Nature & Environment : Science World Report

Jun 21, 2019 12:34 PM EDT

Scientists Map Huge Undersea Fresh-Water Aquifer Off US Northeast

In a new survey of the sub-seafloor off the U.S. Northeast coast, scientists have made a surprising discovery: a gigantic aquifer of relatively fresh water trapped in porous sediments lying below the salty ocean. It appears to be the largest such formation yet found in the world. The aquifer stretch...

Jun 20, 2019 02:30 PM EDT

Animals May Have More Than One Means of Surviving Hypoxia

A tidepool crustacean's ability to survive oxygen deprivation though it lacks a key set of genes raises the possibility that animals might have more ways of dealing with hypoxic environments than had been thought.

Jun 20, 2019 02:26 PM EDT

Melting of Himalayan Glaciers Has Doubled in Recent Years

A newly comprehensive study shows that melting of Himalayan glaciers caused by rising temperatures has accelerated dramatically since the start of the 21st century. The analysis, spanning 40 years of satellite observations across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, indicates that glaciers have been losi...

Jun 19, 2019 10:09 AM EDT

Good Viruses and Bad Bacteria: A World-First Green Sea Turtle Trial

Researchers at the JCU Turtle Health Research Facility have conducted a first-of-its-kind study using what's known as phage therapy as an option for bacterial infections in green sea turtles.

Jun 19, 2019 10:06 AM EDT

Study Reveals Key Locations for Declining Songbird

Many of North America's migratory songbirds, which undertake awe-inspiring journeys twice a year, are declining at alarming rates. For conservation efforts to succeed, wildlife managers need to know where they go and what challenges they face during their annual migration to Latin America and back.

Jun 18, 2019 11:55 AM EDT

Scientists Identify Plant that Flowers in Brazilian Savanna One Day After Fire

Plants in the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado, have evolved to deal with fire. When fire is used intelligently as part of a carefully planned land management method, it is indispensable to the conservation of this superb ecosystem, the world's most biodiverse savanna. Two months suffice for the Cerra...

Jun 17, 2019 05:01 PM EDT

Biting Backfire: Some Mosquitoes Actually Benefit from Pesticide Application

The common perception that pesticides reduce or eliminate target insect species may not always hold. Jennifer Weathered and Edd Hammill report that the impacts of agricultural pesticides on assemblages of aquatic insects varied resulting in distinct ecological winners and losers within aquatic commu...

Jun 17, 2019 04:56 PM EDT

Penn Engineers Demonstrate Superstrong, Reversible Adhesive that Works like Snail Slime

If you've ever pressed a picture-hanging strip onto the wall only to realize it's slightly off-center, you know the disappointment behind adhesion as we typically experience it: it may be strong, but it's mostly irreversible.

Jun 15, 2019 04:55 PM EDT

High Tunnels for Specialty Crops: The Hope and the Hinderance

A study out of Indiana and Purdue Universities sought to gain a better understanding, from the perspective of farmers, of the challenges and advantageous opportunities associated with using high tunnels for specialty crops in Indiana.

Jun 14, 2019 08:26 AM EDT

It's Not Easy Being Green

Despite how essential plants are for life on Earth, little is known about how parts of plant cells orchestrate growth and greening. By creating mutant plants, UC Riverside researchers have uncovered a cellular communication pathway sought by scientists for decades.

Jun 14, 2019 08:25 AM EDT

Exciting Plant Vacuoles

Many plant processes are not different from humans: Cells and tissues in grain plants, including maize also communicate through electrical signals. The shape and frequency of these signals tell a plant different things. For example, it allows them to respond to heat and cold, excessive light intensi...

Jun 12, 2019 10:22 AM EDT

Fifty Years Later, DDT Lingers in Lake Ecosystems

To control pest outbreaks, airplanes sprayed more than 6,280 tons of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) onto forests in New Brunswick, Canada, between 1952 and 1968, according to Environment Canada. By 1970, growing awareness of the harmful effects of DDT on wildlife led to curtailed use of the i...