Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Agriculture
Green Living, Chinese-Style
Chinese is developing eco-cities to take their citizens straight from the agricultural to the ecological age.
- Earth
Natural heat
Heat from the decay of radioactive elements deep within the planet could meet Earth’s energy needs almost three times over — if we could harness all of it.
- Earth
Virtual seismometer
A new supercomputer simulation of the large quake that struck central China earlier this month could help researchers estimate the size of the ground motions experienced in areas that didn’t have seismic instruments.
- Earth
Death downwind
Pollutants generated by human activity in Europe significantly boost ozone concentrations downwind, harming people’s health and causing thousands of premature deaths in North Africa, the Near East and the Middle East.
- Climate
Already feeling the heat
Long-delayed U.S. government summary of climate change science sees effects on energy, transportation, farming, and water.
- Agriculture
Vertical Agriculture
Instead of farming in the country, one Columbia University scientist would do it in the city, spanning floor upon floor of buildings--from basements to the tops of high rise structures.
- Earth
Political Science
New York's mayor argues that science should not only inform action, but also prod it.
- Earth
Life down deep
Deep-sea sediments provide a habitat for diverse and abundant populations of microorganisms and may be home to as much as 70 percent of the bacteria on the planet, new studies suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Lead’s legacy
High levels of lead in the blood during childhood are associated with smaller brains and with an increased risk for violent criminal behavior, report two new studies.
- Ecosystems
That sinking feeling
The sea level rise expected in the coming century will swamp the Everglades unless current management is adjusted or climate change is curbed.
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- Health & Medicine
Insects (the original white meat)
Dining on insects, usually more by choice than necessity, occurs in at least 100 countries — and may be better than chicken for both people and the environment.
