Earth Science
South China prepares for more storms after 24 die
Mar 22, 2013 03:23 EDT
Southern China was warned Friday to prepare for more heavy rain and hailstorms after 24 people died when severe weather lashed five provinces, including a "super-tornado" in one city and egg-sized hailstones.
Ancient megavolcanoes killed half the world's species
Mar 21, 2013 14:12 EDT
New rock dating techniques have helped narrow the timeframe of a chain of massive volcanic eruptions that wiped out half the world's species 200 million years ago, a study said Thursday.
EU puts airline carbon tax on hold for a year
Mar 21, 2013 12:26 EDT
The EU will put its controversial carbon tax on intercontinental airline flights on hold for a year to give time for international talks to reach a compromise on the issue, a European source said Thursday.
NASA's Voyager 'appears' to have left solar system: study
Mar 20, 2013 14:07 EDT
More than 35 years after it launched on a mission to explore the cosmos, NASA's unmanned Voyager spacecraft appears to have left the solar system and is in a "new region" of space, said a study Wednesday.
US aims to protect Antarctic amid calls for fishing ban
Mar 18, 2013 23:00 EDT
US Secretary of State John Kerry joined forces with Australia and New Zealand to call for marine sanctuaries in Antarctica, as conservationists sought a fishing ban in the pristine seas.
Greener cars could slash US pollution by 2050: study
Mar 18, 2013 16:13 EDT
Greener cars that use alternative fuels could help the United States slash its greenhouse gas emissions from everyday driving a full 80 percent by 2050, according to a scientific study out Monday.
Striking gold: Earthquakes deposit precious metal
Mar 17, 2013 14:21 EDT
Solid gold can be deposited in Earth's crust "almost instantaneously" during earthquakes, said a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Sunday.
Scientists find active community at Earth's deepest spot
Mar 17, 2013 14:20 EDT
Scientists said Sunday they had discovered an unexpectedly large and active community of single-cell organisms living on the Pacific sea floor at the deepest site on Earth.
Obama renews call for investment in efficient energy
Mar 16, 2013 08:37 EDT
US President Barack Obama on Saturday renewed his call for developing new technologies that would reduce dependence on fossil fuels and shift American cars and trucks off petroleum gas.
Developing world's rise heralds global shift, UN says
Mar 14, 2013 21:14 EDT
The developing world's rapid growth has sharply cut extreme poverty, created a new middle class and put the economies of Brazil, China and India on a path to overtake the globe's wealthiest nations, the UN says.
Lack of climate action risks developing world gains: UN
Mar 14, 2013 15:54 EDT
The rise of developing nations has cut poverty while the combined economies of Brazil, China and India are on a path to overtake wealthy nations, but failure to act on climate change could reverse those gains, a UN report said Thursday.
Kerry to make first Asia trip in mid-April
Mar 14, 2013 14:47 EDT
US Secretary of State John Kerry will make his first trip to Asia as America's top diplomat in mid-April, an official announced Thursday, with North Korea expected to top the agenda.
Weird worm points to Earth's biodiversity burst
Mar 13, 2013 15:06 EDT
Fossilised forms of a phallus-shaped invertebrate have shed light on a dramatic spurt in Earth's biodiversity that occurred half a billion years ago, Canadian scientists reported on Wednesday.
After 2012 drought, US farmers adapt for climate change
Mar 13, 2013 13:59 EDT
Emerging from the worst drought in 50 years, US farmers are bracing for long-term challenges from climate change including blasting heat and more capricious rainfall.
Stranded airport passengers to win new rights from EU
Mar 13, 2013 12:25 EDT
Passengers left stranded in airports by delays and cancellations are set to win new rights to food, water, compensation and fresh flights under a package of measures unveiled by the European Commission on Wednesday.
California quake revives Big One jitters
Mar 11, 2013 19:04 EDT
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake Monday shook buildings in Los Angeles, with US seismologists saying it was the strongest to hit the area since 2010, but there were no reports of damage or casualties.
Los Angeles shaken by biggest quake in years: USGS
Mar 11, 2013 16:54 EDT
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake Monday shook buildings in Los Angeles, with US seismologists saying it was the strongest to hit the area since 2010, but there were no reports of damage or casualties.
Japan's huge quake heard from space: study
Mar 11, 2013 16:13 EDT
The colossal earthquake that sent a devastating tsunami barreling into Japan two years ago on Monday was so big it could be heard from space, a study has said.
El Nino, La Nina unlikely to show up in first half of 2013: WMO
Mar 11, 2013 13:53 EDT
The El Nino and La Nina climate patterns are unlikely to make an appearance during the first half of this year, the UN's weather agency said Monday.
Floating tsunami trash to be a decades-long headache
Mar 11, 2013 03:50 EDT
The tsunami that ravaged northeast Japan in March 2011 created the biggest single dumping of rubbish, sweeping some five million tonnes of shattered buildings, cars, household goods and other rubble into the sea.
