Category: science

Where did SF Bay’s sea lions go? Try Oregon Coast (AP)

January 9, 2010 12:04 am | science |

Tourist look at the empty sea lion docks at Pier 39 in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009. More than a thousand sea lions holding court on a pier in San Francisco Bay to the delight of tourists are now largely gone, and experts believe they left in search of food. (AP Photo/Russel A. Daniels)AP – Hundreds of sea lions that abruptly blew out of San Francisco Bay’s Pier 39 last Thanksgiving have apparently found a new home at another tourist attraction — 500 miles north on the Oregon coast.

New smog rule could be a surprise to some counties (AP)

January 8, 2010 7:26 am | science |

FILE - In this April 28, 2009 file photo, smog covers downtown Los Angeles. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed stricter health standards for smog, replacing a Bush-era limit that ran counter to scientific recommendations. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)AP – Parts of the country that haven’t worried about air pollution may soon be in the fight California has faced for decades: cleaning up smog.

Toyota’s Prius top-selling car in Japan last year (AP)

January 7, 2010 11:23 pm | science |

AP – The Toyota Prius was the top-selling car in Japan last year — the first time a gas-electric hybrid has clinched that spot.

Stricter new smog limit would hit rural areas, too (AP)

6:45 pm | science |

FILE - In this April 28, 2009 file photo, smog covers downtown Los Angeles. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed stricter health standards for smog, replacing a Bush-era limit that ran counter to scientific recommendations. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)AP – Hundreds of communities far from congested highways and belching smokestacks could soon join big cities and industrial corridors in violation of stricter limits on lung-damaging smog proposed Thursday by the Obama administration.

Astronomers: We could find Earth-like planets soon (AP)

6:09 pm | science |

This image made from video provided by NASA shows an artist's rendition of what an Earth-like planet might look like. A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet located in a spot outside our solar system where life could develop, or may have already.  (AP Photo/NASA)AP – Astronomers say they are on the verge of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.

Experts: Cold snap doesn’t disprove global warming (AP)

January 6, 2010 8:07 pm | science |

Icicles cling to oranges Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2010, in Lakeland, Fla.  Farmers spray their crops to help protect them against the cold temperatures.  Temperatures in the area dipped into the mid-20's, and farmers are working to salvage millions of dollars' worth of strawberries and other crops.     (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP – Beijing had its coldest morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since 1951. Britain is suffering through its longest cold snap since 1981. And freezing weather is gripping the Deep South, including Florida’s orange groves and beaches.

Experts: Cold snap doesn’t disprove global warming (AP)

6:22 pm | science |

Icicles cling to oranges Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2010, in Lakeland, Fla.  Farmers spray their crops to help protect them against the cold temperatures.  Temperatures in the area dipped into the mid-20's, and farmers are working to salvage millions of dollars' worth of strawberries and other crops.     (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP – Beijing had its coldest morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since 1951. Britain is suffering through its longest cold snap since 1981. And freezing weather is gripping the Deep South, including Florida’s orange groves and beaches.