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mongabay.com news - January 2006Hot spring bacteria have two metabolic pathways 01/30/2006 Scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology have found that photosynthetic bacteria living in scalding Yellowstone hot springs have two radically different metabolic identities. World's smallest fish title in dispute 01/30/2006 Researchers dispute last week's claim of world's smallest fish in Sumatra. Evidence of an even smaller fish--a species of marine anglerfish 20 percent smaller than the carp found in southeast Asia--is presented by a University of Washington professor of aquatic and fisheries sciences. In a release from the University of Washington, professor Pietsch describes the tiny anglerfish, Photocorynus spiniceps, found in the Philippines. Mother nature encourages diversity in rainforest trees 01/26/2006 Older forests have a greater diversity of trees than younger forests according to research published in Friday's issue of the journal Science. The study -- conducted by 33 ecologists from 12 countries -- found that nature encourages diversity by selecting for less common trees as the trees mature, indicating that diversity has ecological importance to tropical forests. Global warming may cause 11-inch rise in sea levels by 2100 01/26/2006 Global warming will cause sea levels to rise up to 34 centimeters (11 inches) by the end of the century, causing increased flooding, worsening the impact of storms, damaging low-lying ecosystems, and accelerating coastal erosion, according to a new study by Australian researchers. Ethanol more energy-efficient than oil, finds study 01/26/2006 Using ethanol -- alcohol produced from corn or other plants -- instead of gasoline is more energy-efficient that oil say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Picture of the world's smallest fish 01/26/2006 Scientists have found the smallest known fish in the peat swamps of Sumatra, an island in Indonesia, according to new research. Without recycling, world metals face depletion finds Yale study 01/26/2006 Researchers studying supplies of copper, zinc and other metals have determined that these finite resources, even if recycled, may not meet the needs of the global population forever, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Deforestation rates jump in Uganda and Burundi, fall in Rwanda 01/25/2006 Tropical deforestation rates have skyrocketed in Uganda and Burundi, while declining significantly in Rwanda according to mongabay.com's analysis of data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Venezuela plans 5000-mile pipeline across Amazon rain forest 01/25/2006 Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, announced a plan to build a massive gas pipeline that would carry natural gas from the oil rich state 5,000 miles south. Environmentalists fear that the project could damage the Amazon rain forest by polluting waterways and creating roads that would attract developers and poor farmers, while analysts question the wisdom and viability of the plan which may cost $20-50 billion depending on who makes the estimate. Citigroup to cut carbon emissions by 10% 01/25/2006 Demonstrating its ongoing commitment to environmental and social issues globally, Citigroup Inc. today announced a commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions on a global basis by 10% by 2011. Parks, indian reserves slow Amazon deforestation 01/25/2006 A new study shows that parks and indigenous reserves in the Amazon help slow deforestation. Study finds deforestation has pushed orangutans to brink of extinction 01/24/2006 A three year genetic study by wildlife geneticists from Cardiff School of Biosciences has shown a population collapse in the Bornean orang-utan. 2005 was the warmest year on record 01/24/2006 A new study by NASA says 2005 was the warmest year in at least a century, surpassing 1998. The five warmest years over the last century occurred since 1997: 2005, then 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Number of hungry Africans doubles in a decade 01/24/2006 number of Africans requiring food assistance has doubled in the past decade due to crop failures, drought, failing governments, civil strife, and the impact of AIDS, said the United Nations World Food Programme. The World Food Programme says it will to provide food assistance this year to some 43 million people across Africa, including some 35 million in need of emergency food aid, for a total of over $1.8 billion. Coral reefs and mangroves have high economic value 01/24/2006 Protecting coral reefs and mangrove forests makes economic sense according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report argues that conserving these ecosystems for the services they provide--from fisheries protection to erosion control to a source for medical compounds--is cost-effective relative to destroying them and substituting their role with man-made structures. Sustainable farm practices improve Third World food production 01/23/2006 Crop yields on farms in developing countries that used sustainable agriculture rose nearly 80 percent in four years, according to a study scheduled for publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science and Technology. Indigenous Amazonians Display Core Understanding Of Geometry 01/23/2006 Researchers in France and at Harvard University have found that isolated indigenous peoples deep in the Amazon readily grasp basic concepts of geometry such as points, lines, parallelism and right angles, and can use distance, angle and other relationships in maps to locate hidden objects. The results suggest that geometry is a core set of intuitions present in all humans, regardless of their language or schooling. Goodbye to West Africa's Rainforests 01/23/2006 West Africa's once verdant and extensive rainforests are now a historical footnote. Gone to build ships and furniture, feed hungry mouths, and supply minerals and gems to the West, the band of tropical forests that once extended from Guinea to Cameroon are virtually gone. The loss of West Africa's rainforests have triggered a number of environmental problems that have contributed to social unrest and exacerbated poverty across the region. Adventures in following Lonely Planet through Israel 01/18/2006 Travel writer Sydney Palmer recounts her adventures in following the Lonely Planet guide through Israel . Americans care less about the environment finds study 01/18/2006 Public support for environmental protection in the United States as a federal government priority has dropped substantially since 2001 according to new analysis. Don't blame plants for global warming 01/18/2006 A week after announcing their surprising discovery that plants release 10 to 30 percent of the world's methane?a potent greenhouse gas?researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics warn that plants should not be blamed for recent global warming. Madagascar establishes new park system to protect lemurs, benefit people 01/17/2006 Madagascar has created a new agency for managing the parks of the Indian Ocean island nation. The System of Protected Areas of Madagascar, or SAPM, simplifies the legal process used to create a protected areas, while providing for flexibility for local people to earn a living from conservation activities. Plants face extinction threat due to lack of sex 01/16/2006 The decline of birds, bees and other pollinators may be putting plants at risk of extinction according to a new study. California adopts massive solar energy project 01/13/2006 The California Public Utilities Commission approved a $2.9 billion program to make the state one of the largest producers of solar power in the world. China and India Key to Ecological Future of the World, Says Report 01/12/2006 Earth lacks the energy, arable land and water to enable the fast-growing economies of China and India to attain Western levels of resource consumption according to a new report released by the Worldwatch Institute . First demonstration of teaching in non-human animals 01/12/2006 Scientists from Bristol University said on Wednesday they had uncovered the first proof of teaching in non-human animals -- ants showing each other the way to food. Plants release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, finds study 01/11/2006 In the last few years, more and more research has focused on the biosphere; particularly, on how gases which influence the climate are exchanged between the biosphere and atmosphere. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics have now carefully analysed which organic gases are emitted from plants. They made the surprising discovery that plants release methane, a greenhouse gas - and this goes against all previous assumptions. Extinctions linked to climate change 01/11/2006 A new report that links global warming to the recent extinction of dozens of amphibian species in tropical America is more evidence of a large phenomena that may affect broad regions, many animal species and ultimately humans, according to researchers at Oregon State University. Climate change is killing frogs finds new research 01/11/2006 The dramatic global decline of amphibians may be directly connected to global warming warns a new study published in the journal Nature. Private industry will embrace green energy says Australian govt 01/11/2006 US Energy Secretary, Samuel Bodman, told the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate--a rival to the Kyoto Protocol on limiting greenhouse gas emissions--that the private sector will solve the problem of climate change. Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, disappearing finds new report 01/10/2006 Deforestation has destroyed 17 percent of the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, according to a new report from Conservation International. The Pantanal, an area of flooded grassland and savanna covering 200,000 square kilometers during the rainy season, includes parts of Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia and is fed by the Rio Paraguay. The wetland is home to some 3500 species of plant and 650 species of birds. About 125 types of mammals, 180 kinds of reptiles, 41 types of amphibians, and 325 species of fish have been found in the region. The Pantanal in an important source of freshwater to neighboring farming areas and downstream urban areas. The Great Flood had smaller impact than originally believed 01/09/2006 NASA climate modelers have simulated the climate changes caused by a massive deluge of freshwater into the North Atlantic that occurred near the end of the last Ice Age 8,000 years ago. New glacier history sheds light on climate change 01/10/2006 University of Alberta research that rewrites the history of glacial movement in northwestern North America over the past 10,000 years offers important clues to climate change in recent millennia. Natural disasters of 2005 partly man-made says WHO 01/09/2006 The high death toll in 2005 from tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, mudslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, locusts and pandemics can not necessarily be blamed on "natural" disaster, according to the United Nations health agency which today pointed to a complex mix of human and natural factors that led to tragedy in those events. Lemur land, Madagascar now protected 01/08/2006 With the official establishment of the Makira Protected Area last week, the government of Madagascar has brought the total area of land and marine zones under protection to one million hectares. 1 million ha protected in Madagascar 01/06/2006 The government of Madagascar has scored a significant victory for conservation by bringing one million hectares (more than 3,800 square miles) of wild landscapes and seascapes under protection to conserve the island nation's unique fauna and flora, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Satellite image of floods in Northern California 01/06/2006 Northern California ushered in 2006 with a series of major storms that inundated the area and left many towns awash in water, mud, and debris. Marine reserves improve health of coral reefs finds study 01/05/2006 It may be no surprise that marine reserves protect the fish that live in them, but now scientists from the University of Exeter have shown for the first time that they could also help improve the health of coral reefs. Tiny marine organisms reflect ocean warming 01/05/2006 Sediment cores collected from the seafloor off Southern California reveal that plankton populations in the Northeastern Pacific changed significantly in response to a general warming trend that started in the early 1900s. Can dogs smell cancer? 01/05/2006 In a society where lung and breast cancers are leading causes of cancer death worldwide, early detection of the disease is highly desirable. In a new scientific study, researchers present astonishing new evidence that man's best friend, the dog, may have the capacity to contribute to the process of early cancer detection. Logging may increase the risk of forest fire 01/05/2006 Logging increases the risk of fire according to a new assessment in the aftermath of a large fire in Oregon. The study also found that undisturbed areas may be at lower fire risk. Scent-tagging wood could cut illegal timber smuggling 01/05/2006 In the future illegally harvested timber could be tracked by their scent according to researchers at Oregon State University. Climate change caused major disruption to past ocean currents 01/05/2006 Massive climate change 55 million years ago caused major disruption to ocean currents according to new research by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Nanocrystals could boost photovoltaic solar energy technologies 01/04/2006 Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have discovered that a phenomenon called carrier multiplication, in which semiconductor nanocrystals respond to photons by producing multiple electrons, is applicable to a broader array of materials that previously thought. Urban coyotes thriving in American cities 01/04/2006 Even in the largest American cities, a historically maligned beast is thriving, despite scientists' belief that these mammals intently avoid urban human populations. Pollination networks may play key role in extinction 01/04/2006 As animal extinctions continue at the rate of one every 16 years, it's unclear how declining biodiversity will disturb ecosystem dynamics. Of special concern are the pollinators, essential players in the reproductive biology of plants, the earth's primary producers. Study shows lonely seniors prefer playtime with dog over people 01/04/2006 Study shows lonely seniors prefer playtime with dog over people. Tropical deforestation rates continue to climb 01/04/2006 Tropical deforestation rates continue to climb according to figures released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Russia's folly, an opportunity for renewable energy? 01/03/2006 With its willingness to use energy as a political instrument, Russia has provided the world with further incentive to pursue renewable energy. The Kremlin has shown it cannot be counted upon as a reliable source of energy and western markets should see this as an opportunity to take a long, thoughtful look at energy security and re-evaluate the benefits of developing renewable energy technologies. New evidence shows abrupt worldwide increase in birth rate during Neolithic period 01/03/2006 In an important new study assessing the demographic impact of the shift from foraging to farming, anthropologists use evidence from 60 prehistoric American cemeteries to prove that the invention of agriculture led to a significant worldwide increase in birth rate. Afghanistan developing environmental protection with UN help 01/02/2006 Laws aimed at protecting Afghanistan's wildlife, waterways and forests, believed to be the first legal conservation tools in the country, have been developed by the Government with assistance from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the agency announced today. Satellite image of fires in Oklahoma and Texas 01/02/2006 Drought, high temperatures, and strong winds combined with holiday fireworks, trash fires, and careless cigarettes to create a disaster in parts of Texas and Oklahoma in late December 2005. 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