Scientists have shown that using mud from waste water treatment plants as a partial alternative fuel can enable cement factories to reduce their CO2 emissions and comply with the Kyoto Protocol, as well as posing no risk to human health and being profitable. These are the results of an environmental impact assessment. Read Full Story

The expedition, to the Shiant Isles, broke the British longevity record for Puffin on 5 July 2009 when they caught EX08155, which was originally ringed on the island on 27 June 1977. EX08155 was originally ringed by Ian Buxton, also a member of this year’s team, so he was reunited with the same bird 32 years later! Read Full Story

Temperature explains much of why cold-blooded organisms such as fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and lizards live longer at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes, according to research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) online. Assistant Professor Dr. Stephan Munch and Ph.D. candidate Santiago Salinas, both of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), found that for a diverse range of species whose body tem... Read Full Story

A contest between competing needs of conservation and economic growth is threatening the future of large parts of Europe’s last ancient forest. The 380,000-acre Bialowieza Primeval Forest, which straddles the border between Poland and Belarus, is one of the largest unpopulated woodlands remaining in Europe. It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1979, is home to the continent’s largest herd of bison, and resembles – in appearance and the self-contained food chain it suppor... Read Full Story

Park rangers from the Isabela Island in the Galapagos have confirmed the existence of a nest of a Galapagos petrel, an endemic species in Galapagos, in the agricultural zone of Isabela Island. Until now, it was not known that any Galapagos petrels nested on this island. Read Full Story

A 17-foot-2-inch Burmese python has been caught and destroyed on private property in Florida’s Okeechobee County. The male snake weighed 207 pounds, and measured 26 inches in diameter. Its stomach contents were examined, but nothing identifiable was found inside. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) scanned the python but did not find a microchip. As a Reptile of Concern, Burmese pythons must be licensed by FWC’s Captive Wildlife Section and i... Read Full Story

Researchers in the central Moroccan region Beni Mellal are introducing new agricultural techniques that increase production while reducing water usage. Climate change seems to have driven the new measures. Before 1990, drought struck once every five years, now it comes once every two years. Read Full Story

With its long, dry summers, Lebanon’s diminishing woodlands are devastated by wild fires every year – and this year is no exception. Last week, more than 30 fires were started at the same time in the Bekaa valley, pointing to arson. A source working as part of the fire fighting team in Lebanon, who chose to remain anonymous, showed IPS charred Pepsi cans smelling of oil and gas connected to a fuse, indicating that the blazes were purposely set. “We have noticed in the last ... Read Full Story

Ants believed to have a “kamikaze attraction” to electricity have been discovered in one of England’s finest National Trust gardens. Colonies of lasius neglectus, the so-called Asian super ant, have being found at Hidcote Manor, near Chipping Campden, in Gloucestershire. It is thought to be the first recorded sighting in the UK, although they have been spotted in mainland Europe. They are naturally drawn to electrical currents so can pose a fire risk. The species was first ... Read Full Story

An odd songbird with a bald head living in a rugged region in Laos has been discovered by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Melbourne. Dubbed the “Bare-faced Bulbul” because of the lack of feathers on its face and part of its head, it is the only example of a bald songbird in mainland Asia, according to scientists. It is the first new species of bulbul – a family of about 130 species – described in Asia in over 100 years. Read Full Story