil

A new study shows that as climate change enhances tree growth in tropical forests, the resulting increase in litterfall could stimulate soil micro-organisms leading to a release of stored soil carbon.



Organic Photovoltaics: Solar Cells of the Future?

Undergraduate researcher Safatul Islam is a member of a team in the College of Optical Sciences investigating organic photovoltaics, which can lead to improved electronics.

Human Health: Biofuels to Grow from Plant Research Center

Improved nutrition for billions of people around the world and the development of clean, green biofuels are two key aims of a major new research center at the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus.

Climate Change Could Drive Native Fish Out of Wisconsin Waters

The cisco, a key forage fish found in Wisconsin’s deepest and coldest bodies of water, could become a climate change casualty and disappear from most of the Wisconsin lakes it now inhabits by the year 2100, according to a new study.

'Momma's Boy' Phenomenon May Occur in Bird Families

Scientists have discovered that zebra finch mothers favor their sons over their daughters, so male chicks end up getting fed more than their sisters do. But fathers don't appear to be as biased.

Chemists Make First Quantitative Measure of Radiation Leaked from Fukushima Reactor

Their estimate, reported this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on a signal sent across the Pacific Ocean when operators of the damaged reactor had to resort to cooling overheated fuel with seawater.

Single Microbial Gene Linked to Increased Ethanol Tolerance

A team of researchers from the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center has pinpointed a single, key gene in a microbe that could help streamline the production of biofuels from non-food sources.

Climate Change, Algae Lessen Lake Tahoe's Clarity

Lake Tahoe clarity dropped in 2010, but the rate of decline in clarity over the past decade remains slower compared with previous decades, according to UC Davis scientists who have monitored the lake for more than 40 years.

Professor Presents Research About Effect of Dams on Climate to Congress

As the U.S. government makes decisions on high-profile environmental issues, Faisal Hossain’s influence on those decisions is growing—attesting to the fact that a researcher at a mid-size university in a rural area can have a powerful national, even international, impact.

Another Study Finds Bluefin Tuna In Need of Protection

The team’s analysis—published in a recent issue of Science magazine’s Policy Forum—is the first study of global tuna and billfish populations using the methods of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Waste Facility Agrees to $1.7M Settlement for Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations

In a settlement valued at more than $1.7 million, Clean Harbors of Braintree Inc. has agreed to pay a significant penalty and perform additional projects, to settle a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of EPA, regarding numerous violations of hazardous waste management and emergency planning laws at the company’s Braintree, Mass., facility.

Tips Tuesday: Top-Five Energy-Efficiency Myths

As consumers stay focused on keeping cool during the hottest months of the year, they may fall victim to some of the myths that may be giving electricity customers the wrong idea about how to curb their electricity consumption and save money on their monthly bills.

Ethane Levels Yield Information About Changes in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Recent data from NSF-funded research in both Greenland and Antarctica demonstrate that fossil-fuel related emissions of both methane and ethane, two of the most abundant hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, declined at the end of the twentieth century, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Nature.