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

Global deforestation leads to more mercury pollution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers find deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of global human-made mercury emissions. While it cannot be the only solution, they suggest reforestation could increase global mercury uptake by about 5 percent.

Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers discovered in Colombia and Ecuador      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers in the jungles and cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

When the global climate has the hiccups      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate changes usually happens over long periods of time, but during the last glacial period, extreme fluctuations in temperature occurred within just a few years. Researchers have now been able to prove the phenomenon also occurred during the penultimate glacial period.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Surprisingly vibrant color of 12-million-year-old snail shells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Snail shells are often colorful and strikingly patterned. This is due to pigments that are produced in special cells of the snail and stored in the shell in varying concentrations. Fossil shells, on the other hand, are usually pale and inconspicuous because the pigments are very sensitive and have already decomposed. Residues of ancient color patterns are therefore very rare. This makes a new discovery all the more astonishing: researchers found pigments in twelve-million-year-old fossilized snail shells.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Surprising behavior in one of the least studied mammals in the world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Beaked whales are among the least studied mammals in the world. Now, a new study reveals surprising information about the Baird's beaked whale species.

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

Alien invasion: Non-native earthworms threaten ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Analysis reveals imported earthworm species have colonized large swaths of North America, and represent a largely overlooked threat to native ecosystems. The researchers warn of the need to better understand and manage the invaders in our midst.

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

Industrial pollution leaves its mark in Mediterranean corals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, pollutants from burning fossil fuels have been found embedded in corals, offering scientists a potential new tool to track the history of pollution, finds a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

Replacing animal-based foods with alternative proteins would unlock land for carbon removal      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that replacing 50% of animal products with alternative proteins by 2050 could free up enough agricultural land to generate renewable energy equivalent in volume to today's coal-generated power while simultaneously removing substantial CO2 from the atmosphere.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New study sheds new light on forests' role in climate and water cycle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Forests, which cover a third of Earth's land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study, researchers provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle.

Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Spent hemp biomass: A feed use that supports milk production in dairy cows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study explores whether the plentiful, fibrous byproduct of CBD production holds potential promise as a nutritious, efficiency-boosting feed ingredient for the dairy sector

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Complex tree canopies help forests recover from moderate-severity disturbances      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Extreme events wipe out entire forests, dramatically eliminating complex ecosystems as well as local communities. Researchers have become quite familiar with such attention-grabbing events over the years. They know less, however, about the more common moderate-severity disturbances, such as relatively small fires, ice storms, and outbreaks of pests or pathogens.

Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Ancient Australian air-breathing fish from 380 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The rivers of Australia, which once flowed across its now dry interior, used to host a range of bizarre animals -- including a sleek predatory lobe-finned fish with large fangs and bony scales. The newly described fossil fish discovered in remote fossil fields west of Alice Springs has been named Harajicadectes zhumini by palaeontologists.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New study points to more climate extremes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has found similarities between long-term climatic changes in South Australia and temperate agricultural areas in Argentina -- highlighting similarities across these Southern Hemisphere countries. As temperature records tumble, and the threat of bushfires and dry conditions looms large, researchers renew the urgency of calls to make more concerted efforts to prepare for climate extremes in South Australia.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Apex predators not a quick fix for restoring ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An experiment spanning more than two decades has found that removal of apex predators from an ecosystem can create lasting changes that are not reversed after they return -- at least, not for a very long time. The study challenges the commonly held belief that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park restored an ecosystem degraded by their absence.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
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Microbial division of labor produces higher biofuel yields      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have found a way to boost ethanol production via yeast fermentation, a standard method for converting plant sugars into biofuels. Their approach relies on careful timing and a tight division of labor among synthetic yeast strains to yield more ethanol per unit of plant sugars than previous approaches have achieved.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Scientists 'break the mould' by creating new colors of 'blue cheese'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Experts have discovered how to create different colors of blue cheese. After discovering how the classic blue-green veining is created, a team of experts were able to create a variety of different fungal strains that could be used to make cheese with colors ranging from white to yellow-green to red-brown-pink and light and dark blues.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Study challenges the classical view of the origin of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and warns of its vulnerability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Circumpolar Current works as a regulator of the planet's climate. Its origins were thought to have caused the formation of the permanent ice in Antarctica about 34 million years ago. Now, a study has cast doubt on this theory, and has changed the understanding of how the ice sheet in Antarctic developed in the past, and what this could mean in the future as the planet's climate changes.