Tropical dry forests disappearing rapidly around the globe
Dry tropical forests are important ecosystems, yet these forests are increasingly threatened, a new study discovers. An innovative approach to characterize how deforestation took place since 2000 showed that more than 71 million hectares of tropical.....»»
"Humanity is failing": Official report warns our chance to save the Great Barrier Reef is fast closing
The Great Barrier Reef will continue to deteriorate, largely due to climate change, and the window to secure its future is rapidly closing. That is the sobering conclusion of a major new report into the state of the reef......»»
Bird species are disappearing at an alarming rate in Kenya, study finds
Sub-Saharan Africa has a vast amount of uncultivated, arable land—about 2 million km2, accounting for about 50% of the global total. This land is a critical habitat for many animal species, including birds......»»
New varactor enhances quantum dot device measurements at millikelvin temperatures
The development of quantum computing systems relies on the ability to rapidly and precisely measure these systems' electrical properties, such as their underlying charge and spin states. These measurements are typically collected using radio-frequenc.....»»
Carbon emissions from forest soil will likely grow with rising temperatures
The soils of northern forests are key reservoirs that help keep the carbon dioxide that trees inhale and use for photosynthesis from making it back into the atmosphere. But a unique experiment led by Peter Reich of the University of Michigan is showi.....»»
The disappearing mountains and hungry volcano: Researching the evolution of the Teton Range
Once upon a time, the Teton Range, a 40-mile-long mountain range in the northern Rocky Mountains, may have extended much longer than it does now......»»
Physics meets machine learning for better cyclone predictions
Time is of the essence in tropical cyclone prediction: The more warning time a community has, the better prepared its members will be when a storm makes landfall. Currently, the path and nature of tropical cyclones can be predicted up to only five da.....»»
Saving the vanishing forests of Iraq"s Kurdistan
In a plant nursery in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, hundreds of pine, eucalyptus, olive and pomegranate saplings grow under awnings protecting them from the fierce summer sun......»»
Heterogeneous occurrence of evergreen broad-leaved forests revealed by plant fossils in East Asia
Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) are the most characteristic biomes in East Asia. They assume a fundamental role in the biodiversity function and ecosystem services of the East Asiatic floristic kingdom. Hence, understanding the historical dyna.....»»
Going slow is better for fast cycling: Study reveals unique replication fork behavior in pluripotent stem cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent stem cells that can produce all cell types of an organism. ES cells proliferate rapidly and have been thought to experience high levels of intrinsic replication stress. However, a recent report published in E.....»»
Hurricane Ernesto downgraded to tropical storm as it exits Bermuda
Hurricane Ernesto was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday after it lashed Bermuda with heavy rains and strong winds, leaving much of the British Atlantic Ocean territory without power before continuing on its path toward eastern Canada......»»
This Mpox Outbreak Isn"t Like the Last One
The strain of mpox behind the current global health emergency is believed to be up to 10 times deadlier than the one that swept the globe in 2022......»»
Red colobus are Africa"s most endangered monkeys—protecting them will also safeguard forests
Many people have never heard of a red colobus, yet they are Africa's most imperiled group of monkeys......»»
Seoul residents sweating with record "tropical nights" weather
Residents of South Korea's capital are resorting to novel ways to beat the heat as a century-old weather record fell Friday following a 26th "tropical night" in a row—when the temperature stays above 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit)......»»
Scottish and Irish rocks confirmed as rare record of "snowball Earth"
A rock formation spanning Ireland and Scotland may be the world's most complete record of "snowball Earth," a crucial moment in planetary history when the globe was covered in ice, finds a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers......»»
Islands in the sky: Could steep-sided hilltops offer safe haven to threatened species?
Species are disappearing at an alarming rate around the world. But Australia's extinction crisis is especially severe—since European colonization, we have lost about 100 species of animals and plants. The loss of 33 mammal species is largely due to.....»»
Exotic eye worm rapidly invades US by spreading from testes of fruit flies
The spread to bears shows the worm is gaining ground and new hosts in the US. Enlarge / An adult Thelazia callipaeda in the eye of a cat. In a battle of bear versus exotic eye worm, the eye worm wins—and that's bad ne.....»»
First biogeographic map of ants reveals nine global realms
The distribution of species around the globe is not a random process but an outcome resulting from several evolutionary mechanisms as well as past and current environmental limitations. As a result, since the mid-19th century, biologists have identif.....»»
Rising mercury pollution in soil could be related to climate change, study suggests
In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury went into effect, designed to help curb mercury emissions and limit exposure across the globe. However, a new study of mercury levels in soil suggests that the treaty's provisions might not be enough. A stu.....»»
Hurricane watch issued as Ernesto approaches Puerto Rico
Tropical Storm Ernesto advanced Tuesday through the Caribbean toward Puerto Rico, where officials shut down schools and sent workers home as forecasters warned of a possible hurricane......»»
Study reveals urban trees suffer more from heat waves and drought than their rural counterparts
A recently published study in Ecological Applications details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding, made by researchers at the.....»»