http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/systems biology http://io9.com/tag/systems biology

One of the most dramatic mass extinctions in history, the End Permian event 250 million years ago, took out 95 percent of species on Earth. Scientists have long believed this holocaust began when a mega-volcano erupted in what is now Siberia, polluting the atmosphere and causing acid rain for possibly thousands of years. But now a new study suggests that the first wave of extinctions after the volcano were self-perpetuating. More »
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This picture shows the hybridization of plastic garbage with marine life - algae and tiny invertebrates have made a home on plastic that has been floating in the North Atlantic for decades. Now scientists say the plastic is disappearing. More »
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Wondering why the weather is so strange lately? Why it's raining all the time in certain parts of the globe, but really dry in others? It's all because of flowers. More »
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The fungi destroyed by global warming might just be the key to preventing the planet from becoming a giant ball of greenhouse gasses. A group of researchers at UC Irvine in California have discovered that rising temperatures are killing mushrooms in the forests of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and other northern areas. But the dead, dried fungi actually produced far less carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) than their chillier, living counterparts. So much less that the researchers believe it might be enough to reduce global warming by several degrees. More »
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Using a fleet of 1500 wind-powered ships that cruise the oceans autonomously, spraying massive plumes of salt water into the air, we could reverse the effects of global warming within years. So says John Latham, a researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, U.S., who has worked with colleagues to develop a fairly extensive plan for reengineering the climate. How would salt water spray lower the temperature of the oceans enough to make a difference? More »
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Members of the Earth Systems Science Agency can predict the future, monitor the weather and control satellites. They have a loosely-defined connection to the U.S. government and several cutting-edge labs, and possess "geologic, biologic, hydrologic and geospatial expertise." Whoa, is this new super-team going to knock the Avengers and JLA right out of the sky as they defend the Earth? Nope, the Earth Systems Science Agency is actually real. U.S. scientists and federal officials hope it will become a mega-environmental group that can mobilize and quickly respond to ecological threats. More »
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