NASA Was Muzzled on Climate Change

And it's in danger of happening again

(NEWSER) - Scientists have discovered that the Dead Sea pretty much vanished 120,000 years ago when the earth was as warm, or slightly warmer, than it is today, reports the BBC . It's in danger of doing the same today, this time helped along by populated areas taking the water that would normally flow into it. This could lead to momentous problems, as those Mideast populations rely on the salt lake for agriculture, fertilizer, and salt manufacturing. More»

More than half of activists don't foresee a warming problem—ever

(NEWSER) - The Tea Party movement is highly skeptical of the threat posed by—and, in some cases, the existence of—global warming, finds a New York Times /CBS poll. Just 14% of Tea Partiers believe warming is currently taking effect, as opposed to 49% of the rest of Americans. More than 50% of the movement doesn’t think global warming will ever pose serious danger. More»

Antarctica jet filling in for dying satellite

(NEWSER) - NASA has begun a mission much closer to home than usual. The agency is flying a DC-8 over Antarctica to track melting glaciers and any subsequent rise in sea levels. Operation Ice Bridge is designed to buttress the work of a fading satellite, ICESat, which is just about spent after 7 years of service. Its replacement won't be in orbit until 2015 at the earliest, reports NPR . More»

Those seeing evidence of it dropped from 71%-57% in 18 months

(NEWSER) - The percentage of Americans who think there’s serious evidence of global warming has dropped precipitously in the past 18 months—from 71% to 57%, the Pew Research Center finds. Numbers were down across the political spectrum—Democrat, independent, Republican—but the drop was most pronounced among independents, to 53% from 75%. And just 35% now say climate change is a serious problem, down from 41% in April 2008. More»

(NEWSER) - Facing broad new US regulations on emissions, big business wants to put the science behind global warming before a judge, the Los Angeles Times reports. “It would be evolution versus creationism,” says an executive for the US Chamber of Commerce, which is pushing the idea of a public hearing. “It would be the science of climate change on trial.” More»