Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2005

Mystery Ocean Glow Confirmed in Satellite Photos

Mariners have long told of rare nighttime events in which the ocean glows intensely as far as the eye can see in all directions. Fictionally, such a milky sea is encountered by the Nautilus in Jules Verne classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Scientists don't have a good handle what's...

Sep 30, 2005

Nobel Prize Awarded for 'Green Chemistry'

Two Americans and a French scientist won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for developing a chemical dance'' that makes molecules swap atoms, a process now used to produce medicines, plastics and other products with more efficiency and less environmental hazard. What a great day for chemistry,'' declared an advocate...

Sep 30, 2005

Bad Air Days to Increase Out West as Planet Warms

By the year 2050, warmer temperatures in the Western United States could fuel a doubling in the number of bad air days this time of year, according to a new study. Stagnation events, as they are called, form during dry, windless conditions. Air heats up and becomes laden with dust,...

Sep 30, 2005

End of the World? Not Likely, Scientists Say

The recent spate of natural disasters affecting the globe might be signs that the Biblical apocalypse is near, says Christian televangelist Pat Robertson. On an Oct. 9 episode of CNN's Late Edition, the preacher noted that hurricanes such as Katrina and Rita and earthquakes like the ones that struck Pakistan...

Sep 30, 2005

Global Warming Could Overwhelm Storm Drains

Scientists at a modest university in a small town in New Hampshire offered today a big tip to city planners around the world: Prepare your culverts for global warming. Nearly a foot of rain this weekend in Keene, NH, overwhelming the storm drains. Latham Stack Michael Simpson at Antioch New...

Sep 30, 2005

Odds Put on Next Great San Francisco Earthquake

The San Francisco Bay area has a 1 percent chance of a magnitude-7 or greater earthquake every year and a 25 percent chance that one will occur within two decades, according to a new computer forecast. The Virtual California program was developed by John Rundle at the University of California...

Sep 30, 2005

September is Warmest on Record

Last month was the warmest Setpember on record based on global data, officals announced today. The average global temperature for combined land and ocean surfaces for September, based on preliminary data, was 1.13 degrees Fahrenheit (0.63 degrees C) above the 1880-2004 long-term mean, according to NOAA, parent organization of the...

Sep 30, 2005

Scientists: Natural Disasters Becoming More Common

Earth might seem like a more active and dangerous place than ever, given the constant media reports of multiple natural disasters recently. But a broader view reveals that it's not Mother Nature who's changed, but we humans. Drawn by undeveloped land and fertile soil, people are flocking to disaster-prone regions....

Sep 30, 2005

Scientists Surprised by X-rays from Lab Lightning

Sparks created in a lab give off X-rays, scientists announced Monday. X-rays are a byproduct of high-energy electron discharges in the Sun, in exploding stars, and even in lightning. Many scientists did not expect sparks alone to do the trick. Researchers at Florida Institute of Technology brought their equipment, which...

Aug 31, 2005

Scientists Turn Cow Waste into Electricity

Scientists have generated renewable electricity using natural materials that are cheap and plentiful - cow manure and stomach juices. Microbes living in the rumen chamber of a cow's stomach break down cellulose - a tough carbohydrate produced by plants, specifically in the grass cows munch on. This process helps cows...

Aug 31, 2005

The Snowball Effect of Global Warming

In a twist to the proverbial snowball effect, warmer Arctic temperatures are stimulating plant growth, which darkens the landscape and causes more sunlight to be absorbed rather than reflected. The result: Winter heating could increase by 70 percent, according to a new study. The study examined western Alaska during the...

Aug 31, 2005

Slow Seismic Slip Event Underway in Pacific Northwest

Updated 2:35 p.m. ET Sept. 14 An important seismic event imperceptible to humans has begun in the Pacific Northwest as predicted, according to the government agency Geological Survey of Canada. The chance of a major earthquake is 30 times higher now for a roughly two-week period, but the odds are...

Aug 31, 2005

Increase in Major Hurricanes Linked to Warmer Seas

The number of severe hurricanes has doubled worldwide even though the total number of hurricanes has dropped over the last 35 years, a new study finds. The increase in major storms like Katrina coincides with a global increase of sea surface temperatures, which scientists say is an effect of global...

Aug 31, 2005

Hurricane Center May Run Out of Names

HURRICANE RITA: The Latest Storm Update Before the 2005 hurricane season is done, you might read about Hurricane Alpha. Each year, 21 common names are reserved for Atlantic Basin hurricanes, with the list arranged alphabetically and skipping certain letters. Rita is the 17th named storm in the Atlantic Basin this...

Aug 31, 2005

Deadliest U.S. Hurricane Ever Hit Texas in 1900

Texas, the most likely destination for Rita, is second only to Florida in direct hurricane hits since 1900. Between 1900 and 2004, 38 hurricanes hit Texas. [See full list] The National Hurricane Center predicts Rita will strenghten to a dangerous Category 3 storm with winds of at least 111 mph...