Feature Channels: Nature

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The study by Texas Tech scholars found deer prefer newly cleared areas in summer months and older areas during the winter.

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Migratory birds are now flooding across the continent, as they return to their nesting grounds this spring. World Migratory Bird Day is on May 9, 2020, as people around the globe welcome birds back—and lend them a helping hand.

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For people who live in the Arctic, sea ice that forms along shorelines is a vital resource that connects isolated communities and provides access to hunting and fishing grounds.

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The amount of farmland around the world that will need to be irrigated in order to feed an estimated global population of 9 billion people by 2050 could be up to several billion acres, far higher than scientists currently project, according to new research.

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Cornell scientists have developed a new technique for imaging a zebrafish’s brain at all stages of its development, which could have implications for the study of human brain disorders, including autism.

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Developers may struggle to find enough land to offset the biodiversity impacts of future development, according to a University of Queensland study.

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See how the CSU is helping preserve California’s wildlife as threats to their habitats continue to grow.

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A good grip can mean the difference between life and death for lizards in a hurricane -- and as a result, populations hit more frequently by hurricanes have larger toepads. A new study from Washington University in St. Louis is the first to demonstrate evolutionary response to hurricanes on a wide geographic scale.

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The use of big data can help scientists' chart not only the degradation of the environment but can be part of the solution to achieve sustainability, according to a new commentary paper.

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A new WCS-led study reveals that mountain-dwelling species fleeing warming temperatures by retreating to higher elevations may find refuge from reduced human pressure.

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In May 2018 Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawaii erupted, touching off months of intense activity. Through August, incandescent lava from fissures spewed hundreds of feet in the air, and billowing ash clouds reached as high as six miles into the atmosphere. Huge lava flows inundated land up and down the Pacific island's southeast coast, destroying hundreds of homes.

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Their responses underscore the reality of a world in concurrent crises, an undeniable need for action now and hope for the future.

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Deforestation is not an issue dominating headlines in the U.S. right now, but perhaps it should be, according to UC San Diego research. Deforestation has been linked to both the spread of infectious disease and climate change, and what is most alarming, it’s happening at a rapid rate.

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Relocated in small groups to experimental islands, lizards rapidly and repeatedly developed new chemical signals for communicating with each other. Free from the risk of predators and intent to attract potential mates, male lizards produce a novel chemical calling card, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis.

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On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, here’s a feature story about UC San Diego Professor Carolyn Kurle and her mission to motivate and inspire students-- many from underprivileged backgrounds--into making an “Earth Connection” to help protect the planet and its resources.

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A new study shows that about half the land currently needed to grow food crops could be spared if attainable crop yields were achieved globally and crops were grown where they are most productive.

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Cutting down forests means we're also cutting down woodland caribou, says a pioneering study by University of Guelph ecologists showing that logging in Ontario's extensive boreal stands threatens populations of the elusive but iconic herbivore.

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Every year thousands of monarch butterflies are caught, tagged and released during their fall migration by citizen scientists helping to track their movements. But how do the monarchs themselves feel about being handled by humans?

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Researchers discovered the Tennessee cavesnail, Antrorbis tennesseensis, in caves near Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The snail measures in at less than 2 millimeters long.

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DePaul University ecologist Jalene LaMontagne is among the coauthors of a paper out this week in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution that highlights an emerging field: ecological dipoles.

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In a first-of-its-kind study, University of Notre Dame investigated the long-term effects of that momentous eco-celebration, studying how the event and the weather that day affected people’s attitudes toward conservation and their health years later.

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By: Anna Prentiss | Published: April 8, 2020 | 12:44 pm | SHARE: As people around the world isolate in their homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19, research indicates there may be some positive environmental outcomes.Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Jeff Chanton from the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS) said data show significant decreases in air pollution since January 2020.

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The agreement may benefit up to 26 million acres of land managed by energy companies and departments of transportation across the United States

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The coral-eating crown of thorns starfish that devastate tropical reefs can lie in wait as harmless young herbivores for more than six years while coral populations recover from previous attacks or coral bleaching, new research has shown.

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Answers to questions about any bird species, anywhere on Earth, may be found in a new digital publication from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology called Birds of the World.

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Nuclear bomb tests during the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s have helped scientists accurately estimate the age of whale sharks, the biggest fish in the seas, according to a Rutgers-led study. It’s the first time the age of this majestic species has been verified. One whale shark was an estimated 50 years old when it died, making it the oldest known of its kind. Another shark was an estimated 35 years old.

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A new study led by the University of Delaware’s Pinki Mondal recommends that in addition to using large swaths of coarse satellite data to evaluate forests on a national scale, it is important for countries to prioritize areas such as national parks and wildlife refuges and use finer scale data in those protected areas to make sure that they are maintaining their health and are being reported on accurately.

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Increasing numbers of bison in Yellowstone National Park in recent years have become a barrier to ecosystem recovery in the iconic Lamar Valley in the northern part of the park, according to a study by Oregon State University scientists.

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A team of scientists at Cardiff University has, for the first time, developed a way of predicting the size of plastics different animals are likely to ingest.

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If circulation of deep waters in the Atlantic stops or slows due to climate change, it could cause cooling in northern North America and Europe – a scenario that has occurred during past cold glacial periods. Now, a Rutgers coauthored study suggests that short-term disruptions of deep ocean circulation occurred during warm interglacial periods in the last 450,000 years, and may happen again.

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In a new study published by a Florida State University team, researchers found that male Trinidadian guppies observe a form of nepotism when it comes to pursuing the opposite sex. These tiny tropical fish often help their brothers in the mating process by darting in front of other males to block access to a female.

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Irvine, Calif., March 23, 2020 – East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier has retreated 5 kilometers, nearly 3 miles, in the past 22 years, and researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are concerned that the shape of the ground surface beneath the ice sheet could make it even more susceptible to climate-driven collapse.

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Long-term farm success depends on sustainable practices.

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A previously unknown and significant source of carbon just discovered in the Arctic has scientists both marveling at a once overlooked contributor to local coastal ecosystems and concerned about what it may mean in an era of climate change. FSU researcher Robert Spencer co-authored a study that showed evidence of undetected concentrations and flows of dissolved organic matter entering Arctic coastal waters, coming from groundwater flows on top of frozen permafrost.

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The American Dust Bowl of the 1930s - captured by the novels of John Steinbeck - was an environmental and socio-economic disaster that worsened the Great Depression.

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Though biodiversity is in crisis globally, amphibians in particular face a variety of threats.

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Scientists haven’t had a good grip on how friendly connections among strangers are made between animals. A new study of vampire bats living in captivity with strangers supports the “raising-the-stakes” model of relationship development: trust builds through gradual acceleration of investments in each other’s well-being.

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New research sheds light on how much tropical forests’ ability to take up and store carbon differ between forests with high versus low species richness, aiming to enhance our ability to predict tropical ecosystems’ strength as global carbon sinks.

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The movement of sea ice between Arctic countries is expected to significantly increase this century, raising the risk of more widely transporting pollutants like microplastics and oil, according to new research from CU Boulder.

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Nutrient cycling of stream ecosystems dependent on portion of salmons’ lifecycle.

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University of Washington researchers have discovered that large predators play a key yet unexpected role in keeping smaller predators and deer in check. Their “fatal attraction” theory finds that smaller predators are drawn to the kill sites of large predators by the promise of leftover scraps, but the scavengers may be killed themselves if their larger kin return for seconds.

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Joint research conducted by The Nature Conservancy and the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences calculated the carbon-storing power of global soils and showcased approaches like agroforestry designed to capitalise on untapped potential.

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A disease already known for causing massive die-offs of wildlife in Asia is spreading.

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Researchers illuminate the dawn of land plants and discover genes that could help crops grow more efficiently with less synthetic fertilizer.

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Researchers from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences have discovered that ocean acidification impacts the ability of some oysters to pass down “memories” of environmental trauma to their offspring.

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Spearheaded by earth scientists of the University of Cologne, an international team of geologists has found evidence that a large proportion of the elements that are important for the formation of oceans and life, such as water, carbon and nitrogen, were delivered to Earth very late in its history.