Scientists have finally decided we are in the “age of humans”
It’s literally epoch-defining news. A group of experts tasked with considering the question of whether we have officially entered the Anthropocene—the geological age characterized by humans’ influence on the planet—has delivered its answer: yes. The British-led Working Group on the Anthropocene (WGA) told a geology conference in Cape Town that, in its considered opinion, the Anthropocene epoch began in 1950—the start of the era of nuclear bomb tests, disposable plastics, and the human populatio..>> view originalHemmed in by freeways and human development, LA's mountain lions could be near extinction in 50 years
Mountain lions living in Greater Los Angeles could be at risk of extinction within the next 50 years if the population remains isolated by freeways and other forms of human development, UCLA and National Park Service wildlife ecologists are warning.About 15 pumas survive in the Santa Monica Mountains, cut off from the rest of their species by a host of man-made obstructions. With almost no new cats able to enter the area, the gene pool among local lions has stagnated — and without more genetic ..>> view originalPresident Obama Highlights US Climate Progress Before China G20 Trip
Preserving natural places will help the world adapt to warming temperatures, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday as he began a 10-day trip to stress the urgency of curbing climate change and attend a G20 meeting in China. “No nation, not even one as powerful as the United States, is immune from a changing climate,” Obama said after landing in Hawaii, the Pacific island state where he grew up. Obama, who is racing to cement his legacy on climate change before his presidency ends on Jan..>> view originalSaving Africa's elephants: 'Can you imagine them no longer existing?'
In the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya, when the fierce heat of the sun has softened into a gentle evening glow, David Daballen and I climb into a jeep to find some elephants. As we drive through the savannah, Daballen, a conservationist at Save the Elephants, points out family groups and individuals within them. “These are the Butterflies, this group is Storms, here are the Spices,” he says. We have been looking out for Cinnamon, the Spices’ matriarch, and suddenly there she is: a..>> view original3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life on Earth
Australian researchers Allen Nutman and Vickie Bennett hold a 3.7-billion-year-old fossilized stromatolite from Isua, Greenland. (Yuri Amelin) Scientists probing a newly exposed, formerly snow-covered outcropping in Greenland claim they have discovered the oldest fossils ever seen, the remnants of microbial mats that lived 3.7 billion years ago. It's a stunning announcement in a scientific field that is always contentious. But if confirmed, this would push the established fossil record more ..>> view originalObama tries to make a big splash on climate change on his way out
HONOLULU — On Thursday, President Obama will touch down on Midway Atoll, a sliver of land in the North Pacific so removed from other human development that it feels like the edge of the universe. For more than two years, he has been hoping to visit a place like this, even though his former senior counselor John D. Podesta told him America’s most pristine marine reserves are “the middle of nowhere.” But here, surrounded by the ocean and a population of seabirds so vast that it dictates when pla..>> view originalTest Of Experimental Alzheimer's Drug Finds Progress Against Brain Plaques
Enlarge this image Experimental drugs that clear clumps of proteins from the brains of Alzheimer's patients haven't panned out yet. Science Photo Library/Pasieka/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Science Photo Library/Pasieka/Getty Images Experimental drugs that clear clumps of proteins from the brains of Alzheimer's patients haven't panned out ..>> view original'Ring of Fire' annular eclipse over Africa
A spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse will darken skies over Africa early Thursday morning (Sept. 1), and people anywhere in the world can watch the event live during a free webcast by the Slooh Community Observatory.The show will feature live telescope shots from Slooh's flagship observatory in the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa, as well as views from South Africa, Tanzania, Madagascar and tiny Réunion Island. You can watch the webcast at Slooh.com, beginning at 2:45 a.m. EDT..>> view original
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Scientists have finally decided we are in the “age of humans” and other top stories.
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