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Environment - 27.01.2023

Alien plant species are spreading rapidly in mountainous areas
Until now, mountain regions have been largely spared from biological invasions. But a new monitoring study shows that alien plants are spreading rapidly to higher altitudes along transport routes worldwide. Neophytes use roadsides as gateways of entry Humans, whether deliberately or unintentionally, often introduce alien plants in lowlands, then plants spread from their starting point to higher elevations, particularly along roads, which is why the researchers focused on traffic routes.

Environment - Life Sciences - 27.01.2023

The wondrous world beneath our feet - researching groundwater fauna
Switzerland's groundwater is home to a multitude of hitherto unknown organisms. An Eawag research project is shining a light into the darkness and revealing this habitat's exceptional biodiversity. Switzerland has plentiful groundwater reserves. Found in cavities under the earth, groundwater is almost ubiquitously present, and is the country's biggest source of drinking water.

Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 27.01.2023

Farming more seaweed for food, feed and fuel
A University of Queensland-led study has shown that expanding global seaweed farming could go a long way to addressing the planet's food security, biodiversity loss and climate change challenges. PhD Candidate Scott Spillias , from UQ's School of Earth and Environmental Science , said seaweed offered a sustainable alternative to land-based agricultural expansion to meet the world's growing need for food and materials.

Environment - 26.01.2023

Low emission energy systems can create water conflict without smart design
A new study published today in Nature Sustainability has found that using hydropower dams to generate low emission energy can cause problems for other economic sectors such as food production unless smart designs are employed. Access to sustainable electricity is required to deliver the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, but over 700 million people around the world still lack reliable electricity access.

Environment - Social Sciences - 26.01.2023

Small-scale octopus fisheries can provide sustainable source of vital nutrients for tropical coastal communities
Undernourished coastal communities in the tropics - where children's growth can be stunted by a lack of micronutrients - can get the vitamins and minerals they need from sustainable small-scale octopus fisheries, say researchers. Just a small serving of something very, very micronutrient rich, like octopus, can fill critical nutritional gaps.

Environment - 26.01.2023

Ethnic discrimination on Airbnb in Brussels
Tourists with a Moroccan-sounding name are structurally discriminated against on Airbnb, according to a new study by Professor Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe and his team at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Professional hosts account for the vast majority of discrimination. The research team carried out more than 1,000 correspondence tests on Airbnb during the summer of 2021.

Environment - 26.01.2023

Cold ice shelves Antarctica more vulnerable than previously thought
Some cold ice shelves in Antarctica, which researchers initially thought would remain stable over the coming centuries, turn out to be vulnerable in the event of further global warming. This conclusion results from a study led by Utrecht climate researcher Melchior van Wessem. When ice shelves break up, they do not contribute to sea level rise, because they are already floating in the ocean.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 26.01.2023

Who done it? Searching for clues with sediments
The sediments near Horn Richterswil - today a recreation and bathing resort on Lake Zurich - are contaminated with toxic metals, particularly mercury. On behalf of the Canton of Zurich, researchers have used sediment cores to reconstruct when the pollutants entered the lake. In this way, they could help clarify the origin of the contaminants.

Environment - 26.01.2023

Cold ice shelves Antarctica more vulnerable than previously thought
Some cold ice shelves in Antarctica, which researchers initially thought would remain stable over the coming centuries, turn out to be vulnerable in the event of further global warming. This conclusion results from a study led by Utrecht University and on which Stef Lhermitte and Bert Wouters from Delft University of Technology contributed.

Environment - Economics / Business - 25.01.2023

Sustainable development key to stop extinction of carnivores
The best way to prevent the extinction of carnivores, such as lynx, bears and lions, is by encouraging a sustainable model of social and economic development, rather than focusing only on issues such as climate change, researchers say After studying 50 species of large carnivores over 50 years, it was discovered that social and economic factors, such as people's quality of life, were more closely associated with declines of these species, than p

Life Sciences - Environment - 25.01.2023

What crocodile DNA reveals about the Ice Age
Environmental drivers such as sea level affect genetic evolution and point to where conservation efforts may be focused What drives crocodile evolution? Is climate a major factor or changes in sea levels? Determined to find answers to these questions, researchers from McGill University discovered that while changing temperatures and rainfall had little impact on the crocodiles- gene flow over the past three million years, changes to sea levels during the Ice Age had a different effect.

Environment - 25.01.2023

How salmon feed flowers & flourishing ecosystems: study
Nutrients from salmon carcasses can substantively alter the growth and reproduction of plant species in the surrounding habitat, and even cause some flowers to grow bigger and more plentiful, SFU researchers have found. Their study, published today in the journal Royal Society Open Science , is the first to demonstrate a connection between salmon and coastal plant growth and reproduction.

Environment - History / Archeology - 25.01.2023

8 billion and counting: will the Earth survive?
The good news is that global population growth has slowed and won't in itself cause climate change, says UdeM demographics professor Alain Gagnon. CONTENU - Credit: Photo de courtoisie In November, the United Nations announced that the Earth is now home to eight billion people, or seven billion more than there were just 200 years ago.

Environment - 25.01.2023

Study links nano and macro aspects of everyday force
Science friction: Study links nano and macro aspects of everyday force The discoveries could improve the design of personal prosthetic devices as well as sustainable energy systems Without the force called friction, cars would skid off the roadway, humans couldn't stride down the sidewalk, and objects would tumble off your kitchen counter and onto the floor.

Environment - 24.01.2023

Elk and bison would find enough space in Germany - if they make it to us
Large herbivores such as bison and elk played an important role in our oceans systems for thousands and millions of years, but in this country they were driven out of many areas by humans in the past and became extinct in Germany. For several years, both species have been spreading westward out of Eastern Europe, and sporadic sightings of elk and bison have been made in eastern Germany.

Environment - 24.01.2023

Environment law fails to protect threatened species
Federal environmental laws are failing to mitigate against Australia's extinction crisis, according to University of Queensland research. UQ PhD candidate Natalya Maitz led a collaborative project which analysed potential habitat loss in Queensland and New South Wales and found the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation 1999 (EPBC) Act is not protecting threatened species.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 23.01.2023

Look on the Bright Side of Earth
Why do Earth's hemispheres look equally bright when viewed from space? Weizmann Institute scientists offer a solution to this 50-year-old mystery When looking at the Earth from space, its hemispheres - northern and southern - appear equally bright. This is particularly unexpected because the Southern Hemisphere is mostly covered with dark oceans, whereas the Northern Hemisphere has a vast land area that is much brighter than these oceans.

Environment - 23.01.2023

New research could divert a billion pounds of clothes and other fabric items from landfills
A new grading system for waste could benefit the environment and economy  Canadians trash about a billion pounds-nearly 500 million kilograms-of fashion and home items made of fabric each year, but a new grading system could help divert most of it from landfills. In the first study of its kind to determine the quantity and quality of textile waste in Canada, researchers from the University of Waterloo and Seneca College developed the new method to evaluate an item's quality from A to F and whether it can be resold, recycled or tossed.

Life Sciences - Environment - 23.01.2023

Molecular clock that helps some animals shed their skin identified
Shrimps, flies and other animals shed their outer body covering at specific times of the year or at specific points in their life cycles through a process called molting. Working in worms, FMI researchers identified the mechanisms underlying a molecular 'molting clock' — as well as several of the clock's components.

Environment - 23.01.2023

Grassland Ecosystems Become More Resilient with Age
Reduced biodiversity affects the stability of the entire ecosystem. A long-term experiment now shows that grassland plant communities with multiple species need about 10 years to adjust to each other and produce an even amount of biomass again. Recent experiments have shown that the loss of species from a plant community can reduce ecosystem functions and services such as productivity, carbon storage and soil health.