19 July, 2010

Last female rhino in South African park killed for prized horn

International, Reports & Investigations, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- South African wildlife experts are calling for urgent action against poachers after the last female rhinoceros in a popular game reserve near Johannesburg bled to death after having its horn hacked off. Wildlife officials say poaching for the prized horns has now reached an all-time high. "Last year, 129 rhinos were killed for their [...]

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7 July, 2010

A full day in a Solar plane

International, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- An experimental aircraft that draws its power from the sun is making a round-the-clock test flight. The aim is to assess whether the plane can fly in darkness, using solar cells on its wings to generate enough power to stay in the air for 24 hours. The HB-SIA plane, which took off from Switzerland, [...]

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30 June, 2010

Leviathan: an ancient “monster whale” of 17m long

International, Science & Environment - Comments (3)

Comunicas.- Researchers have discovered the fossilised remains of an ancient whale with huge, fearsome teeth. Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists have dubbed the 12 million-year-old creature "Leviathan". It is thought to have been more than 17m long, and might have engaged in fierce battles with other giant sea creatures from the time. Leviathan [...]

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23 June, 2010

Good news for whales (for a while)

International, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- This morning, the BBC News reported that attempts to reach a compromise at the International Whaling Commission's annual meeting this week have failed. That's good news for whales. The IWC was considering a proposal to lift the nearly 25-year-old moratorium on commercial whaling in favor of quotas that would legitimize the whale hunts of [...]

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21 September, 2010

“Less than $30 a day can save a wild tiger from extinction”

Opinion & Interviews, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- There are less than 3,200 tigers left in the wild, with only around 1,000 breeding females. At the rate that we've been losing the species, scientists estimate they'll be gone within 15 years. But less than $30 a day can save a wild tiger. Don't change the channel — this isn't an infomercial. This [...]

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16 September, 2010

Arctic Ice has been melted “unusually” quickly this 2010

International, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- Ice floating on the Arctic Ocean melted unusually quickly this year, but did not shrink down to the record minimum area seen in 2007. That is the preliminary finding of US scientists who say the summer minimum seems to have passed and the ice has entered its winter growth phase. 2010's summer Arctic ice [...]

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31 August, 2010

World’s largest Solar Plant will be constructed in California desert

International, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- It's not for nothing the U.S. Southwest is called the "Saudi Arabia of solar energy." The vast deserts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Utah have some of the highest solar radiation levels in the world, not to mention wide-open tracks of federally-owned land just asking for development. It should be a [...]

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31 August, 2010

Drinking milk may reduce the garlic breath

International, Science & Environment - Comments (1)

Comunicas.- If you are worried about garlic breath, drink a glass of milk, say scientists who claim it can stop the lingering odour. In tests with raw and cooked cloves, milk "significantly reduced" levels of the sulphur compounds that give garlic its flavour and pungent smell. The authors told the Journal of Food Science it [...]

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20 August, 2010

Plastic accumulation in the Atlantic Ocean worrying researchers

International, Science & Environment - Comments (1)

Comunicas.- A study has measured the amount of plastic debris found in a region of the Atlantic Ocean over a 22-year period. US researchers, writing in Science, suggest the volume of plastic appeared to have peaked in recent years. One reason could be tighter marine pollution rules that prevent vessels dumping their waste at sea. [...]

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5 August, 2010

Are Your Veggies on Drugs?

International, Science & Environment - Comments (0)

Comunicas.- Recent research uncovered one of America's most rampant drug addicts — soybeans. Turns out the protein-rich plants are sucking up more than just vitamins and nutrients from their soil and irrigation water. They're hard-core users of both pharmaceuticals and chemical compounds found in personal care products. Better start writing those intervention letters, tofu-eaters. Every [...]

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