Science News

Warming's impacts sped up, worsened since Kyoto

FILE - This 2003 file photo released by Subhankar Banerjee shows a polar bear walking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Since an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas pollution was signed in Kyoto, Japan, in Dec. 1997, the level of carbon dioxide in the air has increased 6.5 percent. Officials from across the world will convene in Copenhagen next month to seek a follow-up pact, one that President Barack Obama says 'has immediate operational effect...an important step forward in the effort to rally the world around a solution.' (AP Photo/Subhankar Banerjee, File)
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AP - Sun Nov 22, 2:54 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Since the 1997 international accord to fight global warming, climate change has worsened and accelerated — beyond some of the grimmest of warnings made back then.

Weather News

  • The nation's weather AP - Sun Nov 22, 4:10 AM ET

    A low-pressure system that has lingered in the Gulf of Mexico the past few days, bringing rain to the Gulf Coast, was expected to finally move inland into the Southeast on Sunday. This was likely to translate to widespread rain and even a few thunderstorms in the area even as the system weakens while moving toward the Southeast coast.

  • Residents walk past pass a hole in the road created by floods in Cockermouth, northwest England. Britain's flood-hit northwest braced Saturday for more devastation after river levels rose again and forecasters warned of more rain following unprecedented torrential deluges.(AFP/Paul Ellis)
    Rain-lashed Britain braces for fresh deluges AFP - Sat Nov 21, 6:38 PM ET

    COCKERMOUTH, England (AFP) - The flood-hit northwest braced Saturday for more devastation after river levels rose again and forecasters warned of more rain following unprecedented torrential deluges.

  • Residents are transported in a lifeboat to avoid floodwater in Cockermouth, northern England, November 20, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis
    Britain hit by floods after record rainfall Reuters - Fri Nov 20, 11:24 AM ET

    COCKERMOUTH, England (Reuters) - Lifeboats and military helicopters rescued hundreds of people overnight in northern England and a policeman was killed as torrential rain flooded homes, washed away bridges and closed roads.

Space & Astronomy News

  • Cosmonaut Konstantin Feoktistov, First Scientist in Space, Dies at 83 SPACE.com - 2 hours, 10 minutes ago

    A member of the first three-person space crew whose flight was onboard a vehicle he helped design, cosmonaut Konstantin Feoktistov passed away at age 83 on Saturday, according to a statement by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

  • Astronaut Randy Bresnik, STS-129 mission specialist, is pictured near a beverage container floating freely on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis during flight day two activities in this photo released by NASA and taken November 17, 2009. REUTERS/NASA Handout
    Houston, we have a baby Reuters - 2 hours, 41 minutes ago

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Shuttle Atlantis astronaut Randy Bresnik awoke early on Sunday to a much-anticipated call that his new daughter had been born.

  • This image provided by NASA shows Astronaut Randolph Bresnik is pictured near a beverage container floating freely on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis Tuesday Nov. 17, 2009. Bresnik announced early Sunday Nov. 22, 2009 his wife Rebecca gave birth to their second child at 11:04 .p.m. CST Saturday a daughter named Abigail in Houston while he was aboard the International Space Station. Bresnik says both mama and baby are doing very well. (AP Photo/NASA)
    Astronaut's baby daughter born as he circles Earth AP - Sun Nov 22, 3:47 PM ET

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Astronaut Randolph Bresnik jubilantly welcomed his new daughter into the world Sunday as he floated 220 miles above it.

Animals/Pets News

  • This undated photo released by Census of Marine Life and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows a transparent sea cucumber, Enypniastes, creeping forward on its many tentacles at about 2 cm per minute while sweeping detritus-rich sediment into its mouth at 2,750 meters in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of marine species eke out an existence in the ocean's pitch-black depths by feeding on the snowlike decaying matter that cascades down, and even sunken whale bones, according to a report released Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Larry Madin) NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT, EDITORIAL USE ONLY
    Thousands of strange creatures found deep in ocean AP - Sun Nov 22, 3:51 PM ET

    NEW ORLEANS - The creatures living in the depths of the ocean are as weird and outlandish as the creations in a Dr. Seuss book: tentacled transparent sea cucumbers, primitive "dumbos" that flap ear-like fins, and tubeworms that feed on oil deposits.

  • Nepalese soldiers preparing to sacrifice buffaloes and goats on the ninth day of the Hindu Dashain festival in Kathmandu in September 2009. Thousands of Hindu devotees have flocked to a village in Nepal ahead of the planned sacrifice of more than 300,000 animals in a ceremony condemned by animal rights activists, including French actress Brigitte Bardot.(AFP/File/Prakash Mathema)
    Thousands flock to 'world's biggest animal sacrifice' AFP - Sun Nov 22, 12:25 AM ET

    KATHMANDU (AFP) - Thousands of Hindu devotees have flocked to a village in Nepal ahead of the planned sacrifice of more than 300,000 animals in a ceremony condemned by animal rights activists, including French actress Brigitte Bardot.

  • File photo shows Greenpeace activists aboard an inflatable boat as a harpooned Minke whale is winched aboard a Japanese whaling ship in the Antarctic Ocean. Australia has said it is "deeply disappointed" after a fleet of vessels set out from Japan to kill hundreds of the giant ocean mammals on their annual hunt.(AFP/HO/File)
    Australia 'disappointed' at Japan whaling mission AFP - Fri Nov 20, 8:04 AM ET

    SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia said it was "deeply disappointed" after a fleet of Japanese whaling ships set out to kill hundreds of the giant ocean mammals on their annual hunt.

Dinosaurs & Fossils News

  • New fossils reveal a world full of crocodiles Reuters - Thu Nov 19, 4:21 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New fossils unearthed in what is now the Sahara desert reveal a once-swampy world

  • In this image released by National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno, enveloped by the jaws of SuperCroc, holds the fossil head of DogCroc. DogCroc, along with four other newly described crocs, lived in the Sahara when the 8-ton SuperCroc did, at a time when dinosaurs ruled. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Mike Hettwer)
    3 new ancient crocodile species fossils found AP - Thu Nov 19, 3:25 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - A 20-foot-long crocodile with three sets of fangs — like wild boar tusks — roamed parts of northern Africa millions of years ago, researchers reported Thursday. While this fearsome creature hunted meat, not far away another newly found type of croc with a wide, flat snout like a pancake was fishing for food.

  • A woman inspects a crocodile display in 2001 in Mexico. The fossils of five hitherto unknown bizarre-looking crocodiles which roamed the world 100 million years ago have been unearthed in the Sahara desert, US scientists revealed Thursday.(AFP/File/Jorge Uzon)
    Five strange ancient crocs found in Sahara desert AFP - Thu Nov 19, 12:48 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - The fossils of five hitherto unknown bizarre-looking crocodiles which roamed the world 100 million years ago have been unearthed in the Sahara desert, US scientists revealed Thursday.

Biotechnology News

  • NU Board of Regent Jim McClurg of Lincoln, left, takes notes during public testimony Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, at the regent's monthly meeting in Lincoln, Neb., regarding the expansion or restriction of embryonic stem cell research as Regent Brad Bohn looks on. The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted down a proposal to restrict the school's rules governing embryonic stem-cell research beyond what the federal government allows. (AP Photo/Bill Wolf)
    Measure to change U. of Neb. stem-cell rule fails AP - Fri Nov 20, 6:07 PM ET

    LINCOLN, Neb. - The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted not to place tighter restrictions on embryonic stem cell research than those outlined under federal guidelines, which were expanded after President Barack Obama took office.

  • Asthma Combo Seems Less Influenced by Genes HealthDay - Thu Nov 19, 7:25 PM ET

    THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- People's genetic makeup has been shown to affect how they respond to asthma medications, but a new study finds that many people respond well to a particular combination treatment regardless of their genes.

  • Stem cell cultures are held up at a lab. Embryonic stem cell therapy got a step closer to the clinic Thursday after US researchers said they filed a request for government approval of human trials.(AFP/Getty Images/File)
    Embryonic stem cell therapy closer to human trials AFP - Thu Nov 19, 1:13 PM ET

    CHICAGO (AFP) - Embryonic stem cell therapy got a step closer to the clinic Thursday after US researchers said they filed a request for government approval of human trials.

Energy News

  • India's private sector energy giant Reliance Industries Limited has announced a cash bid to buy a controlling stake in bankrupt petrochemicals firm LyondellBasell Industries.(AFP/File/Sam Panthaky)
    India's Reliance announces bid for LyondellBasell AFP - Sun Nov 22, 2:36 AM ET

    MUMBAI (AFP) - India's private sector energy giant Reliance Industries Limited has announced a cash bid to buy a controlling stake in bankrupt petrochemicals firm LyondellBasell Industries.

  • Cars and people are seen passing near wind power turbines in Dali, in the China's southwestern Yunnan province. In energy-hungry Yunnan, power is being produced at wind farms, dams and garbage dumps as the Asian giant adopts more "green" technology thanks to carbon trading.(AFP/File/Liu Jin)
    China harnesses mountain wind power AFP - Sun Nov 22, 2:25 AM ET

    DALI, China (AFP) - In the mountains above the southwestern Chinese town of Dali, dozens of new wind turbines dot the landscape -- a symbol of the country's sky-high ambitions for clean, green energy.

  • Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, speaks during a news conference in Mumbai in this September 21, 2008 file photo. Reliance Industries has made a non-binding cash offer to buy a controlling interest in bankrupt petrochemicals company LyondellBasell Industries, LyondellBasell said on Saturday. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe/Files
    LyondellBasell says receives offer from Reliance Reuters - Sat Nov 21, 10:18 PM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - Indian energy giant Reliance Industries has made a non-binding cash offer to buy a controlling interest in bankrupt petrochemicals company LyondellBasell Industries, LyondellBasell said on Saturday.

Most Popular Science News

  • In this photo released by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, scientists react in the CERN Control Center after successfully restarting the Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. Scientists moved Saturday to prepare the world's largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs. (AP Photo/Keystone, Brice, CERN)
    Restored machine to explore mysteries of Big Bang AP - Sat Nov 21, 2:06 PM ET

    GENEVA - Scientists are preparing the world's largest atom smasher to explore the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.

  • Thousands of strange creatures found deep in ocean AP - Sun Nov 22, 3:51 PM ET

    NEW ORLEANS - The creatures living in the depths of the ocean are as weird and outlandish as the creations in a Dr. Seuss book: tentacled transparent sea cucumbers, primitive "dumbos" that flap ear-like fins, and tubeworms that feed on oil deposits.

  • Smoke billows from factories in Moscow. Braking the rise in Earth's population would be a major help in the fight against global warming, according to an unprecedented UN report that draws a link between demographic pressure and climate change.(AFP/File/Denis Sinyakov)
    Hackers leak e-mails, stoke climate debate AP - Sat Nov 21, 2:34 PM ET

    LONDON - Computer hackers have broken into a server at a well-respected climate change research center in Britain and posted hundreds of private e-mails and documents online — stoking debate over whether some scientists have overstated the case for man-made climate change.