Here's today's roundup of science, nature and environment news from the Bay Area and beyond.
Blue iguana breeding program succeedingthough, a breeding program some see as a global model has worked better than any had hoped to dream for a species that numbered less than a dozen in the wild just a decade ago, preyed upon by escaped pets and struggling to survive in a habitat eroded by the advance of human settlement.
via Sfgate
New spider family identified in OregonThe newfound spider family is being named trogloraptor, meaning "cave robber," and the single species found near Grants Pass is named Trogloraptor marchingtoni for Neil Marchington, a Deschutes County deputy sheriff who is also an amateur biologist and local cave explorer who helped lead the team of scientists to caves where the spiders were found.
via Sfgate
Peaches, Beautiful And Fleeting, Thanks To Fuzzy Thin Skin : NPRIf lately you've noticed the farmers' market flooded with signs that say "donut," "cling," "whiteflesh" and "freestone," you won't be surprised to learn that August is National Peach Month. Though the juicy fruits pack the produce aisles now, in a few short months a good peach might be hard to find.
via Npr
How to Get Students Interested in Space (and Science, and Math, and Engineering)How do you get young people excited about space? How do you get them interested not just in watching movies about space, or in playing video games set in space ... but in space itself? And how, while we're at it, do you inspire them to love math and science?
via Theatlantic
Greenland Sets New Summer Melt Record: Scientific AmericanGreenland's massive ice sheet has melted at a record-setting pace this year--and summer isn't over yet Greenland's massive ice sheet is melting at a record pace this summer. By Aug. 8, this year's summer melt had shattered the record set in 2010, according to a new analysis of satellite data by glaciologist Marco Tedesco of the City University of New York.
First non-hormonal male 'pill' prevents pregnancy - health - 16 August 2012 - New ScientistMore than 100 million women worldwide use a contraceptive pill. Now men are a step closer to protecting themselves in a similar way with the development of the first ever drug to offer non-hormonal and reversible male birth control. And as an added bonus, it doesn't seem to affect sex drive either - at least in mice.
via Newscientist
Sunflower-Inspired Solar Power Technology Effortlessly Follows the SunResearchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison have developed a new solar power system that is inspired by the sun-catching behavior of sunflowers and is at least 10 percent more efficient than conventional solar panels.
via Treehugger