Abu Dhabi, May 21 – The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) opened its thirty-first Council meeting on Wednesday at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, with more than 300 government representatives attending in person and online.…
The Pitcher and the Carpenter
[caption id="attachment_3207" align="alignnone" width="990"] Photograph by Christian Ziegler,[/caption] The fanged pitcher plant and the carpenter ant (seen here in Borneo) have a mutualistic relationship: While the plant’s pitcher stem provides a home for small ant…
Galileo satellites ready for fuelling as launcher takes…
[caption id="attachment_3203" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Soyuz with Galileo satellites[/caption] ESA news-- All the elements for this month’s Galileo launch are coming together at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. As the two satellites undergo final testing and…
A European species has a special place to…
[caption id="attachment_3197" align="aligncenter" width="860"] The black garden ant, Lasius niger. Scientists have found that these insects use certain spots in their nests as toilets.[/caption] Most of us think ants are unsanitary. It certainly seems that…
Volcanic spark zaps ash to glass
[caption id="attachment_3193" align="aligncenter" width="860"] Lightning often accompanies volcanic eruptions, such as at this 1995 event on Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani.[/caption] Lightning bolts often flash and crash high above erupting volcanoes. But those fireworks can provide more…