The World"s Largest Plant Is a Self-Cloning Sea Grass in Australia
In Shark Bay, off the westernmost tip of Australia, meadows of sea grass carpet the ocean floor, undulating in the current and being nibbled on by dugongs, cousins of Florida manatees. A new study revealed something unexpected about those sea grasses.....»»
Is the election making you feel adrift and wobbly? That"s "zozobra," and Mexican philosophers have some advice
Ever had the feeling that you can't make sense of what's happening? One moment everything seems normal, then suddenly the frame shifts to reveal a world on fire, struggling with war, climate change and political violence and upheaval......»»
Viewpoint: Carl Sagan"s scientific legacy extends far beyond "Cosmos"
On Nov. 9, 2024, the world will mark Carl Sagan's 90th birthday—but sadly without Sagan, who died in 1996 at the age of 62......»»
Scientists shed light on an arms race between barley and a fungal pathogen
Scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), together with partners from the University of Cologne, have discovered a new group of defense substances in barley that are effective against a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens. One.....»»
Q&A: How animal tracking data can help preserve biodiversity
Today's ecologists have more data than ever before to help monitor and understand the world's biodiversity. Yet researchers are still working to get more detailed information to better combat declining animal populations that can eventually lead to s.....»»
New plant bug species discovered in French Polynesia
Seventeen new species of plant bugs—a group of insects with a strawlike mouth used to feed on plant and animal matter—have been identified on the islands of French Polynesia, and their names honor scientists, actors, and Vice President Kamala Har.....»»
Cracking the code to copper"s fiery origins
An international study, including researchers from The University of Western Australia, has unveiled new pathways to future copper deposits by cracking the code to the metal's origins, a discovery that could reshape the future of copper mining and he.....»»
Australia needs a bold national bushfire strategy, researcher says
Australia's escalating bushfire crisis calls for an urgent, comprehensive national reset, according to a new report, "Pathways for Sustainable Coexistence with Wildfires.".....»»
Elon Musk has gone all in for Trump—here"s what"s at stake for the world"s richest man in the US election
Elon Musk is supporting Donald Trump in his quest to regain the American presidency. He has committed millions of dollars to a pro-Trump "political action committee" (PAC) and has appeared alongside Donald Trump at some of his rallies......»»
World"s first wooden satellite launched into space
The world's first wooden satellite has blasted off on a SpaceX rocket, its Japanese developers said Tuesday, part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station......»»
The "27 Club" isn"t true, but it is real—a sociologist explains why myths endure and how they shape reality
There's a certain allure to the notion that some of the world's brightest stars burn out at the age of 27. The so-called 27 Club has captivated the public imagination for half a century. Its members include legendary musicians Jimi Hendrix, Janis Jop.....»»
Biologists reveal the genetic "switch" behind parrot color diversity
From the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro to the shoulders of pirates: parrots are synonymous with color for people across the world. In a study published in the journal Science, scientists from The University of Hong Kong, together with an international t.....»»
Svalbard Global Seed Vault evokes epic imagery and controversy because of the symbolic value of seeds
Two-thirds of the world's food comes today from just nine plants: sugar cane, maize (corn), rice, wheat, potatoes, soybeans, oil-palm fruit, sugar beet and cassava. In the past, farmers grew tens of thousands of crop varieties around the world. This.....»»
Did the world"s best-preserved dinosaurs really die in "Pompeii-type" events?
Between about 120 million and 130 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs, temperate forests and lakes hosted a lively ecosystem in what is now northeast China. Diverse fossils from that time remained pretty much undisturbed until the 1980s, w.....»»
Mathematical model illuminates how the environment impacts life choices of salmon
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a mathematical model that models how the evolutionary strategies of organisms are affected by the environment. They studied salmonid fishes which choose either to migrate to the sea then ret.....»»
Study reveals effect of slope position on nonstructural carbohydrates in biological soil crusts
Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) provide energy for metabolic processes in plants and play a key role in plant growth, defense and osmoregulation. However, the regulation of NSC in biological soil crusts across different slope positions remains unc.....»»
Dams have taken half the water from Australia"s second biggest river—and climate change will make it even worse
The largest wetland on Australia's second longest river, the Murrumbidgee in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, is drying up. This is bad news for the plants, animals and people who rely on the vast Lowbidgee Floodplain. So it's important to understa.....»»
Only 3% of South Africans can name all five national animals and plants. Why these symbols matter
Alongside a national flag, anthem and coat of arms, most countries have one or more plant and animal species that they designate as national symbols. The national animal of China, for example, is the giant panda, a nation-wide source of pride and dip.....»»
The world promised to tame methane: Emissions are still rising
Sitting in his cramped office in Paris, Manfredi Caltagirone admits that one of the world's highest-profile efforts to cut methane emissions so far isn't stopping the gas from escaping and warming the atmosphere......»»
Sequencing one of the world"s oldest trees to learn how mutations occur in clonally reproducing organisms
A team of biologists, environmental scientists and geneticists affiliated with multiple institutions across the U.S. has learned more about how mutations occur in clonally reproducing organisms by sequencing one of the oldest trees in the world. The.....»»
Mangrove degradation threatens carbon storage in China"s Pearl Bay
Carbon sinks are important in the fight against climate change as they draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by storing organic carbon in the oceans and soil, for example. Within tropical and subtropical intertidal locations, wetland plant comm.....»»