New Routes to Renewables: Sandia Speeds Transformation of Biofuel Waste Into Wealth

A Sandia National Laboratories-led team has demonstrated faster, more efficient ways to turn discarded plant matter into chemicals worth billions. The team’s findings could help transform the economics of making fuels and other products from domestically grown renewable sources.

Changing climate to bring more landslides on logged land WSU research shows

Washington State University researchers say landslides on logged forests will be more widespread as the Northwest climate changes.

Breeding highly productive corn has reduced its ability to adapt

Stuck where they are, plants have to adapt to their environments, responding to stresses like drought or pests by changing how they grow.

On a broader scale, crop breeders need to be able to develop new varieties that are adapted to a new location or changing growing conditions in the same area.

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP Sees Tropical Depression Haikui Form

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the Philippines and saw the thirtieth tropical cyclone of the northwestern Pacific Ocean typhoon season form.

China's Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Declined Significantly While India's Grew Over Last Decade

Sulfur dioxide is an air pollutant that causes acid rain, haze and many health-related problems. It is produced predominantly when coal is burned to generate electricity.

Rina Now a Large Post-Tropical Storm in North Central Atlantic

Tropical Storm Rina has lost its tropical characteristics and has become post-tropical as it continues to move through the Central North Atlantic Ocean. NOAA's GOES East satellite provided a visible image of the storm. 

Atmospheric rivers could increase flood risk by 80 per cent

The global effect and impact of atmospheric rivers on rainfall, flooding and droughts has been estimated for the first time – revealing that in some regions the risks can be enhanced by up to 80 percent. The work, of which Oxford University is a key partner, also considers the number of people affected by these atmospheric phenomena across the globe.

Climate-influenced changes in flowering, fruiting also affect bird abundance, activities

"You are what you eat" might give way to "you are when you eat," based on a new study tracking shifts in Hawaiian bird abundance, breeding and molting based on climate-related changes to native vegetation. 

Mushrooms Are Full of Antioxidants That May Have Antiaging Potential

Mushrooms may contain unusually high amounts of two antioxidants that some scientists suggest could help fight aging and bolster health, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

Indian Air Pollution Reaches Dangerous Levels, Doctors Warn

Air pollution in the Indian capital of Delhi has reached extraordinarily high levels, equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, the nation’s doctors and public health experts warned this week.