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Oklahoma Earthquake Swarm Linked to Wastewater Injection by Fracking Industry
Posted by Nature World: None Given on July 7th, 2014
Nature World: Oklahoma had more earthquakes than California in 2014. A new study suggests that the increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma is associated with wastewater wells used by the oil and gas industry.
Katie Keranen, professor of geophysics at the Cornell University, who conducted the study, said that earthquakes in Oklahoma account for nearly half of all seismicity occurring in central and Eastern U.S. Many of these earthquakes occurred in areas with high levels of water disposal.
Oklahoma has already...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Oklahoma Earthquake Swarm Linked to Wastewater Injection by Fracking IndustryFish Have Long-Term Memory, Can Remember Food Source After 12 Days
Posted by Nature World: None Given on July 2nd, 2014
Nature World: African Cichlids, a popular aquarium fish species, has a long memory. Researchers have found that the fish can remember the location of a food source after a 12-day gap.
The study was conducted by researchers at the MacEwan University in Canada. According to the team, the fish's ability to store long-term memories could be an evolutionary advantage.
"Fish that remember where food is located have an evolutionary advantage over those that do not" said lead scientist Dr Trevor Hamilton. "If they...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fish Have Long-Term Memory, Can Remember Food Source After 12 DaysPrevious Greenland Ice Sheet Collapse Rose Sea Level up to 6 Meter
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 26th, 2014
Nature World: More than 400,000 years ago, a warming period pushed Greenland's ice sheet past its limit and raised global sea levels up to 6 meters, according to new research. The results may give us a glimpse as to what may happen as a result of Greenland's current climate-induced melting dilemma.
Known as the Marine Isotope Stage 11, this exceptionally long warming period between ice ages resulted in a global sea level rise of about 6-13 meters above present, caused by changes in the Earth's orbit around...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Previous Greenland Ice Sheet Collapse Rose Sea Level up to 6 MeterBreeding Trees Better Adapted Warmer Climates
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 17th, 2014
Nature World: Scientists have confirmed the function of a gene that controls the awakening of trees from winter dormancy, a discovery that may be the key to a world in which trees don't have to worry about adapting to warmer climates.
The decade-long study, carried out by the University of Oregon, identified the EBB1 gene - or what they are calling the bud-break gene - involved in producing the first green leaves of spring. This gene is a master regulator in poplar trees (Populus species), and could pave the...
Researchers Identify Deepwater Horizon Oil on Shore Years Later
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 14th, 2014
Nature World: Oil soaked "sand patties" continue to wash ashore years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The study shows that the amount of oil deposited on the seafloor might have been underestimated by other scientists.
The research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences could also help scientists understand how oil degrades over time.
The Gulf oil spill was one of the worst oil spills in the history of the U.S.: the accident killed 11 people and poured...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Researchers Identify Deepwater Horizon Oil on Shore Years LaterVast Underwater Ocean Trapped Beneath Earth’s Crust
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 13th, 2014
Nature World: Scientists have discovered evidence of a vast water reservoir trapped hundreds of miles beneath the surface, capable of filling Earth's oceans three times over.
Located 400 miles (660 km) beneath Earth's crust, this body of water is locked up in a blue mineral called ringwoodite that lies in the transition zone of hot rock between Earth's surface and core. Interestingly, this water is not in a form familiar to us - it's neither liquid, ice nor vapor. Geophysicist Steve Jacobsen from Northwestern...
New Case of Chikungunya Virus Hits Florida
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 7th, 2014
Nature World: Health officials in Brevard County in Florida have identified a new case of the mosquito-borne chikungunya disease, raising the number of known cases the state has seen this year to 19.
According to the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County, the infected patient, who remains anonymous, had recently traveled, making the case a likely imported instance of chikungunya fever.
"With a large number of people traveling to and from the Caribbean in Florida we have been monitoring for possible...
Invasive Lizards are a Threat to Florida’s Native Reptiles, Researchers Say
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 7th, 2014
Nature World: Invasive lizards are a threat to Florida's native alligators and turtles, researchers find.
According to researchers at the University of Florida, The Argentine black and white tegu has already established itself in several parts of Florida and is now threatening the existence of alligators, crocodiles and turtles in the region.
The lizard species, which can grow to four feet in length, is already seen in areas inhabited by Eastern indigo snake, Cape Sable seaside sparrow and gopher tortoise,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Invasive Lizards are a Threat to Florida’s Native Reptiles, Researchers SayGovernment Proposes Plan to Clean Up Great Lakes
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 2nd, 2014
Nature World: The Obama Administration is not only pledging to clean up our atmosphere, but the Great Lakes as well. On Friday, federal officials released their five-year plan for environmental protection of the Great Lakes that would put greater emphasis on climate change and using science to choose cleanup projects.
According to The Associated Press (AP), Congress has spent about $1.6 billion since 2009 for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initiative was meant to target what experts consider the...
Toxins in the Environment Further Age Humanity
Posted by Nature World: None Given on May 28th, 2014
Nature World: Aging isn't just all about genes, exercise, and diet. Exposure to certain toxicants commonly found in the environment can accelerate physiological aging far more that you may think, a recent study suggests.
The study, published in Trends in Molecular Medicine, names arsenic in groundwater, benzene in industrial emissions, ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, and the estimated 4,000 toxins in cigarette smoke as "gerontogens" - toxins in the environment that can accelerate the aging process.
According...