Wednesday, March 19, 2008

ENN: Migration, Exctiniction, Pollution and Much More


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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
News of Note

Scientists know that air pollution particles from mid-latitude cities migrate to the Arctic and form an ugly haze, but a new University of Utah study finds surprising evidence that polar explorers saw the same phenomenon as early as 1870.

Top Stories

Environmental Leader reports on the recent findings of the Natural Marketing Institute, which shows growth of green consumer trends across the board since 2006. One of the most substantial gains was in consumer participation in household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events. Over 28 percent of respondents now dispose of household products at these events, an increase of over 50 percent since 2006.

This is a viper made with keys recycled from discarded computer keyboards. It was created by the Korean painter Choi Jung Hyun.

The study, which appears in a recent issue of The Open Conservation Biology Journal, tracked saiga with GPS collars in Mongolia and discovered a "migration bottleneck" -- a narrow corridor of habitat that connects two populations. The authors say that the corridor, which spans just three miles wide, is threatened by herders with livestock, along with increased traffic from trucks and motorcycles."Like other species of the steppes and deserts, saiga have avoided extinction by being able to migrate long distances as their habitat changed over time," said Dr. Joel Berger.

Deep ocean hydrothermal vents have long been suggested as possible sources of biological molecules such as RNA and DNA but it was unclear how they could survive the high temperatures and pressures that occur round these vents. Professor Peter Coveney and colleagues at the UCL Centre for Computational Science have used computer simulation to provide insight into the structure and stability of DNA while inserted into layered minerals. Computer simulation techniques have rarely been used to understand the possible chemical pathways to the formation of early biomolecules until now.

ENN Spotlight

SAN FELIPE, Mexico (Reuters) - The vaquita, a tiny stubby-nosed porpoise found only in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, is on the brink of extinction as more die each year in fishing nets than are being born, biologists say.

More Top Stories

OSLO (Reuters) - After the coldest start to a year in more than a decade, spring will bring relief to the northern hemisphere from Thursday. Bucking the trend of global warming, the start of 2008 saw icy weather around the world from China to Greece. But despite its chilly start, 2008 is expected to end up among the top 10 warmest years since records began in the 1860s.

MADRID (Reuters) - Larks sing better when they live in thriving groups and their song suffers when they are under threat, according to a study by Spanish scientists. The four-year study in Spain's Ebro River Valley showed the complexity of song by male Dupont's Larks was correlated to how long a colony had been established and how many chicks had been born.

LONDON (Reuters) - As liquidity is drained from credit and money markets and pours into oil and gold, another asset class that could offer long-term returns to the discerning investor is water. Water shortages are on the rise -- stemming from soaring demand, growing populations, rising living standards and changing diets. A lack of supply is compounded by pollution and climate change.

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Member Press Releases
By: the Jane Goodall Institute
Dr. Jane Goodall is coming to Chicagoland to celebrate the first anniversary of the Roots & Shoots Great Lakes Regional Office and to laud the community service efforts of Roots & Shoots groups across the Great Lakes region. Attendees at the event will include local dignitaries, the principal of the Richard J. Daley Academy and local Roots & Shoots members from the Chicago area. By: The Fields of Green Team
Burnaby, British Columbia CANADA, March 18, 2008 – The Fields of Green Team, (http://www.fieldsofgreenteam.com) in response to the high price of fuel is pleased to announce the creation of the Business to Business master pack program featuring Ultimate ME2 eco-fuel saving product. By: AAMCO Transmissions, Inc
Hastings, Mn.—March 18, 2008—AAMCO Transmissions, Inc recently announced another of its centers has passed the rigorous 'Eco-Green' certification process. The AAMCO center, located at 460 Spiral Blvd. in Hastings, Mn. met a rigorous new standard established by AAMCO as part of a national effort to green the auto industry. By: Center for Biological Diversity
Based on new science that documents health hazards of moving desert tortoises, the Center for Biological Diversity and Desert Survivors filed notice of their intent to sue three government agencies Monday over the relocation of hundreds of these charismatic and imperiled animals as "mitigation" for the impacts on tortoises from the expansion of the Fort Irwin army base. By: Environmental Law Institute
(Washington, DC) A report released this week, Design of U.S. Habitat Banking Systems to Support the Conservation of Wildlife Habitat and At-Risk Species, a joint effort of the Environmental Law Institute and Environmental Defense (both DC-based), assesses the potential for habitat banking to contribute to the conservation of priority wildlife habitat identified in the state wildlife action plans. By: The Atlantic Salmon Federation
Thanks to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, two schools in Oromocto and one in Gagetown will be participating in the Atlantic Salmon Federation's popular Fish Friends education program this year. By: Architecture 2030
Amidst increasingly dire news about the economy and climate change, Architecture 2030 released good news that could help turn the US economic crisis around while dealing a much-needed blow to climate change. By: BEAMYOURSCREEN
With the growing awareness and concern for global warming, BeamYourScreen comes to the rescue of road warriors, offering a web conferencing solution that contributes directly to protecting the environment, as well as saving users valuable time and money.

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