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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published Abandoned farmlands could play a role in fighting climate change: A new study shows exactly where they are



The team used machine learning to map nearly 30 million acres of United States cropland abandoned since the 1980s, creating a tool that could guide decisions about how to balance production of energy and food.
Published What makes some plant groups so successful?



Researchers involved in cataloguing the world's plant species are hunting for answers as to what makes some groups of plants so successful. One of their major goals is to predict more accurately which lineages of flowering plants -- some of which are of huge importance to people and to ecosystems -- are at a greater risk from global climate change.
Published Enhancing cybersecurity with 'moving trees'



Researchers propose a new tree-inspired one-time password scheme that provides security and privacy while supporting changing user environments.
Published Aerosol pollution, greenhouse gases must be reduced simultaneously to keep forest fires in check



If we want cleaner air, fewer forest fires, and less severe climate change, a new study shows we must reduce aerosol pollution and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide at the same time.
Published Public have no difficulty getting to grips with an extra thumb, study finds



Researchers have shown that members of the public have little trouble in learning very quickly how to use a third thumb -- a controllable, prosthetic extra thumb -- to pick up and manipulate objects. The team tested the robotic device on a diverse range of participants, which they say is essential for ensuring new technologies are inclusive and can work for everyone.
Published Research to uncover the impact of water use in the Colorado River Basin



Persistent overuse of water and long-term drought has depleted the Colorado River and highlighted the need for a comprehensive understanding of how waters are allocated and used to develop effective management strategies.
Published Marine Protected Areas don't line up with core habitats of rare migratory fish, finds new research



62% of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated to protect rare migratory fish species are outside of their core habitats, according to a new modeling study.
Published The secret sex life of coral revealed



Corals play an essential role in ocean ecosystems, and like many organisms, they are under threat from climate change and other human activities. To better protect coral, it's first necessary to understand them, in particular their reproductive life cycle, which only happens once a year. For the first time, researchers have produced a model for coral spawning, based on various environmental factors. They achieved this by tapping an often overlooked source of aquatic knowledge, an aquarium.
Published New research shows soil microorganisms could produce additional greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost



As the planet has warmed, scientists have long been concerned about the potential for harmful greenhouse gasses to seep out of thawing Arctic permafrost. Recent estimates suggest that by 2100 the amount of carbon dioxide and methane released from these perpetually frozen lands could be on par with emissions from large industrial countries. However, new research led by a team of microbiome scientists suggests those estimates might be too low.
Published Close to 1 in 2 surveyed say they would use air taxis in the future



Through a study of 1,002 participants, scientists have found that almost half (45.7 per cent) say they intend to use air taxis when they become available, with over one-third (36.2 per cent) planning to do so regularly. According to the findings, the intention to take autonomous air taxis is associated with factors such as trust in the AI technology deployed in air taxis, hedonic motivation (the fun or pleasure derived from using technology), performance expectancy (the degree to which users expect that using the system will benefit them), and news media attention (the amount of attention paid to news about air taxis).
Published Global activity of seafloor biodiversity mapped



A team of scientists has used artificial intelligence (AI) to map the activities of seafloor invertebrate animals, such as worms, clams and shrimps, across all the oceans of the world.
Published AI headphones let wearer listen to a single person in a crowd, by looking at them just once



Engineers have developed an artificial intelligence system that lets someone wearing headphones look at a person speaking for three to five seconds to 'enroll' them. The system then plays just the enrolled speaker's voice in real time, even as the pair move around in noisy environments.
Published Imperceptible sensors made from 'electronic spider silk' can be printed directly on human skin



Researchers have developed a method to make adaptive and eco-friendly sensors that can be directly and imperceptibly printed onto a wide range of biological surfaces, whether that's a finger or a flower petal.
Published The global clean water crisis looms large



Water scarcity will intensify with climate and socioeconomic change, disproportionately impacting populations located in the Global South.
Published Rising temperatures will significantly reduce streamflow in the upper Colorado river basin as groundwater levels fall



The Colorado River makes life possible in many Western cities and supports agriculture that sustains people throughout the country. Most of the river's water begins as snowmelt from the mountainous watersheds of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and a warming climate will drastically reduce these streamflows, new research finds.
Published Future climate impacts put whale diet at risk



A new study predicts future climate change impacts could disrupt the krill-heavy diet that humpback whales in the southern hemisphere consume.
Published Beach erosion will make Southern California coastal living five times more expensive by 2050, study predicts



Southern California's iconic sandy coastlines are vanishing at an alarming rate, and it's a warning sign for coastal communities worldwide, new research suggests.
Published New AI accurately predicts fly behavior



Researchers trained an AI model to accurately predict male fruit flies' courtship behavior in response to any sight of a female. This breakthrough offers new insight into how the brain processes visual data and may someday pave the way for artificial vision technology.
Published Smoke covered 70% of California during biggest wildfire years



As much as 70 percent of California was covered by wildfire smoke during parts of 2020 and 2021, according to a new study.
Published Conservation of nature's strongholds needed to halt biodiversity loss



To achieve global biodiversity targets, conservationists and governments must prioritize the establishment and effective management of large, interconnected protected areas with high ecological integrity, researchers argue in a new essay.