Category Archives: environment

Saudi Arabia notes new MERS case; WHO details 12 | CIDRAP

Today’s developments bring the number of Saudi MERS cases to 1,273, including 542 deaths. Fifteen patients are still undergoing treatment, the MOH said.

Source: Saudi Arabia notes new MERS case; WHO details 12 | CIDRAP

Whistleblower Claims Censorship of Research into Pesticide Linked to Bee Deaths | Civil Eats

A senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a whistleblower complaint on Wednesday accusing the federal agency of suppressing research findings that could call into question the use of a popular pesticide class that is a revenue powerhouse for the agrichemical industry.Jonathan Lundgren, a senior research entomologist with the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service who has spent 11 years with the agency based in Brookings, S.D., said that retaliation and harassment from inside USDA started in April 2014, following media interviews he gave in March of that year regarding some of his research conclusions.Lundgren’s work has included extensive examination of a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, which are widely used by U.S. farmers to control pest damage to corn and other crops, helping protect production. The insecticides are sold in forms that both are sprayed on plants or coated on seeds before they are planted. They are also used on plants sold by lawns and garden retailers.

Source: Whistleblower Claims Censorship of Research into Pesticide Linked to Bee Deaths | Civil Eats

All the Dirt on Gardening: Mites are Biting

It’s mite season, ladies and gentlemen, and they are causing wide spread itching. There are two types that are causing the most trouble: 1) straw itch mites and 2) oak mites.Don’t ignore the symptoms, the Australian Dept. of Agriculture and Food points out, “In severe cases of mite attack, victims have reported headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, mild diarrhoea and joint pains.”Prevent oak mite bites If you see brown and crusty edges on oak tree leaves, be aware that mite activity is possible. Don’t sit under oak trees or on nearby lawns. Illinois Dept of Public Health.Prevent straw mite bites by avoiding straw bales1. Straw itch mites are the topic of this week’s entomology pest alert from Oklahoma State Univeristy.. Here’s the link –  http://entoplp.okstate.edu/pddl/2015/PA14-43.pdf

Source: All the Dirt on Gardening: Mites are Biting

Atacama Desert becomes floral wonderland after historic rainfall in Chile – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth, but parts of the landscape are now covered in flowers after a year of unprecedented rain.

Source: Atacama Desert becomes floral wonderland after historic rainfall in Chile – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Nestlé Is Pumping Water From A National Forest On An Expired Permit: LAist

Nestlé was allowed to pump 28.3 million gallons of groundwater from San Bernardino National Forest last year, and it was done with a permit that expired in 1988.Three environmental groups—Center for Biological Diversity, the Story of Stuff Project and the Courage Campaign Institute—have sued the U.S. Forest Service for allowing the company to continue to pump water without a valid permit. According to The Desert Sun, the lawsuit argues that the activity threatens natural habitats along the Strawberry Creek for protected and threatened species such as mountain yellow-legged frogs and California spotted owls.

Source: Nestlé Is Pumping Water From A National Forest On An Expired Permit: LAist

Modern man reached China up to 70,000 years before Europe, says study | News | DW.COM | 14.10.2015

Why not Europe?The study’s lead author, paleoanthropologist Wu Liu of the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing, said the teeth were about twice as old as the earliest ones found in Europe.”Why is it that modern humans – who were already at the gates – didn’t really get into Europe?” Martinon-Torres asked in the study.”The classic idea is that H. sapiens… took over the Neanderthal empire, but maybe Neanderthals were a kind of ecological barrier, and Europe was too small a place” for both to coexist,” Martinon-Torres said, adding that Europe’s severely cold weather may have also been a deterrent.The earliest remains of Homo sapiens in Europe date back to around 40,000 to 45,000 years ago, while in Asia, the latest discovery puts them in at 80,000 to 120,000 years ago.

Source: Modern man reached China up to 70,000 years before Europe, says study | News | DW.COM | 14.10.2015

Coastal Commission bans captive orca breeding at SeaWorld San Diego – LA Times

The vote was hailed as a victory for animal rights groups, which have called on the park to stop its breeding program and release its whales to a seaside sanctuary, envisioned as a cove that would protect the animals but give them far more space to live out their lives.

Source: Coastal Commission bans captive orca breeding at SeaWorld San Diego – LA Times

A Man Records The Northern Lights During A Superstorm, And What Happens Is Amazing

Any sighting of the Northern Lights is unforgettable, but this display is unmatched. How often do you get to see footage of a superstorm, the Aurora Borealis, and a shooting star all at once? Of course, the person filming this had the true experience, but it’s still pretty amazing to get a glimpse into what that must have felt like.

Source: A Man Records The Northern Lights During A Superstorm, And What Happens Is Amazing