Dams Trigger Stronger Storms, Study Suggests

Scientists have long suspected that the world’s dams can create their own weather, often bringing more rain. Water in reservoirs behind dams, plus the water used to irrigate nearby land puts more moisture in the air, which falls as precipitation.

Now some researchers are sounding the alarm that dams—along with their reservoirs—might also trigger more frequent fierce storms that could be the dams’ undoing. That’s worrisome, especially in the United States, where dams are rapidly aging, according to some researchers.

Faisal Hossain, an engineer at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, has led several recent studies on 633 dams and about 100 rainfall nearby stations.

via Dams Trigger Stronger Storms, Study Suggests.

Blue Whales Croon A New Tune : NPR

John Hildebrand of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography studies whale sounds and says he’s been hearing something new lately.

“They’ve been shifting the frequency. They’ve been shifting the pitch to be lower each year. And that shift in pitch has resulted in song that is now about 30 percent lower than it was in the 1960s,” he says. He says the change is happening in blue whale colonies all over the world.

Hildebrand believes the change is tied to the elimination of blue whale hunting. Before hunting was banned in 1966, the numbers of blue whales were dangerously low.

via Blue Whales Croon A New Tune : NPR.

China threatens world health by unleashing waves of superbugs – Telegraph

China’s reckless use of antibiotics in the health system and agricultural production is unleashing an explosion of drug resistant superbugs that endanger global health, according to leading scientists.

Chinese doctors routinely hand out multiple doses of antibiotics for simple maladies like the sore throats and the country’s farmers excessive dependence on the drugs has tainted the food chain.

Studies in China show a “frightening” increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus bacteria, also know as MRSA . There are warnings that new strains of antibiotic-resistant bugs will spread quickly through international air travel and internation food sourcing.

via China threatens world health by unleashing waves of superbugs – Telegraph.

Plant could save millions from malaria – Telegraph

Millions of people suffering from malaria now have new hope after British scientists unlocked the genetic map of the plant used to cure the disease.

Scientists from the University of York have confidently predicted they will have high-yielding anti-malaria crops available for wide spread plantation in developing countries within two years.

The discovery of the genetic map of the medicinal herb Artemisia annua has been hailed as a significant breakthrough that could save countless lives.

via Plant could save millions from malaria – Telegraph.

“Eco-Friendly” Mobile Phone Runs on Coke : TreeHugger

Designer Daizi Zheng tells Rose at Dezeen that phone batteries are not very good- “it is expensive, consuming valuable resources on manufacturing, presenting a disposal problem and harmful to the environment.”

So instead she designs a cell phone to run on Coke.

via “Eco-Friendly” Mobile Phone Runs on Coke : TreeHugger.

Expansion of deciduous trees could make Arctic warm faster

A new simulation of deciduous tree expansion into the Arctic region shows that the trees would block the highly reflective snow and increase cloud cover, causing the area to warm even faster than it already is.

Although temperatures have risen throughout the globe, they’ve gone up most dramatically in the Arctic. Past warm periods indicate that deciduous tree expansion into the Arctic is a common occurrence when the region warms up, so a new study has looked into the impact trees could have on the regional climate. As expected, the increase of the leafy trees would result in less reflective ground, but the study suggests they could also induce more cloud cover and an increasingly warm surface and ocean that have more turbulent weather patterns.

via Expansion of deciduous trees could make Arctic warm faster.

Mountain of leftover soil from London roadworks creating new bird island at sea – Telegraph

Thousands of tons of earth dug from under the streets of London are being used to create a new island haven for rare birds off the coast of Kent.

Thousands of tons of earth will be deposted on Hoo Island, an abandoned military site in the Medway estuary near Chatham Photo: CLEM RUTTER

A massive project to replace the capital’s leaky Victorian water mains has created a growing mountain of leftover soil and clay.

Faced with the prospect of having to dump the material in landfill sites, Thames Water engineers came up with the idea of shipping it to Hoo Island, an abandoned military site in the Medway estuary near Chatham.

via Mountain of leftover soil from London roadworks creating new bird island at sea – Telegraph.

Pollutants Cluster Under Power Lines : Discovery News

High voltage power lines in Sweden trap cancer-causing pollutants in their electric fields, according to a new study, potentially raising health risks for people who live beneath them.

It’s a decades-old question: does living near power lines make people sick? For the most part, studies have shown little beyond a weak up-tick in leukemia among children who live near electrical lines. Laboratory animals exposed to electrical and magnetic fields have shown no effect whatsoever.

Case closed, it would seem. But what if electrical fields corral air pollution, concentrating it in a small area? Scientists have wondered whether toxins like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other compounds might gather under power lines in this way.

via Pollutants Cluster Under Power Lines : Discovery News.

BBC News – Why eco-light bulbs aren’t what they seem

Save the planet, switch to eco-light bulbs. So goes the refrain. But are these as bright, long-lasting and energy efficient as is often claimed?

The traditional incandescent bulb is on the way out. European law means people will be encouraged to use longer-lasting, energy-efficient lights instead.

But many remain unconvinced that the common alternative – compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) – are up to the job.

via BBC News – Why eco-light bulbs aren’t what they seem.

Jellyfish | Global Warming | Ocean health

Of all the oceans' predators, jellyfish have the least … of everything: With no teeth, fins or brains, they catch only whatever unlucky animals drift into their path.

But to the animals they hunt, jellyfish and the many related species of comb jellies are a menace. Ranging from several feet long to nearly microscopic, their venom often kill creatures hundreds of times their size, including, in rare cases, humans.

via Jellyfish | Global Warming | Ocean health.