Bioethanol’s impact on water supply 3 times higher than previously thought

October 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's much-anticipated "Moon bombing" mission, in which it sent the LCROSS spacecraft to the Moon to strike a crater in order to collect frozen water, may have literally hit a "dry hole", as there were no billowing plumes of dust and ice visible after the impact. According to a report in National Geographic News, NASA's LCROSS mission sent two spacecraft "bombing" into the moon on October 9.

October 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A NASA rocket crashed into the moon Friday, sending a huge plume of dust above the surface in an experiment scientists hope will provide data about ice hidden in the perpetually dark lunar craters. Major telescopes around the world were aimed at the Caebus crater on the moon's south pole for the 1130 GMT impact of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS).

October 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A US rocket is to crash into the moon Friday in an experiment scientists hope will provide data about ice hidden in the perpetually dark lunar craters. Astronomers around the world are prepared to capture the impact of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) into the moon's Caebus crater at 1130 GMT.

September 23rd, 2009 NASA data: Greenland, Antarctic ice melt worseningWASHINGTON — New satellite information shows that ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica continue to shrink faster than scientists thought and in some places are already in runaway melt mode. British scientists for the first time calculated changes in the height of the vulnerable but massive ice sheets and found them especially worse at their edges.

September 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists, in a new research, have found that about 34 million years ago, Antarctica had more room for ice than previously thought. Scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, US, carried out the research.

August 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at the University of Calgary (U of C) in Canada have found that methane emission by stressed crops could be a bigger problem in global warming than previously thought. According to a U of C study, when crops are exposed to environmental factors that are part of climate change - increased temperature, drought and ultraviolet-B radiation - some plants show enhanced methane emissions.

August 18th, 2009 TORONTO - Methane emission by plants in dry or drought prone areas could aggravate global warming more than previously suspected, says a new study. A University of Calgary (U-C) study warns that plants exposed to environmental factors -- rising temperature, drought and ultraviolet-B radiation -- show enhanced methane emissions.

August 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - University of Minnesota researchers say that certain industries may be a significant source of plant-based oestrogens, called phytoestrogens, in surface water. Civil engineering experts at the university's Institute of Technology say that some of these phytoestrogens can be removed through standard wastewater treatment, but in some cases, the compounds remain at levels that may be damaging to fish.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered that the ocean's smallest swimming animals, such as jellyfish, can have a huge impact on large-scale ocean mixing. John Dabiri, a Caltech bioengineer, along with Caltech graduate student Kakani Katija, discovered the new mechanism.

June 30th, 2009 LONDON - A new research led by a UK scientist has indicated that Mars had significantly warmer weather in its recent past than previously thought. Dr. Matthew Balme, from The Open University, made the new discovery by studying detailed images of equatorial landforms that formed by melting of ice-rich soils.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - Tyrannosaurus rex, the best-known predatory species, may have been far more lithe than previously thought, researchers have discovered. In a new study, boffins have claimed that dinosaurs may have been much lighter and sleeker than earlier believed because of potential flaws in the equations used to calculate their weight, reports The Times.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by zoologists has indicated that elevated water temperatures and heightened concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) can dramatically increase the growth rate of a keystone species of sea star. The study, by zoologists at the University of British Columbia (UBC), is one of the first to look at the impact of ocean acidification on marine invertebrates that don't have a large calcified skeleton or external shell, and challenges current assumptions about the potential impact of climate change on marine species.

April 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Bioethanol is a clean-burning energy source, but can gobble up to three times more water than previously thought, a major issue given the increasing water scarcity worldwide. The growing demand for bioethanol, particularly corn-based ethanol, has sparked significant concerns among researchers and a raging public controversy about its impact on water availability.

April 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has suggested that the production of bioethanol may use up to three times as much water as previously thought, thus threatening water supplies. According to the study, a gallon of ethanol may require up to more than 2,100 gallons of water from farm to fuel pump, depending on the regional irrigation practice in growing corn.

March 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Bonuses paid to top officials at ailing insurer American International Group Inc (AIG) were higher than previously reported, a Connecticut state prosecutor told CNN Saturday. AIG employees received $218 million in bonuses in recent months, higher than the $165 million previously reported, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal told the broadcaster, citing information he'd gathered from subpoenaed documents.