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Study Links Tropical Ocean Warming to Greenhouse Gases
By ANDREW C. REVKIN, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
Rising ocean temperatures linked by some studies to tropical storms are very likely a result of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research.
The lead author of the new study, Benjamin D. Santer of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of the Energy Department, said the findings suggested that further warming would probably make hurricanes stronger in coming decades.
( Read More )
A Celebrity Among Ungulates May Soon Be Dismissed as a Poseur
By MARK DERR, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
In the 1930’s, the kouprey trotted like a revelation out of the forests of central Indochina and into the world of modern science. Here, after all, was a large wild ox with the speed and grace of a deer and an impressive set of horns, yet it had been hiding in plain view, having never been officially discovered by science.
But now, just 70 years after the first captive kouprey was sent to France from Cambodia for study, the last species of wild Asian cattle to become known scientifically may become the first to vanish in modern times — and not necessarily through extinction. Rather, three biologists from Northwestern University and the Cambodian Forestry Administration have proposed a taxonomic demotion. In a paper published online in July by The Journal of Zoology, they say the kouprey (koh-PRAY) is probably a domestic hybrid that became feral, a zoological poseur, not a valid species.
( Read More )
Probing the Mysterious Migration of Swans Suspected in Spread of Avian Flu
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., The New York Times, September 12, 2006
Tracking avian flu sometimes comes down to moves that have a lot of slapstick potential, like sprinting down a muddy Mongolian beach trying to tackle a scared but temporarily flightless swan.
“They’re pretty fast, even when they can’t fly, and the 100-yard dash is not my specialty,” said John Takekawa, a research wildlife biologist with the United States Geological Survey.
Dr. Takekawa was part of an international team that spent part of August on the shores of Lake Khorin Tsagaan in Mongolia catching whooper swans and strapping tiny transmitters to their backs. If all goes well, the transmitters will help unveil an ornithological mystery: which way whoopers migrate.
( Read More )
Biofuels Come of Age as the Demand Rises
By SUSAN MORAN, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
BARACK OBAMA is not a farmer, but he believes in biodiesel and the votes of farmers who produce soybeans and other crops for it. Senator Obama, Democrat from Illinois, spoke last month at an event to celebrate plans for a new biodiesel plant in Cairo, Ill. His presence was a welcome endorsement for a budding industry.
On the day that Mr. Obama joined the Renewable Energy Group in announcing that it would build a 60-million-gallon-a-year refinery, the company said it had garnered $100 million in financing, the largest equity investment in biofuels so far. The infusion came from the American division of Bunge Ltd., a major food processor; two venture-capital funds controlled by Natural Gas Partners of Irving, Tex.; and ED&F Man Holdings Ltd., a global shipper of grains.
The investment underscores how the biodiesel industry is coming of age as demand for renewable fuels increases. The businesses range from soybean farmers in the Midwest seeking new markets to coastal start-ups with an environmental mission. Both camps are attracting a flow of money from venture capitalists and corporations alike.
( Read More )
Lady Macbeth Not Alone in Her Quest for Spotlessness
By BENEDICT CAREY, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
Liars, cheats, philanderers and murderers are not renowned for exquisite personal hygiene, but then no one has studied their showering habits.
They may scrub extra hard after a con job, use $40 hyacinth shampoo after a secret tryst or book a weekend at a spa after a particularly ugly hit. They are human beings, after all, and if a study published last week is any guide, they feel a strong urge to wash their hands — literally — after a despicable act in an unconscious effort to ease their consciences.
And it works, at least for minor guilt stains. People who washed their hands after contemplating an unethical act were less troubled by their thoughts than those who didn’t, the study found.
( Read More )
By ANDREW C. REVKIN, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
Rising ocean temperatures linked by some studies to tropical storms are very likely a result of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research.
The lead author of the new study, Benjamin D. Santer of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of the Energy Department, said the findings suggested that further warming would probably make hurricanes stronger in coming decades.
( Read More )
A Celebrity Among Ungulates May Soon Be Dismissed as a Poseur
By MARK DERR, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
In the 1930’s, the kouprey trotted like a revelation out of the forests of central Indochina and into the world of modern science. Here, after all, was a large wild ox with the speed and grace of a deer and an impressive set of horns, yet it had been hiding in plain view, having never been officially discovered by science.
But now, just 70 years after the first captive kouprey was sent to France from Cambodia for study, the last species of wild Asian cattle to become known scientifically may become the first to vanish in modern times — and not necessarily through extinction. Rather, three biologists from Northwestern University and the Cambodian Forestry Administration have proposed a taxonomic demotion. In a paper published online in July by The Journal of Zoology, they say the kouprey (koh-PRAY) is probably a domestic hybrid that became feral, a zoological poseur, not a valid species.
( Read More )
Probing the Mysterious Migration of Swans Suspected in Spread of Avian Flu
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., The New York Times, September 12, 2006
Tracking avian flu sometimes comes down to moves that have a lot of slapstick potential, like sprinting down a muddy Mongolian beach trying to tackle a scared but temporarily flightless swan.
“They’re pretty fast, even when they can’t fly, and the 100-yard dash is not my specialty,” said John Takekawa, a research wildlife biologist with the United States Geological Survey.
Dr. Takekawa was part of an international team that spent part of August on the shores of Lake Khorin Tsagaan in Mongolia catching whooper swans and strapping tiny transmitters to their backs. If all goes well, the transmitters will help unveil an ornithological mystery: which way whoopers migrate.
( Read More )
Biofuels Come of Age as the Demand Rises
By SUSAN MORAN, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
BARACK OBAMA is not a farmer, but he believes in biodiesel and the votes of farmers who produce soybeans and other crops for it. Senator Obama, Democrat from Illinois, spoke last month at an event to celebrate plans for a new biodiesel plant in Cairo, Ill. His presence was a welcome endorsement for a budding industry.
On the day that Mr. Obama joined the Renewable Energy Group in announcing that it would build a 60-million-gallon-a-year refinery, the company said it had garnered $100 million in financing, the largest equity investment in biofuels so far. The infusion came from the American division of Bunge Ltd., a major food processor; two venture-capital funds controlled by Natural Gas Partners of Irving, Tex.; and ED&F Man Holdings Ltd., a global shipper of grains.
The investment underscores how the biodiesel industry is coming of age as demand for renewable fuels increases. The businesses range from soybean farmers in the Midwest seeking new markets to coastal start-ups with an environmental mission. Both camps are attracting a flow of money from venture capitalists and corporations alike.
( Read More )
Lady Macbeth Not Alone in Her Quest for Spotlessness
By BENEDICT CAREY, The New York Times, September 12, 2006
Liars, cheats, philanderers and murderers are not renowned for exquisite personal hygiene, but then no one has studied their showering habits.
They may scrub extra hard after a con job, use $40 hyacinth shampoo after a secret tryst or book a weekend at a spa after a particularly ugly hit. They are human beings, after all, and if a study published last week is any guide, they feel a strong urge to wash their hands — literally — after a despicable act in an unconscious effort to ease their consciences.
And it works, at least for minor guilt stains. People who washed their hands after contemplating an unethical act were less troubled by their thoughts than those who didn’t, the study found.
( Read More )
