Wednesday, 8 February, 2012

What kind of ecological damage can we expect from a sustained blowout in the Gulf of Mexico? What are the lessons of Exxon Valdez, and how well do they apply to the current outbreak of oil? Is prevention really the only strategy?

Hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids boost auto efficiency and reduce pollution, but it’s a long struggle from the idea to the reality.

How do volcanoes work (p. 2)? How do we predict them (p. 3)? How do they change the landscape (p. 4)? How does life return after the eruption (p. 6)?

To battle the bulging waistline, the feds have devised 12 food pyramids to help choose a lifestyle that balances nutrition and excercise. Is this mound helpful?

Are the Galapagos islands the birthplace of evolution theory and evolution science? What did Darwin learn there, and how are they being preserved nowadays?

Gas hydrates under the ocean may contain an almost unlimited supply of energy, but they’re hard to get, and using them could make global warming even worse. Now a UC-Riverside professor says quick releases of frozen methane could cause a climate catastrophe. So is this gas a blessing, a curse, or both?

New research shows that climate of the entire North Atlantic region cooled abruptly and repeatedly during the Holocene period. Drill hole reveals rapid temperature change during past few thousand years. If climate could change so much back then, what about today?