environmental science research for everyone
While many industrial processes that utilize salt are beneficial to our society, high concentrations of salt that make their way into our wastewater stream introduce many potential threats to wastewater treatment. In this study, researchers investigated a biological solution to dealing with high salt (and often high sulfate) concentrations in wastewater: purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB).
Read more
The politicians who designed NEPA understood that inclusion of stakeholders is crucial for policies to be effective, both in implementing change and garnering support for policy-based decisions.
Read more
Genetic diversity is an important, but overlooked, aspect of the conservation of endangered and threatened species. How is the genetic diversity of a tiny, threatened plant influenced by its basic biology?
Read more
In many regions witnessing a mosquito in winter is common. Though many mosquitoes die off when temperatures get too cold outside, many of them don’t. It all depends on the species; and with warming climates, we can expect to see a lot more of them in the coming decades.
Read more
Cultural understandings of nature vary widely, but global conservation efforts often fail to consider multiple perspectives regarding nature. Researchers have suggested a framework through which to better understand cultural conceptualizations of nature through language. By incorporating this framework into their correspondences, scientists may be better equipped to communicate their findings, and policy makers will have a platform from which to promote more inclusive legislation.
Read more
Facing declining populations worldwide, bees may have found an unlikey refuge in urban gardens.
Read more
Some “food” doesn’t have much nutritional value… and this is certainly true of plastic! Some bug larvae seem to be eating plastic, but they don’t live very long as a result. In a recent study, researchers experimented with different diet supplements to improve larvae’s ability to live off of plastic.
Read more
Antarctica has been a depository for pollutants for decades. The brutal cold has kept them dormant and unable to inflict harmful effects on nature. As temperatures rise and ice melts, what is the fate of these pollutants in this unique landscape?
Read more
In the age of the sixth extinction, we need to think carefully about how we use our land– especially when different land uses are at odds. As a way to advance conservation, researchers in Israel examined “land sharing” of rangelands: a way of using land to benefit agriculture and biodiversity alike.
Read more
Recently I was down by the Mississippi River with a friend when he remarked, “Look at that tree!” A 30 foot log was barreling downstream in the middle of the 1 mile wide river channel bouncing along the many eddies created by the rushing, brown water. I had heard about large wood rafts that historically clogged up the Red River in Louisiana and many rivers around the world. I tried to imagine what thousands of 30 foot logs floating in the river together would look like and I didn’t get very far before I googled “The Great Raft.” The old images of a massive log jam displayed on my phone were beyond anything I could have imagined.
Read more