Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2008

Common Weedkiller Deforms Tadpoles

Spraying your lawn to get rid of pesky weeds may be killing off more than just the plants. A new study found that the common herbicide atrazine disrupts organ development in tadpoles, resulting in deformed hearts as well as malfunctioning kidneys and intestinal tracts. When tadpoles were exposed to high...

Feb 29, 2008

Study: Ocean 'Deserts' Expanding

The ocean's deserts, where it is difficult for marine organisms to survive, are expanding faster than predicted and have been linked to warming ocean waters, a new study shows. These barren areas are found in roughly 20 percent of the world's oceans and are within what are called subtropical gyres,...

Feb 29, 2008

Arctic Ice Returns, Thin and Tentative

Arctic ice has reformed rapidly this winter after a record summer low, but it still covers less of the Arctic Ocean than it did in previous decades, NASA scientists announced today in an update of the states of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. March is the month where Arctic sea...

Feb 29, 2008

Arctic Pollution Dates to 1800s

Today's Arctic explorers are well-acquainted with the ugly haze that hangs over the North Pole, created by air pollution that drifts up from cities in lower latitudes. But a new study suggests this veil of pollution has been present since the late 1800s. The first report of Arctic haze was...

Feb 29, 2008

Lights Out Globally Saturday Night for 'Earth Hour'

It may not sound like a classic Saturday night blow-out, but at 8 p.m. on March 29, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights to celebrate Earth Hour. This event, sponsored by the WWF, a global conservation organization, is intended to increase awareness of global warming...

Jan 31, 2008

Image Gallery: Dinosaur Fossils

Camarasaurus Skull (Image credit: © 2003 Calvin J. Hamilton ScienceViews.com)This skull cast is from Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. It dates to the Jurassic Period, about 150 million years ago. This picture was taken on Nov. 10, 2003 at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Tyrannosaurus Rex (Image credit: ©...

Jan 31, 2008

'Green Collar' Jobs Seen As Prosperous

When 1,800 workers lost their jobs after a Maytag appliance factory and headquarters closed last year in the small town of Newton, Iowa, a wind turbine blade company saw opportunity - an available, skilled workforce in the middle of one of America's hardiest wind energy production regions. TPI Composites Inc....

Jan 31, 2008

Hollywood Throws 'Global Green' Pre-Oscar Party

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Salma Hayek, Oliver Stone, Bill Maher and Adrian Grenier were among the stars who toasted Hollywood's commitment to the environment at the 5th annual Global Green pre-Oscar party. The event, held Wednesday at Avalon nightclub, featured earth-friendly furniture and lighting, organic cocktails and performances by Michelle...

Jan 31, 2008

Researchers Map Corn Plant's Genome

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Scientists at universities and corporations are about to get a major leg up in their tireless — and profitable — effort to reinvent the corn plant. A group of researchers led by Washington University in St. Louis have mapped out the corn plant's massive genome, and...

Dec 31, 2007

Underwater Explorers

Working below the Surface (Image credit: S. Dollar/OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP); Univ. of Hawaii)Divers transport a benthic chamber used to measure productivity and respiration. What Lies Beneath (Image credit: OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP))Divers use a suction sampler to collect animals living in the sand under the sea. Weather...

Dec 31, 2007

Scientists: Earth Barely Supports Life

AUSTIN, Texas—If Earth had been slightly smaller and less massive, life might never have gained a foothold. They key to life on Earth as we know it, scientists figure, is plate tectonics — the forces that move continents and build mountains. And the more massive a world is, the thinner...

Dec 31, 2007

The Nature of Nature

Natural is an unnatural term, entirely manmade. Nothing about it is natural anymore. Nature today connotes perfect, wholesome, balanced, and right as rain. Natural cures, therefore, must be better than unnatural medicines created by flawed humans. This unquestioned positive nature of nature has created a multi-billion dollar industry of natural...

Dec 31, 2007

Massive Self-Destructive Palm Found on Madagascar

Botanists are marveling at the discovery of a towering palm tree on Madagascar that essentially flowers itself to death. The palm has a huge trunk that reaches a whopping 59 feet (18 meters) in height and is topped by fan leaves 16 feet (5 meters) in diameter. The tree is...

Dec 31, 2007

New Antifreeze Improves Ice Cream

A few sharp ice crystals ruin ice cream's silky texture, as all connoisseurs know. An edible, tasteless antifreeze may soon come to the rescue. The non-toxic antifreeze, made from a gelatin protein, could be added to any frozen food to prevent unappetizing ice crystals from forming, without otherwise affecting the...

Dec 31, 2007

Seagull Blood Used to Detect Oil Spills

Blood tests can tell a doctor a lot about a patient's health. Now, seagull blood might help scientists monitor the health of ecosystems ravaged by oil spills. A new study shows that pollutants from oil spills can be sampled from the blood of yellow-legged seagulls long after clean-up efforts conclude....