Mathematics: Modeling Mathematics: Statistics
Published

When allocating scarce resources with AI, randomization can improve fairness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers argue that, in some situations where machine-learning models are used to allocate scarce resources or opportunities, randomizing decisions in a structured way may lead to fairer outcomes.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Thousands of birds and fish threatened by mining for clean energy transition, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our increasing demand for metals and minerals is putting over four thousand vertebrate species at risk, with the raw materials needed for clean energy infrastructure often located in global biodiversity hotspots, a study has found.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Great Salt Lake a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Newly announced research examining greenhouse gas emissions from the drying lake bed of Great Salt Lake, Utah, calculates that 4.1 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were released in 2020. This research suggests that drying lake beds are an overlooked but potentially significant source of greenhouse gases, which may further increase due to climate change.

Computer Science: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Raindrops grow with turbulence in clouds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tackling a long-time mystery, scientists have found that the turbulent movements of air in clouds play a key role in the growth of water droplets and the initiation of rain. The research can improve computer model simulations of weather and climate and ultimately lead to better forecasts.

Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Can a computer tell patients how their multiple sclerosis will progress?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Machine learning models can reliably inform clinicians about the disability progression of multiple sclerosis, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by Edward De Brouwer of KU Leuven, Belgium, and colleagues.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

How well does tree planting work in climate change fight? It depends      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using trees as a cost-effective tool against climate change is more complicated than simply planting large numbers of them, an international collaboration has shown.

Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Large language models don't behave like people, even though we may expect them to      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

People generalize to form beliefs about a large language model's performance based on what they've seen from past interactions. When an LLM is misaligned with a person's beliefs, even an extremely capable model may fail unexpectedly when deployed in a real-world situation.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

A window of opportunity for climate change and biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

World leaders must take advantage of a pivotal window of opportunity for forging a much-needed joined-up approach to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, say scientists. Without this, work on tackling either crisis could inadvertently harm progress on the other.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Heat-sensitive trees move uphill seeking climate change respite      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Trees in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are migrating in search of more favourable temperatures with species in mountain forests moving uphill to escape rising heat caused by climate change.

Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Risks and benefits of integrating AI into medical decision-making      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that an artificial intelligence (AI) model solved medical quiz questions -- designed to test health professionals' ability to diagnose patients based on clinical images and a brief text summary -- with high accuracy. However, physician-graders found the AI model made mistakes when describing images and explaining how its decision-making led to the correct answer.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Tropical plant species are as threatened by climate change as widely feared, study confirms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists who set out to better understand the effects of climate change on plant species in tropical mountain regions found that even small variations in temperature and moisture can have massive impacts, threatening not only plants that live there, but also the ecosystems they support. A study based on labor-intensive fieldwork and analysis in tropical mountain regions shows that a warmer and drier climate will lead to massive losses of plant species.

Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

There is mathematical proof in the pudding      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In blockchain development, there is a rule of thumb that only two of scalability, security, and decentralization are valid simultaneously. However, the mathematical expression of that rule was still a work in progress. Researchers discovered a mathematical expression for the blockchain trilemma. In the formula for Proof of Work-based blockchains, including Bitcoin, the product of the three terms--scalability, security, and decentralization--is 1.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Agriculture: Less productive yet more stable pastures      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate change will have a considerable influence on the biodiversity and productivity of meadows and pastures. However, according to the results of the large-scale climate and land use experiment the extent of these changes depends on the land use. Grassland optimized for high yield responds much more sensitively to periods of drought than less intensively used meadows and pastures.

Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Are AI-chatbots suitable for hospitals?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Large language models may pass medical exams with flying colors but using them for diagnoses would currently be grossly negligent. Medical chatbots make hasty diagnoses, do not adhere to guidelines, and would put patients' lives at risk. A team has systematically investigated whether this form of artificial intelligence (AI) would be suitable for everyday clinical practice. Despite the current shortcomings, the researchers see potential in the technology. They have published a method that can be used to test the reliability of future medical chatbots.

Computer Science: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Scientists use AI to predict a wildfire's next move      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new model that combines generative AI and satellite data to accurately forecast wildfire spread.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Marine Protected Areas producing more 'trophy-size' fish, research finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Marine Protected Areas are having a positive spillover effect, producing more 'trophy-size' fish just outside of the fully protected areas, and the effect is growing stronger over time, according to new research.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

The most endangered fish are the least studied      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The most threatened reef fishes are also the most overlooked by scientists and the general public. Scientists measured the level of human interest in 2,408 species of marine reef fish and found that the attention of the scientific community is attracted by the commercial value more than the ecological value of the fishes. The public, on the other hand, is primarily influenced by the aesthetic characteristics of certain species, such as the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) and the mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus).

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Logged forests can still have ecological value -- if not pushed too far      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have analysed data from 127 studies to reveal 'thresholds' for when logged rainforests lose the ability to sustain themselves. The results could widen the scope of which forests are considered 'worth' conserving, but also show how much logging degrades forests beyond the point of no return.