Energy, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 7, 2011

Sizing Up Oil Drilling Rigs in the Gulf (Infographic)

accident, on the heels of the months-long Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, has sparked lots of talk on the dangers of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Here's a look at oil and gas production in the Gulf. (Image credit: Karl Tate, LiveScience Contributor) ...

Feb 11, 2011

SOS! Major Oil Disasters at Sea

Mega Borg (Image credit: NOAA) The Mega Borg released 5.1 million gallons of oil as the result of a lightering accident and subsequent fire. The incident occurred 60 nautical miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas, on June 8, 1990, while the Italian tank vessel Fraqmura was lightering (transferring oil to) the...

Feb 25, 2011

Fungi that Make Fuel Discovered

This Research in Action article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Mycodiesel is a novel name applied to the volatile organic products made by fungi that have fuel potential. The latest discovery is that of an endophytic Hypoxylon/Nodulosporium species, or one that lives within a...

Mar 7, 2011

Infographic: What's America's Emergency Oil Plan?

Political and economic unrest in the Arab world have sent gas prices skyrocketing in the United States in recent weeks, and some lawmakers are ready to tap into the country's emergency stash, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. [Full story] Just how much oil is in the reserve? How Does Oil Form?Why...

Mar 7, 2011

What Is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and How Much Oil Is In It?

Political and economic unrest in the Arab world have sent gas prices skyrocketing in the United States in recent weeks, and some lawmakers are ready to tap into the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. What is that, and how much oil is in it? The reserve was formed following an energy...

Aug 30, 2011

X Prize's $1.4 Million Contest Aims to Pump Up Oil Cleanup Tech

The Deepwater Horizon disaster that spilled almost 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico became a crude example of how drilling for oil is risky business, but that doesn't mean cleaning up future messes must remain business as usual. Ten teams have begun trial runs of new...

Jan 27, 2012

Has the 'Era of Easy Oil' Ended?

Despite major oil finds off Brazil's coast, new fields in North Dakota and ongoing increases in the conversion of tar sands to oil in Canada, fresh supplies of petroleum are only just enough to offset the production decline from older fields. At best, the world is now living off an...

Feb 1, 2012

Environmental Group Ranks South's Most Endangered Places

Fracking, mountaintop removal and offshore oil drilling are just a few of the top concerns facing the southern United States in 2012. To call attention to these projects and the places they threaten, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the largest environmental advocacy group dedicated to protecting the Southeast, released its...

Apr 20, 2012

A Grass-Fed Evolution? Altered Environment Fueled Human Change

NEW YORK — The arrival of a new variety of plants, particularly grasses, may have altered the environment in ways that could have helped push our ancestors to acquire traits that would come to define modern humans. Researchers have long pondered what prompted the emergence of upright posture, tool use,...

Apr 20, 2012

BP Oil Spill Changed Some Minds on Environmental Issues

The BP Deepwater Horizon disaster prompted some residents of affected parts of Louisiana and Florida to rethink their views on other environmental issues, surveys indicate. About 25 percent of respondents said the spill had caused them to reconsider issues such as global warming or protecting wildlife. Among those most economically...

Jun 25, 2012

Tropical Storm Debby Forces Oil and Gas Production Shutdowns

This article was provided by AccuWeather.com. The oil and natural gas production companies BP Plc, Andarko Petroleum Corp and BHP Billiton have all shut down and evacuated employees at their offshore drilling sites, according to The Chicago Tribune. BHP Billiton The company BHP Billiton is reported to have evacuated all...

Jul 20, 2012

BP Oil Spill May Have Contributed to Dolphin Deaths, Study Finds

The 2010 BP oil spill contributed to an unusually high death rate for dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, a new study suggests. Between January and April 2011, 186 dead bottlenose dolphins washed ashore between Louisiana and western Florida. Most alarmingly, nearly half of these casualties were calves, which is...

Aug 20, 2012

Edible Oil Dispersant Tackles Spill Cleanup Problem

A new oil dispersant made primarily of edible ingredients could provide a more environmentally friendly way to clean up slicks and spills like the Deepwater Horizon disaster, scientists say. The new dispersant, developed by scientists at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), also floats, an important consideration when thinking about...

Sep 4, 2012

Explosive Methane Gas Found in Some N.Y. Wells

About 9 percent of New York state water wells contain enough dissolved methane to require monitoring and other safety measures, according to a new study. The research tested more than 200 wells used for drinking water across the state for the explosive gas, which is naturally occurring but can be...

Sep 12, 2012

Bacteria Sucked Up 200,000 Tons of Oil After BP Spill

Naturally occurring bacteria gobbled up at least 200,000 tons of oil and natural gas that spewed into the Gulf following the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, a new study shows. Researcher John Kessler, of the University of Rochester, said the hydrocarbon-eating bacteria removed the majority of the oil and gas trapped...