Research challenges the theories on the global increase in jellyfish population

An international research, involving the participation of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), provides a new perspective on the jellyfish proliferation in world's oceans. This phenomenon has noticeably impacted on beaches around the world in recent years and has provoked the concerns of fishermen and bathers.

However, according to the group of experts leading this new research, there are no "conclusive evidences" that point to global increase in jellyfish population.

The news rise in Mass Media on jellyfish blooms and the discrepancies in climate and science reports have motivated the article, published in the latest issue of the BioScience magazine.

According to the experts, jellyfish population has increased in several regions but has decreased or fluctuates through decades in others. They believe that the key to solve this question relies on understanding the data obtained in the long-term.

Farm 'weeds' have crucial role in sustainable agriculture

Plants often regarded as common weeds such as thistles, buttercups and clover could be critical in safe guarding fragile food webs on UK farms according to Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Published tomorrow in Science, researchers from the University of Bristol detail the interactions that occur between the different food webs commonly found on farms throughout the UK and the robustness of these interactions to species loss.

In one of the first studies to look simultaneously at multiple types of food webs, the researchers found that some plants such as thistles, cow-parsley, clover and buttercups were disproportionately well linked to animals through the food web.

Why the Global Warming Skeptics Are Wrong by William D. Nordhaus | The New York Review of Books

The threat of climate change is an increasingly important environmental issue for the globe. Because the economic questions involved have received relatively little attention, I have been writing a nontechnical book for people who would like to see how market-based approaches could be used to formulate policy on climate change. When I showed an early draft to colleagues, their response was that I had left out the arguments of skeptics about climate change, and I accordingly addressed this at length.

But one of the difficulties I found in examining the views of climate skeptics is that they are scattered widely in blogs, talks, and pamphlets. Then, I saw an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal of January 27, 2012, by a group of sixteen scientists, entitled "No Need to Panic About Global Warming." This is useful because it contains many of the standard criticisms in a succinct statement. The basic message of the article is that the globe is not warming, that dissident voices are being suppressed, and that delaying policies to slow climate change for fifty years will have no serious economic or environment consequences.

My response is primarily designed to correct their misleading description of my own research; but it also is directed more broadly at their attempt to discredit scientists and scientific research on climate change

Evolution of staph 'superbug' traced between humans and food animals

A strain of the potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacterium known as MRSA has jumped from food animals to humans, according to a new study involving two Northern Arizona University researchers.

Paul Keim, Regents' professor and director of NAU's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, and Lance Price, NAU faculty member and director of the Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, collaborated with scientists at 20 institutions around the world on the study published in the online journal mBio.

The TGen-led research utilized whole genome sequencing to study 89 genomes from humans and animals - including turkeys, chickens and pigs - with samples from 19 countries on four continents.

The research focused on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398, also known as pig MRSA or livestock-associated MRSA because it most often infects people with direct exposure to swine or other food animals. It is likely that MRSA CC398 started as an antibiotic-susceptible strain in humans before it jumped to food animals.

After transferring to food animals, MRSA CC398 became resistant to two important antibiotics, tetracycline and methicillin, which are used for treating staph infections. The resistance likely is a result of the routine antibiotic use that characterizes modern food-animal production.

Monsanto prevails in suit brought by organic growers | Reuters

(Reuters) - A federal judge has ruled in favor of global seed giant Monsanto Co, dismissing a lawsuit brought by a consortium of U.S. organic farmers and seed dealers who said their industry is at risk from Monsanto's growing market strength.

U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald, for the Southern District of New York, threw out the case brought by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and dozens of other plaintiff growers and organizations, criticizing the groups for a "transparent effort to create a controversy where none exists."

The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed the suit last March on behalf of more than 50 organizations challenging the agricultural giant's patents on its genetically modified seeds. The group wanted a ruling that would prohibit Monsanto from suing the farmers or dealers if their organic seed becomes contaminated with Monsanto's patented biotech seed germplasm.

But Judge Buchwald said Monsanto had not sued or even started the process of suing anyone of the plaintiffs or anyone in "similar stead."

Local opposition to onshore windfarms has tripled, poll shows | Environment | The Guardian

The ICM/Guardian poll shows that 60% of Britons would now support the building of a windfarm within five miles of their home

Local opposition to onshore windfarms has tripled since 2010, a new Guardian poll reveals, following a series of political and media attacks on the renewable technology.

However, a large majority of the British public (60%) remains firmly in favour of wind power, while also opposing the building of new nuclear or coal power plants in their local area.

The poll shows that the national debate over wind energyis becoming sharply polarised, with the percentage of Britons strongly supporting the building of a new windfarm in their area going up by 5%, and the percentage strongly against rising by 14%.

This is driven in large part by the model of ownership, and lack of community buy-in:

Local opposition to onshore windfarms has tripled, poll shows | Environment | The Guardian

Devine-Wright said other countries had handled the issue much better: "There is a growing presumption in the UK that onshore wind is dodgy, but there is no reason why it should be that like that. The vast majority of the population are in favour of local renewables projects, so we are starting with goodwill but ending up in a mess."

He highlighted the far greater community ownership of wind and other renewable projects in other countries, compared to Britain where most are owned by large energy companies.

"Denmark and Germany have been far better able to mobilise projects with communities at the centre of the project, rather than on the periphery.

"In the UK, there is often an emotional response. When you talk to local objectors, they feel their sense of place is being violated [by outsiders] and you need to avoid that at all costs. You need to harness that emotion in a positive way and the government has to take a more proactive stance to address that."

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

There is a huge uproar in renewable circles because the Bundeskabinett actually did cut PV hard again, as well as announcing that the bundestag will no longer be responsible for changes to the law. The Bundeskabinett will make changes.

This has thrown the windpower community into action, because what Germany has spent two decades building, a reputation for secure policies in support of a global business, has be seriously undercut.

By the fuckin FDP, based on their 3% support.

This affects wind, particularly huge infrastructure investment as in offshore wind, by increasing uncertainty and risk of future changes. Especially coming as the lack of grid interconnection is hitting the industry very hard.

At the same time, Obama has called to make the wind and solar tax credits permanent.

No time to give sources, they're out there.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin