Environment

Scientists mine ‘star scar’ to unlock space secrets

by Julie Carnis Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Since early September, the denizens of this normally hushed burg in central France have been serenaded by an industrial drill poking holes around town and pulling up cylinders of rock. That’s because Rochechouart, population 3,800, and its medieval castle are built on top of an astrobleme. “An astrobleme — which literally means ‘star scar’ — is the name given to traces left by a major […]

Concentration of CO2 in atmosphere hits record high: UN

by Ben Simon Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has hit a new high, the UN said Monday, warning that drastic action is needed to achieve targets set by the Paris climate agreement. “Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged at a record-breaking speed in 2016 to the highest level in 800,000 years,” the World Meteorological Organization said. “Globally averaged concentrations of CO2 reached […]

$129B in extreme weather losses last year: climate report

by Mariëtte Le Roux Agence France Presse Extreme weather caused some $129 billion (111 billion euros) in economic losses last year, said a report Tuesday that warned the bill will keep climbing as climate change boosts droughts, storms and floods. There was a 46-percent increase in weather disasters from 2010 to 2016, with 797 “extreme” events recorded last year, according to research published in The Lancet medical journal. These “resulted in $129 billion in overall […]

Iran moves to save last ‘mascot’ Asiatic cheetahs

by Siavosh Ghazi Agence France Presse GARMSAR, Iran (AFP) — Iranian environmentalists have mobilized to protect the world’s last Asiatic cheetahs, estimated to number just 50 and faced with the threats of becoming roadkill, a shortage of prey and farmers’ dogs. “The last time our photo traps caught a cheetah here, it was two years ago. But we’re sure they are still in the region,” said Rajab Ali Kargar, deputy head of the National Protection […]

Antarctic ocean conservation protection plans put on ice

Reuters — A proposal to expand the world’s largest marine conservation park in Antarctica by linking it with smaller ones failed at a meeting as Russian and Chinese delegates did not endorse it, a conservationist attending the session said on Saturday (October 28). The plan was proposed at a meeting in Hobart, Australia, on Friday (October 27) of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which last year created the Ross Sea […]

Maliit na seahorse na may bitbit na maliliit na basura sa karagatan, nag-viral sa social media

(Eagle News) — Kumakalat sa social media ngayon ang larawan ng isang maliit na seahorse na may bitbit na maliliit na plastik ng basura sa karagatan. Kuha ito ng isang batikang photographer na si Justin Hofman sa isang karagatan sa Indonesia. Ayon kay Hofman, hindi niya inaasahan ang pangyayaring ito, dahil nung araw na iyon ay kagagaling niya lamang sa isang expedition at sa sobrang pagod at nainitan siya ay lumangoy siya kasama ng kaibigan […]

WATCH: Saving Indonesia’s birds-of-paradise one village at a time

by Kiki Siregar Agence France-Presse SORONG, Indonesia (AFP) — Deep in Indonesia’s easternmost province, a group of birdwatchers wait in earnest hoping to glimpse the renowned birds-of-paradise. Once plentiful in Papua’s jungles, rampant poaching and deforestation have devastated populations. The tourists are in luck, their patience is rewarded: Perched on the branch of a tall tree near the remote village of Malagufuk, a red king bird-of-paradise can be seen darting between the leaves. Agricultural plantations, […]

Mystery ancient stone structures found in Saudi desert

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Nearly 400 mysterious ancient stone structures have been identified in the Saudi Arabian desert by an Australian researcher using Google Earth. David Kennedy, whose team has spent decades recording thousands of archaeological sites in the Middle East, said the man-made edifices, known as “gates”, are thought to have been constructed between 2,000 to 9,000 years ago. But their purpose and function are a mystery. “You can’t see them in any […]

Floods could hit New York every five years: study

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York, America’s financial capital and most populous city, could be hit every five years by the kind of floods that once occurred every 500 years, a new study predicts. The report was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ahead of the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, which paralyzed New York in October 2012 and killed more than 150 people across the eastern seaboard. Sandy […]

California roasts under record-setting temperatures

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — An excessive heat warning has been issued in California through Wednesday as the state bakes under extreme temperatures that are shattering records. Downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday broke the 1909 record of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2) set for that day as temperatures rose to 104 Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) by early afternoon according to the National Weather Service. Record-shattering temperatures were also recorded in many other cities across the southern part […]

Young scientist invents device that detects lead in water

NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — Gitanjali Rao, an 11-year-old from Lone Tree, Colorado, won the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for inventing Tethys, a device that detects lead in water. “Tethys, the Greek goddess of fresh water, is a lead detection tool,” Rao said. “What you do is first dip a disposable cartridge, which can easily be removed and attached to the core device in the water you wish to test. Once […]