China and Nepal did little to demystify the tallest mountain on earth on April 8, when the two countries finally—finally—agreed how tall Mt. Everest actually is. Continue Reading →
Science
Recent posts
Reduce livestock burps and farts to save the Great Barrier Reef
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Even as Australian salvagers struggle to stop a Chinese ship from spilling hundreds of tons of oil onto the Great Barrier Reef, scientists are working on another Reef relief angle—reducing livestock belches and farts. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Economy, Environment, World, Environment, Great Barrier Reef, Greenhouse Emissions, News You Might Have Missed, Science
The route to Machu Picchu is open again
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The route to Machu Picchu is open again, two months after devastating rains wiped out the main rail route from Cuzco and damaged the famous Inca Trail. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Economy, Environment, Featured, World, Economy, Environment, Latin America, News You Might Have Missed
A grasshopper plague is at hand in U.S.
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In 1985, a similar infestation devoured corn, barley, alfalfa, beets—even fence posts and the paint off the sides of barns, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Environment, Featured, Nation, Public Health, Agriculture, Environment, News You Might Have Missed, Science
FOCUS: Peak Oil
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Martin Leatherman, Newsdesk.org
Are the days of cheap oil over? With prices soaring above $50 a barrel, the world is beginning to take the peak oil theory seriously. The Hubbert Peak Theory, developed in 1956 by geophysicist M. King Hubbert, is casually called the peak oil theory. It says oil and fossil-fuel production will soon reach a peak and then rapidly decline, driving prices up. In 1956 Hubbert predicted that production would peak in the United States in the late 1970s, which it did. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Culture & Economy, Climate, Economy, Environment, Industry, oil, Science, World
SIDEBAR: Breast Cancer Risk Factors
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• Part One: Cause & Controversy
• Part Two: A Plague of Neglect
• Sidebars: Risk Factors; Toxic Links; Long Island
• Printable: Download the magazine-style PDF
What causes breast cancer? Who’s at risk, and why? These seem like simple questions. But the answers remain vexingly elusive. Talk to any credible researcher and you’ll come up with a list of risk factors that can be counted on one hand — indicating not only the extent of our knowledge, but also our lack of it. Continue Reading →