Archive by date | April 2012

Global water cycle is revving up

Global water cycle is revving up

Perhaps the most inconvenient thing about global warming is that mainly the poor will have to carry the can. While, for example, the amount of rainfall at wealthy and relatively freshwater-blessed mid and high latitudes is likely to increase as the climate warms, drought-prone regions such as the Sahel zone will likely get even drier.  Read more

Brazilian Congress scales back Forest Code

Brazilian Congress scales back Forest Code

After two years of political wrangling that pitted rural agricultural interests known as “ruralistas” against environmentalists and many scientists, Brazil’s lower house approved legislation late Wednesday that would scale back the country’s vaunted forest protection code.  Read more

Chinese scientists call for an end to bear farming

Chinese scientists call for an end to bear farming

Chinese scientists from Beijing Forest University have called for their government to ban bear farming in Nature this week. Around 10,000 endangered Asian black bears or ‘moon bears’ are kept captive in China in order to extract their bile for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  Read more

Urban science centre born in the Big Apple

Urban science centre born in the Big Apple

What better birthplace for an institute of urban science than a soot-stained edifice in downtown Brooklyn. New York City Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that the mainly vacant building will house a world class research institute, to be led by theoretical physicist Steven Koonin, former undersecretary for science at the US Department of Energy.  Read more

Scientists urge broad sampling for US children’s study

A panel of advisors to the US National Children’s Study met at a critical juncture today, as leaders of the study prepare to choose a sampling strategy for the multi-billion dollar effort to document influences on the health of 100,000 children from before birth to age 21.  Read more