In the science podcast we’re looking at a new study suggesting the world’s lizards are increasingly threatened by climate change. And a scientist on board a research vessel tells us what he’s seeing around the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
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At least 4 million gallons of oil have so far leaked into the Gulf of Mexcio from the damaged Deepwater Horizon well, and the efforts to protect the Gulf coast’s ecosystem from the slick continue. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Vernon Asper (pictured), a marine science researcher at the University of Southern Mississippi who is aboard a ship in the Gulf where he’s part of a team of researchers who are analyzing in real time the impact of the oil spill on marine organisms. Download MP3 Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
In recent decades, scientists have documented serious threats to frog species across the globe. Frogs and other amphibians have vanished from many areas. The exact cause is in question. It might be an infectious disease, or pollution, or habitat destruction. A study published by the journal Science suggests the world’s lizards are also in peril. And what’s threatening lizards is climate change. The World’s science correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee has the story. Download MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The US Senate began hearings today on the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the first opportunity lawmakers have had to publicly question the companies involved. The World’s Katy Clark reports. Download MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Efforts to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continue. So far, BP has been unable to stop the flow of crude oil from its damaged rig and well. Some oil has washed ashore in Louisiana. To better understand the impact this disaster could have, we’re looking back at the much bigger spill during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Marco Werman speaks with geochemist Jacqueline Michel, about whether any lessons learned could help with the current disaster. Download MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Obama administration has banned oil drilling in new areas off the US coast while the cause of the oil spill off Louisiana is investigated. Last month President Obama eased a moratorium on new offshore drilling. Up to 5,000 barrels of oil a day are thought to be spilling into the water after last week’s rig explosion. Katy Clark looks at how the oil slick could impact US energy and climate policy. Download MP3 (image of Mississippi delta courtesy of NASA)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
San Diego’s electric utility wants to build a big windfarm across the border near Tijuana. Mexican conservationists are worried about impacts from a project that wouldn’t benefit the area. Ilsa Setziol reports. Download MP3 (photo of turbines near La Rumorosa: Ilsa Setziol) The Alang ship-breaking yard is your first clue for today’s Geo Quiz. It’s one of the world’s largest junkyards for ships. Aging cruiseships and oil tankers go there to get broken up for scrap metal. Alang is on the shores of a part of the Arabian Sea called the Gulf of Khambhat…
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American catfish farmers imported Asian Carp in the 1970s to control algae. Some fish escaped and are now considered such a threat that the White House convened an “Asian Carp Summit”. One possible solution is to have Americans eat the fish but, as Alex Gallafent found out, the current name doesn’t sell the fish, so maybe under a different name? But what should that name be? Share your ideas for a new name for Asian Carp by posting a comment here.
Birds of prey still streak Beijing’s skies. But their numbers are dwindling. Reporter Ari Daniel Shapiro has this story about Beijing’s raptors and the people who watch out for them. (Photo: Liu Meng Rong, Zhang Yong & Liu Hai Yong)
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Under a longstanding treaty, the Colorado River irrigates 3 million acres of farmland and supplies water to 30 million people in the United States and Mexico. Between population growth and a decade long drought, the Colorado is under such stress that Western states – desperate to maintain water supplies – want to purify agricultural runoff currently diverted into Mexico. But as The World’s Lorne Matalon reports, Mexico covets that water, because it has given birth to a productive wetland. Download MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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In an effort to help cut greenhouse gas pollution, Britsh Columbia has adopted North America’s largest carbon tax. But as the World’s Jason Margolis reports, the tax may still be too small to be making a difference. Download MP3 (flickr photo: courtesy of wburris)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed an independent panel to review the operations of the IPCC, the UN’s climate science panel. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work, but critics have identified a number of small errors in its reports. The World’s Katy Clark reports. Download MP3
