Earth

Earth

Warm spell did little for Eocene flora

A rapid warming period that began the Eocene epoch dramatically reshaped North America's animal community but not the continent's plants.

Earth

Tube worms like it hot, but larvae not

The larvae of some tube worms that attach themselves to the seafloor around hydrothermal vents can't stand the heat there, but they go into a state of suspended animation when they drift into the chilly water nearby.

Earth

Desert glass: Is it baked Australia?

A profusion of fused, glassy material found on the desert plain of southern Australia might be the result of the intense heat from an extraterrestrial impact.

Earth

Wind Chill Update

The National Weather Service has revised its formula for calculating wind chill. These Web pages feature an explanation of the changes, a new wind chill chart relating temperature and wind speed, and a handy wind chill calculator. Go to: http://205.156.54.206/om/windchill/.

Earth

Sediments Sink River’s Flow into Sea

Deep-sea observations of occasional sediment-rich plumes of fresh water dumped into the ocean by rivers suggest that such underflows may be a prime conveyor of pesticides, organic carbon, and various nutrients to the seafloor.

Earth

EPA switchback on arsenic

On Oct. 31, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded its March decision to rescind a proposed tougher limit on arsenic in drinking water and is now planning to implement the tougher limit of 10 parts per billion in 2006.

Earth

Cancer risk linked to night shifts

Women who work the graveyard shift increase their chance of developing breast cancer, perhaps because of chronic suppression of melatonin.

Earth

Farmers could help heal Gulf of Mexico

Farm-derived nutrients in the Mississippi River that create a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico could probably be substantially reduced if farmers simply used a little less fertilizer.

Earth

Uranium recorded in high-altitude ice

An international team of scientists has analyzed a lengthy core of ice and snow drilled from atop Europe's tallest mountain to produce the first century-long record of uranium concentrations in a high-altitude environment.

Earth

Grape-harvest dates hold climate clues

The vintner's habit of picking no grapes before their time may give scientists a tool that could help verify reconstructions of European climate for the past 500 years.

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Bottled Water for All?

U.S. households are water hogs. On average, each man, woman, and child uses an average of 100 gallons of tap water per day. What faucet did this water come from? In some Wisconsin homes, that could be an important question if a proposed change to the plumbing code goes into effect. PhotoDisc In fact, the […]

Earth

Researchers confirm sea change in oceans

A new analysis of ancient seawater shows that the ocean's chemistry has fluctuated over the last half-billion years.