Complex organisms, thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand, can shape massive ecosystems and influence the fate of Earth’s climate, according to a new study. Researchers from Arizona State University, along with their colleagues from the National University of the Peruvian Amazon, have identified an unknown family of microbes uniquely adapted to the…
While human-made sources of methane are well-studied, natural sources like coastal waters remain less understood. These shallow, dynamic ecosystems are rich in methane, and because the water is not very deep, methane-eating microbes (methanotrophs) have little time to break it down before it escapes into the atmosphere. The study investigated three regions: the Doggerbank seep…
Birds are steadily moving north. Or at least those who can are. “California Scrub Jays moved to Port Townsend the same year I did,” said Steve Hampton, speaking Tuesday to the Peregrine Audubon Society in Ukiah about how birds in Northern California are adapting to the changes in their environment caused by both rising temperatures…
Mosquitoes are able to survive prolonged droughts by drinking blood, which helps to explain how their populations quickly rebound when it finally rains, biologists at the University of Cincinnati said. UC postdoctoral researcher Christopher Holmes led a study examining how two species of mosquito known for infecting people with diseases such as malaria were able…
Increasingly common since 1980, persistent multi-year droughts will continue to advance with the warming climate, warns a study from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL), with Professor Francesca Pellicciotti from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) participating. This publicly available forty-year global quantitative inventory, now published in Science,…
In recent years, more than 60 countries have developed strategies to stimulate the market ramp-up of hydrogen, particularly in the industrial sector. However, in 2023, less than ten percent of the originally announced green hydrogen production was realised, shows a new study published in the journal ‘Nature Energy’. The main reason: hydrogen remains an expensive…
Scientists have discovered how plants adapt their root systems in drought conditions to grow steeper into the soil to access deeper water reserves. Plant scientists from the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have identified how abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone known for its role in drought response, influences root…
Eating low-carbon foods helps reduce emissions, but some foods actually suck up carbon from the atmosphere, leaving the climate in a better place. We all know that producing most foods creates greenhouse gas emissions, driving climate change. These emissions come from hundreds of different sources, including tractors burning fuel, manufacturing fertiliser and the bacteria in cow’s guts….
Computer models developed by the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory predict that hotter, drier conditions in North America will limit the growth of a fungus that normally curbs the spread of the spongy moth, an invasive species that has caused millions of dollars in damage to forests. The research, published in Nature Climate…
Scientists have long sought ways to help plants turn more carbon dioxide (CO₂) into biomass, which could boost crop yields and even combat climate change. Recent research suggests that a group of unique, often overlooked plants called hornworts may hold the key. “Hornworts possess a remarkable ability that is unique among land plants: they have…