The space agency NASA plans to send a small helicopter to Mars in 2020 in the continued quest for life on the red planet, said Dr Japie van Zyl of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology on Monday. Van Zyl, one of the world's leading space scientists, was speaking at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Stellenbosch … [Read more...]
When will climate change make Earth too hot for humans?
If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today. And yet the swelling seas — and the cities they will drown — have so dominated the picture of global warming, and so overwhelmed our capacity for climate panic, that they have occluded our … [Read more...]
Plastic particles found in bottled water
Tests on major brands of bottled water have found that nearly all of them contained tiny particles of plastic. In the largest investigation of its kind, 250 bottles bought in nine different countries were examined. Research led by journalism organisation Orb Media discovered an average of 10 plastic particles per litre, each larger than the width of a human … [Read more...]
Cape stone fruit farmers develop water wise strategy
There has been very little relief from the drought that has been plaguing the Western Cape for the majority of 2017. South African producers have been forced to implement drastic, and sometimes ingenious plans, to counter climatic conditions and ensure that they will be able to see the season through, in some cases, with very limited irrigation water. However, they have … [Read more...]
Hurricane victims should be Trump’s wake-up call on climate change
On December 12, French President Emmanuel Macron is gathering in Paris all the world's leaders who concluded the COP21 climate agreement two years ago, when the world unanimously agreed for the first time that it was necessary to slash greenhouse gas emissions and restrain global warming if human life were to survive on Earth. Leaders of virtually every country who signed … [Read more...]
Proper nutrition essential in preventing AIDS says Nobel scientist
French virologist Dr Luc Montagnier received the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the human immunodeficiency (HIV) virus. Canadian filmmaker Brent Leung interviewed Dr Montagnier for his 2009 documentary 'House of Numbers: Anatomy of an Epidemic,' during which the doctor made some startling statements on the role of antioxidants and nutrition … [Read more...]
Why are our sea turtles getting smaller?
Sea turtles in South Africa are getting smaller – and scientists are trying to find out why, and how this will affect future populations. “What we are finding is that the size at reproduction of individual loggerhead and leatherback turtles is getting smaller over time, and we are gearing our research to find out what could be the cause,” said NMMU’s Head of Zoology, … [Read more...]
Once again, climate change cited as trigger for conflict
The national security establishment needs to prepare for a series of global crises sparked by climate change, a group of experts wrote in a report released today. The analysis by the Center for Climate and Security identifies 12 “epicenters” where climate change could stress global security, possibly igniting conflicts around the world. American diplomats and military … [Read more...]
Are humans heading for extinction within a decade?
Things have gotten worse more rapidly than previously thought, says Guy McPherson, emeritus professor of conservation biology from Arizona University on his recent tour of New Zealand. "Humans are a mere blip in geological time." Here is the video of that interview for you to make up your own mind: "Temperatures over much of the Arctic will increase as much as 54 … [Read more...]
Scientists accidentally discover efficient process to turn CO2 into ethanol
If scientists can figure out how to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into fuel - and do it at an industrial scale - it would, quite literally, change the world. Last month, we hit the highest levels of atmospheric CO2 in 4 million years, and it’s now permanent, meaning we’ll never be able to drop to 'safe' levels again. But if we can turn CO2 into a fuel source, we can at … [Read more...]
One of the earth’s most regular climate cycles has been disrupted
Scientists discover unprecedented atmospheric behaviour has disrupted one of world's the most repeatable atmospheric patterns. The normal flow of air high up in the atmosphere over the equator, known as the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, was seen to break down earlier this year. These winds in the stratosphere are found high above the tropics, their direction and strength … [Read more...]
Warming Atlantic Ocean leads to rise in marine bacteria
Rising sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic are likely to be behind a recent surge in cases of diarrhoeal diseases from marine bacteria in northern Europe and the US east coast, a new study says. In their analysis that goes back to 1958, the researchers show that levels of Vibrio bacteria – which can cause illness in humans and even death – have been increasing as … [Read more...]
Combined Arctic ice observations show decades of loss
It’s no surprise that Arctic sea ice is thinning. What is new is just how long, how steadily, and how much it has declined. University of Washington researchers compiled modern and historic measurements to get a full picture of how Arctic sea ice thickness has changed. The results, published in The Cryosphere, show a thinning in the central Arctic Ocean of 65 percent between … [Read more...]
