Feature Channels: Nature

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Released: 4-Oct-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Pandemic boosted gardening, hunting in NYS
Cornell University

A survey of New York state residents found that nearly half of respondents increased the amount of time they spent on wild and backyard food in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic – confirming anecdotes about increases in activities such as sourdough baking, fishing and gardening.

Newswise: How Insects Evolved to Ultrafast Flight (And Back)
29-Sep-2023 2:40 PM EDT
How Insects Evolved to Ultrafast Flight (And Back)
Georgia Institute of Technology

This asynchronous beating comes from how the flight muscles interact with the physics of the insect’s springy exoskeleton. This decoupling of neural commands and muscle contractions is common in only four distinct insect groups. For years, scientists assumed these four groups evolved these ultrafast wingbeats separately, but research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) shows that they evolved from a single common ancestor. This discovery demonstrates evolution has repeatedly turned on and off this particular mode of flight. The researchers developed physics models and robotics to test how these transitions could occur.

Newswise: Birders & AI Push Bird Conservation to the Next Level
Released: 4-Oct-2023 10:05 AM EDT
Birders & AI Push Bird Conservation to the Next Level
Cornell University

For the first time, big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are being used to model hidden patterns in nature, not just for one bird species, but for entire ecological communities across continents. And the models follow each species’ full annual life cycle, from breeding to fall migration to nonbreeding grounds, and back north again during spring migration.

Released: 29-Sep-2023 10:40 AM EDT
The YABBY gene SHATTERING1 controls activation rather than patterning of the abscission zone in Setaria viridis
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Plants have highly evolved mechanisms to shed or drop organs (abscission) in response to environmental or developmental cues. It’s why you have to rake leaves in the Fall! But in agriculture, the natural shedding of flowers or seeds is detrimental, and cereal crops with abscission-inhibiting mutations in certain genes, like SHATTERING1, have been bred to dramatically increase yield. Using Crispr gene editing and detailed analyses, Yu et al. show for the first time some mechanistic features of abscission in the grasses, including the role of the plant hormone auxin.

14-Sep-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Dolphins, seals, and whales managed by the US are highly vulnerable to climate change
PLOS

72% of cetacean and pinniped stocks managed under US jurisdiction are highly or very highly vulnerable to climate change, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.

Newswise: Protected nature reserves alone are insufficient for reversing biodiversity loss
Released: 13-Sep-2023 2:50 PM EDT
Protected nature reserves alone are insufficient for reversing biodiversity loss
University of Helsinki

Protected nature areas are considered fundamental for maintaining biodiversity and countering its loss. But how effectively do established protected areas work and prevent negative trends? Research at the University of Helsinki shows mixed effects of protected areas on various species.

Released: 29-Aug-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Climate Change-Induced Drought May Transform Parts of the Amazon’s Rainforests Into Savannas
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

A portion of Amazonian lowland rainforest – areas critical to absorbing carbon dioxide and buffering climate change – may morph over time into dry, grassy savannas, according to a Rutgers-led study.

Released: 23-Aug-2023 12:55 PM EDT
Discovering the unexpected way protected areas contribute to biodiversity
Northern Arizona University

A study published in Nature found that, while protected areas in Southeast Asia were shown to be good for animals inside their borders, as expected, that protection also extended to nearby unprotected areas, which was a surprise.

Newswise: As Tropical Forests Reach Critical High-Temperatures, the Time to Act Is Now
25-Jul-2023 4:00 PM EDT
As Tropical Forests Reach Critical High-Temperatures, the Time to Act Is Now
Northern Arizona University

A new study, which combines satellite thermal and in situ warming experiment data from across the world’s tropical forests, looks at the variation of leaf temperatures within forest canopies. The data collected revealed that a small percentage of tropical leaves are already reaching, and occasionally exceeding, the temperatures at which they can no longer function—suggesting that as climate change continues, entire canopies could die, eliminating a key regulator of Earth’s climate and putting the world’s biodiversity at risk.

Released: 18-Aug-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Explore the avian world. Read the latest research on Birds here.
Newswise

The discovery that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic was made possible by recently discovered fossils of theropods such as Tyrannosaurus rex and the smaller velociraptors. In a way, you could say that dinosaurs are still with us and seen tweeting from your own backyard! Below are the latest research headlines in the Birds channel on Newswise.

Released: 17-Aug-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Heredity and environment account for people’s love of nature
University of Gothenburg

Humans have a positive view of nature. But is this due to an approach we have learned while growing up, or is it something we are born with?

   
Released: 17-Aug-2023 8:05 AM EDT
It’s not just humans: City life is stressful for coyotes, too
Ohio State University

Though cars are the biggest threat to coyotes taking up residence in U.S. cities, a new study suggests urban living poses a different kind of hazard to coyote health – in the form of chronic stress.

Released: 16-Aug-2023 4:25 PM EDT
Underwater molecular barter
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Munich)

Corals and anemones engage in symbiotic relationships with algae and swap nutrients with them. A new study shows how this partnership is regulated at cell level.

Newswise: Bats Feast as Insects Migrate Through Pyrenees
Released: 16-Aug-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Bats Feast as Insects Migrate Through Pyrenees
University of Exeter

Bats gather to feast as nocturnal insects fly through mountain passes in the Pyrenees each autumn, new research shows.

Newswise: World’s Deepest Coral Calcification Rates Measured Off Hawaiian Islands
Released: 16-Aug-2023 1:55 PM EDT
World’s Deepest Coral Calcification Rates Measured Off Hawaiian Islands
University of Hawaii at Manoa

In the waters off the Hawaiian Islands, rates of calcification were measured in the deepest coral colonies and reported recently in a study led by a University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa oceanographer.

Newswise: Recycling Study Demonstrates New Possibilities for a Circular Plastics Economy Powered by Renewable Energy
Released: 11-Aug-2023 1:30 PM EDT
Recycling Study Demonstrates New Possibilities for a Circular Plastics Economy Powered by Renewable Energy
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrated a way to use electricity to recycle polyoxymethylene (POM), a form of plastic that’s growing in use but more challenging to recycle.

Released: 8-Aug-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Mind what you eat and drink. Food and Water Safety stories for media.
Newswise

The latest headlines from the Food and Water Safety channel on Newswise.

       
Released: 4-Aug-2023 3:15 PM EDT
In the treetops: Ecologist studies canopy soil abundance, chemistry
Utah State University

When we think of soil, most of us think of dirt on the ground. But a surprising amount of the planet’s soil thrives in the treetops of old-growth forests, high above terra firma.

Newswise: Tropical trees use social distancing to maintain biodiversity
Released: 3-Aug-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Tropical trees use social distancing to maintain biodiversity
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)

Tropical forests often harbor hundreds of species of trees in a square mile, but scientists often struggle to understand how such a diversity of species can coexist.

Released: 2-Aug-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Secondary school students have difficulty identifying bird species
University of the Basque Country

The Department of Didactics of Mathematics, Experimental and Social Sciences has analysed the knowledge of birds of secondary school students, and their attitude towards conservation. Students have shown that they have scant knowledge about bird migration and species identification, and despite their good environmental attitudes, many consider that conservation efforts are excessive and hamper economic development.

   
Released: 1-Aug-2023 1:55 PM EDT
Nature-based solutions can help tackle climate change and food security, but communities outside Europe are missing out
University of Surrey

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help grand challenges, such as climate change and food security, but, as things stand, communities outside of Europe do not stand to benefit from these innovations.

Released: 31-Jul-2023 3:30 PM EDT
Plans to plant billions of trees threatened by massive undersupply of seedlings
University of Vermont

The REPLANT Act provides money for the US Forest Service to plant more than a billion trees in the next nine years. The World Economic Forum aims to help plant a trillion trees around the world by 2030.

Newswise: Fabrication of Nanoscale Photonic Crystals with Ultrafast Laser
Released: 31-Jul-2023 11:15 AM EDT
Fabrication of Nanoscale Photonic Crystals with Ultrafast Laser
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Photonic crystal structures have excellent light control properties and are hot topics in the field of photonics. For the preparation of photonic crystal structures with nanoscale three-dimensional spatial resolution inside the crystal, new femtosecond laser processing technologies are urgently needed. Scientists in China proposed a photonic crystal structure fabrication method based on nanoscale femtosecond laser multi-beam lithography. The technique will open possible ways to fabricate nanostructures for applications in optical communication and light manipulation.

Released: 27-Jul-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Nurturing a Summertime Staple
Virginia Tech

Summertime is synonymous with fresh berries, and there may be no better place to be on a sunny day – besides the beach – than a berry-picking patch. Berry production is a $6 billion industry in the United States, and Virginia has been become a key contributor with a suitable climate and soil types for growing blueberries and blackberries, in particular.

Newswise: A reason to celebrate Christmas in July: Research shows real Christmas trees boost mental health
Released: 20-Jul-2023 2:00 PM EDT
A reason to celebrate Christmas in July: Research shows real Christmas trees boost mental health
West Virginia University

While the smell of fresh pine or the softness of fir branches can ease holiday woes, West Virginia University researchers have discovered that even the act of shopping for real Christmas trees offers consumers mental health benefits they don’t get on a hunt for artificial ones.

   
Newswise: Picturing the places wildlands and people meet at a global scale
Released: 19-Jul-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Picturing the places wildlands and people meet at a global scale
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Researchers led by a team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have created the first tool to map and visualize the areas where human settlements and nature meet on a global scale. The tool, which was part of a study recently published in Nature, could improve responses to environmental conflicts like wildfires, the spread of zoonotic diseases and loss of ecosystem biodiversity.

Newswise: Study highlights urgent need to protect world’s forests from non-native pests in the face of climate change
Released: 18-Jul-2023 5:00 PM EDT
Study highlights urgent need to protect world’s forests from non-native pests in the face of climate change
Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)

CABI joined an international team of researchers from 57 institutions around the world to share its expertise in a ground-breaking study which highlights the urgent need to protect the world’s forests from non-native pests amid climate change.

Newswise: Success of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in fighting dengue may be underestimated
Released: 17-Jul-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Success of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in fighting dengue may be underestimated
University of Notre Dame

The fight against dengue fever has a new weapon: a mosquito infected with the bacteria Wolbachia, which prevents the spread of the virus. These mosquitoes have now been deployed in several trials demonstrating their potential in preventing disease transmission.

Released: 14-Jul-2023 5:10 PM EDT
Multiple uses of tropical mosaic landscapes
University of Göttingen

Many landscapes in the tropics consist of a mosaic of different types of land use. How people make use of these different ecosystems, with their particular plant communities, was unclear until now. Researchers, many of them from Madagascar, have now investigated this in an interdisciplinary Malagasy research project at the University of Göttingen.

Released: 12-Jul-2023 5:25 PM EDT
Research seeks insights on honeybee diets for healthier hives
Texas A&M AgriLife

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are studying how pollen diversity affects the nutritional quality of honeybee diets, including asking foundational questions about how nutrition can sustain healthier colonies.

Released: 10-Jul-2023 6:15 PM EDT
Developer dollars not enough to save species
University of Queensland

Financial payments made by land developers to offset their impacts on threatened species may fall short, according to University of Queensland-led research.

Newswise: Natural history collections shed light on bumblebees' modern struggles
Released: 10-Jul-2023 3:40 PM EDT
Natural history collections shed light on bumblebees' modern struggles
Pensoft Publishers

A new study highlights potential causes for changing foraging habits of bumblebees. Using advanced molecular techniques called pollen metabarcoding, researchers investigated interactions between bumblebees and plants in Cuxhaven, Germany, and how they changed over 60 years.

Newswise: How the use of chemicals and biodiversity loss are connected
Released: 30-Jun-2023 1:45 PM EDT
How the use of chemicals and biodiversity loss are connected
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main

Science does not take a deep enough look at chemicals in the environment as one of the causes of the decline in biodiversity.

Released: 28-Jun-2023 2:35 PM EDT
Study revealed rainforest releases oxidized organic molecules that form aerosol particles in tropical free troposphere
University of Helsinki

Oxidized organic molecules originating from the Amazon rainforest are crucial components contributing to the formation of aerosol particles in the tropical free troposphere, according to a new study led by the University of Helsinki.

Released: 26-Jun-2023 6:05 PM EDT
Study finds human impact on wildlife even in protected areas
Rice University

By 2030, if the 30 by 30 initiative supported by more than 100 countries is successful, 30% of our land and ocean ecosystems will be designated protected areas meant to safeguard biodiversity and help limit the impacts of climate change.

Released: 26-Jun-2023 4:00 PM EDT
Headlines involving the fascinating (and perilous) world of oceanography and marine biology can be viewed on the Marine Science channel
Newswise

The recent tragic loss of the Titan submersible in the depths of the North Atlantic has brought the fascinating (and very dangerous) world of Oceanography and Marine Science to the forefront. Below are some recent stories that have been added to the Marine Science channel on Newswise, including expert commentary on the Titan submersible.

       
Newswise: New research shows vegetation accelerates coastal dune erosion during extreme events
Released: 21-Jun-2023 3:05 PM EDT
New research shows vegetation accelerates coastal dune erosion during extreme events
University of Delaware

Coastal sand dunes provide the first line of defense from storms for some of the most economically valuable and ecologically important landscapes in the world .

Newswise: Fossil study sheds light on famous spirals found in nature
Released: 16-Jun-2023 6:35 PM EDT
Fossil study sheds light on famous spirals found in nature
University of Edinburgh

Leaf arrangements in the earliest plants differ from most modern plants, overturning a long-held theory regarding the origins of a famous mathematical pattern found in nature, research shows.

Newswise: Preserving Forests to Protect Deep Soil From Warming
Released: 14-Jun-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Preserving Forests to Protect Deep Soil From Warming
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

An innovative, decade-long experiment in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains shows carbon stocks buried deep underground are vulnerable to climate change. The findings have implications for mitigating global warming through the natural carbon sinks provided by soil and forests which capture 25% of all carbon emissions.

Released: 14-Jun-2023 1:15 PM EDT
The heat is on! Don't panic. Get the latest news on heat waves and the dangers of heat in the Extreme Heat channel
Newswise

As we enter the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere and the possibility of extreme heat becomes more common, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the science of heat waves and take measures to protect ourselves from this growing public health threat.

       
Newswise: ASU establishes ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, a new collaborative effort to seed renewed connection between human and coral communities in Hawaiʻi
Released: 14-Jun-2023 8:05 AM EDT
ASU establishes ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, a new collaborative effort to seed renewed connection between human and coral communities in Hawaiʻi
Arizona State University (ASU)

With a group of core partners, Arizona State University is creating a new $25 million collaboration to preserve and restore vitality to Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs and the health of its coastlines.

Newswise: Samurai wasp has minimal impact on native stink bugs, new CABI-led study confirms
Released: 12-Jun-2023 7:35 PM EDT
Samurai wasp has minimal impact on native stink bugs, new CABI-led study confirms
Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)

A new study led by CABI has confirmed that the Samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) – a natural enemy of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) pest – has minimal impact on native stink bugs.

Released: 24-May-2023 5:30 PM EDT
Consistent link between the seaside and better health
University of Vienna

Seaside residents and holidaymakers have felt it for centuries, but scientists have only recently started to investigate possible health benefits of the coast. Using data from 15 countries, new research led by Sandra Geiger from the Environmental Psychology Group at the University of Vienna confirms public intuition: Living near, but especially visiting, the seaside is associated with better health regardless of country or personal income.

Newswise: Coastal ecosystems are a net greenhouse gas sink, new research shows
Released: 23-May-2023 1:50 PM EDT
Coastal ecosystems are a net greenhouse gas sink, new research shows
Southern Cross University

A new greenhouse gas budget shows coastal ecosystems globally are a net greenhouse gas sink for carbon dioxide (CO2) but emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) counteract some of the CO2 uptake, according to international researchers led by Australia’s Southern Cross University.

Newswise: A new tool for deforestation detection
Released: 18-May-2023 11:25 AM EDT
A new tool for deforestation detection
Journal of Remote Sensing

Every second, the planet loses a stretch of forest equivalent to a football field due to logging, fires, insect infestation, disease, wind, drought, and other factors.

Released: 18-May-2023 6:05 AM EDT
Butterfly beginnings
Washington University in St. Louis

Biologists from Washington University in St. Louis collaborated with a large number of butterfly and plant specialists to reconstruct the origin and global spread of butterflies. Working with researchers from dozens of countries, Michael Landis and Mariana P. Braga in Arts & Sciences helped create the world’s largest butterfly tree of life, assembled with DNA from more than 2,000 species representing all butterfly families.

Newswise:Video Embedded commentary-in-science-europe-s-old-forests-at-risk
VIDEO
Released: 15-May-2023 2:20 PM EDT
Commentary in Science: Europe’s Old Forests at Risk
University of Vermont

Walking along a steep ridge, under large hemlock trees, ten miles outside of Burlington, Vermont—Bill Keeton is worrying about Europe’s remaining old forests. He’s so concerned, in fact, that he and some colleagues wrote a letter to the journal Science—published on May 5, 2023—calling for rapid action to protect them.



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