Huge 7.6 Earthquake Hits Costa Rica – 9/5 KQED Science News Roundup

Huge 7.6 Earthquake Hits Costa RicaA massive earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter Scale (downgraded from the initial reading of 7.9) has struck along the western edge of Costa Rica, triggering tsunami warnings up and down the rim of Central and South America. The quake struck about 100 km west of the capital city of San Jose at about 8:42 a.m.

Few environmental bills make it out of the California Legislature - San Jose Mercury NewsEnvironmental groups and their supporters hoping for a new wave of green laws from the California Legislature this year ended up with barely a ripple.

To Add Jobs, Many in California Look to Alter Green LawBut the landmark law passed in 1970 has also been increasingly abused, opening the door to lawsuits - sometimes brought by business competitors or for reasons unrelated to the environment - that, regardless of their merit, can delay even green development projects for years or sometimes kill them completely.

U.S. officials sound worldwide alert for Yosemite hantavirus riskSAN FRANCISCO | Tue Sep 4, 2012 9:37pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. health officials have sent warnings to 39 other countries that their citizens who stayed in Yosemite National Park tent cabins this summer may have been exposed to a deadly mouse-borne hantavirus, a park service epidemiologist said on Tuesday.

Treasure Island: A Radioactive Isle | Feature | Oakland, Berkeley & Bay Area News & Arts CoverageMargaret Billsborough has survived unspeakable traumas: childhood abuse, wrenching poverty, homelessness, and crack-cocaine addiction. So when she, and many other vulnerable people like her, were given the opportunity to move into an apartment on San Francisco's Treasure Island, it seemed like a dream come true.

Dianne Feinstein's Study Comes Up Short | Eco Watch | The Bay Area Environment ColumnIn her attempt to block the creation of the first marine wilderness on the West Coast, US Senator Dianne Feinstein commissioned a study by the National Academy of Sciences to analyze research used by the National Park Service at Point Reyes National Seashore.

The great chestnut trees of Europe are dyingIn Cambridge, England, the two-century-old chestnut standing outside King's College chapel has become a beloved icon. The moth lays eggs in leaves and the larvae start devouring them, causing foliage to turn color as soon as July.