Hubble finds first organic molecule on extrasolar planet
The tell-tale signature of the molecule methane in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized extrasolar planet HD 189733b has been found with the Hubble Space Telescope. Under the right circumstances methane can play a key role in prebiotic chemistry - the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life as we know it. view more (2008-03-20)
Cataloguing invisible life: Microbe genome emerges from lake sediment
When entrepreneurial geneticist Craig Venter sailed around the world on his yacht sequencing samples of seawater, it was an ambitious project to use genetics to understand invisible ecological communities. But his scientific legacy was disappointing - a jumble of mystery DNA fragments belonging to thousands of unknown organisms. view more (2008-08-18)
The lower atmosphere of Pluto revealed
Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have gained valuable new insights about the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto. The scientists found unexpectedly large amounts of methane in the atmosphere, and also discovered that the atmosphere is hotter than the surface by about 40 degrees, although it still only reaches a frigid minus 180... view more... (2009-03-03)
Energy-saving powder
It is currently estimated that natural gas resources will be exhausted in 130 years; however, those reserves where extraction is cost-effective will only flow for another 60 years or so. view more (2009-11-12)
Gas escaping from ocean floor may drive global warming
Gas escaping from the ocean floor may provide some answers to understanding historical global warming cycles and provide information on current climate changes. view more (2006-07-20)
Space technology disposes of sludge
Research funded by the European Space Agency into ways of feeding future astronauts on missions to Mars is about to find a very down-to-earth application - how to dispose of the sewage sludge left over after wastewater treatment. The MELISSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support Alternative) project, which ESA is funding in companies and research... view more... (2002-05-15)
World-first technology enables study of ancient bacteria
Experts at Cardiff University, UK, have designed world-first technology to investigate sustainable energy sources from the ocean bed by isolating ancient high-pressure bacteria from deep sediments. view more (2005-06-06)
Methane Release Could Cause Abrupt, Far-Reaching Climate Change
An abrupt release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from ice sheets that extended to Earth's low latitudes some 635 million years ago caused a dramatic shift in climate, scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) report in this week's issue of the journal Nature. view more (2008-05-29)
Making gas out of crude oil
An international team that includes University of Calgary scientists has shown how crude oil in oil deposits around the world - including in Alberta's oil sands - are naturally broken down by microbes in the reservoir. view more (2007-12-13)
Environmental protection - using mine gas
The gigantic system of tunnels created by the extensive mining of coal beneath the Ruhr area in recent centuries not only leads to subsidence (as in the dramatic incident in Wattenscheid early this year). At certain times and in particular locations, up to 1000 cubic meters of mine gas per hour can escape into the atmosphere from the disused mines... view more... (2000-03-09)
Ancient geologic escape hatches mistaken for tube worms
Tubeworms have been around for millions of years and the fossil record is rich with their distinctive imprints. But a discovery made by U of C scientists found that what previous researchers had labeled as tubeworms in a formation near Denver, Colorado, are actually 70 million-year-old escape hatches for methane. view more (2009-02-05)
Greenhouse gas burial
Deep coal seams that are not commercially viable for coal production could be used for permanent underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by human activities, thus avoiding atmospheric release. view more (2007-06-26)
Hot volcanic eruptions could lead to a cooler Earth
Volcanic eruptions may be an agent of rapid and long-term climate change, according to new research by British scientists. view more (2005-06-13)
Fuel From Natural Gas
The scientists from the Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, won Golden Medal and a bonus grant at the 49th World Exhibition of Invention, Research and Industrial Innovation ("Eureka") in Brussels for their work "Synthesis of dimethyl ether". The dateless dream of several generations of chemists has finally... view more... (2002-02-08)
ESA's 'shipping forecast' - from Titan!
ESA could be releasing its own marine weather report next January - but not for any Earthly ocean. Thanks to the NASA/ESA Cassini/Huygens mission, the first data about an extraterrestrial ocean may finally be received, ending 25 years of scientific speculation. There is a growing body of evidence that at least part of Titan's surface is covered... view more... (2004-04-02)
Northern bogs may have helped kick-start past global warming
Methane gas released by peat bogs in the northern-most third of the globe probably helped fuel the last major round of global warming, which drew the ice age to a close between 11,000 and 12,000 years ago, UCLA and Russian Academy of Sciences scientists have concluded. view more (2006-10-13)
Sunlight turns carbon dioxide to methane
Dual catalysts may be the key to efficiently turning carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and other hydrocarbons using titania nanotubes and solar power, according to Penn State researchers. view more (2009-03-05)
New Catalysts Developed at Oxford for Fischer-Tropsch and Oxidation Reactions
Oxford University researchers have developed an innovative process for preparation of catalysts, termed the Organic Matrix Combustion Method. It produces extremely active, selective and long-lasting catalysts. The catalysts use economical metals such as nickel and cobalt, and have been prepared for applications including the partial oxidation of... view more... (2002-10-04)
Model gives clearer idea of how oxygen came to dominate Earth's atmosphere
A number of hypotheses have been used to explain how free oxygen first accumulated in Earth's atmosphere some 2.4 billion years ago, but a full understanding has proven elusive. view more (2005-08-09)
Nickel isotope may be methane producing microbe biomarker
Nickel, an important trace nutrient for the single cell organisms that produce methane, may be a useful isotopic marker to pinpoint the past origins of these methanogenic microbes, according to Penn State and University of Bristol, UK, researchers. view more (2009-06-23)
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