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Soil Quality Current Events | Soil Quality News | 11

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"Facts needed, not just opinions": Risk assessment research initiated to determine effects of genetically modified plants on soil ecosystems
Do genetically modified plants present a risk to the environment? "Most of the arguments used both in support and against the use of genetically modified crops to date have not been based upon facts, but rather emotion," claims George Kowalchuk of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). The NIOO is now trying to gather the... view more... (2001-06-11)

Scientists simulate gut reaction to arsenic exposure
A simulated gastrointestinal system is helping scientists test contaminated soil for its potential to harm humans. The method is likely to save time and money for people hoping to repurpose land with an industrial past.   view more (2008-10-08)

Silicon May Have Been The Key To Start Of Life On Earth
A scientist at the University of Sheffield has discovered that silicon may have been key to the establishment of life on earth. Until now it has generally been thought that bacteria do not interact with silicon, but Dr Milton Wainwright and his team at the University's Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, has found that this is not... view more... (2003-10-23)

Earthworm activity can alter forests' carbon-carrying capabilities
Earthworms can change the chemical nature of the carbon in North American forest litter and soils, potentially affecting the amount of carbon stored in forests, according to Purdue University researchers.   view more (2008-10-28)

DO NOT HIDE FROM RAIN UNDER A FIRTREE
Russian scientists have found out that industrial contamination of atmosphere has more impact on flora and soil under the trees and the trees as such than on the space between the crowns. The study has been funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the President~s grant. We normally consider a tree as a natural umbrella. It is... view more... (2000-12-15)

How Life Originated In Space
Life originated on the Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago. However, the scientists are still disputing over the possible sources of the life origin. The matter is that life on our planet evolved from the molecular level to the level of bacteria organisms within 0.5 - 1 billion years, this period being very short for such an important... view more... (2002-04-12)

U.N. Climate Change Conference considers ancient soil replenishment technique in battle against global warming
Former inhabitants of the Amazon Basin enriched their fields with charred organic materials-biochar-and transformed one of the earth's most infertile soils into one of the most productive.   view more (2008-12-18)

Avenir Energie's Geopack pumps up the energy
Geopack, the latest geothermal heating system from Avenir Energie, is on show at Frankfurt's ISH Trade Fair from 15 to 19 March 2005. Designed to meet all the heating needs of a typical domestic house or similar building, Geopack captures the free and unlimited energy that naturally exists in the soil, and converts it to a useable form via a... view more... (2005-02-23)

Burrowing mammals dig for a living, but how do they do that?
Next time you see a mole digging in tree-root-filled soil in search of supper, take a moment to ponder the mammal's humerus bones.   view more (2007-10-29)

Area creek studied for rangeland effects on water quality
Elevated levels of bacteria in streams can affect water quality, the health of the aquatic ecosystem and activities such as fishing, swimming and wading, a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher said.   view more (2006-10-25)

Elevated Carbon Dioxide Changes Soil Microbe Mix Below Plants
A detailed analysis of soil samples taken from a forest ecosystem with artificially elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reveals distinct changes in the mix of microorganisms living in the soil below trembling aspen.   view more (2007-12-20)

Biodegradable mulch films on the horizon
In 1999, more than 30 million acres of agricultural land worldwide were covered with plastic mulch, and those numbers have been increasing significantly since then. With the recent trend toward "going green", researchers are seeking environmentally friendlier alternatives to conventional plastic mulch.   view more (2009-02-27)

Sniffing out chloride
When industrial plants are wrecked, they often leave behind a site with contaminated soil. If it was a metalworking plant, a textile production or dry-cleaning facility, a paint manufacturing or an animal waste processing plant, the soil is often contaminated with chlorine-based solvents. In order to bring the concentration back down to below the... view more... (2002-09-09)

Pregnancy cravings can harm your oral health
Pregnant women may often make ice cream runs to calm their cravings as they wait for their baby's arrival. Other women suffering from an eating disorder called pica, will have cravings for ice, freezer frost, or even soil.   view more (2006-06-13)

Iowa State researchers developing wireless soil sensors to improve farming
Ratnesh Kumar keeps his prototype soil sensors buried in a box under his desk. He hopes that one day farmers will be burying the devices under their crops.   view more (2008-10-13)

U-M scientists simulate effects of blowing Mars dust
Gusting winds and the pulsating exhaust plumes from the Phoenix spacecraft's landing engines could complicate NASA's efforts to sample frozen soil from the surface of Mars, according to University of Michigan atmospheric scientist Nilton Renno.   view more (2007-06-18)

New liquefaction hazard maps of Santa Clara Valley, Northern California
New hazard maps for communities from San Jose to Palo Alto in Northern California delineate the probability of earthquake-induced liquefaction, based on three scenarios: a magnitude 7.8 on the San Andreas Fault comparable to the 1906 event, a magnitude 6.7 on the Hayward Fault comparable to the 1868 event, and a magnitude 6.9 on the Calavaras... view more... (2009-01-27)

Ethiopia 27 million years ago had higher rainfall, warmer soil
Thirty million years ago, before Ethiopia's mountainous highlands split and the Great Rift Valley formed, the tropical zone had warmer soil temperatures, higher rainfall and different atmospheric circulation patterns than it does today, according to new research of fossil soils found in the central African nation.   view more (2009-10-23)

Plants' management of nutrient suggests environmental remedies
A new understanding of how plants manage their internal calcium levels could potentially lead to genetically engineering plants to avoid damage from acid rain, which robs soil of much of its calcium.   view more (2007-03-09)

Exalted status for the humble earthworm
In the week following the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, international attention will be focused on Cardiff and the ecological importance of earthworms in temperate and tropical ecosystems. Considered sacred by Cleopatra, earthworms undoubtedly promote the sustainability of soils. The earthworm's status as one of the world's most crucial organisms... view more... (2002-08-28)
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