Science News
Japanese stem cell researcher wins Balzan prize
(AP)
AP - A Japanese researcher who found a way to give adults cells certain characteristics of embryonic stem cells, a process scientists say could eventually lead to cures for spinal cord injuries and other ailments, has been awarded the Balzan Prize for biology.
Clams befouling Tahoe invade Adirondack lake in NY
(AP)
AP - A thumbnail-sized clam blamed for clouding the azure bays of Lake Tahoe high in the Sierra Nevada has now turned up in a mountain-ringed Adirondack lake renowned for its limpid, spring-fed waters.
Earl's path along northeast is not well-worn
(AP)
AP - Pushed by an ill-timed trough of low pressure, Hurricane Earl is heading uncomfortably close to an area relatively few hurricanes tend to go: the Northeast coastline.
Money Buys Happiness Only Up to a Point
(LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - Money might give you
a sense of overall satisfaction with life, but the extra dough won't ensure
days full of laughter and joy, a new survey analysis of income and happiness suggests.
Erratic global weather threatens food security
(AFP)
AFP - The drought in Russia and floods in Pakistan are part of a global trend of unpredictable weather patterns and rainfall that threaten food security, experts gathered in Stockholm said.
The glittering Gulf states' dark labor secret
(The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - The rise of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf is a now-familiar tale. Tiny societies of pearl divers, coastal merchants, and nomadic Bedouin were transformed in the last half of the 20th century by oil and natural-gas wealth. Sparkling office towers and hotels sprang into the muggy air, the monarchs that rule these tiny emirates became bywords for financial excess, and newspapers described the region's economic "miracle."
As a Hurricane, Earl Looked Like 'Magnificent Chaos' From Space
(SPACE.com)
SPACE.com - The former
Hurricane Earl put on a striking weather display for astronauts on the
International Space Station, impressing the crew with its strength even as it
weakened to a tropical storm.
EU summons BASF over 'illegal' potatoes in Swedish field
(AFP)
AFP - Europe slapped a summons on German chemical giant BASF on Monday after a "blunder" allowed seed from a new genetically modified potato to remain in a field in Sweden.
UN: Climate funds shouldn't divert poverty aid
(AP)
AP - The U.N.'s climate chief says poor countries are right to expect that any funding they receive to combat global warming be kept separate from development aid or poverty relief.
Greenpeace urges Japan to probe whaling graft
(AFP)
AFP - Greenpeace urged Japan on Tuesday to probe graft claims in its state-funded whaling programme, a day after two of its activists received suspended jail terms for committing theft during an investigation.