Political Strife Caused By Climate Change Doomed the Mayans
Archaeologists argue that drought caused by climate variation played a major role in the decline and fall of Mayan civilization.
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With Obama’s Win, Colleges Anticipate 4 More Years of Reform
When American voters re-elected Barack Obama as president, they extended the White House stay of an administration that has focused on expanding federal student aid as well as tightening regulations on colleges and universities. Economic concerns took center stage over the course of the 2012 presidential race, as both campaigns sought to make the case…
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Star Formation Sputtering Out Across the Universe
The rate of star formation in the universe has dropped to just 3% of its long-ago peak, and there’s no end in sight to the decline, a new study finds. A team of astronomers has determined that the rate of star birth peaked around 11 billion years ago, just 2.7 billion years after the Big…
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Archaeologists Discover Thracian Golden Jewelry
Archaeologists say they have unearthed an almost 2,400-year-old golden hoard in an ancient Thracian tomb in northern Bulgaria. The treasure was found near the village of Sveshtari, 250 miles northeast of Sofia. Team leader Diana Gergova said that among the artifacts, dating back to the end of the fourth or the beginning of the third…
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Warmer Still: Extreme Climate Predictions Appear Most Accurate
Climate scientists agree the Earth will be hotter by the end of the century, but their simulations don’t agree on how much. Now a new study suggests the gloomier predictions may be closer to the mark. “Warming is likely to be on the high side of the projections,” said John Fasullo of the National Center…
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Chinese Survey Reveals Widespread Coastal Pollution
Massive declines in coral reefs, mangrove swamps and wetlands.
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Obama Finally Talks Climate Change; Green Industry Wants More
In celebrating his reelection, President Obama finally touched on a topic that he and Republican rival Mitt Romney rarely broached during the campaign: Climate change. During his acceptance speech, Obama make a strong play to win over the green sector, ranking environmental action high up on his priority list. “We want our children to live…
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Quantum ‘Kisses’ Change the Color of Air
The movement of electrons across tiny distances between metals has the power to change the colour of the gap. Nanophotonics researchers discovered that spaces smaller than a nanometre between metals undergo observable colour changes thanks to the movement of electrons in the surrounding area — meaning the scientists could see quantum mechanical processes in action….
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Crocodile Jaws More Sensitive Than Human Fingertips
They may be lethal, leathery, and literally armored to the teeth, but crocodiles and alligators, it turns out, are sensitive types. Their snouts, in fact, are even more touch-sensitive than human fingertips, a new study says. Part of the crocodilian reptile order, alligators have some 4,000 of tiny, raised black spots, or domes, on their…
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NASA May Soon Announce New Human Moon Missions
NASA is serious about sending astronauts back to the moon’s neighborhood and will likely unveil its ambitious plans soon now that President Barack Obama has been re-elected, experts say. The space agency has apparently been thinking about setting up a manned outpost beyond the moon’s far side, both to establish a human presence in deep…