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By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Parasitic mites have turbo-charged the spread of a virus responsible for a rise in honey bee deaths around the world, scientists said on Thursday. Bee populations have been falling rapidly in many countries, fuelled by a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder.

A $95-million rescue package for the world-class Australian Synchrotron research centre will ensure local scientists can “remain at the forefront of the highly competitive world of fundamental and applied research”, scientists said today.

By Deborah Zabarenko WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world's oceans are turning acidic at what could be the fastest pace of any time in the past 300 million years, even more rapidly than during a monster emission of planet-warming carbon 56 million years ago, scientists said on Thursday. Looking back at that bygone warm period in Earth's history could offer help in forecasting the impact of human-spurred climate change, researchers said of a review of hundreds of studies of ancient climate records published in the journal Science. Quickly acidifying seawater eats away at coral reefs, which provide habitat for other animals and plants, and makes it harder for mussels and oysters to form protective shells.

By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - A new molecule has been detected in Earth's atmosphere which could help produce a cooling effect, scientists said, but it remains to be seen whether it can play a major role in tackling global warming . The molecule can convert pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, into compounds which can lead to cloud formation, helping to shield the earth from the sun, the researchers said. Over the past century, Earth's average temperature has risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius.

By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - The mystery of how a subglacial mountain range the size of the Alps formed up to 250 million years ago has finally been solved, scientists said on Wednesday, which could help map the effects of climate change. [More]

By Yereth Rosen ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A volcano that has been erupting for several days in Alaska's Aleutian Islands may be preparing for a more explosive event, scientists said on Wednesday. [More]

TOKYO (Reuters) - Vast deposits of rare earth minerals, crucial in making high-tech electronics products, have been found on the floor of the Pacific Ocean and can be readily extracted, Japanese scientists said on Monday.

How much light the sun emits affects the Earth's weather and climate.

By Gerard Wynn LONDON (Reuters) - A better monitoring network for greenhouses gases is needed to warn of significant changes and to keep countries that have agreed to cut their emissions honest, scientists said in papers published Monday. [More]

Looking beyond obvious causes of obesity like overeating, scientists said on Wednesday they may have found a gene that also plays a role, one that helped our ancestors survive famines.