Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘Dark oxygen’ in depths of Pacific Ocean could force rethink about origins of life

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:49:05 +0000

Charged metallic lumps found to produce oxygen in total darkness in process akin to how plants use photosynthesis

In the total darkness of the depths of the Pacific Ocean, scientists have discovered oxygen being produced not by living organisms but by strange potato-shaped metallic lumps that give off almost as much electricity as AA batteries.

The surprise finding has many potential implications and could even require rethinking how life first began on Earth, the researchers behind a study said on Monday.

Pollution plan ‘must cut intensive farming for Lough Neagh to survive’

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:42:29 +0000

Stormont’s rescue proposal for UK’s largest lake criticised by campaigners for dilution of sewage reduction targets

Scottish government selects Galloway as preferred site for new national park

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:36:45 +0000

If approved, the region would become Scotland’s third national park and first to be made official in UK since South Downs in 2010

Galloway has been selected by the Scottish government as the preferred site for Scotland’s third national park.

The region, which came out top from a shortlist of five, will now be the subject of a consultation and an investigation into its suitability before potentially being made official by 2026. The unsuccessful candidate areas were Lochaber, Loch Awe, Scottish Borders and Tay Forest.

Australia’s major food companies failing nature, report finbds

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:00:39 +0000

Targets to halt environmental damage ‘severely lacking’, Australian Conservation Foundation says, urging food industry to ‘step up to the plate’

Chimpanzees communicate in similar quick-fire fashion to humans, study shows

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:00:37 +0000

Analysis of thousands of wild chimp gestures in east Africa found striking similarities to human conversations

Humans might be the masters of quick-fire banter, but it seems chimpanzees have their own rapid back-and-forths, albeit in the form of hand signals.

Researchers analysed thousands of gestures made by wild chimps in east Africa and found striking similarities with the turn-taking seen in human conversations, in particular how swiftly the apes responded to one another.

Solar and wind ‘will miss 2030 clean energy target without £48bn funding’

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 11:14:59 +0000

Hitting target for zero-carbon electricity system will require ‘step-change’, says analyst Cornwall Insight

It’s ‘almost impossible’ to eliminate toxic PFAS from your diet. Here’s what you can do

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 11:00:32 +0000

Found in products such as eggs and rice, ‘forever chemicals’ have been linked to cancer, kidney disease and more

In recent years, research has found or pointed to the presence of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in a range of staples, products and beverages across the food system.

I’m obsessed with ocean sounds: ‘I can’t see but I can hear the whole reef, like an orchestra’

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:00:31 +0000

Padi’s first South African blind scuba diver describes how her other senses enhance her experience underwater

‘Massacred for TikTok likes’: is social media feeding the slaughter of 2.6m birds in Lebanon?

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 06:00:30 +0000

Hunting migratory birds is illegal in the country, but a series of crises means enforcement is derisory and many birds are being shot ‘just for fun’

Half of Kew tree species at risk of death owing to climate crisis, study finds

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 05:00:25 +0000

Botanical gardens lost 400 trees during 2022 drought, prompting research into potential loss in coming decades

More than half of the tree species at Kew’s Royal Botanical Gardens are at risk of death because of climate breakdown, a study by the public body has found.