ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate NewsEarth Science News. From earthquakes and hurricanes to global warming and energy use, read the latest research news here.Climate Change Threatens One In Five Plant Species In Germany- August 13, 2008 One in five of Germany's plant species could lose parts of its current range, a new study reveals. Species distributions will be rearranged as a result of climate change; this could have a dramatic impact particularly on the vegetation in southwestern and eastern Germany.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813102725.htm Extinction Most Likely For Rare Trees In Amazon Rainforest- August 13, 2008 Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction rates of up to 50 percent, predict scientists in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813164644.htm For The Birds Or For Me Why Do Conservationists Really Help Wildlife- August 13, 2008 Volunteers who take part in conservation efforts may do it more for themselves than the wildlife they are trying to protect.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807130929.htm X-rays Use Diamonds As Window To Center Of The Earth- August 12, 2008 Diamonds from Brazil have provided the answers to a question that Earth scientists have been trying to understand for many years: how is oceanic crust that has been subducted deep into the Earth recycled back into volcanic rocks Geologists have gained a deeper insight into how the Earth recycles itself in the deep earth tectonic cycle way beyond the depths that can be accessed by drilling.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812100333.htm Aphids Are Sentinels Of Climate Change- August 12, 2008 Aphids are sentinels of climate change, researchers have shown. One of the UK's most damaging aphids -- the peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) -- has been found to be flying two weeks earlier for every 1C rise in mean temperature for January and February combined. This year, the first aphid was caught on April 25, almost four weeks ahead of the 42-year average.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113145.htm Flexible Nanoantenna Arrays Capture Abundant Solar Energy- August 12, 2008 Researchers have devised an inexpensive way to produce plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect heat energy generated by the sun and other sources. The new technology is the first step toward a solar energy collector that could be mass-produced on flexible materials, say the researchers.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080810214010.htm New Report Details Historic Mass Extinction Of Amphibians; Humans Worsen Spread Of Deadly Emerging Infectious Disease- August 12, 2008 Amphibians, reigning survivors of past mass extinctions, are sending a clear, unequivocal signal that something is wrong, as their extinction rates rise to unprecedented levels, according to a new paper. Humans are exacerbating two key natural threats: climate change and a deadly disease that is jumping from one species to another.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811195627.htm |