Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Oxidant pollutant ozone removes mating barriers between fly species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers show that ozone levels, such as those found in many places on hot summer days today, destroy the sex pheromones of fruit fly species. As a result, some natural mating boundaries maintained by species-specific pheromones no longer exist. The research team has shown in experiments that flies of different species mate when exposed to ozone and produce hybrid offspring. Since most of these offspring are unable to reproduce, the results could provide another explanation for the global decline of insects.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Ocean currents threaten to collapse Antarctic ice shelves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Cloud engineering could be more effective 'painkiller' for global warming than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cloud 'engineering' could be more effective for climate cooling than previously thought, because of the increased cloud cover produced, new research shows.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Food security in developed countries shows resilience to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has found that market forces have provided good food price stability over the past half century, despite extreme weather conditions.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Chemicals stored in home garages linked to ALS risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Storing chemicals in a garage at home may associate with an increased risk of ALS, a study finds. This comes as research has found that exposure to environmental toxins, such as pesticides and volatile organic compounds, are also linked to ALS development. Researchers call the buildup of exposures of the lifetime the ALS exposome.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Ecology: Research
Published

Geobiology: New placozoan habitat discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Traces of DNA in the stomachs of predatory snails give a team og geobiologists new insights into the ecology of placozoans.

Biology: Zoology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists create octopus survival guide to minimize impacts of fishing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have created a step-by-step aging guide for octopus to ensure fisheries remain sustainable, protecting the longevity of this ancient animal while guaranteeing the world doesn't go hungry.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Using CO2 and biomass, researchers find path to more environmentally friendly recyclable plastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created a potential alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic that is made from carbon dioxide (CO2) and lignin, a component of wood that is a low-cost byproduct of paper manufacturing and biofuel production.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New report 'braids' Indigenous and Western knowledge for forest adaptation strategies against climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Forests could also be potential bulwarks against climate change. But, increasingly severe droughts and wildfires, invasive species, and large insect outbreaks -- all intensified by climate change -- are straining many national forests and surrounding lands in the United States. A report outlines a new approach to forest stewardship that 'braids together' Indigenous knowledge and Western science to conserve and restore more resilient forestlands.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Paleontology: General
Published

3D mouth of an ancient jawless fish suggests they were filter-feeders, not scavengers or hunters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Early jawless fish were likely to have used bony projections surrounding their mouths to modify the mouth's shape while they collected food. Experts have used CT scanning techniques to build up the first 3D pictures of these creatures, which are some of the earliest vertebrates (animals with backbones) in which the mouth is fossilized. Their aim was to answer questions about feeding in early vertebrates without jaws in the early Devonian epoch -- sometimes called the Age of Fishes -- around 400 million years ago.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Novel UV broadband spectrometer revolutionizes air pollutant analysis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has developed a broadband UV dual-comb spectrometer with which air pollutants can be continually measured and their reaction with the environment can be observed in real time.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Microplastic 'hotspots' identified in Long Island Sound      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Forensic and environmental experts have teamed up to develop a new scientific method to pinpoint microplastic pollution 'hotspots' in open waters.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Cold-affinity algae species are gradually being replaced by warm-affinity ones off the coast of Biscay      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has analyzed the impact of the rise in sea surface temperature on macroalgae communities over the last four decades. Points at various depths were investigated in a location off the coast of Biscay, and an increasing scarcity was observed in the number of cold-affinity structuring species, while small warm-affinity ones have proliferated. The researchers are warning that some ecological functions are in jeopardy as a result.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

New approach needed to save Australia's non-perennial rivers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An extensive review of current research incorporating geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology and Indigenous knowledges identifies prevailing factors that shape water and energy flows in Australia's non-perennial rivers -- but the review also points to research deficiencies that must be addressed if these river systems are to be preserved and protected.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

A microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water. The development provides a platform for the industrial-scale, tunable production of a material that holds great potential for turning the plastic industry green.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Scientist helps link climate change to Madagascar's megadrought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team reveals a clear link between human-driven climate change and the years-long drought currently gripping southern Madagascar.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Tiny plastic particles are found everywhere      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microplastic particles can be found in the most remote ocean regions on earth. In Antarctica, pollution levels are even higher than previously assumed.

Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Birdfeeders are designed to keep unwanted guests away      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first birdfeeders were made in the 19th century, and their design rapidly evolved during the 20th century. Researchers at the consider the evolution of the birdfeeder to be an example of multispecies design, where unwanted guests have shaped the human-made artifact.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Impact of climate change on marine life much bigger than previously known      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fish and invertebrate animals are far more affected by warmer and more acidic seawater than was previously known. The big gain of the new method is that more details become known about effects of climate change on species.