Technical Service News

“We set the record on Jan. 31, a very cold and extremely bright day, a day eight percent brighter than normal.”

Categorized by Energy / On a perfect New Mexico winter day - with the sky almost 10 percent brighter than usual - Sandia National Laboratories and Stirling Energy Systems set a new solar-to-grid system ... via Tech News Watch

A strong earthquake struck southern Greece on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey and Greek geological authorities said.

The USGS put the preliminary magnitude at 7.3. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

The quake, which was felt in the capital Athens, sent people rushing out of buildings in cities in southern Greece, local media said. Read more

Indonesia issued a tsunami alert Thursday after a strong earthquake rocked the east of the country.

The country's geophysics agency said the quake had a preliminary

magnitude of 6.6, while the U.S. Geological Survey put the initial

magnitude at 5.9.

The quake struck about 170 miles southwest of the Maluku island chain a a depth of six miles. It had "the potential to cause a tsunami," Indonesia's geophysics agency said.

It was not immediately clear whether the warning had reached villages possibly in danger in the remote region in the far east of Indonesia. Read more

“Unlike the strong nuclear expression of ATF2 in normal skin, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma samples exhibit a significantly reduced nuclear staining for ATF2.”

LA JOLLA, Calif., Feb. 7 U.S. geneticists have discovered a specific gene can suppress skin cancer development. via Earth Times

“We felt it fairly strongly here but we have no reports so far of damage or fallen buildings”

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 shook southwestern Mexico on Tuesday, the latest in a series of temblors in recent days, but there were no initial reports of damage.

The earthquake hit at 6:50 a.m. local time (1250 GMT) and was centered about 23 miles northwest of Arriaga, in the state of Chiapas, at a depth of 72 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

"We have no material or human damage," said civil protection official Zaydi Garcia in Tuxtla Gutierrez, capital of Chiapas state and 65 miles from the quake's center. Read more

“We haven't had a series like this in a while. It's definitely not unusual.”

A moderate earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 4.9 struck the northern Baja California region of Mexico near the U.S. border Monday, just days after the region was hit with a magnitude-5.4 temblor, authorities said.

The quake, which occurred around 10:30 a.m. PST, was centered about 20 miles southeast of the border town of Mexicali at a depth of nearly four miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 23 miles south-southeast of the U.S. city of Calexico. The magnitude was revised down from an initial 5.1. Read more

“Important support for the finding comes from the analysis of tumor samples from human patients with non malignant skin cancer”

ATF2 is a protein that regulates gene transcription, which is the first step in the translation of genetic code, in response to extracellular stresses such as ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation. via Science Daily

“The dispatcher felt it, but there were no phone calls”

PACIFICA _ A 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck about a mile northwest of Pacifica this morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. via The Argus

“It has been felt pretty widely in Southern California, southwestern Arizona and probably northern Mexico”

A moderate earthquake rocked Baja California in Mexico, shutting down factories near the U.S. border and leaving about 400,000 people without power, authorities said Saturday. No major damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The quake that struck around 11:15 p.m. Friday had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4, said Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Co. It was centered 16 miles southeast of the border town of Mexicali and about 100 miles east of Tijuana. Read more

“On the Shenandoah, rates of intersex were highest, ranging from 80-100 percent intersex”

A form of intersex fish, which have both male and female traits, were found more frequently by researchers in areas with more farming and population density, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

So-called intersex fish have been found in U.S. waters over the last decade, including the southern Great Lakes, the Potomac River watershed and the Southern California coast. The cause isn't fully understood, but researchers suspect wastewater and farm runoff polluted with chemicals that stimulate estrogen production are at fault. Read more

“The proposed budget will also strengthen our efforts in climate change studies, priority ecosystems research and the development of a National Land Imaging Program.”

Providing science to face tomorrow's challenges The President has proposed a budget of $968.5 million for the U.S. Geological Survey in fiscal year 2009, a decrease of $38.0 million from the 2008 enacted level. via GISUser.com

Two earthquakes struck hours apart Sunday in Rwanda and neighboring Congo, killing at least 39 people, including some who were in a church that collapsed, officials said. via Detroit Free Press

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile on Monday, near the city of Iquique, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, emergency officials and local media said.

Chile's National Emergency Office, known as Onemi, was gathering information in the stricken area, but did not have initial reports of injuries or damages, a spokesman said.

The earthquake hit at 2:01 p.m. (1201 EST), the U.S. Geological Survey said. The USGS initially reported a magnitude of 6.6, which was later revised to 6.3. Read more

Two earthquakes struck hours apart in Rwanda and neighboring Congo on Sunday, killing at least 39 people and injuring hundreds of others, officials said. Some of the victims died when the church they were attending collapsed.

The first, 6.0-magnitude quake struck Congo early Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The second quake, which registered 5.0, hit a few hours later near the countries' border, in Rwanda's rural Rusizi district.

Thirty-four people were killed and 231 wounded in Rwanda, according to a Ministry of Health hot line. Frank Mugambage, an official in the president's office, said some of the victims died when a church collapsed. Rescuers were searching for more victims, he said. Read more

“I think of it as something like a jigsaw puzzle”

Federal hydrologists yesterday announced the discovery of an aquifer far beneath Balboa Park that San Diego officials may tap to irrigate nearby flowers and lawns. via San Diego Union-Tribune

“Office of Science; FY 2008 Appropriation", the other, with new information, entitled "Office of Science; FY 2006 - FY 2008;Impact on Scientific Employment”

Energy Under Secretary Orbach: "We Are Now at a Perilous Moment in the History of Funding for Science in the United States" In remarks delivered yesterday to the Universities Research Association, Energy Under ... via Space Ref

“But climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods you never saw in your old measurements.”

By Mira Oberman Chicago - Climate change has already dramatically altered the water cycle and these changes signal a looming water supply crisis, according to a prominent group of hydrologists and ... via Independent Online