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Gold Mining Ravages Perú

By Guest PostOctober 29, 2013Environmentaquatic life, cao, carnegie, claslite, ernesto raez luna, gold mining, greg asner, high resolution, lidar, madre de dios, map, mercury pollution, monitoring system, peru, peruvian amazon, satellite methods, small mining operations, tropical forests

Washington, DC—For the first time, researchers have been able to map the true extent of gold mining in the biologically diverse region of Madre De Dios in the Peruvian Amazon. The team combined field surveys with airborne mapping and high-resolution satellite monitoring to show that the geographic extent of mining has increased 400% from 1999 to 2012 and that the average annual rate of forest loss has tripled since the Great Recession of 2008. Until this study, thousands of small, clandestine mines that have boomed since the economic crisis have gone unmonitored. The research is published in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of October 28, 2013.

The team, led by Carnegie’s Greg Asner in close collaboration with officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, used the Carnegie Landsat Analysis System-lite (CLASlite) to detect and map both large and small mining operations. CLASlite differs from other satellite mapping methods. It uses algorithms to detect changes to the forest in areas as small as 10 square meters, about 100 square feet, allowing scientists to find small-scale disturbances that cannot be detected by traditional satellite methods. (more…)

New cybersecurity report from Microsoft details risks of running unsupported software

By Guest PostOctober 29, 2013Technologycybersecurity report, Microsoft, microsoft trustworthy computing, security benefits, security innovation, security intelligence report, service pack 2, statcounter, tim rains, windows xp, windows xp sp3

Findings highlight importance of using modern software to help protect against cybercriminals.

REDMOND, Wash. — On Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. released its Security Intelligence Report volume 15, which analyzes threat intelligence from more than 1 billion systems worldwide to provide in-depth perspectives on exploits, vulnerabilities and malware to help customers manage risk. Among other intelligence, the report examines the security risk that consumers and businesses face when using unsupported operating systems and software and looks at the implications of using Windows XP once support, including security updates, ends April 8, 2014. In addition, new telemetry compares the security of modern operating systems such as Windows 8 with older operating systems such as Windows XP that, according to StatCounter, make up approximately 21 percent of operating systems used today.

The report found these top three worldwide threats for those running Windows XP: (more…)

Chemie in Badehosen: Gefährliche Chemikalien in Bademoden

By Guest PostOctober 29, 2013Environmentadidas, alkylphenolethoxylate, bademoden, chemie in badehosen, chemieexperte von greenpeace, chiemsee, drainage, gefaehrliche chemikalien, grenzwert, manfred santen, mikrogramm pro quadratmeter, nike, nonylphenol ethoxylate, npe, per, pfc, pfoa, polyfluorierte chemikalien, puma, realschule von gurao, schutz, sonnencreme flecken, stoffe, textilhersteller, umwelt, xiaoxi

Badehosen und -anzüge können schädliche Stoffe enthalten – das fand ein unabhängiges Labor im Auftrag von Greenpeace heraus. Da keine Kennzeichnungspflicht besteht, kommt der Verbraucherschutz zu kurz.

Ein unabhängiges Labor hat für Greenpeace erstmals Bademoden auf per- und polyfluorierte Chemikalien (PFC) untersucht. PFC können die Fortpflanzung schädigen und das Immun- und Hormonsystem stören. Ein weiteres Labor hat die Proben auf hormonell wirksame Alkylphenolethoxylate und auch andere Schadstoffe getestet. Die Ergebnisse beweisen klar: Über die Hälfte der Proben war mit PFC belastet, und vier von fünf Proben enthielten Alkylphenolethoxylate. (more…)

Mosquitofish Genital Shape Linked to Presence of Predators

By Guest PostOctober 29, 2013Scienceblue holes, evolutionary changes, gambusia hubbsi, gambusia predators, justa heinen kay, male bahamas mosquitofish, male genital shape, mosquitofish genital shape, north Carolina, presence of predators, sperm transferring organ, state university, threat of predation

When predators lurk nearby, male Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) change mating strategies, rejecting elaborate courting rituals for more frequent and sometimes forceful encounters with females.

But as a recent North Carolina State University study shows, mating strategies aren’t the only things changing for G. hubbsi when predators abound. The shape and size of the male fish’s genitalia are also linked to the presence or absence of predators. (more…)

Creating fuel from sunlight

By Guest PostOctober 29, 2013Environment, Sciencecarbon dioxide byproduct, CO2, components of syngas, creating fuel, energy mix, fossil fuel, from, jane davidson, liquid hydrocarbon fuel, methane, natural, next generation, solar power, solar simulator, sunlight, syngas, synthetic gas, tom chase, university of minnesota

Turning fossil fuel into energy is easy: You just burn it. And live with the carbon dioxide byproduct. What if we could reverse the process and turn water and carbon dioxide back into fuel?

A dream solution, but it may seem like trying to put the genie back in the bottle. (more…)

Grandson of first chemotherapy doctor now teaches at Yale School of Medicine

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2013Healthchemical weapons, first chemotherapy doctor, guided treatments, gustaf lindskog, lymphocidal chemical, nitrogen mustard, thoracic surgeon

When Dr. Dieter Lindskog first began walking the halls of Yale School of Medicine a decade ago, people would stop him often to ask, “Are you by any chance related to …?” Now they stop him rarely, either because they know the answer or are too young to recognize the famous name — that of the grandfather who upended accepted tenets of medical practice and, in doing so, gave birth to the science and art of modern oncology. (more…)

Quelle der Artenvielfalt

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2013Natureblauen nils, horn von afrika, hotspot der biodiversitaet, nabu, natur, quelle der artenvielfalt, singvoegel, tanasee in aethiopien, unesco biosphaeren reservat, wasser, wasserfall

Jetzt spenden für den Tanasee in Äthiopien

Am Horn von Afrika liegt ein Land, ohne das unser Leben anders aussähe. Es wäre weniger genussreich und vielleicht sogar voller Entbehrungen. In Äthiopien wuchsen die ersten Kaffeepflanzen der Erde. Auch wichtige Getreidesorten entstammen wohl diesen Breiten. Biologen sprechen von einem Hotspot der Biodiversität.

Auch für unsere Vogelwelt ist diese Region unersetzlich. Am größten See Äthiopiens, dem Tanasee, überwintern viele unserer Kraniche, Rauchschwalben, Schafstelzen und weitere Wasser- und Singvögel. 15 Fischarten kommen nur in diesem See und nirgendwo sonst auf der Welt vor. Und 160 Baumarten wachsen nur hier! (more…)

Habitat research methods give a new peek at tiger life with conservation

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2013Naturebhim gurung, biodiversity, China, chitwan national park, conservation, habitat research, himalayan lowlands, human population, jianguo jack liu, michigan state university, neil carter, nepal, nepal tiger trust, panda, protected area, sustainability, systems integration, tiger habitat, tiger life

Twelve years ago, a team led by Jianguo “Jack” Liu at Michigan State University showed that China needed to revisit how it was protecting its pandas. Now research on tiger habitat in Nepal, published in Ecosphere journal of the Ecological Society of America, again shows that conservation demands not only good policy, but also monitoring even years down the road.

“Understanding long-term outcomes of conservation programs is crucial and requires innovative methods,” Liu said. “Now we’re learning that Nepal’s outstanding efforts to protect tigers are best supported with close monitoring because conservation situations are so dynamic. In both cases, the key is to understand how the people who live near the valued wildlife are faring as well.” (more…)

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