http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/rss/planetdiary.xml Listing of the fifteen newest Planet Diary articles. en-us Copyright 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Tue, 27 May 2008 20:52:42 EST Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST NASA's Phoenix spacecraft made a perfect landing on Mars over the weekend. Mission controllers cheered wildly after it touched down safely near the Martian north pole. Phoenix reached its target after a ten month journey. Space, Astronomy http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/astr1052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/astr1052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Astronomers found the youngest supernova ever seen right in our own Milky Way "backyard." The supernova, less than 150 years old, is in the center of a galaxy 26,000 light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or nearly six trillion miles. Space, Astronomy http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/astr2052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/astr2052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Honeybee colonies in the United States are still hurting. For the second year in a row, the number of commercial hives in the country dropped sharply. A recent survey shows more than one-third of the hives were lost over the last year. North America, Fauna http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun1052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun1052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST The United States agreed to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The bear is the first animal to officially get government protection due to global climate change. North America, Fauna http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun4052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun4052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Global climate change will likely help spread malaria and other tropical diseases across a wider area of Asia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Asia, Health http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/heal1052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/heal1052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says it's planted two billion trees around the world to help fight global climate change. It's a step towards the goal of planting seven billion trees by the end of 2009. That's about one tree for every person on the planet. Global, Flora http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/flor1052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/flor1052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST The tropics are expanding as the planet gets warmer. That's the conclusion a group of U.S. scientists presented at a recent climate conference in Indonesia sponsored by the United Nations. Global, Atmosphere http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/atmo1052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/atmo1052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST There's good news for North Atlantic right whales. The endangered marine mammals are now a bit safer navigating ocean water off the Massachusetts coast. North America, Fauna http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun2052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun2052608.html Mon, 26 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Everybody loves Australia's koalas. They're cute. They're cuddly. They also could be in trouble from climate change, according to new research. Australia, Fauna http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun3052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun3052608.html Wed, 21 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Thousands of people in southwestern China, already homeless from last week's deadly magnitude 7.9 quake, are on the run again. Some quake survivors fled from tent camps after officials warned that nearby rivers and lakes were close to overflowing. Asia, Flood http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/floo1052608.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/floo1052608.html Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:00 EST The huge black hole called Sagittarius A* (pronounced "A star") found in the center of the Milky Way is four million times as massive as the Sun. Surprisingly, the energy it radiates is billions of times weaker than that of black holes found in many other galaxies. Scientists have been puzzled about why the black hole is so tame. Space, Astronomy http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/astr1051908.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/astr1051908.html Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is now the sootiest city in the United States, according to the recent State of the Air report from the American Lung Association. It's the first time a city outside the state of California has ever had that "honor." North America, Atmosphere http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/atmo1051908.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/atmo1051908.html Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:00 EST The number of threatened loggerhead turtles on Florida beaches is way down. Last year's turtle count was the lowest in seventeen years, according to state wildlife officials. In 2007, only about 45,000 nests were found. That's a drop of 4,600 from 2006. North America, Fauna http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun1051908.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun1051908.html Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:00 EST Hawaii's Kilauea volcano keeps spewing huge amounts of sulfur dioxide gas. Levels of the smelly gas around the volcano hit record levels recently. The fumes are making life miserable for people living near the volcano. North America, Volcano http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/volc1051908.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/volc1051908.html Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:00 EST India's vultures are disappearing fast and may soon be extinct, according to a new study. The population of the oriental white-backed vulture is down 99.9 percent since 1992. Two other species, long-billed and slender-billed vultures, dropped 97 percent over the same period. Asia, Fauna http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun2051908.html http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/archive08/faun2051908.html