news 2017

Researchers have long assumed habitat fragmentation contributes to animal extinction risk, but until now, they have not been able to measure it on a global scale for a major group of animals. In a first-of-its-kind study , a research team led by Colorado State University (CSU), and involving research from The University of Queensland, successfully measured habitat fragmentation for more than 4000 species of land-dwelling mammals.

AUSTIN, Texas - Until now, biologists have struggled to reconstruct an accurate family tree for frogs. Based on fossils and limited genetic data, it appeared that most modern frog species popped up at a slow and steady pace from about 150 million to 66 million years ago. New research shows that a mass extinction 66 million years ago sparked an explosion of new frog species.

AUSTIN, Texas - Just as one too many cocktails can lead a person to make bad choices, a few drops of oil can cause coral reef fish to make poor decisions, according to a paper published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution . A team of fisheries biologists led by Jacob Johansen and Andrew Esbaugh of The University of Texas Marine Science Institute have discovered that oil impacts the higher-order thinking of coral reef fish in a way that could prove dangerous for them-and for the coral reefs where they make their home.

AUSTIN, Texas - Until now, biologists have struggled to reconstruct an accurate family tree for frogs. Based on fossils and limited genetic data, it appeared that most modern frog species popped up at a slow and steady pace from about 150 million to 66 million years ago. New research shows that a mass extinction 66 million years ago sparked an explosion of new frog species.

Understanding modern biodiversity and extinction threats is important. It is commonly assumed that being large contributes to vulnerability during extinction crises. However, researchers from the University of Bristol and the Chengdu Center of the China Geological Survey, have found that size played no role in the extinction of fish during the largest mass extinction of all time.

In the past, climate scientists have tended to underestimate the risk of a co-occurrence of heatwave and drought.

An international group of researchers has dated a large volcanic eruption in Iceland to within a few months. The eruption, which is the oldest volcanic eruption to be precisely dated at high northern latitudes, occurred shortly before the first permanent human settlements were established, when parts of the now mostly treeless island were still covered with forest.

A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, has discovered that a marked decrease in summer cloud cover during the last 20 years has significantly accelerated melt from the Greenland ice sheet. The new findings show that less cloud cover and more summer sunshine allows increased solar radiation to reach the surface providing more energy for melting.

A new study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has revealed a group of cells that function as a 'brain' for plant embryos capable of assessing environmental conditions and dictating when seeds will germinate. A plant's decision about when to germinate is one of the most important it will make during its life.

Ice-free areas of Antarctica - home to more than 99 per cent of the continent's terrestrial plants and animals - could expand by more than 17,000km 2 by the end of this century, a study reveals. Led by University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences PhD student Jasmine Lee , the study is the first to investigate how ice-free areas in Antarctica may be affected by climate change.

Ice-free areas of Antarctica - home to more than 99 per cent of the continent's terrestrial plants and animals - could expand by more than 17,000km 2 by the end of this century, a study reveals. Led by University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences PhD student Jasmine Lee , the study is the first to investigate how ice-free areas in Antarctica may be affected by climate change.

The disappearance of a large part of the terrestrial megafauna such as saber-toothed cat and the mammoth during the ice age is well known. Now, researchers at the University of Zurich and the Naturkunde Museum in Berlin have shown that a similar extinction event had taken place earlier, in the oceans.

The transfer and storage of energy during photosynthesis is considered one of the world's great marvels, and a new study has identified natural design principles within the process that could improve energy efficiency in new solar technology. In photosynthesis, green plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen.

The ongoing deforestation around the fringes of the Amazon may have serious consequences for the untouched deeper parts of the rainforest. A new research study shows that it is not only the climate that is adversely affected by deforestation. In fact, the very stability of the ecosystem in the entire Amazon region is altered when deforestation takes place in the outermost regions.

The future of the iconic river red gum is unclear even without taking the further effects of climate change into account. Australia's iconic and most widespread tree species the river red gum is under serious threat by rising CO2 levels and their survival may depend on curbing carbon emissions, a study led by The Australian National University (ANU) has found.

Without fossil fuels, there can be no blast furnace process - but hydrogen could play a more important role in the future. An environmentally friendly process is being developed at TU Wien by which biomass can be used to produce a hydrogen-rich gas that can then be employed in various ways in the iron and steel industry.

Scientists believe they have discovered the reason behind mysterious changes to the climate that saw temperatures fluctuate by up to 15°C within just a few decades during the ice age periods. In a new study published today, the researchers show that rising levels of CO2 could have reached a tipping point during these glacial periods, triggering a series of chain events that caused temperatures to rise abruptly.

On the heels of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, a new Cornell study finds that climate-science labels do matter. The U.S. public doubts the existence of 'global warming' more than it doubts 'climate change' - and Republicans are driving the effect, the research found.

High-strength, lightweight steels can finally be processed on an industrial scale, thanks to a breakthrough in controlling brittle stages - new research from WMG, University of Warwick New processing route discovered - allows low density steel-based alloys to be produced with maximum strength, whilst remaining durable and flexible - largely impossible until now In certain steels, brittle phases occur during production - kappa-carbide (k-carbide)

How can we organize energy supply in the post-fossil era? How can energy be stored efficiently? And how can we organize distribution as economically and conveniently as possible? Empa's research platform 'ehub? is searching for answers to these questions.