Is there more to palm oil than deforestation?
Palm oil is the world's most produced and consumed vegetable oil and everyone knows that its production can damage the environment. But do consumers have the full picture? In fact, replacing palm oil with rapeseed oil would require a four to five-fol.....»»
Can a new forest alliance change nature finance for the better?
Conserving tropical forests is not cheap. Even though studies have shown that every $1 spent protecting or restoring tropical forests can return up to $7 in economic benefits, deforestation continues in most tropical rainforest countries......»»
Repentant ranchers rescuing Colombian wildlife
Two newborn pumas and a convalescing porcupine share a room in the home of the Zapata family, which has renounced livestock farming to focus on stewardship of the Colombian Amazon and its animals uprooted by deforestation......»»
Marine viruses: Submerged players of climate change
While the world has been heavily focused on the usual players of global climate change, like fossil fuels and deforestation, a group of unlikely contenders has emerged from the depths of the ocean—marine viruses. These minuscule but mighty entities.....»»
Brazilian Amazon deforestation falls 31% under Lula
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 31 percent in the first five months of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration versus the same period last year, officials said Wednesday......»»
Study leads to milestone advances in understanding lethal bronzing of palm trees
Palm trees infected with lethal bronzing disease emit signals that warn nearby healthy palms of the threat. Those healthy palms produce their own defense that University of Florida scientists one day hope to harness to protect palms against the disea.....»»
Apple TV+ teases new TV shows and movies in summer sizzle reel
Apple TV+ has dropped its latest sizzle reel, showcasing its upcoming slate of content as we head into summer. The new one-minute includes sneak peeks at upcoming new series, such as Palm Royale, Sugar and Lessons in Chemistry, as well as teasing ne.....»»
Predicting policy choices via network structure
Indonesia is the biggest palm oil producer in the world, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture crediting it with a nearly 60 percent share of global production. The versatility of palm oil—it is used in cosmetics, food products, detergents—is a.....»»
Your chocolate comes with a side order of deforestation
Developing economies pay a steep price for that sweet treat. Enlarge / A cocoa pod, this one grown in Asia. (credit: Tan Dao Duy) Cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire make less than a dollar a day. And there are alm.....»»
Cocoa production linked to major deforestation in Africa
Developing economies pay a steep price for that sweet treat. Enlarge / A cocoa pod, this one grown in Asia. (credit: Tan Dao Duy) Cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire make less than a dollar a day. And there are alm.....»»
Protecting India"s tigers also good for climate: Study
India's efforts to protect its endangered tigers have inadvertently helped avoid a large amount of climate change-causing carbon emissions by preventing deforestation, a study said on Thursday......»»
Islands of trees in oil palm plantations found to increase biodiversity without decreasing yields
Islands of trees in oil palm plantations can significantly increase farm biodiversity within five years without reducing productivity. This has been shown by a long-term project in Indonesia as part of the collaborative research center "EFForTS" at t.....»»
In the Amazon, Brazilian ecologists try new approach against deforestation and poverty
In a remote corner of the Amazon, Brazilian ecologists are trying to succeed where a lack of governance has proved disastrous. They're managing a stretch of land in a way that welcomes both local people and scientists to engage in preserving the worl.....»»
A new tool for deforestation detection
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. In a recently published study, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth R.....»»
Climate change, habitat loss threaten East African bird populations
In recent decades, scientists have produced countless studies on the effects of one environmental factor or another—climate change, deforestation or pollution, for example—on wildlife and habitats around the world. But few have examined the inter.....»»
Google Bard hits over 180 countries and territories—none are in the EU
Google is expanding Bard availability as the EU crafts landmark AI regulation. Enlarge (credit: Google) On Wednesday, Google detailed the evolution of its Bard conversational AI assistant, including PaLM 2 and expanded.....»»
The AI race heats up: Google announces PaLM 2, its answer to GPT-4
PaLM 2 can code, translate, and "reason" in ways that best GPT-4, says Google. Enlarge (credit: Google) On Wednesday, Google introduced PaLM 2, a family of foundational language models comparable to OpenAI's GPT-4. At it.....»»
Fossil find in California shakes up the natural history of cycad plants
Cycads, a group of gymnosperms which can resemble miniature palm trees (like the popular sago palm houseplant) were long thought to be "living fossils," a group that had evolved minimally since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, a well-preserved 80-mill.....»»
Adonit Star Review: Fountain Pen iPad Stylus With Basic Essentials
The Adonit Star is an iPad stylus that looks like a classy fountain pen. It enables palm rejection (with compatible models), and not much else -- it's simple. Th.....»»
Google releases security LLM at RSAC to rival Microsoft’s GPT-4-based copilot
Google Cloud announces the release of Security AI Workbench, a new security tool that uses the Sec-PaLM LLM to identify malicious activity. Google Cloud announces the release of Security AI Workbench, a new security tool that uses the Sec-PaLM LL.....»»
Companies" zero-deforestation commitments have potential to halve cattle-driven deforestation in Brazilian Amazon
Cattle-rearing is the biggest cause of tropical deforestation in the Amazon—and the world......»»