Evolution faster in tropics than cooler regions

October 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has determined that major shifts in fisheries distribution due to climate change will affect food security in tropical regions most adversely. The study was led by the 'Sea Around Us' Project at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

October 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new book written by University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher claims to offer a novel way to teach evolution without offending students who have strong religious convictions against the theory. According to Professor Lee Meadows, Ph.D., author of a new book titled The Missing Link: An Inquiry Approach for Teaching All Students About Evolution, School districts, politicians and church leaders have debated for decades as to whether Charles Darwin's theory of evolution should be taught in schools.

September 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have found evidence that climate swings in the northern hemisphere over the past 12,000 years have been tightly linked to changes in the tropics. The scientists found that a prolonged cold spell that caused glaciers in Europe and North America to creep forward several hundred years ago may have affected climate patterns as far south as Peru, causing tropical glaciers there to expand as well.

September 16th, 2009 TORONTO - Ozone layer alterations, prompted by climate change, will enhance ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the tropics and Antarctica, according to a discovery by physicists. Climate change is an established fact, but scientists are only just beginning to understand its regional manifestations, said Michaela Hegglin, a physics researcher at the University of Toronto (U-T) and lead study author.

September 16th, 2009 TORONTO - A new study by University of Toronto (U of T) physicists has shown that climate change will lead to less ultraviolet radiation over northern high latitudes. They discovered that changes in the Earth's ozone layer due to climate change will reduce the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in northern high latitude regions such as Siberia, Scandinavia and northern Canada.

September 15th, 2009 SYDNEY - An international team of researchers has come by molecular evidence to support a key tenet of Darwin's theory of evolution. Trevor Lithgow, Monash University's professor, said the breakthrough provides a blueprint for a general understanding of the evolution of the "machinery" of our cells.

August 25th, 2009 Tropical Storm Ignacio on the move in PacificMIAMI — Forecasters say Tropical Storm Ignacio is moving into cooler waters far out in the Pacific, likely causing it to weaken over the next couple days. The tropical storm had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph (85 kph) Tuesday night.

August 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Professor Richard Dawkins, author of books on evolution as well as religion, has said that popularising evolution in the Islamic world, where creationist beliefs are strong, was a challenge and he is keen to take up. Professor Dawkins' books have never been translated into Arabic.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has discovered significant cloud formation within the tropical zone near the equator of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, which is evidence that the parched, dry desert of the natural satellite can support large-scale storms. The evidence comes from a team of US astronomers using the Gemini North telescope and NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) both on Hawaii's Mauna Kea.

August 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Improved window designs and positioning that could let in more light can cut indoor lighting needs by up to 99pct in Tropical regions, say researchers. In Tropical regions daylighting leads to a significant rise in temperature, which has to be countered by air-conditioning if the occupants are to remain cool and comfortable.

July 6th, 2009 Sydney, July 6 (ANI): Australian experts have warned that the globe's tropical zone is expanding rapidly and more research is needed to help humans adapt to the changing climate, which means less rain. According to a report by ABC News, the finding is a result of a review of over 70 scientific papers done by climate researchers Professor Steve Turton and Dr Joanne Isaacs of James Cook University in Cairns, who have documented the rapid advance of the tropical zone.

July 6th, 2009 SYDNEY - The tropical zone is expanding into what have been humid temperate climate zones, according to a review of scientific data. The authors of a recent study concluded that the effects of a pole-ward expansion of the tropical and subtropical zones were immense, manifesting a variety of social, political, economic and environmental outcomes.

July 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has determined that the rain band near the equator that determines the supply of freshwater to nearly a billion people throughout the tropics and subtropics has been creeping north for more than 300 years, probably because of a warmer world. If the band continues to migrate at just less than a mile (1.4 kilometers) a year, which is the average for all the years it has been moving north, then some Pacific islands near the equator - even those that currently enjoy abundant rainfall - may be drier within decades and starved of freshwater by mid-century or sooner.

June 25th, 2009 LONDON - In a new study, scientists have found out that evolution in animals is faster in regions with warmer climates, which could help explain why the warm topics are so species-rich. According to a report by BBC News, researchers have found that among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.

January 11th, 2009 SYDNEY - Global warming will severely damage crop output in tropical regions and deprive half the world of food by the century-end, according to a study. The population of the equatorial belt will bear the brunt of unprecedented shortages, home to the poorest on earth.