Science & Technology
Friday, 30 November 2012 00:00
Water on Mercury bodes well for alien life search
The discovery of huge amounts of water ice and possible organic compounds on the heat-blasted planet Mercury suggests that the raw materials necessary for life as we know it may be common throughout the solar system, researchers say. Mercury likely harbors between 100 billion and 1 trillion metric tons of water ice in permanently shadowed areas near its poles, scientists analyzing data from NASA's Messenger spacecraft announced Thursday (Nov. 29). Life on sun-scorched Mercury remains an extreme longshot, the researchers stressed, but the new results should still put a spring in the step of astrobiologists around the world. "The more…
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Science & Technology
Wednesday, 17 October 2012 12:08
Moon may hold vast reserves of water, researchers say
A new study says that the top layer of the moon's surface may hold far more water than previously thought. Scientists over the weekend say they have found water molecules in samples of lunar soil. They say that this unusual signature points to the Sun as the indirect source.LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The moon water was most likely formed on the surface by the constant stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun. the study says. The finding "represents an unanticipated, abundant reservoir" of water on the moon, according to researchers from three U.S. universities. The report was…
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Monday, 15 October 2012 00:00
Water on moon may have solar source
Glass beads within moon rocks suggest that water seen on the lunar surface originates from the solar wind, researchers say. These findings suggest that other airless bodies in the solar system may also possess water on their surfaces, investigators added. Arguments raged for years as to whether the moon harbored frozen water or not. Recent findings confirmed that water does wet the moon, although its surface remains drier than any desert on Earth. "With the cost of $25,000 for taking one pint of water to the moon, it is essential that we develop processes of producing water from the materials…
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Monday, 01 October 2012 00:00
Water on Mars has a long story
It was November 1971. The scene at Nasa was a tense one, similar to that of Curiosity's landing back in August. Ground controllers held their collective breath as Mariner 9 approached Mars. If everything went to plan, the spacecraft would make history by being the first manmade object to go into orbit around Earth's neighbouring planet. Mariner 9 was an octagonal spacecraft just less than a metre and a half across, with four cross-like solar panels sticking out another two metres from its body. Its mission was to map Mars. At the appointed time, the retrorockets fired and Mars' gravity…
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Wednesday, 01 August 2012 12:07
Too much bottled water might harm kids' teeth
But, some experts say it may contribute to diminished dental health. While most bottled water manufacturers declare that their products are 100 percent "pure," "clean" or "natural," few brands contain one ingredient that most Americans take for granted: fluoride. A salt formed from the combination of fluorine and soil and rock minerals, fluoride is voluntarily added by the vast majority of states and/or local municipalities (rather than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), to public water supplies across the United States. The goal: to help reduce the risk for dental cavities. When it comes to bottled water, the decision to add…
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Thursday, 26 July 2012 00:00
EPA: Water Is Safe in Town in Pa. Drilling Region
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it has completed tests on drinking water in the northeastern Pennsylvania village of Dimock and has determined it is safe to drink, despite the claims of some residents who say it has been polluted by gas drilling. The EPA said in a statement that it doesn't plan further tests, and that there's no need to provide residents with alternative supplies of drinking water. Dimock resident Ray Kemble didn't accept the EPA verdict. "I don't care what EPA says. The water is still polluted," Kemble said. "Do something about it." The town became…
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Science & Technology
Friday, 20 July 2012 00:00
Food and water investments to weather drought
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Record heat, dry skies, and acres of drought-stricken corn are stressing farmers and cereal makers, but commodities and natural resource investors are cool and composed. Weather has caused a "supply shock" that observers say only reinforces a longer-term investing theme in the scarcity of food and water. A hungry and thirsty world is growing, and "you can't triple a population in a lifetime without consequences," said Jeremy Grantham, a closely followed value investor and co-founder of asset management firm GMO LLC., in a speech at the Morningstar Investor Conference in June. The situation is equal parts opportunity…
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Thursday, 12 July 2012 00:00
EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people's health and benefit communities. Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits including job creation and neighborhood revitalization. "Effective stormwater management is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in…
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Science & Technology
Friday, 06 July 2012 00:00
Tri-Tech Holding Awarded a Water Conservation Irrigation Project for a Township in Xinjiang
BEIJING, July 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Tri-Tech Holding Inc. TRIT +1.25% , which provides turn-key water resources management, water and wastewater treatment, industrial safety and pollution control solutions, announced today that it was awarded a water conservation irrigation contract for a forage cultivation project undertaken by the Water Resources Management Administration of Buerjin County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The contract amount totals $1.3 million. According to the contract, Tri-Tech will provide the Township of Yelaman with four sets of water conservation irrigation systems for a new irrigation area covering 625 hectares. The irrigation systems will be used…
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Monday, 25 June 2012 20:42
River clean up project preparing for 10th year
Volunteers will soon have the opportunity to work as aquatic garbage collectors, cleaning up more than 90 miles of the Iowa River. It’s part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Project AWARE, which stands for A Watershed Awareness River Expedition.Project director Brian Soenen says the stretch of the river between Dows and Marshalltown is a bit shallow for canoes, but they’ll make it work. “Lower than normal water on a cleanup is generally a good thing as it allows you to see more trash on the stream banks,” Soenen says.“We don’t want it too low so it becomes a…
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