India to witness partial lunar eclipse

NEW DELHI – A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from northeastern parts of the country Saturday as moon will be covered by the earth’s shadow.

The eclipse in India will start at 2.27 p.m. and end at 7.50 p.m. The partial phase of the eclipse will last for 2 hour 43 minutes. This eclipse …. Read the original article  : here.

Activists blame Hong Kong’s ‘dysfunctional’ political system for failing to clean up dirty air

Hong Kong air pollution blamed on political system

HONG KONG – Democracy activists are not the only ones unhappy with a slow pace of electoral reform in Hong Kong.
Environmentalists blame the city’s political setup – which guarantees a strong voice for business – for stymieing efforts to clean up Hong Kong’s increasingly dirty air.
“The city’s dysfunctional … Read more : Activists blame Hong Kong’s ‘dysfunctional’ political system for failing to clean up dirty air.

Friendships, family ties get better with age

WASHINGTON – Relationships get better with age as older adults are more willing to forgive and are less prone to conflicts with children and siblings, a new study says.

“Older adults report better marriages, more supportive friendships and less conflict with children and siblings,” said Karen Fingerman, professor in gerontology in Purdue University.
“While physical and …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Friendships, family ties get better with age.

Witnessing arrests may increase stress risk in kids

WASHINGTON – Witnessing the arrest of a household member can traumatize kids psychologically, a University of Illinois at Chicago has found.

Susan D. Phillips, assistant professor of social work and the study’s lead author, found that children who saw the arrest of a household member had elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress or PTS-a psychological response to … Read more : Witnessing arrests may increase stress risk in kids.

Why losing a loved one can be fatal

LONDON – Ever wondered why the risk of dying increases among widows and widowers following their spouses’ death. Well, it seems scientists have found the answer.

They believe that the so-called widowhood effect could be caused by the combined effects of stress and age-related changes in the immune system.

Janet Lord, an immunologist at the University of … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Why losing a loved one can be fatal.

Adding antioxidants to anti-malarial treatment may prevent learning impairment

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered that adding antioxidant therapy to traditional anti-malarial treatment may prevent long-lasting cognitive impairment in cerebral malaria.

Recent studies of children with cerebral malaria indicate that cognitive deficits, which may impair memory, learning, language, and mathematical abilities, persist in many survivors even after the infection itself is cured.

“This complication may impose [..] Read the original article: here.

Deep Impact Spacecraft to fly past Earth for the last time

WASHINGTON – NASA’s historic Deep Impact spacecraft, which is on its current University of Maryland-led EPOXI mission, will fly past Earth for the fifth and last time on Sunday, June 27th.

At time of closest approach to Earth, the spacecraft will be about 30,400 kilometers (18,900 miles) above the South Atlantic.

Mission navigators have tailored this trajectory [..] Read the original article: here.

New mechanism of bird flu virus transmission discovered

WASHINGTON – American researchers have discovered new way of avian influenza circulation and transmission.

Led by Mauro Delogu, virologist from the Veterinary Faculty of the Bologna University and researchers from the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis, Tennessee), the study offers new insights into … Original source on Gaea Times at : New mechanism of bird flu virus transmission discovered.

Scientists figure out what ended last ice age

WASHINGTON – The answer to what ended the last ice age, an event that ushered in a warmer climate and the birth of human civilisation, may be blowing in the winds.

In the geological blink of an eye, ice sheets in the northern hemisphere began to collapse and warming spread quickly to the south, says a … Read more »»».

King Tut died from sickle-cell disease, not malaria: Experts

LONDON – King Tutankhamun’s death was a result of sickle-cell disease, and not malaria – according to experts.

A team from Hamburg’s Bernhard Noct Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNI) claims that King Tut suffered from Kohler’s disease – a bone disorder prohibiting blood flow, before succumbing to malaria.

Despite segments of a malarial parasite found via … Read this article on Gaea Times at : King Tut died from sickle-cell disease, not malaria: Experts.

Lucknow kids fund green mission with pocket money

LUCKNOW – Children of their age usually prefer spending pocket money on junk food, enjoying a joyride in an amusement park, or buying a DVD of their favourite cartoons. But here’s a group that uses the pocket money to fund a green drive in the city.

A group of 15 children in the Telibagh area of … Read more >>.

Thunderstorm likely but Delhi to be hot

NEW DELHI – Delhiites can look forward to thunderstorms and light rains Saturday but the city might not get much respite from the heat thanks to the humidity, a weather official said.

“The capital will experience thunderly developments towards evening or night with a possibility of duststorm and thunderstorm followed by light rains in some areas,” … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Thunderstorm likely but Delhi to be hot.

Cheers! Red wine could help prevent some eye diseases

WASHINGTON – Here’s another reason why red wine could be good for you – it contains an ingredient that has the potential to prevent some blinding diseases, according to a new study.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that Resveratrol – found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Cheers! Red wine could help prevent some eye diseases.

Chinese island shrinks due to illegal sand collection

BEIJING – Villagers on a small island in China’s Guangdong province are worried about the threat to their lives and economic activity with the island having shrunk by nearly half in 10 years due to illegal sand collecting.

The villagers of Luodousha or Xinsha island said the sand had once been a natural barrier protecting them … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Chinese island shrinks due to illegal sand collection.

Flamingoes descend on Agra: Is this a global-warming phenomenon?

AGRA – What are flamingoes doing in Agra at this time of the year? This is the question plaguing environmentalists here after nearly 500 of the gregarious wading birds descended on Agra’s Keitham lake last week.

“I think the flamingoes have lost their way. This is the first time that so many of them have come … Read more »»».

Comment deadline nears for EPA proposal limiting mercury air emissions at gold mines

Deadline nears for comments on mercury emissions

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Federal rules limiting mercury emissions at gold mines are long overdue but aren’t nearly tough enough, environmental groups said Friday.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing for the first time to regulate mercury air emissions from gold mining under the Clean Air Act. The deadline for comments …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Skygazing treat: Partial lunar eclipse visible in western skies, Pacific and eastern Asia

Partial lunar eclipse to dominate sky
LOS ANGELES – Attention skygazers: A portion of the moon will cross into the Earth’s shadow Saturday during a partial lunar eclipse visible in the western United States and Canada, the Pacific and eastern Asia.

For West Coast viewers, the eclipse will occur in the pre-dawn hours. It will begin at …. Source article  : Skygazing treat: Partial lunar eclipse visible in western skies, Pacific and eastern Asia.

Canadian oil sands company guilty in death of 1,600 ducks in toxic waste pond

Oil sands company guilty in duck deaths
ST. ALBERT, Alberta – Canadian oil-sands company Syncrude has been found guilty of causing the death of 1,600 ducks in a toxic waste pond at its mine in Alberta.

The deaths of the mallards two years ago drew widespread attention and prompted Prime Minister Stephen Harper to lament that Canada’s …. Source article  : Canadian oil sands company guilty in death of 1,600 ducks in toxic waste pond.

1st lawsuit since approval of Cape Cod wind farm claims science ignored, law violated

1st lawsuit filed over Cape Cod wind farm plans

BOSTON – Environmental and watchdog groups on Friday filed the first legal challenge to a wind farm off Cape Cod since federal agencies gave final approval to the project, alleging that the 130 turbines planned for Nantucket Sound will endanger protected migratory birds and whales.
A lawsuit filed … Read more >>.

Lawsuit filed against feds claims science ignored, law violated in Cape Cod wind farm approval

Coalition sues feds over Cape Cod wind farm

BOSTON – Environmental and watchdog groups have filed the first legal challenge to a wind farm off Cape Cod since federal agencies gave final approval to the project two months ago.
A lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that the 130-turbine project in Nantucket Sound …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Lawsuit filed against feds claims science ignored, law violated in Cape Cod wind farm approval.