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Environment
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Environment

How wildfires change soil chemistry

The huge, long-lasting wildfires that have become increasingly common in recent years can cause changes in soil chemistry that affect water contamination, air quality, and plant growth. But these changes are poorly monitored and rarely factor into post-fire recovery efforts or risk assessments, according to a review study published May 14 in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. The study, led by Stanford University and Colorado State University scientists, found that better techniques are needed to monitor changes in soil and surrounding ecosystems. This enhanced ...

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World's largest hummingbird is actually two species
Environment

World's largest hummingbird is actually two species

For release: May 13, 2024 Ithaca, NY—The Giant Hummingbird of western South America is not one species but two, according to an international group of researchers. The northern population stays in the high Andes year-round while the southern population migrates from sea level up to 14,000 feet for the nonbreeding months. The two species appear identical. But looks deceive—their genomes and behaviors tell a different story. The paper announcing the find was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “These ...

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How miniature backpacks led to the discovery of the world’s largest hummingbird species
Environment

How miniature backpacks led to the discovery of the world’s largest hummingbird species

Researchers from UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) have uncovered the giant hummingbird’s extreme long-distance migration for the first time. Their eight-year study, Extreme elevational migration spurred cryptic speciation in giant hummingbirds published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, led them to another important discovery: The world’s largest hummingbird is a new species. The team, led by Jessie Williamson, UNM Ph.D., 2022, included the Museum of Southwestern Biology at UNM, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Chile, and Centro de Ornitología ...

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Researchers identify fastest rate of natural carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years
Environment

Researchers identify fastest rate of natural carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Today’s rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice. The findings, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provide important new understanding of abrupt climate change periods in Earth’s past and offer new insight into the potential impacts of climate change today. “Studying the ...

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Study shows natural shorelines support greater biodiversity in the chicago river
Environment

Study shows natural shorelines support greater biodiversity in the chicago river

New research published today sheds light on the positive effects of maintaining natural shoreline structure on freshwater ecosystems, as opposed to armoring them with steel walls or piles of rocks. The study, conducted by Shedd Aquarium, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, revealed important trends in fish diversity and abundance along various types of shorelines in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). The findings indicated both fish species richness and the numbers of fish grew with increasing proportions of natural shoreline. Shoreline armoring, ...

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Environment

Scientists find evidence that meltwater is fracturing ice shelves in Antarctica

A group of scientists who placed instruments on an ice shelf in Antarctica found that ponds of meltwater were causing the ice to flex and fracture. Though scientists had predicted the phenomenon, this is the first time it was observed in the field. The finding raises concerns that, as climate change progresses and more melting occurs, vulnerable ice shelves in Antarctica will collapse—contributing to global sea rise. “Ice shelves are extremely important for the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s overall health as they act to buttress, or hold back, the glacier ice ...

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Environment

Scientists unlock key to breeding ‘carbon gobbling’ plants with a major appetite

The discovery of how a critical enzyme “hidden in nature’s blueprint” works sheds new light on how cells control key processes in carbon fixation, a process fundamental for life on Earth. The discovery, made by scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Newcastle (UoN), could help engineer climate resilient crops capable of sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more efficiently, helping to produce more food in the process. The research, published in Science Advances, demonstrates a previously unknown function of an enzyme called carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase (CsoSCA), which is found in cyanobacteria – also called ...

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Revolutionizing nurse work environment research
Environment

Revolutionizing nurse work environment research

PHILADELPHIA (May 9, 2024) – New research from Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) – recently published online in the journal Research in Nursing & Health – has successfully validated a new, streamlined version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), originally authored in 2002 by Eileen T. Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor of Nursing, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology, and Associate Director of CHOPR, who is also lead author on this publication. This innovative tool, known as the PES-5, is designed to revolutionize how nurse work environments are measured across ...

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Environment

How climate change will affect malaria transmission

University of Leeds news release Embargoed until 1900 BST, 9 May 2024 How climate change will affect malaria transmission A new model for predicting the effects of climate change on malaria transmission in Africa could lead to more targeted interventions to control the disease according to a new study. Previous methods have used rainfall totals to indicate the presence of surface water suitable for breeding mosquitoes, but the research led by the University of Leeds used several climatic and hydrological models to include real-world processes of evaporation, infiltration and flow through rivers. This ...

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Environment

Climate models predict larger than expected decline in African malaria transmission areas

Areas at risk for malaria transmission in Africa may decline more than previously expected because of climate change in the 21st century, suggests an ensemble of environmental and hydrologic models. The combined models predicted that the total area of suitable malaria transmission will start to decline in Africa after 2025 through 2100, including in West Africa and as far east as South Sudan. The new study’s approach captures hydrologic features that are typically missed with standard predictive models of malaria transmission, offering a more nuanced view that could inform malaria control efforts in a warming world. Most of the burden of malaria falls on people living ...

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Environment

Indian ocean temperature anomalies predict global dengue trends

Sea surface temperature anomalies in the Indian Ocean predict the magnitude of global dengue epidemics, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the climate indicator could enhance the forecasting and planning for outbreak responses. Dengue – a mosquito-borne flavivirus disease – affects nearly half the world’s population. Currently, there are no specific drugs or vaccines for the disease, and outbreaks can have serious public health and economic impacts. As a result, the ability to predict the risk of outbreaks and prepare accordingly is crucial for many regions where ...

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Turning trash into treasure: breakthrough innovations in PET plastic upcycling
Environment

Turning trash into treasure: breakthrough innovations in PET plastic upcycling

A recent review has unveiled revolutionary methods to recycle and transform everyday polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into valuable materials. By harnessing cutting-edge enzymes and catalysts, the review dramatically improves how we break down and reuse PET, slashing energy use and emissions. These game-changing techniques are poised to redefine plastic waste management and boost the circular economy. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into valuable materials. By harnessing cutting-edge PET, a prevalent form of plastic, poses significant environmental risks due to its durability and resistance to natural degradation. Traditional recycling methods often result in inferior-quality ...

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Environment

Net zero plans show limited climate ambition on ‘residual’ emissions

New research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) reveals what countries think will be their most difficult to decarbonise sectors when they reach net zero, with agriculture expected to be responsible for the largest remaining emissions. Once countries have taken the ‘easy’ steps to get to net zero - such as switching to more renewable electricity, electric cars, and heat pumps for homes - they are still left with some sources of emissions. These ‘residual’ emissions continue to be emitted at the ...

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New Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis solves long-standing marine mystery
Environment

New Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis solves long-standing marine mystery

Nitrogen is an essential component of all living organisms. It is also the key element controlling the growth of crops on land, as well as the microscopic oceanic plants that produce half the oxygen on our planet. Atmospheric nitrogen gas is by far the largest pool of nitrogen, but plants cannot transform it into a usable form. Instead, crop plants like soybeans, peas and alfalfa (collectively known as legumes) have acquired Rhizobial bacterial partners that “fix” atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium. This partnership makes legumes one of the most important ...

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Environment

Liberals and conservatives differ on climate change beliefs—but are relatively united in taking action

The division between liberals and conservatives on both climate-change beliefs and related policy support is long-standing. However, the results of a newly released global experiment show that despite these differences, the two camps actually align when it comes to taking certain actions to combat climate change. The study, led by researchers at New York University, finds that when given the opportunity, liberals and conservatives take action to address climate change at roughly the same levels—and that ...

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Environment

Report: Governments falling short on promises of effective biodiversity protection

WASHINGTON— A new analysis of the world’s largest 100 marine protected areas (MPAs) published today in Conservation Letters suggests that governments are falling short on delivering the promise of effective biodiversity protection due to slow implementation of management strategies and failure to restrict the most impactful activities. The assessment, titled “Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress ...

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Saturated soils could impact survival of young trees planted to address climate change
Environment

Saturated soils could impact survival of young trees planted to address climate change

The saturated soil conditions predicted to result from increased rainfall in the UK’s upland regions could have a knock-on effect on the ambition to create more woodland in the fight against climate change, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Plymouth have spent a number of years exploring how temperate rainforests could be an effective nature-based solution to some of the planet’s greatest challenges. They have also shown that the UK’s uplands could in future see significantly more annual rainfall than is currently being predicted in national climate models. In new research, they found that higher soil water levels within areas such ...

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Bleaching of coral reefs shows severe ocean circulation changes
Environment

Bleaching of coral reefs shows severe ocean circulation changes

A new paper in Oxford Open Climate Change, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that extensive bleaching and deaths are widespread at several major coral reefs around the world. This suggests that climate change has resulted in shifting patterns in ocean circulation. Coral reefs may soon be a thing of the past. Last year, 2023, was the hottest year in recorded history on land and in the oceans, with dramatic and unexpected temperature increases. The highest excess daily air temperatures recorded in 175 countries, as well the most ...

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Environment

Suspended climate activist GP will not stop protesting

Last month, Dr Sarah Benn became the first doctor to be suspended from the medical register after being convicted and jailed for actions relating to climate activism. In an interview with The BMJ today, she says the activism that led to her suspension was necessary to raise the alarm over the climate crisis, and also in keeping with a doctor’s mission to promote health and save lives. “The world is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the danger of climate and ecological collapse, and I believe that my actions are a justified and proportionate effort to raise an alarm about the severity and urgency of the situation,” she tells journalist Adele Waters. Benn ...

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The EU could mitigate climate change equivalent to 13% of its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by planting cover crops on bare soil before maize
Environment

The EU could mitigate climate change equivalent to 13% of its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by planting cover crops on bare soil before maize

The EU could mitigate climate change equivalent to 13% of its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by planting cover crops on bare soil before maize ### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0302139 Article Title: Cover crops support the climate change mitigation potential of agroecosystems Author Countries: Germany Funding: The research was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the Project "CATCHY", project number: 031B1060C. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision ...

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Human activity is making it harder for scientists to interpret oceans’ past
Environment

Human activity is making it harder for scientists to interpret oceans’ past

New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are preserved, with lasting effects that can both improve and impair the fossil record. “We are not only changing the environment; we’re also changing the nature of the record that archives this information,” said Michal Kowalewski, the Thompson chair of invertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. “These changes can be both good and bad. On one hand, human activities ...

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Study led by ORNL informs climate resilience strategies in urban, rural areas
Environment

Study led by ORNL informs climate resilience strategies in urban, rural areas

Local decision-makers looking for ways to reduce the impact of heat waves on their communities have a valuable new capability at their disposal: a new study on vegetation resilience. Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory completed a study of how well vegetation survived extreme heat events in both urban and rural communities across the country in recent years. The analysis informs pathways for climate mitigation, including ways to reduce the effect of urban heat islands. Vegetation such as trees provide a valuable cooling effect, shading surfaces and deflecting solar radiation while releasing ...

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Environment

Pore pressure diffusion led to microseismicity at Illinois basin carbon sequestration site

Pore pressure diffusion generated by carbon dioxide injected underground at a carbon storage site in the Illinois Basin is the likely cause of hundreds of microearthquakes that took place at the site between 2011 and 2012, according to a new analysis. The modeling study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America indicates that pressure diffusion along existing faults into the basement rock could have destabilized the faults where the microseismicity—ranging from Mw -2 to 1—occurred, said Ruben Juanes of MIT and colleagues. There are some similarities between CO2 injection and wastewater injection from oil and gas operations, although globally the ...

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Environment

Sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination in obstetrics and gynecology

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that there is a high prevalence of harassment in OB-GYN despite being a predominantly female field for the last decade. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ankita Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., email ankita.gupta@louisville.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.10706) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, ...

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Vertical atmospheric measurements and simulations demonstrate important contribution of combustion-related ammonium during haze pollution in Beijing
Environment

Vertical atmospheric measurements and simulations demonstrate important contribution of combustion-related ammonium during haze pollution in Beijing

Recently, Science Bulletin published a research conducted by Prof. Pingqing Fu and Dr. Libin Wu from Tianjin University, Peng Wang from Fudan University, and their Chinese and foreign collaborators. They explored the source of ammonium in PM2.5 at different heights of the atmospheric boundary layer in Beijing, and found that combustion-related ammonia is very important to ammonium in PM2.5 during haze pollution in winter. Air pollution and treatment in Beijing have been widely concerned by both the scientific community and the public. Although its PM2.5 has decreased significantly in the past few years, there is still haze pollution in Beijing, especially in winter. The chemical compositions ...

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