Public Release: 8-Nov-2018 Florida Museum of Natural History GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 37-year survey of monarch populations in North Central Florida shows that caterpillars and butterflies have been declining since 1985 and have dropped by 80 percent since 2005…. Read More ›
Environmental
Will these Radioactive Spiders give me super powers?
Leading researchers call for a ban on widely used insecticides
Public Release: 9-Nov-2018 Use of organophosphates has lessened, but risks to early brain development still too high University of California – Davis Health Public health experts have found there is sufficient evidence that prenatal exposure to widely used insecticides… Read More ›
Immigration to the United States changes a person’s microbiome
Public Release: 1-Nov-2018 Cell Press IMAGE: US immigrants may lose the ability to digest certain types of plants, such as this unidentified jungle fern gathered for food by Karen villagers in Thailand. Credit: Pajau Vangay Researchers at the University… Read More ›
Bitcoin can push global warming above 2 degrees C in a couple decades
Public Release: 29-Oct-2018 It alone could produce enough emissions to raise global temperatures as soon as 2033 University of Hawaii at Manoa A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change finds that if Bitcoin is implemented… Read More ›
Study reveals how soil bacteria are primed to consume greenhouse gas
Public Release: 29-Oct-2018 University of East Anglia New research has revealed that some soil bacteria are primed ready to consume the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide when they experience life without oxygen in the environment. Previously it was thought… Read More ›
Neurology: Space travel alters the brain
Public Release: 24-Oct-2018 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Spending long periods in space not only leads to muscle atrophy and reductions in bone density, it also has lasting effects on the brain. However, little is known about how different tissues of the… Read More ›
Mammals cannot evolve fast enough to escape current extinction crisis
Public Release: 15-Oct-2018 Humans are exterminating animal species so fast that evolution can’t keep up; Unless conservation efforts are improved, so many mammal species will die out during the next 50 years that nature will need 3-5 million years to… Read More ›
Fluoride levels in pregnant women in Canada show drinking water is primary source of exposure
Public Release: 10-Oct-2018 Fluoride levels in pregnant women in Canada show drinking water is primary source of exposure York University TORONTO, October 10, 2018 – A new study led by York University researchers has found that fluoride levels in urine… Read More ›
Alternatives to pesticides — Researchers suggest popular weeds
Public Release: 3-Oct-2018 Exeley Inc. Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are one of the most numerous animal species on earth. As simple as they seem, many of them live as parasites in plants, insects and animals; habitats also include,… Read More ›
Bees’ medicine chest should include sunflower pollen, UMass Amherst study suggests
Public Release: 26-Sep-2018 Ecologist Lynn Adler at UMass Amherst and others found that eating sunflower pollen dramatically and consistently reduced a protozoan infection in bumble bees University of Massachusetts at Amherst AMHERST, Mass. – A new study by Jonathan… Read More ›
Sunflower pollen has medicinal, protective effects on bees
Public Release: 26-Sep-2018 North Carolina State University IMAGE: Honey bees fed a diet of sunflower pollen show dramatically lower rates of infection by a specific pathogen. Credit: Jonathan Giacomini, NC State University With bee populations in decline, a new study… Read More ›
Common weed killer linked to bee deaths
Public Release: 24-Sep-2018 University of Texas at Austin The world’s most widely used weed killer may also be indirectly killing bees. New research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that honey bees exposed to glyphosate, the active ingredient… Read More ›
Europe plans to burn our Global Forest as Carbon Neutral Renewable Energy, Scientists Protest in mass
Public Release: 12-Sep-2018 Europe’s renewable energy directive poised to harm global forests Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs PRINCETON, N.J.–Europe’s decision to promote the use of wood as a “renewable fuel” will likely greatly increase Europe’s… Read More ›
Drought, groundwater loss sinks California land at alarming rate
Public Release: 29-Aug-2018 Cornell University ITHACA, N.Y. – The San Joaquin Valley in central California, like many other regions in the western United States, faces drought and ongoing groundwater extraction, happening faster than it can be replenished. And the land… Read More ›
Shrimp heal injured fish
Public Release: 22-Aug-2018 James Cook University James Cook University scientists in Australia have discovered that shrimp help heal injured fish. PhD student David Vaughan is working on a project led by Dr Kate Hutson at JCU’s Centre for Sustainable Tropical… Read More ›
Study links mothers’ pesticide levels with autism in children
Public Release: 16-Aug-2018 American Psychiatric Association Washington, D.C. – A new study appearing online today from the American Journal of Psychiatry finds that elevated pesticide levels in pregnant women are associated with an increased risk of autism among their children…. Read More ›
Blocking sunlight to cool Earth won’t reduce crop damage from global warming by reducing photosynthesis
Public Release: 8-Aug-2018 Solar geoengineering could reduce temperatures and heat stress, but also reduces photosynthesis University of California – Berkeley Injecting particles into the atmosphere to cool the planet and counter the warming effects of climate change would do nothing… Read More ›
Climate taxes on agriculture could lead to more food insecurity than climate change itself
Public Release: 30-Jul-2018 International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis New IIASA-led research has found that a single climate mitigation scheme applied to all sectors, such as a global carbon tax, could have a serious impact on agriculture and result… Read More ›
Exposure to fracking chemicals and wastewater spurs fat cell development
PUBLIC RELEASE: 21-JUN-2018 Researchers saw increases in the size and number of fat cells in laboratory models following exposure, even at diluted concentrations. DUKE UNIVERSITY DURHAM, N.C. – Exposure to fracking chemicals and wastewater promotes fat cell development, or… Read More ›
University of Guelph study uncovers cause of pesticide exposure, Parkinson’s link
Public Release: 23-May-2018 Professor Scott Ryan has determined that low-level exposure to the pesticides disrupts cells in a way that mimics the effects of mutations known to cause Parkinson’s disease University of Guelph A new University of Guelph study has… Read More ›
Lightning in the eyewall of a hurricane beamed antimatter toward the ground
Public Release: 21-May-2018 First detection of the downward positron beam from a terrestrial gamma-ray flash was captured by an instrument flown through the eyewall of Hurricane Patricia in 2015 University of California – Santa Cruz IMAGE: The ADELE mark II… Read More ›
What happens if pesticides and herbicides stop working?
Public Release: 17-May-2018 What happens if we run out? Pesticide resistance needs attention, large-scale study North Carolina State University IMAGE: For new answers to the problems of increased pesticide resistance, landscape-level study is needed, NC State researchers say. Credit: Roger… Read More ›
Earth’s orbital changes have influenced climate, life forms for at least 215 million years
Public Release: 7-May-2018 Gravity of Jupiter and Venus elongates Earth’s orbit every 405,000 years, Rutgers-led study confirms Rutgers University Caption Rutgers University-New Brunswick Professor Dennis Kent with part of a 1,700-foot-long rock core through the Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest… Read More ›
Flaw found in water treatment method, Process may generate harmful chemicals
Public Release: 2-May-2018 Johns Hopkins University Public water quality has received a lot of attention in recent years as some disturbing discoveries have been made regarding lead levels in cities across the country. Now, a new study from the Johns… Read More ›
Neonicotinoids may alter estrogen production in humans
Public Release: 26-Apr-2018 An INRS team publishes the first-ever in vitro study demonstrating the potential effects of these pesticides on human health in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives Institut national de la recherche scientifique – INRS Neonicotinoids are currently… Read More ›
Geoengineering risks losers as well as winners for climate and wildfire risks
Public Release: 9-Apr-2018 University of Exeter Artificially altering the climate system to limit global warming to 1.5C could increase the risks of wildfires in some areas, new research suggests. While the international community is already aiming to limit global… Read More ›
90 percent of pregnant women may have detectable levels of herbicides
Public Release: 22-Mar-2018 Study finds direct evidence of exposure of pregnant women to herbicide ingredient Indiana University INDIANAPOLIS — The first birth cohort study of its kind has found more than 90 percent of a group of pregnant women in… Read More ›
Wolovick: Geoengineering polar glaciers to slow sea-level rise
Public Release: 19-Mar-2018 A Princeton University researcher suggests a radical solution to prevent catastrophic glacial melting. Princeton University Targeted geoengineering to preserve continental ice sheets deserves serious research and investment, argues an international team of researchers in a Comment… Read More ›
Humans flourished through super volcano 74,000 years ago, study finds
Public Release: 14-Mar-2018 How a vacation in South Africa, a one-of-its-kind UNLV lab, and pieces of volcanic glass smaller than a grain of salt changed a long-held view of human history University of Nevada, Las Vegas Our ancestors not… Read More ›
Some black holes erase your past
Public Release: 20-Feb-2018 Einstein’s equations allow a non-determinist future inside some black holes University of California – Berkeley Caption A spacetime diagram of the gravitational collapse of a charged spherical star to form a charged black hole. An observer… Read More ›
Medical care for wounded ants
Public Release: 13-Feb-2018 University of Würzburg The African Matabele ants (Megaponera analis) tend to the wounds of their injured comrades. And they do so rather successfully: Without such attendance, 80 percent of the injured ants die; after receiving “medical”… Read More ›
Herbicides now resulting in catastrophic failures
Public Release: 12-Feb-2018 Weeds out of control Spraying weeds with chemicals has always been costly. Now it is costly and ineffective, with resistance to herbicides pervasive and demanding a new strategy to protect crops. Rothamsted Research IMAGE: Black-grass, a pervasive… Read More ›
12,800 years ago the Earth was on fire
Public Release: 1-Feb-2018 New research suggests toward end of Ice Age, human beings witnessed fires larger than dinosaur killers University of Kansas LAWRENCE — On a ho-hum day some 12,800 years ago, the Earth had emerged from another ice… Read More ›
An outdoor cat can damage your sustainability cred
Public Release: 30-Jan-2018 Cornell University ITHACA, N.Y. – If you install solar panels on your roof and avoid dousing your lawn with chemicals and pesticides, your online peers may consider you to be environmentally friendly. But this street cred… Read More ›
New type of virus found in the ocean
“about 10 million viruses are found in every milliliter of water” Public Release: 24-Jan-2018 The unusual characteristics of these abundant, bacteria-killing viruses could lead to evolutionary insights Massachusetts Institute of Technology CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A type of virus that dominates… Read More ›
Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants force fish to work much harder to survive
Public Release: 16-Jan-2018 Contaminants remain after typical water treatment process McMaster University IMAGE: This is the site where researchers tested the metabolism of fish downstream of the Dundas Wastewater Treatment Plant in suburban Hamilton, ON. Credit: McMaster University HAMILTON,… Read More ›
Worldwide importance of honey bees for natural habitats captured in new report
Public Release: 10-Jan-2018 Global synthesis of data reveals honey bees as world’s key pollinator of non-crop plants University of California – San Diego IMAGE: A honey bee pollinates a Carpobrotus plant. Credit: Keng-Lou James Hung/UC San Diego An… Read More ›
Hypatia stone contains unique minerals not from Earth nor part of any known types of meteorite or comet
Public Release: 9-Jan-2018 Extraterrestrial Hypatia stone rattles solar system status quo University of Johannesburg In 2013, researchers announced that a pebble found in south-west Egypt, was definitely not from Earth. By 2015, other research teams had announced that the ‘Hypatia’… Read More ›
US childhood mortality rates have lagged behind other wealthy nations for the past 50 years
Leading causes of death are prematurity and injuries Johns Hopkins Medicine IMAGE: A new study reveals childhood mortality trends from 1961 to 2010 in the United States and 19 economically similar countries. Credit: Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine In… Read More ›
What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say
Public Release: 8-Jan-2018 Elephants and giant sequoias have no advantage over algae and bacteria SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry There are more than 8 million species of living things on Earth, but none of them — from… Read More ›
Genetic changes help mosquitoes survive pesticide attacks
Public Release: 2-Jan-2018 UCR study shows how intensive pesticide use is driving mosquito evolution at the genetic level University of California – Riverside IMAGE: A rice field in northern Cameroon. In addition to long-lasting insecticidal nets, urbanization, chemical pollutants,… Read More ›
Viruses can transfer genes across the superkingdoms of life
Public Release: 18-Dec-2017 New research shows that viruses can transfer genes to organisms they are not known to infect, and may cast light on the ancient origins of viruses Frontiers New research shows that viruses can transfer genes to… Read More ›
Kaiser Permanente study links health risks to electromagnetic field exposure
Public Release: 13-Dec-2017 Kaiser Permanente A study of real-world exposure to non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields in pregnant women found a significantly higher rate of miscarriage, providing new evidence regarding their potential health risks. The Kaiser Permanente study was… Read More ›
Prehistoric women had stronger arms than today’s elite rowing crews
Public Release: 29-Nov-2017 University of Cambridge Caption Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club openweight crew rowing during the 2017 Boat Race on the river Thames in London. The Cambridge women’s crew beat Oxford in the race. The members of… Read More ›
New theory rewrites opening moments of Chernobyl disaster
Public Release: 17-Nov-2017 Taylor & Francis Group A brand-new theory of the opening moments during the Chernobyl disaster, the most severe nuclear accident in history, based on additional analysis is presented for the first time in the journal… Read More ›
Proposals to reduce the effects of global warming by imitating volcanic eruptions could have a devastating effect on global regions
Public Release: 14-Nov-2017 Artificially cooling planet ‘risky strategy,’ new research shows University of Exeter Proposals to reduce the effects of global warming by imitating volcanic eruptions could have a devastating effect on global regions prone to either tumultuous storms or… Read More ›
Pesticides may cause bumblebees to lose their buzz, study finds
Public Release: 14-Nov-2017 University of Stirling Pesticides significantly reduce the number of pollen grains a bumblebee is able to collect, a new University of Stirling study has found. The research, conducted by a team in the Faculty of Natural… Read More ›
How toxic air clouds mental health
Public Release: 2-Nov-2017 University of Washington IMAGE: This graph shows that as the amount of fine particulate matter in the air increases, so do levels of psychological distress Credit: Victoria Sass, University of Washington There is little debate… Read More ›
Intake of pesticide residue from fruits, vegetables and infertility treatment outcomes
Public Release: 30-Oct-2017 The JAMA Network Journals Bottom Line: Eating more fruits and vegetables with high-pesticide residue was associated with a lower probability of pregnancy and live birth following infertility treatment for women using assisted reproductive technologies. The Research Question:… Read More ›
Some infant rice cereals contain elevated levels of methylmercury
Public Release: 25-Oct-2017 American Chemical Society Eating large amounts of certain fish can expose consumers to methylmercury, which can potentially cause health problems. But recent research has shown that rice grown in polluted conditions can also have raised levels…. Read More ›
Engineering Evil 