Searching for the decay of nature"s rarest isotope: Tantalum-180m
Tantalum is one of the rarest elements and has multiple stable isotopes. The least abundant tantalum isotope, Ta-180 is found naturally in a long-lived excited state, a feature unique to this isotope. In excited states, a nuclei's protons or neutrons.....»»
Work with nature to unlock economic prosperity, researchers say
A comprehensive review of the economic impacts of nature-based solutions (NbS), led by the University of Oxford and published this week in PLOS Climate, concludes they can unlock prosperity by boosting local economies, increasing agricultural product.....»»
One in Three Tree Species Is at Risk of Extinction
A review of 47,282 tree species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that more than one third are at risk of extinction.....»»
Hedgehogs are now officially in dramatic decline in Europe, researchers warn
The European hedgehog—a valued and charming visitor to gardens—is now officially in decline all over Europe. In today's update of their red list for Europe, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is therefore categorizing t.....»»
Large meltwater accumulation revealed inside Greenland Ice Sheet
A new study published in Nature unveils a surprising discovery: a substantial amount of meltwater is temporarily stored within the Greenland Ice Sheet during summer months. For the first time, an international group of researchers was able to quantif.....»»
Who should get paid for nature"s sequenced genes?
Much of the vanilla that flavors our ice cream today is artificial, derived from the genetic signature of a plant that hundreds of years ago was known only to an Indigenous Mexican tribe......»»
Chromium-62 study helps researchers better understand shapes around islands of inversion
In a recent paper in Nature Physics, an international research collaboration used world-class instrumentation at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to study the exotic nuclide, or rare isotope, chromium-62......»»
Indonesia study evaluates potential of alternative measures for biodiversity conservation
At COP16 in Calí, Colombia, member states are currently discussing how the global nature agreement adopted in Montreal in 2022 can be implemented. The goals include protecting 30% of the world's land and sea areas by 2030......»»
Sustainable oyster harvesting in the Stone Age: Lessons for modern nature conservation
Oysters play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem as they filter water, create habitats and support the nutrient cycle. Today, they are considered endangered in many parts of the world......»»
Japan-style "tiny forests" are taking root in British cities
A staggering 1 in 3 people in England lack access to nature-rich spaces within a short walk from their homes. Now, a growing movement is bringing nature back to cities across the UK. The Miyawaki forest method involves planting a diverse mix of dense.....»»
From fish to clean water, the ocean matters—how to quantify the benefits
Nature protection, conservation and restoration is "not a trivial matter but key to human survival," according to scientists quoted in a 2005 UN report. To demonstrate this, they developed the concept of "ecosystem services"—the benefits that peopl.....»»
Investigating lithium isotope systematics in Qinghai Lake
Recently, Prof. Xiao Yilin's team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in collaboration with the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, University of Pennsylvania and Nanning Normal University, revealed the lithium (Li) cycling pr.....»»
How social interactions evolve in schools: Study reveals people tend to gravitate towards groups of similar sizes
A recent study published in Nature Communications uncovers how human social interactions evolve in group settings, providing a perspective on the dynamic nature of social networks. By analyzing how university students and preschool children form and.....»»
COVID lessons learned? UN summit mulls plan for healthy planet, and humans
The COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks brought into stark relief the harms that can come to humans if we interfere too much with nature, placing ourselves in contact with animals carrying unknown pathogens......»»
A natural climate change laboratory in Japan reveals the adaptation dynamics of fishers
A new study published in the journal People and Nature reveals the complex relationship between the impacts of climate change and the adaptive responses of coastal fishers in one of the areas most affected by these environmental changes: the southern.....»»
Achieving "nature positive" requires net gain legislation, say researchers
A team of Australian researchers is calling for urgent reforms to the nation's environmental laws to meet its ambitious nature-positive commitments......»»
Want genuine progress toward restoring nature? Follow these four steps
"Nature-positive" is seemingly everywhere. Two weeks ago, Australia hosted the first Global Nature Positive Summit. This week, nations are meeting in Colombia for a global biodiversity summit to discuss progress on nature-positive commitments......»»
From fireflies to drones: Researchers uncover strategy for synchronization efficiency
Researchers from The University of New Mexico School of Engineering looked to the natural world to explain how synchronized systems can work more efficiently and made a significant discovery. Their results were published in the journal Nature Communi.....»»
Study finds UK adults aren"t connected to nature
New research indicates that UK adults experience less of a connection with nature than adults from most other countries, ranking 59th out of 65 national groups surveyed......»»
Astronomers discover a bright pulse that may be a fast radio burst
Searching for pulsars using the Large Phased Array (LPA) radio telescope, Russian astronomers have detected a bright pulse at a frequency of 111 MHz, which appears to be a fast radio burst event. The finding was reported in a research paper published.....»»
A much faster way to encode DNA with usable digital data
An international team of molecular biologists, computer scientists and physicists has found a way to encode useable digital data onto DNA strands 350 times faster than current approaches. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the group use.....»»