17 December 2015 (University of Utah) – Mathematical simulations at the University of Utah show parasitic flies may spell extinction for Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands, but that pest-control efforts might save the birds that helped inspire the theory of evolution. The new study “shows that the fly has the potential to drive populations […]
18 December 2015 (BBC) – Beijing has issued a second pollution red alert, little more than a week after the first ever such warning. The Chinese capital will see hazardous smog from Saturday until Tuesday, the official meteorological service said. Nationwide, a vast area from Xian in central China to Harbin in the north-east would […]
By Jim Shelton 16 December 2015 (YaleNews) – A Yale-led study urges scientists to move their focus from species extinction to species rarity in order to recognize, and avoid, a mass extinction in the modern world. Writing in the journal Nature the week of Dec. 16, Yale’s Pincelli Hull and colleagues from the Smithsonian Institution […]
SAUSALITO, California, 15 December 2015 (KTVU) – Researchers say the algae bloom that’s indefinitely delayed the Dungeness crab season may be causing brain damage in California sea lions. UC Santa Cruz scientists studied the behavior of sea lions being treated at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County and found evidence the sea lions were […]
By Jenna Etheridge17 December 2015 CAPE TOWN (News24) – Scientists have had a rare opportunity to inspect a dead killer whale (orca) that washed up at Plettenberg Bay this week. And its stomach contents have painted a sad story of how she may have spent her last days. Yoghurt pots, a shoe sole and food […]
By Clare Leschin-Hoar14 December 2015 (NPR) – For anyone paying attention, it’s no secret there’s a lot of weird stuff going on in the oceans right now. We’ve got a monster El Nino looming in the Pacific. Ocean acidification is prompting hand wringing among oyster lovers. Migrating fish populations have caused tensions between countries over […]
The Final Paris Agreement By Adam Vaughan 12 December 2015 PARIS (The Guardian) – Governments have agreed to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels: something that would have seemed unthinkable just a few months ago. There is a scientific rationale for the number. John Schellnhuber, a scientist who advises Germany and the Vatican, says […]
By Oliver Milman 12 December 2015 (The Guardian) – Mere mention of the Paris climate talks is enough to make James Hansen grumpy. The former Nasa scientist, considered the father of global awareness of climate change, is a soft-spoken, almost diffident Iowan. But when he talks about the gathering of nearly 200 nations, his demeanor […]
[COP21 draft agreement, released Thursday, 10 December 2015] By David Stanway and Lesley Wroughton 11 December 2015 PARIS (Reuters) – Efforts to craft a global accord to combat climate change stumbled on Friday with China and many other nations refusing to yield ground, forcing host France to extend the U.N. summit by a day to […]
By Emma Howard8 December 2015 (The Guardian) – A decline in wildlife is threatening core functions of the ecosystem that are vital for human wellbeing, researchers behind an unprecedented study of biodiversity in the UK have warned. Climate change and habitat loss are leading to a reduction in biodiversity, with species that act as pollinators […]
