New valve technology promises cheaper, greener engines

Technology developed at the University of Waterloo reliably and affordably increases the efficiency of internal combustion engines by more than 10 percent.
The product of a decade of research, this patented system for opening and closing valves could significantly reduce fuel consumption in everything from ocean-going ships to compact cars.

Monkeys faring better than plants in increasingly patchy forests of Costa Rica

Cattle ranching, agriculture and other human activities are turning Costa Rican forests into isolated patchy fragments, causing more problems for native plant populations than for monkey species sharing the same habitat.

Study: Climate change soon to be main cause of heat waves in West, Great Lakes

A new analysis of heat wave patterns appearing today in Nature Climate Change concludes that climate change driven by the buildup of human-caused greenhouse gases will overtake natural variability as the main cause of heat waves in the western United States by the late 2020s and by the mid-2030s in the Great Lakes region.

Rain or Snow? Humidity, Location Can Make All the Difference

CU Boulder researchers have created a map of the Northern Hemisphere showing how location and humidity can affect precipitation, illustrating wide variability in how and why different areas receive snow or rain.

Extreme Cold Winter Weather Conditions, Such As ‘Beast from the East’, Can Be Linked To Solar Cycle

Periods of extreme cold winter weather and perilous snowfall, similar to those that gripped the UK in a deep freeze with the arrival of the ‘Beast from the East’, could be linked to the solar cycle, pioneering new research has shown.

Achieving Healthy, Climate-Friendly, Affordable Diets in India

New research led by IIASA researcher Narasimha Rao has shown how it might be possible to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in India in an affordable way whilst also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

20 percent of Americans responsible for almost half of US food-related greenhouse gas emissions

On any given day, 20 percent of Americans account for nearly half of U.S. diet-related greenhouse gas emissions, and high levels of beef consumption are largely responsible, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan and Tulane University.

NASA Finds Tropical Cyclone Eliakim's Clouds Warming

NASA's Aqua satellite analyzed Tropical Cyclone Eliakim in infrared light and found warmer cloud top temperatures as wind shear continued to pummel the storm. Wind shear has elongated Eliakim and pushed precipitation south of the storm's center.  

Predicting the Impact of Global Warming on Disease Proliferation

Scientists have devised a method for predicting how rising global temperatures are likely to affect the severity of diseases mediated by parasites. Their method can be applied widely to different host-pathogen combinations and warming scenarios, and should help to identify which infectious diseases will have worsened or diminished effects with rising temperatures.

NASA Infrared Imagery Shows a Powerful Tropical Cyclone Marcus

Tropical Cyclone Marcus continues to strengthen as it moves further away from Western Australia. NASA's Aqua satellite analyzed the system in infrared light to find the strongest part of the hurricane. 

By analyzing a storm in Infrared light, scientists can tell cloud top temperatures that   give clues about the location of the highest, coldest and strongest storms.