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World's Second-Largest Shark Sanctuary Established by Federated States of Micronesia.	Sharks are safer in the Pacific Ocean, thanks to Micronesia's establishment of the world's second-largest shark sanctuary. The protected area, equal in size to India, will help strengthen the marine ecosystem and economy.
NASA Launches Pioneering Soil Moisture Mapping Satellite	"Scientists and policymakers will use SMAP data to track water movement around our planet and make more informed decisions in critical areas like agriculture and water resources," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. SMAP also will detect whether the ground is frozen or thawed. Detecting variations in the timing of spring thaw and changes in the length of the growing season will help scientists more accurately account for how much carbon plants are removing from Earth's atmosphere each year.
NASA Announces New Mission to Track Water in Earth’s Soil	A new NASA satellite that will peer into the topmost layer of Earth's soils to measure the hidden waters that influence our weather and climate is in final preparations for a January 29, 2015 dawn launch from California. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will take the pulse of a key measure of our water planet: how freshwater cycles over Earth's land surfaces in the form of soil moisture. This data will be used to enhance scientists' understanding of the processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles.
Effective Malaria Control Dramatically Reduces Deaths with 47% Decrease Worldwide Since 2000	The number of people dying from malaria has fallen dramatically since 2000 and malaria cases are also steadily declining, according to the “World malaria report 2014.” Between 2000 and 2013, the malaria mortality rate decreased by 47% worldwide and by 54% in the WHO African Region - where about 90% of malaria deaths occur.
$1 Million Prize for Digital Innovation To Capture Info from Traditional 'Bug Boxes'	National competition launched to stimulate development of a new tool to digitally record images and data from museum insect collections. Other than the team leader, team members are not required to be U.S. Citizens or to reside in the United States.
The Biology of Water and Health, Part 1, MOOC Available for Registration, Starts November 4, 2014: Tufts University's first Massive Open Online Course	Tufts University's first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), The Biology of Water and Health (Part 1), is currently available for registration on the edX platform: http://tinyurl.com/tuftswatermooc. The course starts on November 4, 2014. Taught by Tufts professors Jeffrey K. Griffiths, Public Health and Community Medicine and David M. Gute, Civil and Environmental Engineering, this course is a uniquely interdisciplinary approach to critical water and water-related health challenges across the globe.
"WASH 4 ALL" Comic Book Offered for Free Announced by Horizon International and Mediabfi	The publication of “Schoolchildren Battle Malaria and Other Diseases,” the first edition of “WASH 4 All,” a comic book series being offered for free throughout the world announced was today by Horizon International and MediaBFI. “WASH 4 ALL” (water, sanitation and hygiene for all) comic book series and short animated cartoon videos are being produced by Horizon International, an NGO based at Yale University, in collaboration with Beautiful Feet International (MediaBFI), a non-profit organization based in Nigeria.
Wildlife Preservation in Southeast Nova Scotia	The efforts of the Clean Annapolis River Project lead to preservation of the Annapolis River and its watershed in Nova Scotia, Canada, and its designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Rapid Decline of Caribbean Corals Can Be Reversed According to Newly Released Status Report	“The rate at which the Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming…They are a major oceanic ecosystem, this is a tragedy that must be reversed,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. But the study, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, “brings some very encouraging news: the fate of Caribbean corals is not beyond our control and there are some very concrete steps that we can take to help them recover.”
Climate Change Adaptation Investments Can Help Promote Livelihoods of 65% of Africans According to Report	The report, “Investment in Climate Change Adaptation Can Help Promote Livelihoods of 65% of Africans,” provides a snapshot of current and predicted future impacts of climate change on livelihoods, agriculture, and human and ecosystem health in Africa.