| News Capsules - January-February - Page 2 |
Bears Face Extinction
As many as three-fourths of bear
species are threatened with
extinction. So says the World
Conservation Union (IUCN), a
global consortium of government
agencies and environmental
groups. Reporting on seven of
the world’s eight bear species, the
group said only the Brown bear
and the American Black bear are
re4latively healthy. Hunting and
human encroachment are the
main reasons for the declines.—
www.nature.com (11/12/07)
Ladybugs Recruited
To Do a Good Deed
More than 700,000 ladybugs were
intentionally released on the 80-
acre grounds of a large New York
apartment complexes. Their
mission: eat pests infesting the
neatly landscaped property. The
expectation was that the bugs
would crawl into plants in search
of insects such as leaf-sucking
aphids and mites whose odor
would attract them. Using
ladybugs avoided the need for
pesticides which can kill good
insects as well as bad ones.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(10/22/07)
Carbon Dioxide Rate
Rising Faster Than Ever
Carbon dioxide is rising in the
atmosphere at a faster rate than
ever, researchers have reported.
In the 1990s, CO2 emissions
increased about 1.3% a year.
Since 2000 the growth rate has
been 3.3% per year. The
researchers calculate that global
carbon-dioxide emissions were
35% higher in 2006 than in 1990.
Greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide warm the planet by
trapping heat in the atmosphere.—
www.usatoday.com (10/25/07)
Fires Producing CO2
The wildfires this autumn in
southern California in just one
week produced as much carbon
dioxide as the state’s power plants
and automobiles did in the same
period. And a Colorado study
shows that U.S. wildfires each
year pump enough of the
greenhouse gas into the
atmosphere yearly to surpass
what Pennsylvania produces in a
year. Forests can act as a sponge
and absorb carbon dioxide but
when burning can also produce it.
—(Racine) Journal Times
(11/1/07)
Discover Why Some
Leaves Turn Red
Autumn leaves turn fiery-red in
order to store up nutrients from
the leaves and soil before settling
down for the winter, concludes a
researcher from the U. of North
Carolina. She noticed the leaves
of trees growing in poor soil
tended to be red which those on
trees in rich soil remained yellow.
“The redder a leaf is, the more
nutrients it is going to recycle,”
Emily Habinck said.—www.nature.
com (10/30/07)
Rising Faster Than Ever
Carbon dioxide is rising in the
atmosphere at a faster rate than
ever, researchers have reported.
In the 1990s, CO2 emissions
increased about 1.3% a year.
Since 2000 the growth rate has
been 3.3% per year. The
researchers calculate that global
carbon-dioxide emissions were
35% higher in 2006 than in 1990.
Greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide warm the planet by
trapping heat in the atmosphere.—
www.usatoday.com (10/25/07)
Fires Producing CO2
The wildfires this autumn in
southern California in just one
week produced as much carbon
dioxide as the state’s power plants
and automobiles did in the same
period. And a Colorado study
shows that U.S. wildfires each
year pump enough of the
greenhouse gas into the
atmosphere yearly to surpass
what Pennsylvania produces in a
year. Forests can act as a sponge
and absorb carbon dioxide but
when burning can also produce it.
—(Racine) Journal Times
(11/1/07)
Discover Why Some
Leaves Turn Red
Autumn leaves turn fiery-red in
order to store up nutrients from
the leaves and soil before settling
down for the winter, concludes a
researcher from the U. of North
Carolina. She noticed the leaves
of trees growing in poor soil
tended to be red which those on
trees in rich soil remained yellow.
“The redder a leaf is, the more
nutrients it is going to recycle,”
Emily Habinck said.—www.nature.
com (10/30/07)
Oceans Soaking Up
Less Carbon Dioxide
The amount of carbon dioxide
being soaked up by the world’s
oceans is declining, scientists
have said. Using more than
90,000 measurements from
merchant ships equipped with
automatic instruments, U. of East
Anglia researchers found the
absorption rate declined 50%
between the mid-90s and 2005.
Some of the scientists are worried
that the ocean may be becoming
saturated with carbon dioxide,
although there is uncertainty over
whether the decline is due to
climate change or to natural
variations.—www.bbc.co.uk
(10/20/07)
Shingles Vaccination
Mayo Clinic doctors are
recommending that adults over 60
who haven’t yet been vaccinated
against shingles consider the
vaccine Zostavax. Approved 18
months ago, Zostavax has cut the
chances of getting shingles by
50% or more in older adults.
Shingles is caused by the virus
that causes chickenpox and is
often characterized by lingering
pain.—Mayo Clinic Health Letter
(October, 2007)
Extra Limbs Removed
From Young Girl
A 2-year-old girl in Bangalore,
India, born with four arms and four
legs, underwent successful
surgery that should enable her to
lead a normal life. The extra limbs
were removed, her organs were
salvaged, and her pelvic area
rebuilt in the 24-hour operation.
Named Lakshmi, the girl had been
joined at the pelvis to a “parasitic
twin” that stopped developing in
her mother’s womb.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (11/8/07)
Less Carbon Dioxide
The amount of carbon dioxide
being soaked up by the world’s
oceans is declining, scientists
have said. Using more than
90,000 measurements from
merchant ships equipped with
automatic instruments, U. of East
Anglia researchers found the
absorption rate declined 50%
between the mid-90s and 2005.
Some of the scientists are worried
that the ocean may be becoming
saturated with carbon dioxide,
although there is uncertainty over
whether the decline is due to
climate change or to natural
variations.—www.bbc.co.uk
(10/20/07)
Shingles Vaccination
Mayo Clinic doctors are
recommending that adults over 60
who haven’t yet been vaccinated
against shingles consider the
vaccine Zostavax. Approved 18
months ago, Zostavax has cut the
chances of getting shingles by
50% or more in older adults.
Shingles is caused by the virus
that causes chickenpox and is
often characterized by lingering
pain.—Mayo Clinic Health Letter
(October, 2007)
Extra Limbs Removed
From Young Girl
A 2-year-old girl in Bangalore,
India, born with four arms and four
legs, underwent successful
surgery that should enable her to
lead a normal life. The extra limbs
were removed, her organs were
salvaged, and her pelvic area
rebuilt in the 24-hour operation.
Named Lakshmi, the girl had been
joined at the pelvis to a “parasitic
twin” that stopped developing in
her mother’s womb.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (11/8/07)
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