Environment

Lost in space: Astronauts struggle to regain bone density

Astronauts lose decades' worth of bone mass in space that many do not recover even after a year back on Earth, researchers said Thursday, warning that it could be a "big concern" for future missions to Mars.. "The longer you spend in space, the more bone you lose," Boyd told AFP. Boyd said it is a "big concern" for planned for future missions to Mars, which could see astronauts spend years in space.

US Supreme Court limits government powers to curb greenhouse gases

The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the government's key environmental agency cannot issue broad limits on greenhouse gases, sharply curtailing the power of President Joe Biden's administration to battle climate change.. By a majority of 6-3, the high court found that Environmental Protection Agency did not have the power to set broad caps on emissions from coal-fired power plants, which produce nearly 20 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States. 

India's women water warriors transform parched lands

As the monsoon storms bear down on India, a dedicated group of women hope that after years of backbreaking labour, water shortages will no longer leave their village high and dry.. She heard about the volunteer group a decade ago after suffering through years of water shortages, by the end of which every well and hand pump in her village of 500 people had run dry. 

Aquaculture drives aquatic food yields to new high

The production of wild and farm-raised fish, shellfish and algae reached record levels in 2020, and future increases could be vital to fighting world hunger, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday.. The remaining 36 million tonnes was algae production.

Aquaculture drives aquatic food yields to new high

The amount of fish, shellfish and algae caught in the wild and farmed in aquaculture hit a record 214 million tonnes in 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday.. The remaining 36 million tonnes was algae production.

Kenyan pilot project to put price on nature's treasure

The bird count gets underway -- two members of the superb starling family, a Nubian woodpecker, and so on.. Under it, carbon polluters can offset their greenhouse-gas emissions by "purchasing" emissions that are reduced or saved by other members in the scheme.

Mucky business: Thai prisoners clean Bangkok sewers after pandemic delay

Flecked with sewage, a Thai prisoner grapples with an overflowing bucket as he and his fellow inmates clean Bangkok's congested drains for the first time in two years.. And for at least one of the prisoners, who had less than a year remaining to serve, cleaning the sewers helped him feel better about his past.

Range extenders: solar panels provide more juice to EVs

Startups and major carmakers are starting to incorporate solar panels on their electric vehicles, an addition that extends the range of the cars even if perpetual motion remains a dream.. "The value of putting solar on cars is that it can extend the range of the car," he said.

Life in the abyss, a spectacular and fragile struggle for survival

Cloaked in darkness and mystery, the creatures of the deep oceans exist in a world of unlikely profusion, surviving on scant food and under pressure that would crush human lungs.. Humans may not have explored much of the deep seas, but they have left their mark, via global heating, overfishing and pollution.