NASA Satellite Finds Tropical Cyclone Marcus near Australia’s Cobourg Peninsula Coast

Tropical Cyclone Marcus has developed off the coast of Australia’s Northern Territory along the Cobourg Peninsula coast. NASA’s Aqua satellite provided a view of the new storm from its orbit in space.

Tree Care Workers Need Better Training to Handle Dangers on the Job, Rutgers Study Finds

As climate change increases the risk to trees from severe storms, insects, diseases, drought and fire, a Rutgers University study highlights the need for improved safety in tree-care operations.

The Uneven Gains of Energy Efficiency

On a rainy day in New Orleans, people file into a beige one-story building on Jefferson Davis Parkway to sign up for the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal grant that helps people keep up with their utility bills. New Orleans has one of the highest energy burdens in the country, meaning that people must dedicate a large portion of their income to their monthly energy bills. This is due in part to it being one of the least energy-efficient cities in the country.

NASA Powers on New Instrument Staring at the Sun

NASA has powered on its latest space payload to continue long-term measurements of the Sun's incoming energy.

Topsy-Turvy Currents Key to Removing Nitrate From Streams

Scientists calculate ‘speed limit’ for pumping pollutant to hungry algae, bacteria.

80% cut in liver metastasis by restricting the blood vessels supplying it

Metastasis is the process whereby a tumour that grows in one organ breaks away from it and travels to another organ and colonises it. In the colonisation process it needs to create new blood vessels through which the cancer cells obtain the nutrients and oxygen they need to grow. This blood vessel formation process is called angiogenesis and is carried out by the endothelial cells. "Unlike normal endothelial cells and due to the signals, that reach them from the tumour cells, the cells that supply the tumours have increased growth and tend to move towards the metastatic mass to help it grow,” said Iker Badiola, member of the Signaling Lab research group in the Department of Cell Biology and Histology of the UPV/EHU’s Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy.

New solution to harmful algal blooms raises hope of economic and environmental benefits

A cheap, safe and effective method of dealing with harmful algal blooms is on the verge of being introduced following successful field and lab tests.  

Moves to adopt use of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an effective treatment against toxic algae are already underway following the results of new research by a team from the John Innes Centre and the University of East Anglia (UEA.)  

Climate change promotes the spread of mosquito- and tick-borne viruses

Spurred on by climate change, international travel and international trade, disease-bearing insects are spreading to ever-wider parts of the world.

This means that more humans are exposed to viral infections such as Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika, West Nile fever, Yellow fever and Tick-borne encephalitis.

For many of these diseases, there are as yet no specific antiviral agents or vaccines.

India and France pledge billions of dollars on solar-energy

India and France have committed more than US$2 billion to fund solar-energy projects in developing countries. Renewable-energy analysts say that the money has the potential to dramatically expand solar technology in these nations, but others argue that governments should instead focus on removing barriers that slow the growth of renewable energy.

Long-term monitoring is essential to effective environmental policy

Environmental policy guided by science saves lives, money, and ecosystems. So, reports a team of eleven senior researchers in Environmental Science & Policy. Using air pollution in the United States as a case study, they highlight the success of cleanup strategies backed by long-term environmental monitoring.