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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds

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At the beginning of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Middle East ranks among the regions with the worst air quality. There is a common misconception that desert dust is the most significant cause of air pollution from particulate matter in this region, but a new study has shown that more than 90 percent of the particulate matter that is detrimental to health originates from anthropogenic sources. This human-made fine particulate matter differs from the less harmful desert dust particles. Scientists determined this through ship borne measurements and verified it in elaborate modeling calculations. The anthropogenic particles are primarily caused by the production and use of fossil fuels such as oil and gas. They are generally smaller than desert dust and can penetrate deep into the lungs.

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Coral reefs can adapt to climate change if given the chance to evolve, according to a study.

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Feeding honey to hibernating bears helped researchers find the potential genetic keys to the bears' insulin control, an advance that could ultimately lead to a treatment for human diabetes. Every year, bears gain an enormous amount of weight, then barely move for months, behavior that would spell diabetes in humans, but not for bears whose bodies can turn insulin resistance on and off almost like a switch. In the hunt for the bears' secret, scientists observed thousands of changes in gene expression during hibernation, but now a research team has narrowed that down to eight proteins.

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Researchers have studied the emergence of hypoxia -- low oxygen levels -- in the Gulf over three decades, a stressor on the health of marine life in the region and the larger ecosystem.

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Refreezing the poles by reducing incoming sunlight would be both feasible and remarkably cheap, according to new research.

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A new method has been developed for identifying and prioritizing research activities related to maritime safety and security issues for the Arctic and the North-Atlantic (ANA) region.

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Coral reef islands and their reefs -- found across in the Indo-Pacific -- naturally grow and shrink due to complex biological and physical processes that have yet to be fully understood. Now, climate change is disrupting them further, leading to new uncertainties for legal maritime zones and small island states. Rising sea levels, coupled with the natural variability of atoll islands and coral reefs, is creating new uncertainty in international law, with geopolitical implications.

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A new study finds that climate models are unreliable when it comes to predicting the damage that tropical cyclones will do to sensitive coral reefs.

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Eight ice caves in four Austrian federal states: A team of geologists has comprehensively documented the loss and gain of ice in Alpine ice caves over the last 2000 years for the first time. The geologists warn: The ice of smaller caves especially is in danger of disappearing in the near future and with it a valuable climate archive.

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1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research shows that this is a rare case of 'deceptive mimicry' within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and as a result receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression from males.

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New research has mapped the DNA from more than 150 species of native rodents from across Australia, New Guinea and Melanesian islands, painting a clearer picture of how they're related and how they ended up spreading across the Pacific.

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Did the first ancestors of whales pick up where the mosasaurs left off 66 million years ago, after the extinction of all the large predatory marine reptiles? A study has looked into the possible convergences in morphology and behavior that may exist between these two groups of large marine predatory animals.

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Researchers have documented that corals can pass mutations acquired during their lifetimes to their offspring, providing increased genetic diversity for potential evolutionary adaptation.

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Inspired by a trip to the dentist, a researcher presents a new method for monitoring coral size and growth that reduces surveying time by 99%.

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Investigators have produced an assessment of the abundance of the viruses in the Milne Fiord Epishelf Lake near the North Pole.

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A study shows a widespread patterns of loss, upending scientists' previous projections.

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Approximately 13.5 million years ago, north-west Queensland was home to an unusual and particularly tiny species of crocodile and now scientists are unlocking its secrets.

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Sea ice levels in the Arctic Ocean are rapidly declining, due to global warming. Now, to understand and forecast the growth and decay of the ice, researchers have conducted a survey in the Arctic Ocean to investigate the influence of ocean heat on sea ice in the ice-ocean boundary layer. Their findings provide insights into the mechanisms of Arctic sea ice decline for making accurate predictions in the future regarding the global climate.

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To investigate whether paleoclimatic temperature shifts are correlated with body size changes, biologists decided to test this hypothesis using tetraodontiform fishes as a model group.

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A new study investigates how different mammals react to climate change. Animals that live for a long time and/or produce less offspring -- like bears and bison -- are more resilient than small animals with a short life -- like mice and lemmings.