Mercury in Canadian River delta dramatically higher than previously believed

September 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Messenger spacecraft is all set to fly by Mercury for the third and final time on September 29. The spacecraft will pass less than 142 miles above the planet's rocky surface for a final gravity assist that will enable it to enter Mercury's orbit in 2011.

September 17th, 2009 AP IMPACT: Gov't stands by as mercury taints waterNEW IDRIA, Calif. — Abandoned mercury mines throughout central California's rugged coastal mountains are polluting the state's major waterways, rendering fish unsafe to eat and risking the health of at least 100,000 impoverished people.

August 20th, 2009 Federal study shows mercury in fish widespreadWASHINGTON — No fish can escape mercury pollution. That's the take-home message from a federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the country.

August 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that naturally occurring organic matter in water and sediment appears to play a key role in helping microbes convert tiny particles of mercury in the environment into a form that is toxic to most living creatures. According to Duke University environmental engineers, this finding is important because it could change the way mercury in the environment is measured and therefore regulated.

August 19th, 2009 New gov't study shows mercury in fish widespreadWASHINGTON — No fish can escape mercury pollution. That's the take-home message from a federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the country.

July 24th, 2009 Gov't considers 7 states for mercury siteRICHLAND, Wash. — The federal government is trying to find a location to store the nation's excess mercury deposits, with seven states being considered.

June 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has predicted that the Mississippi River Delta in the US would drown by the year 2100. "There's just not enough sediment to sustain the delta plain," study author Michael Blum of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, told National Geographic News.

May 28th, 2009 SYDNEY - Researchers led by an Indian Australian have pioneered a gold-flecked nano-sensor that can precisely measure one of the world's most poisonous substances, mercury. Developed by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), the mercury sensor relies on gold flecks that are nano-engineered to make them irresistible to mercury molecules.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at Texas A and M University, US, have determined that the historical information that can be gathered from sediment cores collected in and around river delta areas regions is critical for a better understanding of environmental changes in the 21st century. The research was carried out by Thomas Bianchi, a professor in the Department of Oceanography, Texas A and M University, and colleague Mead Allison.

May 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, researchers in Canada are reporting for the first time that high mercury levels in certain Arctic seals appear to be linked to vanishing sea ice caused by global warming. The study, by scientist Gary Stern and his colleagues, provides a new insight into the impact of climate change on Arctic marine life.

May 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has documented for the first time the process in which increased mercury emissions from human sources across the globe, and in particular from Asia, make their way into the North Pacific Ocean and as a result contaminate tuna and other seafood. The study, by researchers at the US Geological Survey (USGS) documents for the first time the formation of methylmercury in the North Pacific Ocean.

May 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A NASA spacecraft gliding over the surface of Mercury has revealed that the planet's atmosphere, the interaction of its surrounding magnetic field with the solar wind, and its geological past display greater levels of activity than scientists first suspected. The probe also discovered a previously unknown large impact basin about 430 miles in diameter - equal to the distance between Washington and Boston.

March 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have solved the mystery of arsenic-poisoning crisis in Asia, by discovering how arsenic enters the groundwater below the Himalayas. Thousands of people in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar and Vietnam die of cancer each year from chronic exposure to arsenic, according to the World Health Organization.

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.

January 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - As if global warming was not alarming in itself, add one more sinister threat to the list -- mercury pollution. It has already spurred public health officials to advise eating less fish, but it could become a more pressing concern in a warmer world.