Showing 20 articles starting at article 781
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Environmental: Water
Published Western Cascades landscapes in Oregon historically burned more often than previously thought



Forests on the west slope of Oregon's Cascade Range experienced fire much more often between 1500 and 1895 than had been previously thought.
Published Electronic 'soil' enhances crop growth



Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. Researchers have now developed an electrically conductive 'soil' for soil-less cultivation, known as hydroponics.
Published How technology and economics can help save endangered species



A lot has changed in the world since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted 50 years ago in December 1973. Experts are now discuss how the ESA has evolved and what its future might hold.
Published Insects already had a variety of defense strategies in the Cretaceous



Analyses of amber show that insect larvae were already using a wide variety of tactics to protect themselves from predators 100 million years ago.
Published How national policies affect forests in border regions



How do national policies impact deforestation? Researchers have looked into this question at the global scale and have found that, contrary to common assumptions, national strategies have a significant -- and visible -- influence on efforts to protect forest heritage.
Published Finding new ways to adapt to a growing weather threat



Research reveals a steady increase in the number of people at risk from tropical cyclones and the number of days per year these potentially catastrophic storms threaten health and livelihoods. The findings could help relief agencies, development banks, and other organizations plan more effective strategies for mitigating extreme weather impacts.
Published Reduced air pollution during pandemic points to way to preserve Himalayan glaciers



Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the coronavirus pandemic could protect the glaciers in the Himalayas and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team analyzing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Published World's smallest 'fanged' frogs found in Indonesia



Researchers have identified a species of frog new to science. The Indonesian amphibian is the size of a quarter, unlike its two-pound cousins, and has tiny fangs. Nearly uniquely among amphibians, they lay their eggs on the leaves of trees, and the males guard and tend to the nests.
Published The evolutionary timeline of diminished boric acid and urea transportation in aquaporin 10



Aquaporin (Aqp) 10 water channels in humans allow the free passage of water, glycerol, urea, and boric acid across cells. However, Aqp10.2b in pufferfishes allows only the passage of water and glycerol and not urea and boric acid. Researchers sought to understand the evolutionary timeline that resulted in the variable substrate selection mechanisms among Aqp10s. Their results indicate that Aqp10.2 in ray-finned fishes may have reduced or lost urea and boric acid permeabilities through evolution.
Published Scientists provide recipe to halve pollution from food production



A major report has put forward solutions to halve nitrogen pollution from agriculture and the food system in Europe, including reducing meat and dairy consumption, fertilizer use and food waste. Inefficiencies in farms, retail and wastewater practices mean that the nitrogen use efficiency of the food system in Europe is only 18%, leaving most of the remainder leaking into air, water and soils. The new report, Appetite for Change, has been produced by a group of researchers coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the European Commission, Copenhagen Business School and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) of The Netherlands.
Published Genetic diversity of wild north American grapes mapped



Wild North American grapes are now less of a mystery after researchers decoded and catalogued the genetic diversity of nine species of this valuable wine crop.
Published Genetic sequencing uncovers unexpected source of pathogens in floodwaters



Researchers report that local rivers and streams were the source of the Salmonella enterica contamination along coastal North Carolina after Hurricane Florence in 2018 -- not the previously suspected high number of pig farms in the region.
Published Exoplanets' climate -- it takes nothing to switch from habitable to hell



The Earth is a wonderful blue and green dot covered with oceans and life, while Venus is a yellowish sterile sphere that is not only inhospitable but also sterile. However, the difference between the two bears to only a few degrees in temperature. A team of astronomers has achieved a world's first by managing to simulate the entirety of the runaway greenhouse process which can transform the climate of a planet from idyllic and perfect for life, to a place more than harsh and hostile. The scientists have also demonstrated that from initial stages of the process, the atmospheric structure and cloud coverage undergo significant changes, leading to an almost-unstoppable and very complicated to reverse runaway greenhouse effect. On Earth, a global average temperature rise of just a few tens of degrees, subsequent to a slight rise of the Sun's luminosity, would be sufficient to initiate this phenomenon and to make our planet inhabitable.
Published Global inventory of sound production brings us one step closer to understanding aquatic ecosystems



Our understanding of which aquatic species produce sounds just took a big step forward. Scientists have created an inventory of species confirmed or expected to produce sound underwater.
Published Some coral species might be more resilient to climate change than previously thought



Some coral species can be resilient to marine heat waves by 'remembering' how they lived through previous ones, research suggests.
Published Hotter weather caused by climate change could mean more mosquitoesv



Research along James River in Richmond suggests that climate change could shorten window for predators to prey on larvae.
Published Wildfires increasing across Eastern U.S.



Researchers examined 36 years of wildfire data in the eastern United States, focusing on fires that burned large areas. The overall trend for the region showed an increase in fire size, frequency, and shifts in seasonality and highlights a need for proactive management and individual preparedness for those living in this populous part of the country.
Published 15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and changing marine ecosystems



Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. This year, the 15th horizon scan included 31 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers who developed a list of 96 issues, which they eventually narrowed down to the fifteen most novel and impactful. Their findings include topics related to sustainable energy, declining invertebrate populations, and changing marine ecosystems.
Published Ecosystem benefits to humanity expected to decline by 9% by 2100



A new study of natural capital finds nature's benefits to humanity are expected to decline as climate change shifts ecosystems across borders.
Published Coral atoll islands may outpace sea-level rise with local ecological restoration, scientists say



Ecological restoration may save coral atoll islands from the rising seas of climate change, according to an international team of scientists, conservationists, and an indigenous leader.