Stanford StoryBank - Discoveries, ideas and people to watch

Stanford study: Earth's early ocean cooled more than a billion years earlier than thought

aarnold1 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The scalding-hot sea that supposedly covered the early Earth may in fact never have existed, according to a new study by Stanford University researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in 3.4 billion-year-old ocean floor rocks. Their findings suggest that the early ocean was much more temperate and that, as a result, life likely diversified and spread across the globe much sooner in Earth's history than has been generally theorized.

Stanford's Paul Ehrlich wins environmental award in Spain

aarnold1 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Instead of pouring tax money into automobile industry bailouts, the government should invest in a new infrastructure to deal with changing climate patterns, said Paul Ehrlich, professor of ecology.

But Ehrlich notes that real change cannot be brought about by governments alone. "The scientific community has known for a long time the direction of climate change," he said. "The problem is in human behavior."

Tags reveal white sharks have neighborhoods in the North Pacific

aarnold1 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:26:29 -0800

The white shark may be the ultimate loner of the ocean, cruising thousands of miles in a solitary trek, but a team of researchers has discovered that the sharks have maintained such a consistent pattern of migration that over tens of thousands of years the white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean have separated themselves into a population genetically distinct from sharks elsewhere in the world.

Stanford faculty turn to Environmental Venture Projects to save the planet

aarnold1 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

You don't have to soar over skyscrapers sporting blue tights and a flowing red cape to save planet Earth. In fact, a lone superhero can't pull it off. To solve major global challenges, such as climate change, you need a solid team of researchers with a broad range of expertise.

Mapping the impact of salmon farming in southern Chile

aarnold1 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:23:55 -0700

Chile's once-fledgling salmon aquaculture industry is now the second largest in the world. Since 1990, the industry has grown 24-fold and now annually exports more than half-a-million tons of fish worth billions of dollars, according to the Chilean government.

Tracing the source of coastal pollution in Hawaii

aarnold1 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:02:54 -0700

The wonder of Hawaii's coral reefs brings thousands of awed tourists to the islands every year. But pollution from a variety of human activities is threatening to ruin this economic and ecological lifeblood of the Hawaiian Islands.

Stanford researcher fits pieces in human evolutionary puzzle

aarnold1 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

When David DeGusta was a graduate student sorting monkey fossils in an Ethiopian desert in 1995, he had no idea what payoff – if any – his work would have.

Stanford, Ugandan students bridge cultural divide through performance

aarnold1 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

It took more than an hour to get through customs.

No surprise. When the small cluster of Ugandans brought eight large wooden drums, a 4-foot wooden xylophone and animal skins through U.S. Customs in San Francisco, the officials were flummoxed. The drums couldn't be dismantled to search for explosives, and they didn't understand why animal skins were needed for dancing, anyway.