Environment Articles

Pluto, the ninth planet from the sun is so tiny that in 2006 it lost its status as a full-fledged member of the solar system and was instead demoted to dwarf planet. But tiny as it it may be, the planet seems to be attracting a lot of moons around it. Just last year NASA's Hubble Telescope discovered a fourth moon, which scientists believed was the final one....

While being at the top of any list is good in most circumstances, in the case of Madagascar's 103 known species of lemurs it is a 'kiss of death' - Literally! That's because a shocking study released by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission earlier this week, revealed that 23 species of the primates are now 'critically endangered', 52 are endangered and 19 are vulnerable. These dire statistics mean that the primates are the most endangered vertebrates on earth - More so than any other mammal, reptile, amphibian, bird or bony fish!...

No matter how old one is, frolicking around in a bubble bath is always exciting. Now imagine if the bubbles were a couple of feet thick and extended out three miles into the open ocean - That, is exactly what the locals and tourists visiting Lorne in Victoria, Australia were able to experience on June 5th, 2012....

The carnivorous pitcher plants are known for enticing their prey by secreting sweet nectar from their rims. Once the unsuspecting insect is trapped inside the plant's unique pitcher-shaped leaves, the slippery inner surfaces ensure that it slides straight down into the digestive juices that lie at the bottom. Now, scientists have discovered that one crafty species has conjured up an additional trick up its lid....

Beginning June 29th, visitors to Singapore will be able to add one more attraction to their already long list of things to see - The 133-acre Bay South Garden. Located in the city's swanky Marina Bay, the eco-park is the first of three attractions under the Garden by the Bay project, a 250-acre (the size of 190 football fields) green initiative embarked on by Singapore's government in 2006....

Earlier this month, a team of NASA scientists revealed the presence of a robust bloom of phytoplankton underneath three feet of ice in the Arctic - A phenomenon that researchers say is as astonishing as finding a rainforest, in the middle of a desert....

When the powerful tsunami that devastated portions of Japan on March 11th, 2011 receded, it carried along with it all kinds of debris - Ranging from over 200,000 buildings complete with belongings, to countless cars. Among the biggest, were four dock floats - the size of freight train boxcars, that were ripped off intact from the fishing port of Misawa....

While the idea of harnessing the sun's energy for fuel has been around since the 1830's the impetus to use this free and clean source of power for commercial transportation seems to have accelerated lately. Just a month ago, the MS Turanor Planet Solar, became the first solar-powered boat to circumvent the globe and now, a single-passenger airplane has taken the green energy to the skies with a successful Intercontinental flight....

Polar bears may appear to be all soft and cuddly, but they are the largest of their species, not to mention the world's largest terrestrial carnivore and therefore, extremely dangerous. But don't mention that to Canadian animal trainer Mark Dumas, whose best pal just happens to be, a big cuddly snow white polar bear!...