December 19, 2003

» Hooray for Beagle 2!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Beagle separation is successful

Beagle 2 has successfully separated from its "mothership" for the final leg of the journey to Mars.

» Global dimming

Guardian Unlimited | Life | Goodbye sunshine

It turns out that Ohmura was the first to document a dramatic effect that scientists are now calling "global dimming". Records show that over the past 50 years the average amount of sunlight reaching the ground has gone down by almost 3% a decade. It's too small an effect to see with the naked eye, but it has implications for everything from climate change to solar power and even the future sustainability of plant photosynthesis.