Using laser scanning, researchers at the University of Helsinki have mapped out how the fragmentation of forests affects tree shape in the rainforests of Brazil. The results are surprising, as they shed light on the impact of human activity on the tropical environment and, consequently, on climate change in a new way.
Just like Ring home security cameras capture both mundane and extraordinary events, strategically placed camera traps deep in the Congo Basin have uncovered the behavior of an elusive species of African monkey known as the “lesula.”
This holiday season brings surprising news about your Christmas tree. Scientists just discovered that globally, trees growing in wetter regions are more sensitive to drought.
A Washington State University study that intended to look at snow melting under a single, extreme event, the 2021 “heat dome,” instead revealed an alarming, longer-term rising trend of successive heatwaves melting snowpack earlier in the year.
Flat-faced dogs' popularity comes at a high cost in terms of health: shortened skulls are associated with deteriorative brain morphology changes, breathing difficulties and sleep problems.
Researchers from UC San Diego have come one step closer to unlocking the potential of synthetic DNA, which could help scientists develop never-before-seen proteins in the lab.
Researchers have shown that the effects of wildfires are not limited to terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems are also undergoing rapid changes. The study found that fire debris transforms lakes and other aquatic ecosystems, with implications for fisheries and water quality.
Accurately counting manatee aggregations within a region is crucial yet challenging. Harnessing the power of AI, researchers are among the first to use a deep learning-based crowd counting approach to automatically count the number of manatees in a designated region, using images captured from CCTV cameras, which are readily available, as input.
Understanding the risk of compound energy droughts—times when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow—will help grid planners understand where energy storage is needed most
The soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) weighs only a few grams, but it is estimated that members of this small bat species cover thousands of kilometres every year on their nocturnal migrations from north-eastern to south-western Europe.
Can a volcano erupt after tens of thousands of years of dormancy? If so, how can this be explained and what makes volcanic eruptions more dangerous, i.e. explosive? These are key questions in volcanic hazard assessment and can also draw attention to volcanoes that appear to be inactive.
Horses have developed long faces simply ‘because they can,’ a team of evolutionary biologists say.
Every year in the Christmas season it becomes clear again that some people are amazingly skilled singers, like Mariah Carey and George Michael. Their singing can stir strong emotions.
The current emoji library doesn’t accurately represent the “tree of life” and the breadth of biodiversity seen in nature according to an analysis presented December 11 in the journal iScience.
Birds are affected by the mass use of fireworks on New Year's Eve up to a distance of 10 km away. With data from weather radars and bird counts an international team of researchers revealed how many birds take off immediately after the start of the fireworks, at what distance from fireworks this occurs and which species groups mainly react.
Fairy circles, a nearly hexagonal pattern of bare-soil circular gaps in grasslands, initially observed in Namibia and later in other parts of the world, have fascinated and baffled scientists for years. Theories for their appearance range from spatial self-organization induced by scale-dependent water-vegetation feedback to pre-existing patterns of termite nests.
The Wildlife Conservation President and CEO Monica Medina released the following concerning the latest version of the Global Stocktake posted today at the UN Climate Conference COP28
Natural resource management decisions in protected areas impact more than the wildlife and landscapes they’re charged to conserve.
“The ministers chose today to break from traditional silos and to pursue strategies that put nature at the heart of climate change responses.” –Joe Walston, Executive Vice President of WCS Global Conservation
Whether Santa needs some ideas for you or there’s a gardener you’re stumped shopping for, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert has some holiday gift ideas.
Trees planted in urban areas can provide shade and contribute to a lower air temperature. For these services to be optimal, it is important to let asphalt give way to trees, according to research from the University of Gothenburg. The role of trees in the urban climate is an issue that has grown in importance in the wake of climate change, where average temperatures are expected to rise.
A team of sustainability scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced in the journal PLOS ONE that they have developed a community-based framework, founded on extensive local and traditional knowledge, to help assess and respond to the kinds of ecological threats that are widely dispersed across a varied landscape and whose solutions are not immediately obvious.
New research has found that two similar species of birds – both capable of displaying self-control through delayed gratification – behave very differently around their favourite food when they have company.
Tropical coral reefs are among our most spectacular ecosystems, yet a rapidly warming planet threatens the future survival of many reefs.
This innovation in forest biometrics introduces advanced models for accurately predicting the size and carbon-storing capacity of American forests, playing a key role in combating climate change and guiding sustainable forest management efforts.
One of the most enduring questions of life is: How does it happen? One line of scientific inquiry lies in understanding gastrulation — the stage at which embryo cells develop from a single layer to a multidimensional structure. New research suggests that the same physical principles behind multicellular self-organization may have evolved across vertebrate species.
The electric eel is the biggest power-making creature on Earth. It can release up to 860 volts, which is enough to run a machine. In a recent study, a research group from Nagoya University in Japan found electric eels can release enough electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae. They published their findings in PeerJ - Life and Environment.
Tree height is an important indicator of a forest’s maturity and overall health. Forest restoration projects rely on tree height as a predictor and measurement of success, but forecasting a forest’s future tree height based on observations alone is almost impossible. There are too many factors that contribute to the growth and health of trees.
Mice typically live two years and monkeys live 25 years, but the brains of both appear to develop their synapses at the same time. This finding, published in a recent study led by neuroscientist Bobby Kasthuri of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and his colleagues at the University of Chicago, is a shock for neuroscientists.
Since 2011, parts of the Indian River Lagoon’s benthic cover has changed from primarily seagrass until 2015, to primarily the green macroalga C. prolifera after 2018. While native to the lagoon, C. prolifera acts as an invasive species that can move into new spaces and dominate due to its competitive ability in impaired habitats.
Scientists have amassed genome data for dozens of “magic mushroom” isolates and cultivars, with the goal to learn more about how their domestication and cultivation has changed them. The findings, published December 4 in the journal Current Biology, may point the way to the production of intriguing new cultivars, say the researchers.
The research team, led by scientists at the University of York, mapped the family tree of the ferocious ambush-predators and their extinct relatives known as Pseudosuchia.
Polar bears are icons of the Arctic, elusive and vulnerable. Detailed monitoring of their populations is crucial for their conservation — but because polar bears are so difficult to find, we are missing critical data about population size and how well connected those populations are
Scientists from Stockholm University have investigated the mechanisms that create cool microclimates beneath forest canopies during warm and dry summer days. The study reveals how canopy shading and water evaporation together create cooler forest microclimates compared to temperatures outside forests.
The following statement was issued by Sushil Raj of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Dr. Myrna Cunningham Kain of the Pawanka Fund, and Roberto Múkaro Agüeibaná Borrero of the Inclusive Conservation Academy:
Recognizing the importance of ecological integrity to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, including climate regulation, the Government of the Republic of Congo, represented by the Ministry of Forest Economy, and WCS have initiated a new program to attract investment in the conservation of high-integrity tropical forests.
Top 10 Climate Science Insights Unveiled: Global experts in social and natural sciences unveiled the annual 10 New Insights in Climate Science Report.
A new species of stalked puffball, a gasteroid fungus, has been named after the ‘Shai-Hulud’ sandworms of Frank Herbert's iconic science fiction novel series ‘Dune.’
Annapolis, MD; November 30, 2023—Hung from a common utility pole, a fiber optic cable—the kind bringing high-speed internet to more and more American households—can be turned into a sensor to detect temperature changes, vibrations, and even sound, through an emerging technology called distributed fiber optic sensing.
Researchers have provided new insights into how ancestral elephants developed their dextrous trunks.
Venoms have developed in many animal groups independently of each other. One group that has many venomous species is Hymenoptera, an insect order that also includes aculeates (stinging insects) such as bees, wasps and ants. Hymenoptera is very species-rich, with over 6,000 species of bees alone.
Sharks, rays and skates are the ocean’s most threatened vertebrate group. Research led by the University of Zurich into their functional diversity has now revealed previously overlooked, critical conservation priorities, thereby underscoring the urgent need for targeted action to safeguard the threatened species.
As the 2023 hurricane season comes to a close, the living shorelines of Cedar Key should be considered one of the year’s success stories in fight against impact of climate change.
A DAUCO team finds that silicon is a potential means of promoting plant growth, probably by favoring the absorption of nutrients such as potassium Restrictions on the use of certain agrochemicals, such as fertilizers or pesticides, in the field of agribusiness have boosted interest in looking for alternatives to protect and strengthen crops like olive groves.
Madagascar’s Makira-Masoala wilderness will receive an annual $1 million grant through a new agreement between the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF), with support from Arcadia.
Ed Olsen, an agent at Henrico unit of Virginia Cooperative Extension, shares tips for holiday plant care.
A new kind of "wire" for moving excitons, developed at the University of Michigan, could help enable a new class of devices, perhaps including room temperature quantum computers.
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