This is Planet Earth...

2 June 2003

Some of the UK's best environmental science stories are featured in the latest issue of Planet Earth, the quarterly magazine from the Natural Environment Research Council.

These are just a few of the highlights from the latest issue, published this week.

Hermit crab real estate. Homelessness takes on a whole new meaning when hermit crabs turn to humans to provide new housing for them.
Mozzies against malaria. Could GM be a vital tool in the fight against malaria? NERC science may have the answer to eradicating one of mankind’s deadliest foes.
The British Glow-Worm. These spectacular creatures are great at controlling the slug and snail populations in our gardens, but they’re disappearing from our countryside.
Crabs in space. How do you find out what effect zero gravity has on an astronaut's balancing system? Simple. Take some crabs…
2002 – a summer of floods and droughts. Was our weather connected to India’s and a developing El Niño?
Evolution in action. Britain's newest plant species offers an unparalleled opportunity to study evolution.

Also in this issue: how wind and ice thwarted Autosub's travels under an ice shelf, how ancient leaves disprove the theory of Tibet's formation, plus science and funding news and a competition to win a large print of an Envisat (environmental satellite) image.

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. NERC leads in providing independent research and training in the environmental sciences.

This is Planet Earth...

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