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Environment - Earth Sciences - 21.02.2019 
Using AI to avert ’environmental catastrophe’
A new Centre at the University of Cambridge will develop AI techniques to help address some of the biggest threats facing the planet. These datasets represent a transformation in the way we can study and understand the Earth and environment, as we assess and find solutions to environmental risk Simon Redfern Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Centre for Doctoral Training in Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER) is one of 16 new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) announced today.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 21.02.2019 
Asteroid or volcanos’ Apportioning blame for the dinosaur extinction
Based on new data published today in the journal Science , it seems increasingly likely that an asteroid or comet impact 66 million years ago reignited massive volcanic eruptions in India, half a world away from the impact site in the Caribbean Sea. But it leaves unclear to what degree the two catastrophes contributed to the near-simultaneous mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and many other forms of life.
Environment - 21.02.2019 
How plants learned to save water
02/21/2019 Plants that can manage with less water could make agriculture more sustainable. This is why a research team at the University of Würzburg is investigating how plants control their water balance. Tiny pores on the leaves of plants, called stomata, have a huge influence on the state of our planet.
Environment - 21.02.2019
Environment - 20.02.2019 
How coral bleaching threatens Caribbean communities
Climate change is fueling coral bleaching throughout the tropics, with potentially devastating consequences on coral reef ecosystems and on the people who depend on them for seafood, tourism and shoreline protection. A new study, published Feb.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 20.02.2019 
A Volcanic Binge And Its Frosty Hangover
A major volcanic event could have triggered one of the largest glaciations in Earth's history - the Gaskiers glaciation, which turned the Earth into a giant snowball approximately 580 million years ago. Researchers from Heidelberg University and colleagues from Mexico have discovered remnants of such a large igneous province that resulted from vast lava flows.
Environment - 20.02.2019 
Floating research station to illuminate Lake Geneva
Our lakes are unique resources for us and for nature, providing water for drinking and irrigation, habitats for fish, plants and small animals, and space for relaxation and fun. But these sensitive ecosystems are under pressure. In addition to the problems associated with changing land use and inputs of nutrients and pollutants, climate change is also affecting the lakes in our Alpine regions.
Environment - Life Sciences - 20.02.2019
Environment - Life Sciences - 19.02.2019 
Exploring Antarctica: mapping out biodiversity and identifying the microplastics that put it in jeopardy
Today Belgian researchers set sail for Antarctica. Their goal is to take a census of marine biodiversity and to study the presence of plastic in the Southern Ocean.
Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 19.02.2019
Environment - Earth Sciences - 18.02.2019
Materials Science - Environment - 18.02.2019 
Lobster’s underbelly is as tough as industrial rubber
Membrane material's properties could guide design of flexible body armor, new study suggests. Flip a lobster on its back, and you'll see that the underside of its tail is split in segments connected by a translucent membrane that appears rather vulnerable when compared with the armor-like carapace that shields the rest of the crustacean.
Environment - 14.02.2019 
Media and industry not always interested in the same topics
Hardly a day went by in the summer of 2018 without a report on the continuing water scarcity at the time in Switzerland. Again and again, newspapers, radio and television were coming up with questions like: "How much water do nature, agriculture and people need?", "How can we find ways to save water?" and "Which regions have the least water reserves?" On the other hand, Swiss municipal governments, cantons, engineering firms, NGOs and public sector agencies appear to be less concerned with the relationship between water scarcity and water-saving measures.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 13.02.2019
Environment - 13.02.2019 
Turning desalination waste into a useful resource
Process developed at MIT could turn concentrated brine into useful chemicals, making desalination more efficient. The rapidly growing desalination industry produces water for drinking and for agriculture in the world's arid coastal regions. But it leaves behind as a waste product a lot of highly concentrated brine, which is usually disposed of by dumping it back into the sea, a process that requires costly pumping systems and that must be managed carefully to prevent damage to marine ecosystems.
Environment - 13.02.2019
Environment - 13.02.2019 
Surface lakes cause Antarctic ice shelves to ’flex’
The filling and draining of meltwater lakes has been found to cause a floating Antarctic ice shelf to flex, potentially threatening its stability. Filling and draining of lakes causes the ice shelf to flex, and if the stresses are large enough, fractures might also develop Alison Banwell A team of British and American researchers, co-led by the University of Cambridge, has measured how much the McMurdo ice shelf in Antarctica flexes in response to the filling and draining of meltwater lakes on its surface.
Environment - Life Sciences - 13.02.2019 
Fate of Meerkats Tied to Seasonal Climate Effects
Does a drier and hotter climate present a threat to the meerkats in the Kalahari Desert? Researchers from UZH and Cambridge show that climate change is likely to impact meerkats, and seasonal rainfall and temperature will be the key factors. The effects of climate change are especially obvious in arid environments where resources are scarce and subject to seasonal availability.
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 12.02.2019 
"Better to dry a rocky planet before use"
Earth's solid surface and clement climate may be in part due to a massive star in the birth environment of the Sun. Without its radioactive elements injected into the early solar system, our home planet could be a hostile ocean world covered in global ice sheets. This is demonstrated by computer simulations in which the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, based at the University of Bern, was involved.
Life Sciences - Environment - 12.02.2019 
To tool or not to tool?
Orangutans make complex economic decisions about tool use depending on the current 'market' situation Flexible tool use is closely associated to higher mental processes such as the ability to plan actions. Now a group of cognitive biologists and comparative psychologists from the University of Vienna, the University of St Andrews and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna that included Isabelle Laumer and Josep Call, has studied tool related decision-making in a non-human primate species - the orangutan.
Environment
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A new Centre at the University of Cambridge will develop AI techniques to help address some of the biggest threats facing the planet. These datasets represent a transformation in the way we can study and understand the Earth and environment, as we assess and find solutions to environmental risk Simon Redfern Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Centre for Doctoral Training in Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER) is one of 16 new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) announced today.
Based on new data published today in the journal Science , it seems increasingly likely that an asteroid or comet impact 66 million years ago reignited massive volcanic eruptions in India, half a world away from the impact site in the Caribbean Sea. But it leaves unclear to what degree the two catastrophes contributed to the near-simultaneous mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and many other forms of life.
02/21/2019 Plants that can manage with less water could make agriculture more sustainable. This is why a research team at the University of Würzburg is investigating how plants control their water balance. Tiny pores on the leaves of plants, called stomata, have a huge influence on the state of our planet.
Tangle of shorebird policy unpicked
Research has shown that international cooperation has been critical in protecting migratory shorebirds in the Asia Pacific, but ongoing challenges exist. The University of Queensland-led study surveyed and analysed the international policy framework for conserving shorebirds migrating within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of four major global migratory waterbird flyways.
Research has shown that international cooperation has been critical in protecting migratory shorebirds in the Asia Pacific, but ongoing challenges exist. The University of Queensland-led study surveyed and analysed the international policy framework for conserving shorebirds migrating within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of four major global migratory waterbird flyways.
Climate change is fueling coral bleaching throughout the tropics, with potentially devastating consequences on coral reef ecosystems and on the people who depend on them for seafood, tourism and shoreline protection. A new study, published Feb.
A major volcanic event could have triggered one of the largest glaciations in Earth's history - the Gaskiers glaciation, which turned the Earth into a giant snowball approximately 580 million years ago. Researchers from Heidelberg University and colleagues from Mexico have discovered remnants of such a large igneous province that resulted from vast lava flows.
Our lakes are unique resources for us and for nature, providing water for drinking and irrigation, habitats for fish, plants and small animals, and space for relaxation and fun. But these sensitive ecosystems are under pressure. In addition to the problems associated with changing land use and inputs of nutrients and pollutants, climate change is also affecting the lakes in our Alpine regions.
Mega-experiment shows species interactions stronger towards tropics and lowlands
One of the largest field experiments ever conducted is providing the best evidence yet in support of a key Darwinian theory-that interactions between species are stronger toward the tropics and lower elevations An international research team led by a McGill University researcher used a simple experiment that mimics how plants and animals interact with each other-leaving seeds out for 24 hours to see how many get eaten.
One of the largest field experiments ever conducted is providing the best evidence yet in support of a key Darwinian theory-that interactions between species are stronger toward the tropics and lower elevations An international research team led by a McGill University researcher used a simple experiment that mimics how plants and animals interact with each other-leaving seeds out for 24 hours to see how many get eaten.
Today Belgian researchers set sail for Antarctica. Their goal is to take a census of marine biodiversity and to study the presence of plastic in the Southern Ocean.
Is lab-grown meat really better for the environment?
Growing meat in the laboratory may do more damage to the climate in the long run than meat from cattle, according to new research. In a first-of-its-kind study from the LEAP (Livestock, Environment and People) programme at the Oxford Martin School, the climate-change impact of several production methods for lab-grown and farmed beef was assessed accounting for the differing greenhouse gases produced.
Growing meat in the laboratory may do more damage to the climate in the long run than meat from cattle, according to new research. In a first-of-its-kind study from the LEAP (Livestock, Environment and People) programme at the Oxford Martin School, the climate-change impact of several production methods for lab-grown and farmed beef was assessed accounting for the differing greenhouse gases produced.
Climate change makes summer weather stormier yet more stagnant
Study finds rising temperatures feed more energy to thunderstorms, less to general circulation. Climate change is shifting the energy in the atmosphere that fuels summertime weather, which may lead to stronger thunderstorms and more stagnant conditions for midlatitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe, and Asia, a new MIT study finds.
Study finds rising temperatures feed more energy to thunderstorms, less to general circulation. Climate change is shifting the energy in the atmosphere that fuels summertime weather, which may lead to stronger thunderstorms and more stagnant conditions for midlatitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe, and Asia, a new MIT study finds.
Membrane material's properties could guide design of flexible body armor, new study suggests. Flip a lobster on its back, and you'll see that the underside of its tail is split in segments connected by a translucent membrane that appears rather vulnerable when compared with the armor-like carapace that shields the rest of the crustacean.
Hardly a day went by in the summer of 2018 without a report on the continuing water scarcity at the time in Switzerland. Again and again, newspapers, radio and television were coming up with questions like: "How much water do nature, agriculture and people need?", "How can we find ways to save water?" and "Which regions have the least water reserves?" On the other hand, Swiss municipal governments, cantons, engineering firms, NGOs and public sector agencies appear to be less concerned with the relationship between water scarcity and water-saving measures.
Ambitious research to help achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals
Scientists from across five countries, including those from University of Glasgow, will collaborate on ambitious research to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and their environment in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The University of Glasgow project “River basins as 'living laboratories' for achieving sustainable development goals across national and sub-national scales” has been funded through the new Natural Environment Research Council-TaSE (Towards a Sustainable Earth) research programme.
Scientists from across five countries, including those from University of Glasgow, will collaborate on ambitious research to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and their environment in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The University of Glasgow project “River basins as 'living laboratories' for achieving sustainable development goals across national and sub-national scales” has been funded through the new Natural Environment Research Council-TaSE (Towards a Sustainable Earth) research programme.
Process developed at MIT could turn concentrated brine into useful chemicals, making desalination more efficient. The rapidly growing desalination industry produces water for drinking and for agriculture in the world's arid coastal regions. But it leaves behind as a waste product a lot of highly concentrated brine, which is usually disposed of by dumping it back into the sea, a process that requires costly pumping systems and that must be managed carefully to prevent damage to marine ecosystems.
Melting water causing Antarctic ice to buckle, scientists confirm
For the first time, a team of scientists from the University of Chicago and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences has directly observed an Antarctic ice shelf bending under the weight of ponding meltwater on top-a phenomenon that may have triggered the historic 2002 collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf.
For the first time, a team of scientists from the University of Chicago and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences has directly observed an Antarctic ice shelf bending under the weight of ponding meltwater on top-a phenomenon that may have triggered the historic 2002 collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf.
The filling and draining of meltwater lakes has been found to cause a floating Antarctic ice shelf to flex, potentially threatening its stability. Filling and draining of lakes causes the ice shelf to flex, and if the stresses are large enough, fractures might also develop Alison Banwell A team of British and American researchers, co-led by the University of Cambridge, has measured how much the McMurdo ice shelf in Antarctica flexes in response to the filling and draining of meltwater lakes on its surface.
Does a drier and hotter climate present a threat to the meerkats in the Kalahari Desert? Researchers from UZH and Cambridge show that climate change is likely to impact meerkats, and seasonal rainfall and temperature will be the key factors. The effects of climate change are especially obvious in arid environments where resources are scarce and subject to seasonal availability.
Earth's solid surface and clement climate may be in part due to a massive star in the birth environment of the Sun. Without its radioactive elements injected into the early solar system, our home planet could be a hostile ocean world covered in global ice sheets. This is demonstrated by computer simulations in which the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, based at the University of Bern, was involved.
Orangutans make complex economic decisions about tool use depending on the current 'market' situation Flexible tool use is closely associated to higher mental processes such as the ability to plan actions. Now a group of cognitive biologists and comparative psychologists from the University of Vienna, the University of St Andrews and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna that included Isabelle Laumer and Josep Call, has studied tool related decision-making in a non-human primate species - the orangutan.