Breaking Waves: Ocean News

It could eventually cut down on the production of traditional chocolate, which degrades soil and requires much fertilizer and pesticides Tell us: have you fallen in love this year? Would you eat lab-grown chocolate? I requested a sample from California Cultured, a Sacramento-based company. Its chocolate, not yet commercially available, is made with techniques that have previously been used to synthesize other bioactive products like certain plant-derived pharmaceuticals for commercial sale. Continue reading...

At least two people died on Thursday in flooded basements after record rainfall in parts of New York City that also deluged some streets and subway stations. Preliminary reports showed 45.7mm (1.8in) of rain fell in Central Park, which exceeded its record of 41.7mm set in 1917, the National Weather Service said. LaGuardia airport recorded 50mm of rain, which broke the hub's 1955 record of 30mm Two found dead in flooded basements as New York hit by rainstorm Continue reading...

Modern life is waging a war against ecosystems around us and inside us. Keeping our own microbes healthy is another reason to demand action to preserve the natural world Read more: The luxury effect: why you’ll find more wildlife in wealthy areas – and what it means for your health Human bodies are like cities, teeming with microcitizens – vast communities of viruses, fungi and bacteria that live all over our skin and inside us. Unsung public servants help us digest food, regulate our immune system, defend against pathogens, and keep hormones in check. Together, they make up what we call the human microbiome. Most people have probably heard of the gut microbiome, but different microbes thrive all over our bodies – in our nostrils, on our feet, in our eyes. They are slightly different, like boroughs are composed of different communities of people. Ninety per cent of cells in our body are microbes, and “clouds” of bacteria come off someone’s body as they enter a room. We are all walking ecosystems, picking up and shedding material as we move through life. Continue reading...

Category 5 storm is most powerful to strike Jamaica and has caused death and destruction in Cuba and Haiti Hurricane Melissa has wreaked havoc across parts of the Caribbean in recent days, after first making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday night as a category 5 storm – the highest strength. This was the most powerful storm to strike the island nation, packing winds of up to 185mph at its peak. Western parts of Jamaica were worst hit, with 90% of homes in the town of Black River losing their roof or being destroyed entirely. Roughly three-quarters of the country lost electricity, with at least 19 people known to have lost their lives at the time of publication. The cleanup operation was hampered by thunderstorms even after Melissa cleared to the north. The hurricane continued northwards, but was a slightly weakened category 3 storm by the time it made landfall in Cuba. Nonetheless, the storm continued to bring winds of up to 120mph and torrential rains. Continue reading...