Oil and gas production may explain a sharp increase in small earthquakes in the nation's midsection, a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests.

Space & Earth - Earth Sciences

Apr 07, 2012 3.8 / 5 (12) 11

In a new study reported in Nature, climate scientist Rob DeConto of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues elsewhere propose a simple new mechanism to explain the source of carbon that fed a ...

Space & Earth - Earth Sciences

Apr 04, 2012 4.3 / 5 (28) 47 |

A 'see-sawing' atmosphere over 2.5 billion years ago preceded the oxygenation of our planet and the development of complex life on Earth, a new study has shown.

Space & Earth - Earth Sciences

Mar 18, 2012 4.7 / 5 (3) 0 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine a robot sent out on the prowl on this energy hungry planet looking for methane, the principal component of what we call "natural gas" and probably the most abundant organic compound ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Mar 15, 2012 4.5 / 5 (4) 0 |

Fifteen years of studying two experimental wetlands has convinced Bill Mitsch that turning the reins over to Mother Nature makes the most sense when it comes to this area of ecological restoration.

Space & Earth - Environment

Mar 07, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 1 |

Among the many intriguing aspects of the deep sea, Earth's largest ecosystem, exist environments known as hydrothermal vent systems where hot water surges out from the seafloor. On the flipside the deep sea ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Mar 06, 2012 4.9 / 5 (7) 3 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Cornell study's contention that hydraulic fracturing would be worse for climate change than burning coal is being challenged by another study, also by Cornell researchers.

Space & Earth - Environment

Mar 05, 2012 4.5 / 5 (4) 6 |

Faulting the world for not doing enough to fight climate change, the United States on Thursday announced the formation of a coalition to cut short-lived pollutants that speed up warming and harm health.

Space & Earth - Environment

Feb 16, 2012 3.7 / 5 (6) 13

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama praised the potential of the country's tremendous supply of natural gas buried in shale. He echoed the recommendations for safe extraction made by ...

Space & Earth - Environment

Feb 06, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 2

Scientists at USC have uncovered evidence that even when hydrothermal sea vents go dormant and their blistering warmth turns to frigid cold, life goes on.

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Jan 25, 2012 4.7 / 5 (11) 14 |

The environmental impact of plaice and cod caught wild in the North Sea is similar to that of imported farmed fish like salmon, tilapia and pangasius. This was the conclusion arrived at by LEI, part of Wageningen ...

Biology - Ecology

Jan 23, 2012 4 / 5 (1) 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- A significant source of greenhouse gases has started leaking into the Earth's atmosphere from an unlikely place. Above the Arctic Circle, land frozen for tens of thousands of years has begun ...

Space & Earth - Environment

Jan 20, 2012 4.2 / 5 (15) 11

As a principal greenhouse gas, atmospheric methane is important to atmospheric chemical processes and climate change. In Vol. 56 of the Chinese Science Bulletin, a paper identified spatiotemporal variations of methane in the ...

Space & Earth - Environment

Jan 20, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 0

For some time, researchers have explored flammable ice for low-carbon or alternative fuel or as a place to store carbon dioxide. Now, a computer analysis of the ice and gas compound, known as a gas hydrate, ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Jan 18, 2012 4.1 / 5 (7) 2 |

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is an intriguing, alien world that's covered in a thick atmosphere with abundant methane. With an average surface temperature of a brisk -297 degrees Fahrenheit (about 90 kelvins) ...

Space & Earth - Space Exploration

Jan 04, 2012 4 / 5 (7) 1 |