New Early Alert System to Detect Wildlife Illness and Death
Network of wildlife rehabilitation organizations helps track emerging threats. From domoic acid poisoning in seabirds to canine distemper in raccoons, wildlife face a variety of…
Ecology
A Mother’s Age and Diet Influences Offspring Health – Shown in Research on Tropical Flies
The female tsetse fly, which gives birth to adult-sized live young, produce weaker offspring as they get older, and when they feed on poor quality…
Why Is the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Disappearing? Is There Something We Can Do About It?
A Spartan-led research team has uncovered an answer — at least for the most recent population decline — with a huge assist from volunteers. Michigan…
Complexity Yields Simplicity: The Shifting Dynamics and Loss of Biodiversity in Temperate Marine Ecosystems
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba find that ocean warming and acidification are shifting temperate coastal reefs to simple turf-dominated ecosystems. At Shikine Island, Japan,…
Shocking Research: Over Half of the World’s Rivers Cease to Flow for at Least One Day a Year
Most Rivers Run Dry – Now and Then A new study led by researchers from McGill University and INRAE found that between 51-60% of the…
Plastic Planet: Tracking Pervasive Microplastics Through the Atmosphere and Across the Globe
Really big systems, like ocean currents and weather, work on really big scales. And so too does your plastic waste, according to new research from…
Vast Seabird Colony Creates “Halo” of Depleted Fish Stocks
A vast seabird colony on Ascension Island creates a “halo” in which fewer fish live, new research shows. Ascension, a UK Overseas Territory, is home…
Essential Amino Acids: Why Wild African Fruits Can Supplement Low Protein Staple Foods
In the line-up of wild African fruits, the marula is the best known. For thousands of years, people have depended on the trees for food,…
Alarming Discovery: Freshwater Methamphetamine Pollution Turns Brown Trout Into Addicts
Human pollution is often evident from oil slicks and plastic drifting on shore, but many of the drugs that we consume also end up washing…
Male Dragonflies Lose Their “Bling” in Hotter Climates – May Make It Difficult to Find a Mate
Less pigmentation keeps them cool, but could make it difficult to find a mate. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
The Mysterious Chinese Mountain Cat Was Likely Not Involved in Feline Domestication
Genomic evidence for the Chinese mountain cat as a wildcat conspecific (Felis silvestris bieti) and its introgression to domestic cats. Analyses of genomic data suggest…
Deforestation Threatens One of the World’s Largest Eagles
Harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) — which are among the world’s largest eagle species — struggle to feed offspring in heavily deforested areas of the Amazon,…
NASA Satellite Lets Scientists Track Ocean Microplastics From Space
Scientists from the University of Michigan have developed an innovative way to use NASA satellite data to track the movement of tiny pieces of plastic…
Microbes in Cow Stomachs Can Break Down Plastic – Sustainable Way to Reduce Plastic Litter
Bacteria found in the rumen, one of the compartments that make up the cow stomach, can break down plastics, representing an eco-friendly way to reduce…
Global Climate Dynamics Drove the Decline of Mastodonts and Elephants, Not Overhunting by Early Humans
Elephants and their forebears were pushed into wipeout by waves of extreme global environmental change, rather than overhunting by early humans, according to new research….
Don’t Worry, Research Suggests Birds Won’t Become Dependent on You Feeding Them
Oregon State University researchers have some good news for the well-meaning masses who place bird feeders in their yards: The small songbirds who visit the…
Tracking Ocean Microplastics From Space – See the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Like Never Before
Satellites reveal ocean microplastic fluctuation in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and releases from the Yangtze River in China. An estimated eight million tons of…
When T. rex Dominated, Medium-Sized Predators Disappeared – Replaced by Juvenile Tyrannosaurs
New University of Maryland study suggests that everywhere tyrannosaurs rose to dominance, their juveniles took over the ecological role of medium-sized carnivores. A new study…