The nitrogen cycle has been profoundly altered by human activities, and that in turn is affecting human health, air and water quality, and biodiversity in the U.S., according to a multi-disciplinary team of scientists writing in the 15th publication of the Ecological Society of America’s Issues in Ecology. In “Excess Nitrogen in the U.S…
Future astronauts spending Thanksgiving in space may not have to forgo one of the most traditional parts of the day’s feast: fresh sweet potatoes…
Proposals for Round 8 of the Grand Challenge Exploration, a $100 million grant initiative to encourage innovation in global health and development research, are now being accepted, announced the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation this week. Proposals can be submitted until November 17, 2011 at 11:30 am Pacific Daylight Time…
In the first study of its kind, researchers have linked a natural global climate cycle to periodic increases in warfare. The arrival of El Nino, which every three to seven years boosts temperatures and cuts rainfall, doubles the risk of civil wars across 90 affected tropical countries, and may help account for a fifth of worldwide conflicts during the past half-century, say the authors…
Authorities in Thailand say they are still not certain what caused the death of six tourists in the northern city of Chiang Mai but suggest some may have died from being exposed to pesticide or other toxic chemicals. The deaths include that of a Thai tourist guide, two tourists from Britain, one tourist from France, one tourist from New Zealand and one from the United States…
A study published on bmj.com today reveals that public bicycle sharing schemes save lives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although the aim of the increasingly popular public bicycle sharing schemes in cities worldwide is generally to ease traffic congestion, it also promotes health…
Three research projects at the University of British Columbia have won five-year grants totaling nearly $6 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to promote greater equity in global health. Jerry Spiegel, an associate professor in the School of Population and Public Health, received $1…
The health implications of polluting the environment weigh increasingly on our public consciousness, and pharmaceutical wastes continue to be a main culprit. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher says that current testing for these dangerous contaminants isn’t going far enough. Dr…
Arranging a cross border emergency rescue, preventing major environmental damage or comparing energy consumption of buildings in different countries will soon be faster and easier thanks to improved data sharing in the EU…
Four Mid-Atlantic States are teaming up to offer one of the nation’s most generous programs aimed at replacing old, highly polluting trucks. Led by the University of Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA), the new program will target the so-called short-haul “drayage” fleet that shuttles between their major ports, warehouses and local stores…