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UrduEven in the absence of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions, found recent University of Colorado Boulder research. The study, published in the May print…
Tag: ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT
International collaboration of scientists rewrite the rulebook of flowering plant genetics
How do you study a group of organisms with over 300,000 species, dispersed across all seven continents, and with up to 50 times as much DNA content as the human genome? This is the question posed to biologists studying the…
Southeastern US herbaria digitize three million specimens, now freely available online
A network of over 100 herbaria spread out across the southeastern United States recently completed the herculean task of fully digitizing more than three million specimens collected by botanists and naturalists over a span of 200 years. The project, which…
Bio-based coating for wood outperforms traditional synthetic options
Researchers turn a non-toxic residue into wood coating that resists abrasion, stain, and sunlight.
Water resources: Defusing conflict, promoting cooperation
Rivers are lifelines for many countries. They create valuable ecosystems, provide drinking water for people and raw water for agriculture and industry. In the Global South in particular, there is strong competition for access to freshwater resources. The increasing use…
Blushing plants reveal when fungi are growing in their roots
Almost all crop plants form associations with a particular type of fungi – called arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi – in the soil, which greatly expand their root surface area. This mutually beneficial interaction boosts the plant’s ability to take up nutrients…
Scientists identify five new plant species in Bolivia
Scientists have identified five new plant species in the Bolivian Andes. The species are all part of the genus Jacquemontia , which are twining or trailing plants with pretty blue flowers. With rapid biodiversity loss taking place across South America…
New measure of tropical forest vulnerability to help avoid ‘tipping point’
Humid tropical forests, vital in global efforts to limit rising temperatures, are under threat as a result of changes in land use and climate. Now, researchers reporting in the journal One Earth on July 23 have developed a new way…
Scientists come up with new method for simultaneous processing of different types of waste
An international research team has come up with an innovative method for metal recovery from industrial waste. The new method allows the simultaneous recovery of multiple metals from waste oxides in a single process. This novel route will lower the…
Trash-bin foragers: Innovation and spread of complex culture in suburban parrots
In the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, sulphur-crested cockatoos routinely loot lidded household waste bins to scavenge for food. In a new study, researchers document the emergence and geographic spread of innovative bin-opening behaviors in urban parrot populations, revealing the presence…
Early-life social connections influence gene expression, stress resilience
Having friends may not only be good for the health of your social life, but also for your actual health–if you’re a hyena, that is. Strong social connections and greater maternal care early in life can influence molecular markers related…
Eco-friendly plastic from cellulose and water
Göttingen University researchers create new kind of environmentally friendly bioplastic with hydroplastic polymers
Fully booked at the bottom of the sea: There seems no room for new bacteria on sand grains
Bacteria on the sand on the ocean floor do not change between the seasons. Presumably, there is simply no room for change.
To save a species, check its ID
New tool differentiates endangered salt marsh harvest mouse from abundant look-alike
A new model of coral reef health
Using data collected on the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition, scientists identify which natural and anthropogenic factors are most likely to lead to healthy reefs
Inheriting mother’s friends key to hyena success
EAST LANSING, Mich. – In the wild, inheriting advantageous physical traits may be the difference between a long life and a short one. But for the spotted hyena, another kind of inheritance, one that has nothing to do with genetics,…
Deep-sea research bolstered with $2 million grant
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has been awarded $2 million by the National Science Foundation to lead an international effort to accelerate scientific understanding of the environmental impacts of emerging industries in the deep sea – one of the most…
Renewable energies: No wind turbine disturbing the scenery
KIT researchers quantify energy system costs for stopping further expansion of wind energy use in beautiful landscapes
Removal of barred owls slows decline of iconic spotted owls in Pacific Northwest, study finds
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A 17-year study in Oregon, Washington and California found that removal of invasive barred owls arrested the population decline of the northern spotted owl, a native species threatened by invading barred owls and the loss of old-forest…
Save Our Seas Foundation announces a record 61 grants for 2021
The Save our Seas Foundation is celebrating an overwhelming number of applications and awards. This heralds a hopeful new cohort of ocean conservationists, young scientists and local initiatives being supported to make a positive change for our planet.
Tropical fly study shows that a mother’s age and diet influences offspring health
The female tsetse fly, which gives birth to adult-sized live young, produce weaker offspring as they get older, and when they feed on poor quality blood. The study, carried out by researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Oxford and the…
Enzyme-based plastics recycling is more energy efficient, better for environment
BOTTLE Consortium effort develops model that finds sizeable energy and carbon-saving benefits for recycling PET, a common plastic used in bottles, clothing, carpet
Climate change threatens food security of many countries dependent on fish
Millions of people in countries around the world could face an increased risk of malnutrition as climate change threatens their local fisheries.
Three key habitat-building corals face worrying future due to climate crisis
The climate crisis will lead to changes in distribution and habitat loss of stony corals in the tropical Atlantic, shows a new study published by the open access publisher Frontiers. The loss of such coral species could have devastating consequences…
Team awarded $2M by NSF to teach virtual explorers about permafrost, Arctic climate change
Scientists at Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, the Arizona Geological Survey at the University of Arizona, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder have been awarded almost $2 million from the National…
Remote sensing techniques help treat and manage hollow forests
Oak tree decline detected by advanced remote sensing techniques
DNA duplication linked to the origin and evolution of pine trees and their relatives
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Plants are DNA hoarders. Adhering to the maxim of never throwing anything out that might be useful later, they often duplicate their entire genome and hang on to the added genetic baggage. All those extra genes are…
Epicentre of major Amazon droughts and fires saw 2.5 billion trees and vines killed
A major drought and forest fires in the Amazon rainforest killed billions of trees and plants and turned one of the world’s largest carbon sinks into one of its biggest polluters.
Ocean microbes team up brilliantly to gather food when it’s scarce
WOODS HOLE, Mass. – What’s a hungry marine microbe to do when the pickings are slim? It must capture nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, or iron – to survive, yet in vast expanses of the ocean, nutrients are extremely scarce. And…
Living near woodlands is good for children and young people’s mental health
Analysis of children and young people’s proximity to woodlands has shown links with better cognitive development and a lower risk of emotional and behavioural problems, in research led by UCL and Imperial College London scientists that could influence planning decisions…
Individual Protected Areas in Amazonia Differ Greatly in How Effectively They Help to Fight Deforestation and Carbon Emissions
While tropical forests remain threatened and their future is uncertain, the importance of understanding how well individual protected areas avoid deforestation increases.
Bats are kings of small talk in the air
Echoes contain redundant information to help with high-speed navigation
How a butterfly tree becomes a web
Evolution is often portrayed as a tree, with new species branching off from existing lineages, never again to meet. The truth however is often much messier. In the case of adaptive radiation, in which species diversify rapidly to fill different…
Removing the lead hazard from perovskite solar cells
“The solar energy-to-electricity conversion of perovskite solar cells is unbelievably high, around 25%, which is now approaching the performance of the best silicon solar cells,” says Professor László Forró at EPFL’s School of Basic Sciences. “But their central element is…
Leading quantum computing experts explore tech’s sustainability role in new documentary
Experts from global tech giants to start-ups assess the industry’s potential environmental benefits and challenges in the documentary: Quantum Technology | Our Sustainable Future
Inherited social networks shape spotted hyena society and survival
In spotted hyena societies, inherited social networks – passed from mothers to offspring – are essential to hyena life and survival, according to a new study. While the structure of animal social networks plays an important role in all social…
Among spotted hyenas, social ties are inherited
Massive study of data collected over 27 years sheds light on social networks, rank, and survival of this African species
How spiders distinguish living from non-living using motion-based visual cues
Ability to identify other animals from relative positioning of the joints not unique to vertebrates
When fawns perceive constant danger from many sources, they almost seem to relax
Researchers use trail cameras to study animals’ interaction, behavior in human-dominated landscapes
How climate change and fires are shaping the forests of the future
Forest fires are already a global threat. “But considering how climate change is progressing, we are probably only at the beginning of a future that will see more and bigger forest fires,” explains Rupert Seidl, Professor of Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management in Mountain Landscapes at TUM.
Rapid evolution in waterfleas yields new conservation insights
The extraordinary ability of animals to rapidly evolve in response to predators has been demonstrated via genetic sequencing of a waterflea population across nearly two decades. In a new study, published in Nature Communications , scientists at the Universities of…
When corals meet algae: First stages of symbiosis seen for the first time
First observations of coral cells and free-living algae physically interacting provide a deeper understanding of their symbiosis and improve conservation of reefs
Have you ever wondered how many species have inhabited the earth?
Professors in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences explored whether or not the scientific community will ever be able to settle on a ‘total number’ of species of living vertebrates, which could help with species preservation. By knowing what’s…
Detecting wildlife illness and death with new early alert system
Network of wildlife rehabilitation organizations helps track emerging threats
New evidence of menopause in killer whales
Scientists have found new evidence of menopause in killer whales – raising fascinating questions about how and why it evolved. Most animals breed throughout their lives. Only humans and four whale species are known to experience menopause, and scientists have…
Global study reveals effectiveness of protected areas
Certain countries perform significantly better than their neighbors in the effectiveness of their protected areas, finds new study.
Dartmouth Engineering professor selected to direct new Brazilian biofuels lab
Lee Lynd , the Queneau Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth, will be the founding director of the new Advanced Second Generation (A2G) Biofuel Laboratory located at the University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil. The lab’s mission is to develop…
Mathematical model predicts the movement of microplastics in the ocean
A new model tracking the vertical movement of algae-covered microplastic particles offers hope in the fight against plastic waste in our oceans
Global study reveals effectiveness of protected area
Certain countries perform significantly better than their neighbors in the effectiveness of their protected areas, finds new study.