Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Reflections on Insecticides: Mirror forms of agrochemicals set risk
The toxicity of an insecticide or how long it persists in the environment depends on which mirror-image form of the chemical is present.
- Earth
Tsunami Disaster: Scientists model the big quake and its consequences
Scientists are modeling the immediate and long-term effects of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck west of Indonesia the morning of Dec. 26, 2004, and triggered tsunamis that killed tens of thousands of people.
- Earth
Ocean-sensor project reaches milestone
Oceanographers seeking to deploy an armada of 3,000 robotic probes to take the pulse of Earth's oceans have passed the halfway mark and hope to have the full array of sensors in place by 2007.
- Earth
Climate Storm: Kyoto pact is confirmed, but conflict continues
Controversy flared over the link between climate change and increasing storm activity at the first international climate change meeting since the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol was assured.
- Earth
Joining the Resistance: Drug-immune microbes waft over hogs
Many bacteria found floating within a farm building are invulnerable to multiple antibiotics, confirming that airborne dispersal could spread drug-resistant microbes from animals to people.
- Earth
Shake Down: Deep tremors observed at San Andreas fault
Patterns of activity for a type of tremor that occurs deep beneath California's San Andreas fault may offer scientists a way to foretell earthquake activity there.
- Earth
Alpine glaciers on a hasty retreat
Comparisons of satellite images, aerial photos, and old surveys of Alpine glaciers indicate that the ice masses are losing area at an accelerating rate.
- Earth
Hidden Canyons
Among Earth's unsung geological masterpieces are undersea canyons, some of which stretch hundreds of kilometers and can be deep enough to hold skyscrapers.
- Earth
Ancient Heights: Leaf fossils track elevation changes
A new technique using altitude-dependent differences in fossil leaves may make it possible to chronicle the rise and fall of mountain ranges over millions of years.
- Earth
Snow Blow: Image of Mount Everest from orbit captures enormous plume
A photograph from Earth orbit of an immense plume of snow wafting from Mount Everest could shed new light on how strong winds redistribute precipitation in the Himalayas and other mountain chains.
- Earth
Some temblors probably were triggered by tides
Detailed analyses of large earthquakes suggest that some of them may have been triggered by strong tides in Earth's crust.
- Earth
Inhaled particles damage vascular lining
Airborne soot and other pollutant particles can impair the ability of tiny vessels in the body to properly regulate blood flow, an animal study finds.
