For decades, local law enforcement and politicians have struggled to police the Bonifica del Tronto road, a haven for the sex trade that runs inland for more than 10 miles from the Adriatic coast alongside the river Tronto. Over the years, cameras have been installed, raids mounted, 24-hour patrols implemented and the mayors of towns near the road have signed bylaws imposing fines on prostitutes’ clients. All to no avail.At the end of last month, the regional government’s public works chief, Angelo Di Paolo, announced that the time had come for drastic measures. He said he had agreed with provincial and municipal representatives to cut down all the vegetation “around and along the banks … Read ahead
Source: guardian.co.uk
Photosynthesis is a natural phenomena (used by plants, algae and many Bacteria species) to convert CO2 from the atmosphere into sugars (food) and O2 in presence of sunlight. In this way about 100 billion tons of CO2 is converted into biomass every year, for which 100 terawatts of energy is consumed which is not as efficient as per our energy requirement. For decades researchers have been trying to find efficient ways to use solar energy plus carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to create biofuels. … 
While Arctic sea ice has been diminishing in recent decades, the Antarctic sea ice extent has been increasing slightly. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology provide an explanation for the seeming paradox of increasing Antarctic sea ice in a warming climate. … 
An international search has been launched to rediscover 100 species of ‘lost’ amphibians, including the golden toad, Jackson’s climbing salamander and hula painted frog. The unprecedented global hunt is taking place in 14 countries on five continents … 
For instance, surface air temperatures recorded from more than 7,000 weather stations around the world over the past few decades confirm an “unmistakable upward trend,” the study says. And for the first time, scientists put data from climate indicators—such as … 
Just how bad is the Gulf oil crisis? A BBC News correspondent joined an expedition of top scientists in the region to explore the Gulf Coast, who say that it may be decades before wildlife in the region recover. …