Astronomers Find Earthlike Planet, but It’s Infernally Hot

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/science/space/astronomers-find-earthlike-planet-but-its-infernally-hot.html?ref=science&_r=0

Astronomers described it on Wednesday as the first Earth-size planet that seems to be made of the same mixture of rock and iron as Earth, and that orbits a star similar to our sun. The surface of Kepler 78b is infernally hot: 3,500 to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Viewed from the surface of Kepler 78b, its star would cover 80 times more of the sky than the sun does in Earth’s sky.  It's year is just eight and a half hours. (By contrast, Earth is 93 million miles from the sun and, of course, completes its yearly orbit in a little over 365 days.) Kepler 78b is earth-like, but obviously it is not habitable. 

Balloon Ride to Offer Expansive View, for a Price

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/science/space/boarding-soon-a-balloon-to-the-stratosphere.html?ref=science

A new space tourism company named World View unveiled its plans on Tuesday to loft passengers to the stratosphere as early as 2015, not by rocket but by giant balloon. Price: $75,000. “This is a very gentle flight that will last for hours aloft,” said Jane Poynter, World View’s chief executive. She said the cabin would be about the size of that of a private jet, and would have a “superbly comfortable, luxurious interior where you can get up and stand upright and move around and go back to the bar and get a drink.” World View’s balloon and capsule, with six passengers and two crew members, would take about an hour and a half to reach altitude and then drift for a couple of hours before the balloon was jettisoned and the capsule would glide back to Earth beneath an inflated parasail. 

Moose Die-Off Concerns Scientists

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/science/earth/something-is-killing-off-the-moose.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=science&adxnnlx=1381961407-o+tdzvNc2AEqWmvuiLt97w

Moose Die-Off Concerns Scientists

Twenty years ago, Minnesota had two geographically separate moose populations. One of them has virtually disappeared since the 1990s, declining to fewer than 100 from 4,000. The other population, in northeastern Minnesota, is dropping 25 percent a year and is now fewer than 3,000, down from 8,000. In Montana, moose hunting permits fell to 362 last year, from 769 in 1995. Winters have grown substantially shorter across much of the moose’s range. In New Hampshire, a longer fall with less snow has greatly increased the number of winter ticks, a devastating parasite. Another theory is heat stress. Moose are made for cold weather, and when the temperature rises above 23 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, as has happened more often in recent years, they expend extra energy to stay cool. That can lead to exhaustion and death.

Longer Life for Humans Linked to Further Loss of Endangered Species

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131009130122.htm

A study has shown that as human population increases, the population of endangered species decreases. This does not come as a surprise considering how much effect humans have on the environment. Humans don't realize the effect that they have on the environment and the species that inhabit it. This study is trying to get people to realize the direct link that we have with nature.

U.N. Climate Panel Endorses Ceiling on Global Emissions

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/science/global-climate-change-report.html?ref=science

Climate scientists reached a limit of the amount of greenhouse gasses that humans can dump into the atmosphere. It has been agreed by these scientists that if the rate of pollution that the world is at now continues, irreversible climate changes will happen in only a few decades. They also state that small climate changes are already underway and will continue to not only happen, but accelerate if humans don't figure out a way to be more conscious of what we put in the atmosphere. The reason for these climate changes is generally agreed to be caused by humans. Basically the scientists are telling us that we need to stop damaging our atmosphere and come up with solutions to help prevent future climate changes.