How underground fungi shape forests
A large study involving 43 research plots in the Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) Network—including a swath of trees at Tyson Research Center, the environmental field station of Washington University in St. Louis—has helped clarify the.....»»
Improved imaging offers new insight into Mount Etna
With a technique called seismic tomography, researchers use the shape of traveling seismic waves from nearby or distant earthquakes to create 3D images of inner Earth, allowing them to "see" hundreds of kilometers below the surface......»»
Life underground suited newly discovered dinosaur, study finds
The age of dinosaurs wasn't conducted solely above ground. A newly discovered ancestor of Thescelosaurus shows evidence that these animals spent at least part of their time in underground burrows. The new species contributes to a fuller understanding.....»»
Using a refrigerated microscope and antifreeze to directly observe the ice-liquid interface
Ice in nature is surrounded by liquid most of the time, and therefore it is key to understand how ice and liquid interact. A Kobe University and Institute for Molecular Science study has now for the first time directly observed the precise shape of i.....»»
Study reveals human degradation of tropical forests is greater than previously estimated
Tropical forests are essential to sustain high biodiversity and mitigate climate change. They suffer from deforestation, the cutting and converting of forests for agriculture, mining, or infrastructure purposes. However, significant human impacts on.....»»
Desert-loving fungi and lichens pose deadly threat to 5,000-year-old rock art
The Negev desert of southern Israel is renowned for its unique rock art. Since at least the third millennium BCE, the hunters, shepherds, and merchants who roamed the Negev have left thousands of carvings (petroglyphs) on the rocks. These figures are.....»»
To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species
To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their small.....»»
Physicists explore how fluctuations shape transport networks
Understanding how transport networks, such as river systems, form and evolve is crucial to optimizing their stability and resilience. It turns out that networks are not all alike. Tree-like structures are adequate for transport, while networks contai.....»»
How many giraffe species are there? Understanding this maybe key to their protection
Giraffes, with their distinctive body shape and variations in coat patterns, have long been an example in evolutionary biology teachings. They are a textbook example of how species adapt to their surroundings and survive under harsh conditions. Despi.....»»
Clues to mysterious disappearance of North America"s large mammals 50,000 years ago found within ancient bone collagen
50,000 years ago, North America was ruled by megafauna. Lumbering mammoths roamed the tundra, while forests were home to towering mastodons, fierce saber-toothed tigers and enormous wolves. Bison and extraordinarily tall camels moved in herds across.....»»
How zoning affects greenhouse gas emissions
Climate change is a global challenge often met on a local level. Local governments shape how their communities are developed through land use controls. Their policy decisions related to housing density, location, and building standards have a profoun.....»»
Scientists create the thinnest lens on Earth, enabled by excitons
Lenses are used to bend and focus light. Normal lenses rely on their curved shape to achieve this effect, but physicists from the University of Amsterdam and Stanford University have made a flat lens of only three atoms thick that relies on quantum e.....»»
Q&A: Studies challenge widely held beliefs on applicant diversity and women in the workplace
Justin Frake is interested in cause-and-effect relationships in real-world data and the hidden dynamics that shape workplace behavior and equality—or inequality, as the case might be......»»
Vast concessions threaten Malaysia"s forest: Report
Vast concessions in Malaysia's forests threaten millions of hectares of rich natural habitats and risk the country's commitment to 50 percent forest cover, a report warned Tuesday......»»
Asian forests show resilience despite rising disturbances from climate change and human activities
Since 1850, global temperatures have been steadily rising. Human activities have significantly increased the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, exacerbating the greenhouse effect and global warming. Forests in Asia have faced numerous.....»»
Apple versus donut: How the shape of a tokamak impacts the limits of the edge of the plasma
Harnessing energy from plasma requires a precise understanding of its behavior during fusion to keep it hot, dense and stable. A new theoretical model about a plasma's edge, which can become unstable and bulge, brings the prospect of commercial fusio.....»»
Tropical forest resilience to seasonal drought linked to nutrient availability
Tropical forests are highly productive ecosystems, accounting for nearly half of the global forest carbon sink. If tropical forests can no longer remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the effects of climate change may become even more severe......»»
Climate change is moving tree populations away from the soil fungi that sustain them
As our planet warms, many species are shifting to different locations as their historical habitats become inhospitable. Trees are no exception—many species' normal ranges are no longer conducive to their health, but their shift to new areas that co.....»»
British Columbia needs a unified response to respond to the biodiversity crisis, say researchers
From massive kelp forests to monumental old-growth on land, British Columbia's biodiversity—which is unrivaled in Canada—provides an array of cultural, economic, social and other benefits. B.C.'s wide-ranging ecological zones are home to over 70.....»»
What Is Wind Shear, and How Does It Shape Hurricanes?
An atmospheric scientist explains what wind shear is and how it influences hurricanes.....»»
Saltmarshes do store carbon, but their climate impact may have been overestimated
Saltmarshes, or tidal marshes, are able to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away at a far higher rate than even forests on land. This has lead to them being championed as a nature-based solution to climate change. However, our r.....»»