Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Tough Choices
Federal programs to preserve water in streams during droughts have prompted lawsuits and new pressures on endangered species and the law that protects them.
- Earth
Ripples Spread Wide from Ground Zero
Seismic vibrations produced by the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan were recorded by seismometers scattered across the Northeast, some more than 425 kilometers away.
- Earth
The Mountain
Tall, steep slopes, a crest of glacial ice that's larger than that on any other mountain in the lower 48 United States, and a burgeoning population in its surrounding valleys combine to make Washington state's Mt. Rainier the most dangerous volcano in America.
- Earth
Coral-killing army recruits human bugs
The army of pathogens responsible for black band disease, which kills corals, contains some human bacteria that polluted waters carry out to sea.
- Earth
Greeks sailed into ancient Trojan bay
A combination of sedimentary analysis and careful reading of classical literature helps pinpoint where the Greek fleet that attacked Troy came ashore.
- 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On Oct. 31, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded its March decision to rescind a proposed tougher limit on arsenic in drinking water and is now planning to implement the tougher limit of 10 parts per billion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.
