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AP Science NewsBrief at 5:52 a.m. EDT
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) EU's GPS satellite in orbitMOSCOW (AP) _ An experimental satellite for a much-delayed European Union rival to the United States' GPS navigation system blasted into orbit Sunday after a successful launch atop a Russian rocket, the Russian and European space agencies said. The Giove-B satellite shot into space atop a Soyuz-FG rocket launched from the Baikonur facility in Kazakhstan, entering orbit at 8:01 a.m. (0201GMT) as planned, the Russian space agency Roskosmos said.
Reno urged to prepare for worse as earthquakes continueRENO, Nev. (AP) _ Scientists urged residents of northern Nevada's largest city to prepare for a bigger event as the area continued rumbling Saturday after the largest earthquake in a two-month-long series of temblors. More than 100 aftershocks were recorded on the western edge of the city after a magnitude 4.7 quake hit Friday night, the strongest quake around Reno since one measuring 5.2 in 1953, said researchers at the seismological laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Protection weighed for bird in West's energy areasRENO, Nev. (AP) _ The fate of basic industries across the Intermountain West _ grazing, mining, energy _ soon could be at least partially tied to that of a bird about the size of a chicken. The federal government is under a judge's order to reconsider an earlier decision against listing the sage grouse as endangered, and wildlife biologists are scouring the species' customary mating grounds to see how many are left.
Canadian panel: Climate change is threat to polar bearsOTTAWA (AP) _ A scientific committee that advises Canada's government on endangered species said Friday that climate change is a threat to the survival of the polar bear, but the species does not face extinction. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada determined that the polar bear was a "special concern species" because evidence wasn't strong enough to recommend elevating the polar bear's status to threatened or endangered.
Narwhals more at risk to Arctic warming than polar bearsWASHINGTON (AP) _ The polar bear has become an icon of global warming vulnerability, but a new study found an Arctic mammal that may be even more at risk to climate change: the narwhal. The narwhal, a whale with a long spiral tusk that inspired the myth of the unicorn, edged out the polar bear for the ranking of most potentially vulnerable in a climate change risk analysis of Arctic marine mammals.
Natural-gas vehicles hot in Utah, where the fuel is cheapSALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ Troy Anderson was at the gas pump and couldn't have been happier, filling up at a rate of $5 per tank. Anderson was paying 63.8 cents per gallon equivalent for compressed natural gas, making Utah a hot market for vehicles that run on the fuel. It's the country's cheapest rate for compressed gas, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, and far less than the $3.56 national average price for a gallon of gasoline.
Smithsonian to open massive new 'Ocean Hall' in SeptemberWASHINGTON (AP) _ The least understood two-thirds of planet Earth _ the oceans _ are soon to get needed attention from the Smithsonian Institution. "The oceans are a global system that is essential to all life in Earth, including you," acting Smithsonian Secretary Cristian Samper said Thursday at the construction site that will become Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History. Scheduled to open Sept. 27, the 23,000 square-foot hall represents the largest remodeling at the Natural History museum since it opened in 1910, Samper said.
Study says near extinction threatened people 70,00 years agoWASHINGTON (AP) _ Human beings may have had a brush with extinction 70,000 years ago, an extensive genetic study suggests. The human population at that time was reduced to small isolated groups in Africa, apparently because of drought, according to an analysis released Thursday. The report notes that a separate study by researchers at Stanford University estimated the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age.
Scientists study evidence modern birds came from dinosaursWASHINGTON (AP) _ It looks like chickens deserve more respect. Scientists are fleshing out the proof that today's broiler-fryer is descended from the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. And, not a surprise, they confirmed a close relationship between mastodons and elephants. Fossil studies have long suggested modern birds were descended from T. rex, based in similarities in their skeletons.
Using chemicals to cut global warming may damage ozone layerWASHINGTON (AP) _ The rule of unintended consequences threatens to strike again. Some researchers have suggested that injecting sulfur compounds into the atmosphere might help ease global warming by increasing clouds and haze that would reflect sunlight. After all, they reason, when volcanoes spew lots of sulfur, months or more of cooling often follows.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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