Late Blight — Irish Potato Famine Fungus — Attacks U.S. Northeast Gardens And Farms Hard

Late blight — a destructive infectious disease that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s — is killing tomato and potato plants in gardens and on commercial farms in the eastern United States. In addition, basil downy mildew is affecting plants in the Northeast.

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Disappearing Seagrass Threatening Future Of Coastal Ecosystems Globally

An international team of scientists warns that accelerating losses of seagrasses across the globe threaten the immediate health and long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The team has compiled and analyzed the first comprehensive global assessment of seagrass observations and found that 58 percent of world’s seagrass meadows are currently declining.

The assessment, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows an acceleration of annual seagrass loss from less than 1 percent per year before 1940 to 7 percent per year since 1990. Based on more than 215 studies and 1,800 observations dating back to 1879, the assessment shows that seagrasses are disappearing at rates similar to coral reefs and tropical rainforests….

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Natural deep earth pump fuels earthquakes

A rock sample of less than 1 mm that was deformed in the middle crust of the earth. It's porosity is highlighted in red.Photo by: Dr Florian Fusseis, University of Western Australia

For the first time scientists have discovered the presence of a natural deep earth pump that is a crucial element in the formation of ore deposits and earthquakes.The process, called creep cavitation, involves fluid being pumped through pores in deformed rock in mid-crustal shear zones, which are approximately 15 km below the Earth’s surface.

The fluid transfer through the middle crust also plays a key role in tectonic plate movement and mantle degassing.The discovery was made by examining one millimetre sized cubes of exposed rock in Alice Springs, which was deformed around 320 million years ago during a period of natural mountain formation.

The evidence is described in a paper published in the latest edition of Nature entitled Creep cavitation can establish a dynamic granular fluid pump in ductile shear zones.

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New Digital Elevation Model Covers 99 Percent of the Earth

Dear readers,found this good news on map room recently and thought of sharing with the world.Click here to read this interesting post.

Plants Save The Earth From An Icy Doom

When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth’s surface during the last ice age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle to climate scientists.Now researchers writing in the July 2, 2009, Nature report on the missing piece of the puzzle – plants…

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Myanmar fossil may shed light on evolution

Fossils recently discovered in Myanmar could prove that the common ancestors of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, rather than Africa, researchers contend in a study released Wednesday…

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Cars of the Future will be made of plastic

New materials for car bodies may soon transform the auto industry. Auto engineers can mold these carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics into virtually any shape. The materials are both strong and light — increasing fuel efficiency and safety at the same time.Cars built entirely out of plastic could be the wave of the future, making metal a thing of the past when it comes to cars.New, innovative cars made almost entirely of plastic are paving the way for what you may be driving in the future.

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Baltic and Black seas most polluting

The first results of the satellite radar imagery of the five seas around Russia have been summed up. The project is being accomplished by “ScanEx” RDC since May 21 in the interests of the state with the objective to estimate ecological condition of the Baltic, Black, White, Caspian and Okhotsk seas. After processing more than 50 images from RADARSAT-1 (Canada) and ENVISAT-1 (ESA) satellites, it was revealed that the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea have the biggest problems in terms of oil products pollution. No spills were found in the White Sea. It is believed that the main contribution to sea pollution is the result of large-scale accidental oil spills similar to that of Kerch catastrophe of 2007. But according to UN data, the total contribution of accidental oil spills constitutes only 10-15%, while everyday pollutions from river flows, enterprise and ship discharges of waste water continue to be the main sources of pollution. In general, the results of the monitoring turned out to be quite unexpected. Satellite imagery showed a high level of pollution of the Gulf of Finland water area along waterways. Earlier it was believed that the Baltic Sea is under thorough control and that restrain captains of the ships from violations of ecological legislation.

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CRPF,India seeks to expedite satellite imaging project to track naxals

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will soon approach the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to expedite the ongoing project of high-resolution satellite imaging and video mapping of dense forest areas, used by naxalites and jihadis as hideouts. The project, launched in March last year, is aimed at having exact three-dimensional maps of such areas. Currently, aerial videography of the forests and the hills in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand is underway. Since lack of knowledge of the topography has been the biggest hurdle for security personnel, CRPF had contacted ISRO to provide such maps which would help it carry out its operations with precision. “ISRO, Bangalore, is designated as the lead agency for satellite imageries as well as compact GIS solutions for the force. It will provide a customised service to CRPF for providing ground level observation as well as navigation with precision and speed for operational effectiveness,” said a senior home ministry official.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

After 19 years, Ulysses solar probe to go dark

NASA and the European Space Agency are about to pull the plug on a robotic solar probe that just wouldn’t quit. The Ulysses probe was launched from the space shuttle Discovery in 1990. It was supposed to last five years. But it’s now nearing 19 years, 5.8 billion miles and still going.

Sixteen months ago, the two space agencies announced that Ulysses was freezing up and about to die in a matter of weeks. Somehow it kept operating, sending important science information about an extraordinarily quiet year for the sunspots and solar wind.That will end  when the space agencies turn off Ulysses’ transmitter. Officials say issues with power, location and antennas make it no longer useful.

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