Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Scientists say radiation leaving whales sunburned

Scientists say some whale species off the Mexican coast are showing signs of severe sunburn that may be caused by the damaged ozone layer’s decreased ability to block ultraviolet radiation. By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated PressNovember 10, 2010 LONDON — Scientists say some whale species off the Mexican coast are showing signs of severe sunburn […]

Bluefin tuna protection system ‘full of holes’

BBC6 November 2010 An international system of tracking tuna – a vital tool in the preservation of stocks – has been found to be full of gaps, reports Steve Bradshaw. In Japan, diners are being urged to curb their craze for one of their favourite kinds of sushi – unless Mediterranean suppliers can prove it […]

Scientists: Beak deformities increase in Northwest US

By DAN JOLING , Associated PressNovember 9, 2010 (AP) — Scientists have observed the highest rate of beak abnormalities ever recorded in wild bird populations in Alaska and the Northwest, a study by two federal scientists said. The U.S. Geological Survey study on beak deformities in northwestern crows in Alaska, Washington and British Columbia follows […]

‘Shadow’ of oil spill seen in Gulf of Mexico plankton

By Ben Raines, Press-Register Monday, November 08, 2010, 5:30 AM     It is possible to trace oil from the BP spill as it moved through the first several levels of the Gulf’s food chain, starting with the microbes that broke the oil down, according to a scientific paper published today in Environmental Research Letters. That paper, […]

Hatch-22: The problem with the Pacific salmon resurgence

The number of salmon in the Pacific Ocean is twice what it was 50 years ago. But there is a downside to this bounty, as growing numbers of hatchery-produced salmon are flooding the Pacific and making it hard for threatened wild salmon species to find enough food to survive. By Bruce Barcott01 Nov 2010 In […]

Dead, dying coral found near BP spill called ‘smoking gun’ — ‘We have never seen anything like this’

msnbc.com staff and news service reportsupdated 11/5/2010 5:07:41 PM ET Scientists returning from an expedition off the Gulf Coast said Friday they found dead and dying deepwater coral near the BP oil spill site that was covered in a brown substance. “The compelling evidence that we collected constitutes a smoking gun” that the substance is […]

Bhopal survivors appeal to Obama

Washington (AFP) Nov 4, 2010 – Survivors of world’s worst industrial accident at Bhopal, India, appealed Thursday for a meeting with President Barack Obama about corporate accountability when he visits next week. Campaigners said that Bhopal activists would head to New Delhi on Monday to hold a sit-in protest during the visit by Obama, who […]

Obesity behaves like an infectious disease: study

By Steve Bradt, Harvard Staff WriterThursday, November 4, 2010 Researchers at Harvard University say America’s obesity epidemic won’t plateau until at least 42 percent of adults are obese, an estimate derived by applying mathematical modeling to 40 years of Framingham Heart Study data. Their work, published this week in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, runs […]

Video: Madagascar’s president linked to illegal logging

www.wildmadagascar.org November 05, 2010 Video released by Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency reveals Chinese rosewood traders have direct links to Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, who seized power during a March 2009 military coup. The undercover investigation found several instances of dealers in China who claim direct dealings with the highest levels of Madagascar’s […]

Scientists find dead and dying coral covered with a brown substance 7 miles from BP oil spill site

By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune Thursday, November 04, 2010, 10:00 PM A brown substance is killing coral organisms in colonies located 4,600 feet deep about seven miles southwest of the failed BP Macondo oil well, according to scientists who returned Thursday from a three-week cruise studying coral reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial