Wildfires have wreaked havoc this summer, but these plants were prepared
Summer 2023 has seen wildfire crews tirelessly battle forest fires worldwide. The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the Moroccan coast, have faced their worst fires in 40 years, but amid the devastation lies a remarkable tale of resilience......»»
Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis, deepening the mystery of life
Oxygen, the molecule that supports intelligent life as we know it, is largely made by plants. Whether underwater or on land, they do this by photosynthesizing carbon dioxide. However, a recent study demonstrates that oxygen may be produced without th.....»»
U.S. regulators raise questions about siting data centers at power plants
U.S. regulators raise questions about siting data centers at power plants.....»»
African Sahara "greening" can alter Northern Hemisphere climate, modeling study finds
Africa's Sahara Desert may be considered a vast expanse of barren sand with limited vegetation, an extreme environment for plants and animals to thrive, but life always finds a way. Indeed, vegetation growth in the desert has waxed and waned over mil.....»»
The reasons flowers wilt could explain how plants spend (and save) their energy
Wilting flowers might not signal poor flower or plant health, but rather the effects of a sophisticated resource management strategy in plants, millions of years in the making......»»
Researchers study effect of phosphorous and irradiance on the invasive plant Chromolaena odorata
Resource competition is an important factor affecting the invasion success of alien plants, and environmental factors influence the competition outcomes between invasive and native plants. Chromolaena odorata has been listed as one of the main invasi.....»»
Microsoft delays rollout of the Windows 11 Recall feature yet again
Microsoft works to make Recall "secure and trusted" after security complaints. When Microsoft launched its Copilot+ AI PC initiative over the summer, one of the flagship features.....»»
In Hawaii, parasites and viruses team up in the battle against fruit flies—implications for global pest control
Take a stroll along one of the beaches on Hawaii Island in late summer, and you'll likely stumble upon almond-shaped fruits lying in the sand. Known as false kamani nuts, or tropical almonds, they fall from tall, shady Terminalia catappa trees that l.....»»
Charcoal stored in preserved guano gives helps reconstruct regional fire histories
With wildfires growing more frequent and more intense in many parts of the world, scientists are looking to the past to better understand where and when fires have burned. Lakes and wetlands, which capture airborne charcoal particles when they fall f.....»»
If Trump dismantles the NOAA, it will affect wildfires and food prices
Taking away NOAA weather and climate data could raise food prices, among other things. As the Popo Agie River wends its way down from the glaciers atop Wyoming’s Wind River Moun.....»»
Destructive weed, found in New York state, resists common herbicides
The invasive pigweed Palmer amaranth, first found in New York soybean fields in 2019, has been dubbed the "spotted lanternfly of weeds" for its ability to spread quickly and wreak havoc on crops. Now a new study sheds light on how formidable an oppon.....»»
New Age ritual that send "bad energies" up in smoke may contribute to overharvesting of wild plants
A commercialized New Age ritual is causing not only "unwanted energies" to go up in smoke, but also foreign wild plants. A study by Utrecht University researchers Isabela Pombo Geertsma and Anastasia Stefanaki, alongside colleagues from Wageningen UR.....»»
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.....»»
Soybean domestication linked to higher mesophyll conductance for increased photosynthesis
In a new study conducted by the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked back in time at soybean growth and discovered that modern plants have increased mesophyll.....»»
Spider-Man 4’s release date already has a big Tom Holland problem
Tom Holland confirmed repeatedly last week that Spider-Man 4 production will start next summer. After teasing the Spider-Man 4 story earlier, the actor also said … The post Spider-Man 4’s release date already has a big Tom Holland problem.....»»
Invasive plants drive homogenization of soil microbial communities across US, new study finds
Invasive plants are doing more than just taking over landscapes—they're also changing the soil beneath them. A new study co-authored by Matthew McCary, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, reveals that these species are reshaping.....»»
Wildfires Are Moving Faster and Causing More Damage
A small number of fast-moving wildfires cause almost all the property damage by forcing firefighters to focus on saving lives.....»»
Climate change-worsened floods wreak havoc in Africa
Every rainy season for the past 12 years, floods have swept through 67-year-old Idris Egbunu's house in central Nigeria......»»
A mega-earthquake could strike the Pacific Northwest any day — and we"re not prepared
A mega-earthquake could strike the Pacific Northwest any day — and we"re not prepared.....»»
A how-to for ethical geoengineering research
The American Geophysical Union releases a framework for getting it right. Over the Northern Hemisphere's summer, the world's temperatures hovered near 1.5° C above pre-industrial.....»»
Researchers warn against weakening Clean Air Act regulations
A new commentary published in the American Journal of Public Health has found that power plants' use of air pollution control devices saved up to 9,100 lives and up to $100 billion in health costs in 2023. These estimates reveal the substantial healt.....»»