Dramatic increase in microplastics in seagrass soil since the 1970s
Large-scale production of vegetables and fruit in Spain with intensive plastic consumption in its greenhouse industry is believed to have leaked microplastic contaminants since the 1970s into the surrounding Mediterranean seagrass beds. This is shown.....»»
Improving soil health yields unexpected benefits for farmers
In the U.S., as farmers wrestle with extreme heat and drought, heavy rainfall and flooding, and erosion—all factors of climate change which can take a toll on crops—there's been a lot of buzz over regenerative agriculture over the past few years,.....»»
How the “Nutbush” became Australia’s unofficial national dance
Most Australians learned the "daggy" line dance in primary school starting in the mid-1970s Enlarge / US Embassy Australia employees learning to do the Nutbush to honor the late Tina Turner in 2023. (credit: Screenshot/US Embassy.....»»
NASA is considering other ways of getting its Mars samples home
In 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover landed in the Jezero Crater on Mars. For the next three years, this astrobiology mission collected soil and rock samples from the crater floor for eventual return to Earth. The analysis of these samples is expected.....»»
Advances in techniques used to identify sharks and rays is not preventing trade and increase in extinction risk: Study
The most advanced molecular techniques contribute significantly to the identification of endangered sharks, rays and skates, collectively known as elasmobranchs, and are therefore fundamental to the enforcement of the laws and regulations governing t.....»»
Marine heat waves devastate red gorgonians in the Medes Islands: Study
The increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heat waves in recent decades is one of the effects of global climate change. A study by the University of Barcelona, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, shows that the extreme heat wave of.....»»
Organic farmers" beliefs about soil microbiome affect their practices, study shows
Organic farming can support soil microorganisms that promote plant defenses and reduce insect pests. But not all organic practices are equally beneficial for soil microbes, and it's important to understand farmer motivations in order to encourage the.....»»
The US is losing wetlands at an accelerating rate—how the private sector can help protect these valuable resources
Wetlands aren't the most eye-catching ecosystems. They include swamps, bogs, fens and other places where soil is covered by water most of the time. But they perform a huge range of valuable services, from soaking up floodwaters to filtering out pollu.....»»
On-demand courses increase revenue but lower engagement
The online education industry has grown exponentially over the last decade, fueled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new study, researchers examined whether online courses provided by online educational platforms should follow a scheduled format.....»»
New study helps disentangle role of soil microbes in the global carbon cycle
When soil microbes eat plant matter, the digested food follows one of two pathways. Either the microbe uses the food to build its own body, or it respires its meal as carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere......»»
Unknown helpers of the soil: How invertebrates support the decomposition of plants
When plants or parts of them die, billions of small creatures help to break down the organic material. Next to microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, also some soil-living invertebrates seem to be involved in this process......»»
Rare elephant twins born in dramatic birth in Thailand
An elephant in Thailand has delivered a rare set of twins in a dramatic birth that left a caregiver injured after he tried to rescue one of the newborns......»»
Mapping soil health: New index enhances soil organic carbon prediction
A cutting-edge machine learning model has been developed to predict soil organic carbon (SOC) levels, a critical factor for soil health and crop productivity. The innovative approach utilizes hyperspectral data to identify key spectral bands, offerin.....»»
The impact of carbon impurities on the quality of gallium nitride crystals
The wide availability of light-emitting devices (LEDs) for consumer use has led to a dramatic decrease in the cost of lighting our homes and other buildings. This is owing to the much higher efficiency of LEDs in converting electrical energy into lig.....»»
Novel genetic clock discovers oldest known marine plant: Seagrass clone in the Baltic sea is more than 1,400 years old
Using a novel genetic clock, a team of researchers from Kiel, London, Oldenburg, and Davis, California, has determined the age of a large marine plant clone for the first time. This seagrass clone from the Baltic Sea dates back to the migration perio.....»»
Research team uses CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis for the first time
A team from the Innovative Genomics Institute at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) has produced an increase in gene expression in a food crop by changing its upstream regulatory DNA. While other studies have used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing t.....»»
New research finds lake under Mars ice cap unlikely
Cornell University researchers have provided a simple and comprehensive—if less dramatic—explanation for bright radar reflections initially interpreted as liquid water beneath the ice cap on Mars' south pole......»»
Regulation of secondary metabolite accumulation in medicinal plants
Medicinal plants are important economic crops and of great value in the health care industry. The rapid growth of market demand has led to a shortage of Chinese medicinal crops and an annual increase in prices. Secondary metabolites (SMs), as the mai.....»»
Record highs in the North Sea: Even the German Bight is warmer than ever before
Researchers around the globe are sounding the alarm: ocean temperatures are the warmest ever recorded. In 2023, the North Sea also experienced dramatic record highs, as readings taken by the Alfred Wegener Institute's Biological Institute Helgoland i.....»»
Basic income can double global GDP while reducing carbon emissions, analysis suggests
Giving a regular cash payment to the entire world population has the potential to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 130%, according to a new analysis published June 7 in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability. Researchers suggest that.....»»
Increasing tropical cyclone frequency may have deadly consequences for seabird populations
The increase in tropical cyclone frequency and intensity due to climate change could lead to dramatic declines in seabird populations, suggests a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors' conclusion is based on the impact of.....»»