The Arctic ice cap has melted to a point that exceeds the 2005 level — previously the second lowest on record — and could surpass the record this year, scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center have said. It’s now a “neck-and-neck race between 2007 and this year over the issue of ice loss,” Mark Serreze, a senior climate researcher at NSIDC said, quoted Canwest News Service. Read more…
The Hawaiian chain of islands, made up of six main islands plus two smaller ones, stretches for more than 1,500 miles through the heart of the Pacific Ocean. It is a place of idyllic beauty. But it is also a land of volcanic fury, raging mountaintop blizzards, dangerous rockslides, monster waves, and even tsunamis. Watch full episode…
Environmental-health expert Devra Davis discusses her book The Secret History of the War on Cancer about how cancer research has been diverted and distorted. …
e2, the PBS series about design and the environment, is rolling out their new season of 30-minute programs online. The first episode, about returning New Orleans to livability, and the second episode, about architect Renzo Piano, are watchable now (go here, click on webcasts tab).
The Gulf Coast landfall of Hurricane Gustav has highlighted the level of preparedness in New Orleans and the region for a major storm system. A top official in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers answers your questions on the rebuilding and reconstruction of levees in New Orleans. Submit a question now.
About 8,000 years ago, the relationship between cows and man began with the revolutionary advent of domestication in Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley, and Africa. Discover how cows have altered human life, human biology, and the geography of the world. Watch online.
Hurricane Gustav lashed the Gulf Coast with wind and rain Monday. Two experts — Michael Greenberger, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the Univ. of Maryland; and Major General Don Riley, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — discuss the region’s preparedness for the storm, 3 years after Katrina.
Mark Siddall, a.k.a. Dr. Leech, says that while searching for the giant Amazonian leech, bloodsucking creatures were the least of his problems. Listen to an interview about the Leech doc’s harrowing experience…
In May 2008, the U.S. Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. But now the state of Alaska – led by Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s new running mate – has sued to reverse the decision in order to open the possibility of offshore drilling.
A couple of days ago the Human Spark team was in Oregon, peering with both an MRI and a brain wave monitor into Alan Alda’s brain to find out how he employs it for two of the most distinctively human traits, language and tool use. Read more…
