State moves to improve safety in transporting oil by rail

A year after rail tanker cars carrying crude oil in Canada exploded and killed 47 people, California is stepping up efforts to prevent a similar disaster on tracks crisscrossing the state.. In recent weeks, the state began pumping more money into a new rail safety program, the Legislature approved new fees on oil being carried by train, and the state's Fish and Wildlife Department started planning how to better protect inland waterways from oil spills. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil-train-safety-20140708-story.html# Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Marc Lifsher

Trove of ancient marine fossils surprises Bay Area dam builders

Crews had no clue when work started on a Bay Area dam in 2011 that they would stumble onto a trove of marine fossils many millions of years old. Hundreds of specimens have been found at the Calaveras Dam site nearMilpitas,Calif. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/# Article Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times/Science Now

Senate approves 'kill switches' for cellphones sold in California

The state Senate on Thursday passed a measure that would require cellphones sold in California to be equipped with "kill switches" that can render them inoperable if stolen. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-kill-switch-20140509-story.html# Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Patrick Mcgreevy and Melanie Mason

Fish die-off in Marina del Rey blamed on oxygen depletion

State wildlife officials investigating the die-off of thousands of anchovies in Marina del Rey over the weekend have concluded that the fish probably died because they sought refuge in the harbor, became trapped and used up all of the oxygen in the water. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dead-fish-marina-del-rey-20140520-story.html# Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Tony Barboza

L.A., Central Valley have worst air quality, American Lung Assn. says

The annual air pollution rankings, being released Wednesday by the American Lung Assn., were dominated by the Los Angeles Basin and California's Central Valley, which despite vast improvements over the last few decades still have the nation's highest levels of ozone and fine particle pollution. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0430-air-pollution-20140430,0,2614465.story#ixzz30MzECMow Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Tony Barboza

1 in 8 deaths linked to air pollution, World Health Organization says

Air pollution kills about 7 million people a year and is linked to 1 in 8 deaths worldwide, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Health Organization. The finding more than doubles previous estimates “and confirms that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk,” the agency said http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-deaths-world-health-organization-20140325,0,5308688.story Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Tony Barbosa

Yikes! Solar storm that almost hit Earth could have caused chaos

Phew! You may not have known it, but Earth barely missed the "perfect solar storm" that could have smashed into our magnetic field and wreaked havoc with our satellite systems, electronics and power systems, potentially causing trillions of dollars in damage, according to data from NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft.http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-solar-storm-near-miss-record-geomagnetic-stereo-sun-20140319,0,2763985.story Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Science Now by Amina Khan