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Geosciences Bulletin Board – 7 December 2015- compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Just for fun: Highly allochthonous Advent Calendar

Not that I recommend shopping….but here are some interesting geomedia gift ideas

The volcano gods will be pleased that Hawaii Supreme Court invalidates telescope construction permit on Mauna Kea

Diamonds made from Q-carbon are tougher than diamond, magnetic and emit a soft glow

There will be lots of hot air at the climate talks in Paris….and documentary film “The Climate Hustle” will premiere on 7 December

  • Related:

60,000 years ago, these Columbian mammoths near Waco, Texas, forgot to heed the warning to “turn around, don’t drown”…now they are a National Monument

NASA releases best high resolution images of Pluto

Book Reviews: three books on EQ time bombs, shaking up ancient civilizations, and plate tectonics

A geoscientist turned climate politician

Engraving on this slab of schist may depict Paleolithic hunter-gatherer camp site

Recognizing the cycles of solar activity and climate as we await the next solar minimum

Still trying to explain the largest known whale stranding event …337 sei whales in Chile

A good start to comparing dinosaur nests with bird nests

Buried sediments reveal frosty climatic conditions and landslides in the Coast Range of Oregon

New study confirms that sponges are the oldest extant animal phylum

Explanation for series of earthquakes near Glacier Peak in the Cascades (video)

Two students develop method for measuring micro-plastics in sea water

The La Llanada mines in Colombia produce gold ethically, without use of toxic chemicals

JOIDES Resolution about to embark on another attempt to drill Phase 1 toward the mantle

Merging polar vortex winds at the South Pole explain why Antarctic sea ice is increasing

180 million years ago, dinosaurs romped and frolicked in shallow water in Scotland

This horned dinosaur may be from the “lost” continent of Appalachia

Not just oil in south Texas, there is also uranium oxide in the sandstone formations

“The Worst of Times: How Life on Earth Survived Eighty Million Years of Extinctions"

Hosgri fault links to larger San Gregorio fault and poses risk to Diablo Canyon nuclear plant

Energy Information Administration report says US oil & natural gas reserves increased in 2014

  • Report:

Strolling salamanders may provide glimpse of how marine organisms adapted to life on land

3-D watershed technology incorporates topography, geomorphology, and hydrology

Hmmm…first humans degrade the Bonneville Salt Flats….and then do salt laydown to try to repair them so they can run more vehicles over the Flats and continue mining them

Major shifts in phytoplankton community composition associated with large-scale regional climate change in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre over last 1,000 years

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Enviro-Sciences Bulletin Board – 7 December 2015– compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Three new videos to mark World Soil Day…see “Symphony of the Soil” for free until 12 Dec

8 December 2015: EPA Green Infrastructure Webcast

  • Registration:

'Net Positive Impact? Risks to Environmental Sustainability of a Proposed Canal through Lake Nicaragua' (PPT and link to Dropbox of other docs)

One Health approach is needed to address antibiotic resistance, not focus on just one sector

Deaths due to terrorism are escalating…a 10-fold increase over last decade worldwide

  • Global Terrorism Index:

Radiation detected off the western US from Fukushima remains “below government-established safety limits for human health or to marine life”

Do you know what an oothecal is?

Extracting and re-using pollutants from our water would generate resources and save energy

Five years of cross-breeding, not genetic engineering, resulted in this drought-resistant bean

Decades of efforts & monitoring sentinel species, but Great Lakes face growing problems from nano-particles and pharmaceuticals, includingantibiotics.

These insects help bees with pollination of crops

Erosion & pollution have resulted in loss of one-third of arable soil on Earth in past 40 years

  • Could sewage help?

Long-term data help us understand fluctuations in fish populations

Human activity identified as main cause of significant reduction in sediment load in Yellow River in China

USDA announces 49th general enrollment period for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Pesticides banned for decades in the US are still used in US Territories

Should we not be concerned with the future of genetic engineering…are our fears overblown?

  • China “clone factory:

Effectiveness of permethrin pesticide on mosquitoes that carry malaria and other tropical diseases is temperature dependent


These two bulls really are part of a larger effort to “breed” designer animals by genetic manipulation

Insects like yellow jackets use species-specific alarm pheromones to mark and then attack enemies

Corporate messaging can have a big impact on public perception of climate change and risk

Amazing video of the Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina

  • Big screen version:

We need to understand microbiomes….before attempting to harness (control, use) them

E-cigarettes may be hazardous to human health

Parasites impact host organism by manipulating its behavior

Hot new drink: Cascara….steeped from left over hulls of coffee beans

WTO says US use of “dolphin-free tuna” is against fair trade practices & cannot be used

Tropical Race 4 is an unstoppable disease that may wipe out the Cavendish banana

UN reports comprehensive comparison of the greenhouse gas mitigation potential for a number of alternative energy methods (infographic)

  • Report:

Why animals are wandering beyond their normal ranges…such hubris to say “we have created the situation” and “our responsibility, if anything, is to allow species to adjust and adapt”

Obama is in Paris “talking climate” while House passes bill to block his carbon emission rules

USDA-ERS report on economics of antibiotic use in livestock

  • Report:

Tardigrades do not inherit all their genes from their ancestors…they get some from unrelated plants, bacteria, fungi and archaeans

Record rains overwhelm infrastructure in North Texas and wastewater sewage overflows

Oceanic islands get washed away or sink…that’s what they do…so take flight instead of fight

New USDA ruling will result in new inspections on farm raised catfish beginning March 2016

Even for turkeys, natural supplements result in healthier birds

GAO Report questions US Bioterrorism Defense System ability to detect biological attack

  • Report: