Does poking holes in the earth cause earthquakes? For nearly 100 years, the answer from scientists has been “yes”. Most recently tremors and small earthquakes in Arkansas, Ohio and Texas came from waste water disposal wells from oil and gas drilling operations. And one in Oklahoma from hydraulic fracturing for shale gas, fracking. A new expert … Continue reading »
Who needs Earth Science? We do. Now more than ever, we need awareness of Earth Science – climate, land, energy, water –for our health and our safety. It is also a key to unlocking economic growth. The US Geological Survey (also called USGS) is changing course, to use its resources in new ways. This is the … Continue reading »
Being a lightweight is not necessarily a compliment. Unless you are a computer or phone, or maybe a bicycle, car or plane. A new report, on “Application of Lightweighting Technology to Military Vehicles, Vessels, and Aircraft” is just out. It is available free online at the National Academies Press, at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13277 . There, you can … Continue reading »
Is biofuel – fuel made from plants – the new crude oil for us? A new study from experts appointed by the National Research Council in the U.S. weighs biofuel’s costs and the effects. To replace crude oil with fuel made from corn stalks, grasses and other living things is an alternative worth studying. Technically, “biofuel” can also include animal fat according to … Continue reading »
How safe is drilling offshore – meaning in the ocean – for oil? When 11 workers died in a horrifying explosion, we all wanted to know. The disaster at the Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon in the U.S. had us taking a closer look. Oil and water, tremendous pressure, fire. Like an experiment, the exploratory well failed … Continue reading »
