Since the Industrial Revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has rapidly increased. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire set out to determine how rising carbon dioxide concentrations and different climates may alter vegetation like forests, croplands, and 40 million acres of American lawns. They found that the clues may lie in an unexpected source, mushrooms.
Many people love their avocados – not to mention guacamole dip. So it was bad enough when scientists said a beetle was ravaging avocado trees in South Florida. Then scientists found out that the redbay ambrosia beetle -- originally determined to transmit laurel wilt -- is rare in avocado groves but that six other beetle species could carry the laurel wilt pathogen.
The new model will be a valuable tool for scientists and water managers alike, as the framework allows for accurate prediction of N2O emissions under a variety of scenarios including water temperature, changes in land use and the influence of climate change on emission outcomes.
Big Pixel Initiative researchers at the University of California San Diego are partnering with Columbia University and Arizona State University to create a continuous, global map of the urbanization process, and they’re looking to the public to help make it happen.
A team of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) working in Myanmar have reported the successful recovery of 44 fertile eggs of the critically endangered Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) – one of the world’s most endangered turtles.
Scientists have developed a new system to convert methane into a deep green, energy-rich, gelatin-like substance that can be used as the basis for biofuels and other bioproducts, specialty chemicals – and even feed for cows that create the gas in the first place.
Smithsonian Gardens celebrates National Garden Month with the launch of its first mobile app “Community of Gardens,” which brings stories of gardening in the United States to life.
The sensory system in fish fins evolves in parallel to fin shape and mechanics, and is specifically tuned to work with the fish’s swimming behavior, according to new research from the University of Chicago. The researchers found these parallels across a wide range of fish species, suggesting that it may occur in other animals as well.
ISU researchers are piecing together the genetic mechanisms that link plant growth and stress response. In a new paper, the research group links autophagy, an important energy recycling function, with slower growth during stress conditions. Autophagy plays a key role in animals as well as plants.
One of the longest-running controversies in evolutionary biology has been, “What was the oldest branch of the animal family tree?” Was it the sponges, as had long been thought, or was it the delicate marine predators called comb jellies? A powerful new method has been devised to settle contentious phylogenetic tree-of-life issues like this and it comes down squarely on the side of comb jellies.
Agronomy is the study of crop and soil science – important in delivering food from farm to table. But most people don’t know the word. And most agronomists – the scientists working in the field of agronomy – find their complicated jobs hard to explain. That means there is a communication gap, and Nels Hansen wants to help solve it.
Recent studies have implicated air pollution from vehicles as playing a role in whether exposed infants develop autism. Now a UWM scientist will try to uncover how the developing brain is affected by these chemicals and whether they also lead to childhood ADHD.
Wildfire experts predict that by 2041, there will be four large, high-intensity forest fires for every three that occur now, with the number of days when conditions are conducive to fires increasing.
We are creating robotic systems that are small, mobile, connected, and enduring, making them a perfect match for the remote Arctic to give the USCG the ability to understand an incident while there is still time to react.
A new study of Peruvian frogs living at a wide variety of elevations—from the Amazon floodplain to high Andes peaks—lends support to the idea that lowland amphibians are at higher risk from future climate warming.
Upper atmosphere pattern may open window to long-term prediction
The University Libraries at Bowling Green State University has greatly expanded its collection of Great Lakes research materials thanks to a significant donation from the National Museum of the Great Lakes, which is owned and operated by the Great Lakes Historical Society.
UC San Diego researchers published a systematic analysis of microgrids in Southern California to better understand business cases for private investment in microgrids. From the abstract: “Decentralization [of the electric power grid] could radically reduce customer energy costs, but without the right policy framework it could create large numbers of small decentralized sources of gas-based carbon emissions that will be difficult to control if policy makers want to achieve deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.”
The ongoing recovery of the black-footed ferret is one of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's most successful conservation efforts.
On Earth Day weekend, the Smithsonian will convene the first Earth Optimism Summit, a three-day event featuring more than 150 scientists, thought leaders, philanthropists, conservationists and civic leaders, which will highlight what is working in conservation and how to scale up and replicate it.
Hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis and other disasters cannot be stopped, but countries can plan for them — something some areas of the world seem to do better than others, according to a new study published in the journal Risk Analysis.
A fifteen-year study in Vermont shows that imitating old-growth forests enhances carbon storage in managed forestland far better than conventional forestry techniques.
The College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y., has become a designated pollinator-friendly campus by agreeing to avoid the use of bee-toxic pesticides.
The opportunities offered by Western Illinois University's Kibbe Life Science Station in Warsaw, IL, are drawing students and natural resource professionals to the region for a chance to learn more about the migration and health of ducks.
This good news comes as Florida growers head into the heart of blueberry season.
The St. Gallen-based Empa biotech spin-off, MycoSolutions AG, has developed a new fungal product that improves the soil and controls pest fungi in an environmentally friendly way. Wooden poles remain in use much longer, leading to cost savings of millions for operators. A "Proof-of-Concept" is now available for the integrated wood preservation method.
Now that the snow has finally melted and Manitobans are getting out an about, some are venturing into wooded or grassy areas. And that’s a problem. U of M entomologist Kateryn Rochon cautions that tick season is upon us, and we should be vigilant.
Four students and one faculty member from Western Illinois University's Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration (RPTA) spent their Spring Break week with a national organization whose mission is cleaning up America's rivers.
Male jumping spiders will try to mate with any female, but that lack of discretion could cost them their lives, says a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher.
Beck's, the largest family-owned retail seed company in the United States, announced today a collaboration with Indiana State University to train pilots to operate unmanned aerial vehicles within the new legal structure established by the Federal Aviation Administration.
A collaboration of scientists, led by Northern Arizona University professor Bruce Hungate, has created a model to measure the dollars saved by having healthy and diverse ecosystems.
Scientists built a new device that shows what happens when electrode, electrolyte, and active materials meet in energy storage technologies.
Can organic growers fight weeds and increase soil health? To grow crops organically, farmers fight weeds with chemical-free weapons. But it takes heavy tractors to efficiently turn soil and rip out weeds, compressing the soil. And after a field is turned, heavy rains and wind can erode the exposed soil. Researchers are working to get the best of both worlds.
Aiming to greatly expand its use of recycled water, the University of California, Irvine is partnering with the Irvine Ranch Water District to convert the school’s central cooling plant to an environmentally friendly system that will conserve more than 50 million gallons of drinkable water per year.
Massive seagrass beds in Western Australia’s Shark Bay — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — haven’t recovered much from the devastating heat wave of 2011, according to a new study demonstrating how certain vital ecosystems may change drastically in a warming climate.
An insect infestation that is killing hemlock trees in New England forests is having a significant impact on the water resources of forested ecosystems that provide essential water supplies to one of the nation's most populous regions.
Sandia National Laboratories materials scientists have developed a model to predict the limits of friction behavior of metals based on materials properties — how hard you can push on materials or how much current you can put through them before they stop working properly.
A new facility at the University of Arkansas combines laser ablation and mass spectrometry for quick, efficient analysis of trace elements and radiogenic isotopes.
A new University of Delaware study is one of the first to show that tree trunks in forests in high or hilly lands emit methane rather than store it, representing a previously unaccounted source of the powerful greenhouse gas. Because of methane’s global warming potential, identifying the greenhouse gas source is key to understanding its impact.
Growers who time their strawberries to bloom just after apples do can reap a better harvest, according to new Cornell University research.
New research led by the University of Southampton suggests that, over the next 100 to 200 years, carbon dioxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere will head towards values not seen since the Triassic period, 200 million years ago. Furthermore, by the 23rd century, the climate could reach a warmth not seen in 420 million years.
Environmentally, proper lawn care can help prevent nutrients from flowing into nearby waterways, said Jason Kruse, a UF/IFAS associate professor of environmental horticulture. Mowing helps increase canopy density, increases soil stability and prevents soil erosion. These changes in the lawn will help limit fertilizer and other nutrients from flowing into waterways, Kruse said.
Global Temperature Report: March 2017
Cornell University scientists have discovered a new high-definition system that allows electrons to travel through soil farther and more efficiently than previously thought.
Growers who time their strawberries to bloom just after apples do, can reap a better harvest, according to new research.
Ever heard of a bed that gets tired? The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) April 1 Soils Matter blog post explains how to wake up raised garden bed soils and keep them healthy.
Using the flowering mustard plant Boechera stricta, a team including researchers at the DOE Joint Genome Institute and Duke University offers the first direct evidence showing that QTLs, genome regions on chromosomes to which genetic traits can be mapped, are a driving force behind speciation.
An unusual fossil find is giving scientists new ideas about how some of the earliest animals on Earth came to dominate the world’s oceans.
The world’s most valuable copper deposits, known as porphyry deposits, originate from cooling magma. But how can we predict the size of these deposits? What factors govern the amount of copper present?
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