Are mermaids real? Vampires? Dragons or werewolves?
By BBC Earth 1. Vampires Tales of vampires which have been the inspiration for horror movies the world over originate from a small flying mammal that weighs less than two ounces. Of the three species of vampire bat the one that has contributed to the misunderstanding and fear of bats more than any other is […]
Mexico: Outrage after shooting during football match in Torreón
The wave of violence that Mexico is experiencing has reached the national sport par excellence. Last Saturday, August 21, 2011, during an official first division football match in the Estadio Corona (TSM), in Torreón, Coahuila, an armed confrontation took place outside the stadium. It led to the cancellation of the game and...
The great upward and northward migration is underway
By David A Gabel, ENN As global temperatures warm, organisms equipped with the gift of mobility and spreading their seed will seek climates with which they are familiar. In the Earth’s northern hemisphere, this means travelling both north and to higher elevations. This movement of species has been documented for some time and is expected […]
Life in a world without oxygen
By Andy Soos, ENN The Earth’s oldest fossils have been found in Australia by a team from the University of Western Australia and Oxford University. The microscopic fossils show convincing evidence for cells and bacteria living in an oxygen-free world over 3.4 billion years ago. The earliest identified organisms were minute and relatively featureless, and […]
Canadian regulations would require CO2 controls on coal-fired power plants
By Reuters, Calgary Canada is moving ahead with new regulations for cutting emissions from coal-fired power plants as environmental groups decried one project that they said won a speedy approval just in time to avoid the tighter rules. Environment Minister Peter Kent said the regulations, aimed at gradually phasing out coal-fired power generation as a […]
Victory in Tripoli
After six months of struggle, the Libyan revolution has arrived (again) in Tripoli. There may still be a trick or two up the megalomaniac’s sleeve, but the news coming in at the moment suggests a precipitous collapse. Saif-ul-Islam al-Qaddafi has been arrested. The tyrant’s daughter Aisha’s house is under the revolutionaries’ control, as is the […]
The most painful sting in the world
By BBC Earth Steve Backshall and the Deadly 60 team trek deep into the hot and muddy jungle to seek out one of the world’s most elusive birds of prey. But no Deadly 60 trip is without its surprises, and when Steve meets an old enemy his nerves truly are put to the test. What’s […]
There are only 14 different kinds of noses, study says
By Rachel Slaff of msnbc How many different shapes of human noses are there? Ten? Fifty? Hundreds? The correct answer is 14, according to Abraham Tamir, an Israeli scientist. And while the study has its limitations, it is the first-of-its-kind survey detailing the shapes of schnozes. Tamir set out to count, sort and categorize the […]
New drug may treat virtually all viral infections
In a recently published article in the journal PLoS One, researchers at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory claim to have developed a new drug that has the potential to cure nearly all types of viral infections ranging from the common cold to highly deadly hemorrhagic fevers.The new drug, known as DRACO (double-stranded RNA activated ...
Increased tropical forest growth could release carbon from the soil
By Editor, Science Daily A new study shows that as climate change enhances tree growth in tropical forests, the resulting increase in litterfall could stimulate soil micro-organisms leading to a release of stored soil carbon. The research was led by scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of Cambridge, UK. The […]