Urban friction could strengthen landfalling tropical cyclone precipitation
Landfalling tropical cyclones (TCs) can pose substantial threats to densely populated and highly developed cities on the North Pacific and North Atlantic coasts. For example, Hurricane Harvey, which occurred in 2017, impacted Houston in the U.S. with.....»»
Conservationists need to pay more attention to "degraded" tropical forests
Conservationists have typically focused on pristine tropical rainforests, or those thought to have been relatively untouched by human disturbance......»»
Predicting soil liquefaction risk using artificial intelligence
Soil liquefaction that results in infrastructure damage has long been a point of contention for urban planners and engineers. Accurately predicting the soil liquefaction risk of a region could help overcome this challenge......»»
New model uses satellite imagery, machine learning to map flooding in urban environments
As climate change causes storms to intensify, new tools are needed to map where flooding occurs in under-studied areas......»»
Smell reports reveal the need to expand urban air quality monitoring, say researchers
Ever wondered if your neighborhood odor could be impacting your health? University of British Columbia researchers have uncovered surprising insights into the Vancouver region's "smellscape" using data from the Smell Vancouver app. Analyzing 549 repo.....»»
Scent research inspires bed bug trap
Scientists at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) spinout Arctech Innovation have used their in-depth knowledge of insects, chemistry and odor to develop a new trap for bed bugs......»»
Grassroots sports clubs give children belonging and strengthen communities, according to new report
A University of Bath study of 12 grassroots sports clubs in Bristol, Manchester and London has found that almost all children who attend them feel a sense of belonging and emotional connection......»»
Manila is reeling after a super typhoon—we must prepare fast-growing megacities for worsening disasters
Last week, a strong typhoon left a trail of destruction across the Philippines, Taiwan and China. Super Typhoon Gaemi began as a tropical storm but intensified rapidly, leaving at least 65 people dead and triggering environmental fears after it sank.....»»
Ensuring quality in tropical vegetables: Addressing chilling injury through antioxidant systems
A research team has found that optimal storage temperatures are crucial for preserving vegetables' quality, with tropical plants particularly susceptible to low temperatures, leading to a "chilling injury" (CI) condition......»»
Can high-altitude balloons help predict wildfires?
Schmid College of Science and Technology Associate Professor Joshua Fisher is a co-investigator on a groundbreaking three-year project, which, led by the stratospheric and remote sensing company Urban Sky, aims to predict and manage wildfires......»»
Dengue Fever Threatens to Gate-Crash the 2024 Summer Olympics
Measles, bedbugs, and dengue have all been cited as concerns for tourists and athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with the tropical virus in particular forcing authorities into action......»»
Chainguard raises $140 million to strengthen open source software security
Chainguard has completed a $140 million Series C round of funding led by Redpoint Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and IVP, bringing the company’s total funding raised to $256 million. Existing investors, including Amplify, Mantis VC, Seq.....»»
Scientists uncover fundamental rules for how dengue virus infects its mosquito and human hosts
Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease......»»
UK study finds urban residents score the lowest in social and economic satisfaction and well-being
A study conducted by the Center for Urban Mental Health at the University of Amsterdam finds that, in a sample of 156,000 UK residents aged 40 and up, urban living is linked to lower levels of well-being, social satisfaction, and economic satisfactio.....»»
Working to strengthen Pacific Northwest defenses against wildfires and wildfire smoke
In the summer of 2020, wildfire smoke blanketed the city of Portland, Oregon, leading to a prolonged period of poor air quality and health concerns for residents. Subsequently, in 2021 the city experienced a heat wave with temperatures reaching as hi.....»»
Of ants and trees: "Evolutionary déjà vu" in the tropical rainforest
Ants are famous for their regimented and complex social behaviors. In the tropics, they are also famous for forming mutualisms with plants. Certain species of trees have conspicuous hollow swellings that house ants, often feeding the ants with specia.....»»
Tropical plant species are as threatened by climate change as widely feared, study confirms
Brown University biologists who set out to better understand the effects of climate change on plant species in tropical mountain regions found that even small variations in temperature and moisture can have massive impacts, threatening not only plant.....»»
Rural belts around cities could reduce urban temperatures by up to 0.5°C, study suggests
The key to cooling 'urban heat islands' may lie in the countryside, according to a new study, published in the journal Nature Cities, from scientists at the University of Surrey and Southeast University (China)......»»
Our cities" secret gardens: We connect with nature in neglected green spaces just as much as in parks
Access to nature is essential for our health and well-being. However, as our cities become increasingly crowded, it becomes more and more challenging to find ways to connect with nature in urban spaces......»»
Wildfires in South Africa are set to increase: How legal action can help the country adapt better to climate change
As climate change drives temperature increases and lower precipitation in southern Africa, research has found that there is likely to be an increase in the number of wildfires in regions that are already hot, dry and water scarce......»»
Sierra Leone rangers fight uphill battle against deforestation
As the rainclouds descend on Sierra Leone's tropical Kambui forest, a handful of khaki-clad rangers assemble for their daily patrol in the fight to preserve the West African country's dwindling wilderness......»»