Trump makes major change to US climate change narrative

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Coal fired power plants like this one faced restrictions under President Obama "This is, I think, one of the most historic attacks on climate and environmental action __that the US has ever seen," said Liz Perera from the Sierra Club. Her words are certain to cheer Trump supporters everywhere. Green "job-killing" regulations limiting energy production have long been a red rag for Donald...

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How to turn a spinach leaf into a human heart

Spinach could be good for your heart in more ways than one. It’s packed with fiber, vitamin A, and the branching vasculature necessary for cells to absorb nutrients. Which is why bioengineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute decided to try growing human heart cells on the scaffolding of a humble spinach leaf. And it worked. They published their results online in the journal Biomaterials in advance of the May 2017 print issue. When you look at a spinach leaf, you probably see a dark, leafy green __that belongs alongside dried cranberries and...

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To save their land, they unveiled the world’s biggest dinosaur footprint

The Goolarabooloo people have been singing about dinosaur footprints for thousands of years—they just don’t call them ‘dinosaurs.’ To the indigenous tribe, those tracks were left by ancient, spiritual beings who walked those lands during the Creation Time. The men tasked with maintaining the laws and rituals for the Goolarabooloo people have passed down lyrical stories about the footprints. These so-called ‘song cycles’ detail the paths __that their supernatural predecessors took, as demarcated by the enormous tracks they left behind. So they’ve...

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Bombing Antarctica, flying into hurricanes, and drinking your own pee: Fantastic tales from the field

Jeff Williams, NASA astronaut and U.S. record holder for total days spent in space "On Earth, not all water tastes the same. Some water is delicious, but some can leave a funny taste in your mouth—the result of a particular mineral or metal. This doesnʼt happen on board the International Space Station, even though youʼre drinking recycled sweat and urine. You donʼt sense any unusual flavors. The water—and the beverages we make from it—consistently tastes pretty good. The process of treating wastewater up there isnʼt all __that different from the...

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Popular foods that grow in somewhat startling ways

Cherries grow on trees, strawberries on vines, but how do cashews grow? Thanks to our current food system, we can get crops from almost anywhere in the world—vanilla from Madagascar, bananas from Ecuador. Of course, the downside of receiving produce from far-off lands is __that we can’t exactly run into the fields to see how they’re grown. For many, the manner in which fruits and veggies emerge from the earth can be something of a mystery. Here are some of the more unexpected ways plants propagate before they make their way into our meals:...

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Groundhog day for a keystone cop-out?

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Sections of the pipeline prepared but not yet used for Keystone XL According to Donald Trump, the Keystone XL will be an "incredible pipeline", but could it be __that the official signing of the permit in the Oval Office will be the high point for this long-winded process? Let's look at some of the issues __that might see TransCanada, the company behind the project, eventually walk away. First, making oil from the bitumen-rich Canadian tar sands is a messy and expensive business. Separating...

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New 'super yield' GM wheat trial gets go-ahead

Image copyright ROTHAMSTED RESEARCH Image caption In greenhouse tests, the new wheat has shown increased yields of between 20-40% The planting of a new experimental crop of genetically modified (GM) wheat will take place this spring after the UK government gave the final go ahead. The GM wheat has been engineered to use sunlight more efficiently and has boosted greenhouse yields by up to 40%. Researchers in Hertfordshire now want...

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Climate may have shaped the evolution of the human nose

In the late 1800s, British anthropologist and anatomist Arthur Thomson posited __that people with ancestral origins in cold, arid climates were likely to have longer, thinner noses, while those who came from warm, humid regions were inclined to have noses __that were shorter and thicker. His theory was that climate has a profound influence on the shape of the human nose, more so than any other evolutionary factor, because one important job of the nose is to warm and humidify air inhaled through the nostrils. This suggests it is an advantage for...

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Introducing the world's oldest plant-like fossil

When you think fossils, you probably think of impressively preserved bones; the last remains of dinosaurs __that strolled (or flew) across the Earth eons ago. But it took evolution a long time to work up to dinosaurs. Or any kind of animal, for __that matter. For about 2 billion years in Earth’s early history (give or take a few hundred million years) single-celled organisms ruled the planet. Then, life started branching out. In a paper published Tuesday in PLOS Biology, researchers from the Swedish Museum of Natural History announced the discovery...

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Plagued by predators in the sea, these fish are moving onto land

On the remote Pacific island of Rarotonga, some fish are fleeing to land. Scientists have long suspected __that blenny fish leapt out of water to escape the many sea creatures __that seek to eat them, but the blennies' true motivations remained a mystery. Now, in a study published this week in The American Naturalist, researchers show that these sausage-shaped fish were over three times more likely to be devoured in the sea than on land, giving credence to this theory. "It turns out the aquatic environment is a nasty place for blennies, full of...

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A simulated tornado, ghosts at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and other amazing images of the week

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Etna escape: 'Pelted with the deadly, hot debris'

Image copyright Sam Robinson Image caption Etna is usually doing something. That makes it a draw for scientists and tourists When we arrived in Sicily, we discovered __that we were in luck: Mount Etna had just started to erupt again. I was part of a BBC team who had come to film a report on volcano monitoring. Getting to witness an awakened Etna was about as exciting as it gets for a science correspondent. I just didn’t intend to...

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Mount Etna: BBC crew caught up in volcano blast

Media captionMoment BBC crew caught in Etna eruption A BBC team and a number of tourists have suffered minor injuries after being caught up in an incident on the erupting volcano Mount Etna in Sicily. "Many injured - some head injuries, burns, cuts and bruises," tweeted BBC science reporter Rebecca Morelle. Lava flow mixed with steam had caused a huge explosion, which pelted the group with boiling rocks and steam, she said. About eight people had been injured, with some evacuated from the mountain by rescue teams, she added. ...

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No let-up in Cyprus bird poaching

Image copyright BirdLife Cyprus Image caption Acacia bushes provide an ideal roosting spot for migrating birds British authorities in Cyprus have been criticised for failing to effectively tackle the poaching of songbirds on a military base. Some 1.7 million birds were illegally killed across the Republic of Cyprus in 2016 according to a new report. More than 800,000 were killed on the British military territory __that extends for...

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Plastic microbeads to be banned by 2017, UK government pledges

Image copyright Thinkstock The UK government has announced plans to ban microbeads used in cosmetics and cleaning products by 2017. The small pieces of plastic commonly found in toothpaste, exfoliating body scrubs and other household products and are thought to damage the environment. Environmentalists fear they are building up in oceans and potentially entering the food chain. A consultation on how a ban would work will start later this year,...

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Accumulating 'microplastic' threat to shores

Image caption Concentrations of microplastic were greatest near coastal urban areas, the study showed Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has warned. Researchers traced the "microplastic" back to synthetic clothes, which released up to 1,900 tiny fibres per garment every time they were washed. Earlier research showed plastic smaller...

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Assessment questions plastics' non-hazardous ranking

Image copyright Jon Brack Image caption The report says policy makers and producers must find ways to deal with waste __that can harm the environment A study has questioned plastic's non-hazardous ranking, as an estimated 150 million tonnes "disappears" from the global waste stream each year. Researchers outlined measures __that can be used to shed light on the wider environmental impact of waste plastic. An estimated 150 millions...

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Video captures moment plastic enters food chain

Media captionDr Richard Kirby's footage shows plankton ingesting plastic microfibre A scientist has filmed the moment plastic microfibre is ingested by plankton, illustrating how the material is affecting life beneath the waves. The footage shows one way __that waste plastic could be entering the marine and global food chain. An estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic "disappears" from the world's waste stream each year. Waste plastic in the world's seas has been recognised by the United Nations as a major environmental problem....

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NOAA’s satellites are on the chopping block. Here's why we need them.

On Friday, The Washington Post reportedly obtained a memo from within the Trump administration about proposed funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The memo outlined steep cuts to several divisions, including the elimination of the $73 million Sea Grant research program, cuts to climate research divisions, and more. But the biggest cut The Post reported was to the agency's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service—NOAA’s satellite division—which would see its budget cut by 22 percent, or $513 million....

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22 stunning images that turn science into art

For two decades, Wellcome Images has presented awards to the best scientific and medical images __that enter its collection each year. This year's collection is stunning, with portraits, illustrations, and microphotography vying with 3D models and scans for the title of overall winner. Individual awards for these winners and the grand prize winner will be announced on March 15. These 22 images were selected by nine science communicator experts, but you can have a voice too. Vote for your favorite before August 31, and you'll have a chance to win...

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