Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 16:29:48 +0000

Plant biologists examined records for nearly 1,200 individual corpse flower plants from 111 institutions around the world. The data and records were severely lacking and not standardized. Without complete information, conservationists were unable to make informed decisions about breeding their plants. Out of the plants studied, 24% were clones and 27% were offspring from closely related individuals. Low genetic diversity could lead to further endangerment and even extinction.

‘Potentially historic’ flooding threat looms after almost 100 tornadoes hit US

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 15:37:12 +0000

Rainfall near Memphis, Tennessee, is expected to exceed 12in over the next three days

A prolific tornado outbreak will give way to a rare and widespread flooding threat across the midwest and southern US this week, stressing the nation’s short-staffed weather forecasting and disaster response efforts.

Luton airport allowed to double capacity after UK government overrules planners

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:09:03 +0000

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander grants consent to London’s fourth-biggest airport to allow potential 32m passengers a year

Luton airport will be allowed to almost double in capacity after the government overruled planning inspectors who recommended blocking the scheme on environmental grounds.

The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, granted a development consent order for the airport’s plans to expand its perimeter and add a new terminal, allowing for a potential 32 million passengers a year.

Trapped with a Tesla: my dream car has become a living nightmare | The secret Tesla driver

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:00:45 +0000

I bought it to be part of a greener future, but that was before Musk proved so awful. I’d sell it now, but prices have dropped

After our children left home, my wife and I decided to treat ourselves and buy a new car for a driving holiday in Europe. We’d been driving a family estate car for years, loading it up with kids and making trips to and from universities, but we wanted something for ourselves.

Plan for Norfolk megafarm rejected by councillors over environmental concerns

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:00:01 +0000

Application, submitted by Cranswick, would have created one of the largest industrial poultry and pig units in Europe

A megafarm that would have reared almost 900,000 chickens and pigs at any one time has been blocked by councillors in Norfolk over climate change and environmental concerns.

Councillors on King’s Lynn and West Norfolk borough council unanimously rejected an application to build what would have been one of the largest industrial poultry and pig units in Europe.

Severe storms and tornadoes rip across US south and midwest, killing at least seven

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:50:11 +0000

White House approves Tennessee’s state of emergency request as further fatalities expected to be confirmed

Violent storms and tornadoes have torn across the US south and midwest, killing at least seven people and downing power lines and trees, smashing homes, and upturning cars across multiple states.

Revealed: Trump’s fossil-fuel donors to profit from data-center boom and green rollbacks

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:00:47 +0000

Energy Transfer, a top backer of US president, has received requests to power even more energy-guzzling data centers

Oil and gas barons who donated millions of dollars to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign are on the cusp of cashing in on the administration’s support for energy-guzzling data centers – and a slew of unprecedented environmental rollbacks.

Lawsuit claims Gore-Tex poisoned drinking water near Maryland facilities

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:00:46 +0000

Firm makes product used to waterproof clothing and allegedly polluted water with some kinds of Pfas

The makers of Gore-Tex, a popular product commonly used to waterproof clothing by companies such as the North Face and Mountain Hardware, poisoned drinking water and sickened residents around their facilities in rural Maryland, two lawsuits allege.

Our lives depend on seeds. Trump’s cuts put our vast reserves at risk | Thor Hanson

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:00:43 +0000

Maintaining seed diversity and abundance is essential – and requires constant work. It’s time for Congress to return to the seed business

Top genome scientists to map DNA sequence of invertebrate winner 2025

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:05:00 +0000

Sanger Institute’s Tree of Life team say genomes offer invaluable insight into how species will fare under climate crisis

Voting is now open! Vote for your favourite here

“We are following the ‘invertebrate of the year’ series with bated breath,” began the email that arrived in the Guardian’s inbox last week.