News and Articles


Study Suggests Switching from Coal to Natural Gas Would do Little for Global Climate

Although the burning of natural gas emits far less carbon dioxide than coal, a new study concludes that a greater reliance on natural gas would fail to significantly slow down climate change. The study appears this week in the Springer journal Climatic Change Letters.

RadioShack Recycles 5-Million Pounds of Batteries

RadioShack collects 5-million pounds of rechargeable batteries.

Google Carbon Offset

Hog Waste Producing Electricity and Carbon Offsets

A pilot waste-to-energy system recently constructed by Duke University and Duke Energy garnered the endorsement of Google Inc., which invests in high-quality carbon offsets from across the nation to fulfill its own carbon neutrality goals.

Sacramento, Calif., Multifamily Developer Going for First Green Certification

Mutual Housing has been known for its green focus since 2003 when the nonprofit became the first multifamily development to install solar electricity in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

Teeny Teeth Indicate Ancient Shark Nurseries

New research suggests that ancient sharks bred in the shallows of freshwater lakes, forming nurseries for their hatchlings.

Lithium Battery Performance May Get a Boost from Algae

By looking to Mother Nature for solutions, researchers have identified a promising new binder material for lithium-ion battery electrodes that could not only boost energy storage, but also eliminate the use of toxic compounds now used in manufacturing the components.

Army Corps of Engineers Study Finds Trees' Effect on Levees is 'Highly Variable and Unquantifiable'

The research, conducted by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), focused primarily on the gathering of root characterization and site conditions through fieldwork, and modeling of single, living trees for both slope stability analyses and seepage analyses.

Climate Policy Initiative Study Finds U.S. Building Energy Codes Work

In the first U.S. study to measure the real impact of building energy codes on total household energy consumption, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) found that U.S. building energy codes have reduced household energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

Exceptional Drought Hits Record Levels in Three More U.S. States

The percent of land area experiencing exceptional drought reached record levels in August in three U.S. states – Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas – amid new concerns about how long the conditions may persist, an official with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said.

Pennsylvania DCNR Warns Heavy, Rain Flooding Boost Risk of Landslides

Recent heavy rain and flooding has increased the danger of landslides on moderate to steep slopes, according to scientists in the Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Study Reveals that National Forests can Provide Public Health Benefits

Each year, more than 170 million people visit national forests for recreation. And the physical activity associated with these visits burns 290 billion food calories. That equals enough french fries laid end to end to reach the Moon and back -- twice -- according to a recent study in the Journal of Forestry.

Study Finds Consumers Have Some Misperceptions About Sustainable Apparel

A recent study from a duo in Kansas State University's department of apparel, textiles and interior design found that when it comes to consumers' rationale for not purchasing sustainable clothing, perception and reality aren't always cut from the same cloth.

Public Opinion Research Shows American Interest in Living Green

A new report offers insight into public opinion about the environment, including the need to conserve and safeguard the health of our ocean.

First Global Portrait of Greenhouse Gases Emerges from Pole-to-Pole Flights

The far-reaching field project, known as HIPPO, is enabling researchers to generate the first detailed mapping of the global distribution of gases and particles that affect Earth’s climate.

World's Smallest Electric Motor Made From a Single Molecule

Chemists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have developed the world's first single molecule electric motor, a development that may potentially create a new class of devices that could be used in applications ranging from medicine to engineering.

New USGS Database Provides Models on Excessive Nutrients in Rivers

The USGS has released an online, interactive decision support system that provides easy access to six newly-developed regional models describing how rivers receive and transport nutrients from natural and human sources to sensitive waters, such as the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas A&M Study Shows Clouds Don't Cause Climate Change

Clouds only amplify climate change, says a Texas A&M University professor in a study that rebuts recent claims that clouds are actually the root cause of climate change.

Recycling Fat Might Help Worms Live Longer

At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team led by Malene Hansen, Ph.D., uses a type of worm called Caenorhabditis elegans to work out the molecular underpinnings of the aging process. In a study appearing online Sept. 8 in Current Biology, they found that two cellular processes—lipid metabolism and autophagy -- work together to influence worms' lifespan.

German Water Bodies Unlikely to Meet EU Quality Standards by 2015 Deadline

This is the conclusion of a study in which data from the four largest rivers in northern Germany – the Elbe, Weser, Aller and Ems – were analyzed over ten years.

Breakthrough in Protecting Global Crops from Disease

A new form of resistance to fungal disease has been discovered in oilseed rape, one of the world’s most important crops, which could hold the key to developing disease resistant crops.