Elephants can work cooperatively if that is the only way to reach food. This kind of coordinated behaviour was once thought to be unique to our nearest primate relatives.

Joshua Plotnik of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his colleagues have previously shown that elephants seem to recognise themselves in a mirror. To test the animals’ understanding of cooperation, Plotnik and his colleagues have developed an elephant version of an experiment originally run with chimps.

In this experiment, a pair of animals can bring a platform bearing food within their grasp if both simultaneously pull on the ends of a rope threaded through it. If only one pulls the rope, it unthreads from the platform, leaving the food out of reach.

The Thai elephants the researchers studied learned to tug in unison with their trunks. In experiments in which one animal was held back by up to 45 seconds, its partner would wait for it to turn up before starting to pull. Most strikingly, in trials in which one end of the rope was curled up and out of reach, both animals backed away from the apparatus, making no attempt to pull on the rope.

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A Europe-wide survey conducted by the consulting firm Deloitte points to widespread interest in electric vehicles (EVs), but also suggests that only a minority think that they may be in the first wave of customers for the technology themselves.

Deloitte asked 4,760 consumers whether they would be prepared to consider EVs as an option, and 31 per cent of respondents said they were not likely to consider such a vehicle, while at the other end of the scale, 16 per cent, were “potential first movers”. The majority, 53 per cent, were open-minded about the subject and said they “might be willing to consider” an EV. Deloitte believes that only one or two per cent, drawn from the latter two groups, will actually take the plunge and buy an electric car; these it classifies as the early adopters.

Deloitte also probed the participants about their attitudes to important factors in the decision to lease or buy an EV such as range and charging time, and found that customers’ expectations were at odds with the capabilities of today’s generation of cars. For example, 74 per cent would expect an EV to have a range of 480km, or about 300 miles, before they would consider switching, but the best of the electric cars coming on to the market, the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV are only capable of travelling about a third of that distance before they need charging. The big manufacturers say that the mileages that most motorists cover in a typical day fall well within the capability of current EVs, but range anxiety remains a problem. Peugeot, for example, offers a so-called mobility programme, Mu, which among other services, provides drivers of electric cars with access to other vehicles for long journeys. Some 67 per cent of Deloitte’s respondents also said that they would expect battery charging to take no longer than two hours, whereas most current vehicles need to be plugged in overnight for a full charge – although fast chargers, which at present are too expensive for domestic use for most customers, would meet the requirement.

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On Benbecula, they know all too well that rising tides threaten the UK’s coastline. For the 1,200 inhabitants of the small, low-lying island in the Outer Hebrides, the sea’s encroachment is becoming a serious problem, especially on its western shores.

Impacts of Climate Change on Disadvantaged UK Coastal Communities, a report to be published tomorrow by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an influential thinktank, records how local people have seen the coastline retreat before their eyes in just a few years.

The threat posed by erosion has been exacerbated by the fact that the sea has taken material from the island’s beaches that is normally used for constructing roads and buildings. But Benbecula is not alone: the report claims that rising sea levels are likely to have a “severe impact” on much of the UK’s coastline by 2080.

The authors note that “the total rise in sea levels off the UK coast may exceed one metre, and could potentially reach two metres”. They warn that “the frequency of intense storm events is expected to increase and, along with the rise in sea level, to lead to more coastal flooding”.

As a result, many of the 30 million people living near the UK’s coastline – which has 291 inhabited islands – will need to anticipate how climate change will affect them. “We haven’t devoted enough time to debating these issues,” said Jeremy Richardson, director of the engineering consultancy URS-Scott Wilson, who co-authored the report.

“Because we’re talking about what happens in 2050 to 2080, people tend not to talk about this, but the coast is going to be at the forefront of these climate change impacts. We’re not just talking about flooding or drought, but also rising sea levels and an increase in storminess; it will affect a lot of towns, many of which are especially vulnerable because they are isolated geographically.”

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Businesses have expressed concerns that the government’s proposed Electricity Market Reform (EMR) will be both “complex and unwieldy”.

Research conducted by npower found more than half of businesses believe the plans will lead to a rise in energy costs, with the carbon floor price being named as a major concern.

Some 57 percent of those who took part in the study said they were worried about the impact imposing a minimum price on carbon would have on their bills.

There were also concerns raised that the EMR could damage the competitiveness of UK companies as it is too ‘nationally’ focussed.

David Cockshott, director of industrial and commercial markets at npower, said companies have “very real concerns regarding the proposals in the EMR, particularly while the UK economy is still so fragile”.

He added: “At the moment, many of our customers see the proposals as a ’stick, not a carrot’.”

A consultation into the EMR, which the government claims will enable a secure supply of low carbon power, was launched in December and closes today (March 10th). A White Paper on the reforms is due to be published in late spring.

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Members of the solar industry have called on the UK government to raise its ambitions for the renewable energy source.

In an advert placed in this week’s New Statesman, the sector has linked with WWF, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth to draw attention to the potential solar power offers.

Howard Johns, chairman of the Solar Trade Association, said: “This government isn’t taking solar seriously and that is completely unjustified. Costs of solar are dropping as fast as oil costs are rising, and this technology could easily meet a third of UK electricity needs.”

Entitled Don’t Crush This Solar Revolution, the piece comes in response to the government’s review into Feed-in-Tariffs, which it claims are needed to address the “threat” presented by large solar farms.

The signatories argue schemes larger than 5MW, which the government classes as “super-size”, are common in other countries and the review is also jeopardising the future of medium-sized installations.

Britain was said to have the lowest target for solar power, generating just one percent of its power from the source by 2020.

The government’s target is for 15 percent of all power to come from renewable sources by the end of the decade to contribute to overall CO2 savings of 80 percent by 2050.

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Boeing has announced the release of a more environmentally-friendly 747 and claims it has already received orders from a number of major airlines.

The 747-8 Intercontinental offers both improved financial and environmental performance, according to the manufacturer, which released its Dreamliner last year.

Boeing claims the Intercontinental has 16 percent better fuel economy and 16 percent less CO2 emissions than its predecessor, the 747-400. It also has a 30 percent smaller noise footprint.

Jim Albaugh, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive officer, said: “The new 747-8 Intercontinental features the latest in innovative technologies – applying many of the breakthroughs also found on the 787 Dreamliner.”

Korean Air and Lufthansa are among those which have already placed orders, with the aircraft due to be delivered in the fourth quarter of the year.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre recently created an electric nose wheel, which would mean pilots would not have to use a craft’s main engine to travel around the airport, significantly cutting CO2 emissions.

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Signs that the government’s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) review is already beginning to affect investor confidence have emerged, with the Matrix Group suspending its Clean Energy VCTs [Venture Capital Trusts].

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced its review of the incentives last week, saying it was addressing the concerns surrounding large-scale solar farms.

Members of the industry then reacted angrily after it was revealed the research would cover any installation capable of generating 50KW of power, which are largely defined as medium scale. They claimed the review could undermine investor confidence in the technology.

The Matrix Group has now sent a letter to investors saying it is suspending fundraising for its Clean Energy VCTs, claiming “the future of the FIT scheme is now uncertain, which is a material risk to investors”.

It said its investments “were to be exclusively focused on relatively large scale rooftop solar PV” and it is contacting the DECC to receive clarification over whether “rooftop installations over 50KW would be treated differently from ground mounted” solar developments.

The timeframe available for completing projects given the early conclusion of the review was also said to be too small.

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Most people assume evolution is a process that takes place gradually over thousands of years.
But the Atlantic tomcod has evolved, in just 50 years, to become resistant to toxic chemicals that for decades poured into the Hudson and other rivers in New York and New Jersey.
While long-term evolution is a result of natural selection, scientists cite this is an example of pollution driving evolution.

Fins have changed: The amazing cod that has become immune to river’s toxic chemicals in just 50 years
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:16 PM on 18th February 2011
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Most people assume evolution is a process that takes place gradually over thousands of years.

But the Atlantic tomcod has evolved, in just 50 years, to become resistant to toxic chemicals that for decades poured into the Hudson and other rivers in New York and New Jersey. While long-term evolution is a result of natural selection, scientists cite this is an example of pollution driving evolution.

Pollution driving evolution: The Atlantic tomcod has evolved, in just 50 years, to become resistant to toxic chemicals from industry
The tomcod has a single genetic receptor that researchers say has made this quick evolutionary change possible.

Researcher Isaac Wirgin, an associate professor of environmental medicine at New York University School of Medicine, said: ‘These were not natural factors. You’re talking about very rapid evolution.’ This kind of reaction has been seen when insects develop resistance to certain insecticides, and bacteria to antibiotics.

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The world’s oceans are increasingly over-crowded with sardines, researchers say.

In the last 100 years, the number of small fish – such as pilchards, herrings, anchovies, sprats and sardines – has more than doubled, according to a study.

The rise is caused by a major decline in big ‘predator fish’ such as sharks, tuna and cod due to over-fishing. Without the natural hunters to keep numbers under control, the population of smaller, plankton-feeding fish has boomed.

The scientists who made the discovery say the growing number of small ‘forage fish’ could have serious consequences further down the food chain – and may increase the risk of algae blooms, where populations of simple algae get out of control and choke the oceans. There are growing concerns among scientists about the impacts of overfishing.

While there are signs that some fish – such as North Atlantic cod – are recovering from years of industrial fishing, some species – such as the giant bluefin tuna praised by Japanese chefs and served in fashionable London restaurants  – are now just few years away from extinction.

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Greenhouse gas emissions are making extreme rainfall events more common, scientists say – and in the UK, have increased the risk of flooding.

Two research groups present their findings in the journal Nature.

Using real-world data and computer models, one team says it has proven the link between greenhouse emissions and the observed increase in extreme rains in the Northern Hemisphere.

The other says greenhouse warming made the UK floods of 2000 more likely.

That autumn saw the highest rains in England and Wales since records began in 1766.

The Hampshire village of Hambledon was underwater for six weeks, and insurers put the final cost to the country at more than £1bn.

A research team led from Oxford University ran computer models of the atmosphere as it actually was, and parallel models of the atmosphere as it would have been without the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that had accumulated from humanity’s emissions.

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