Can we tweet our way to biodiversity conservation?
Twitter is one of the easiest ways to talk and learn about biodiversity conservation, but is it the most effective?
Read moreMonth: June 2020
Are plants smart?
Author: Samantha E Andres Source: Calvo, Paco, et al. “Plants are intelligent, here’s how.” Annals of Botany 125.1 (2020): 11-28. What is
Read moreWhy is it important to do research at seal rehabilitation centers?
For many animal lovers, working as a seal rehabilitator seems like a dream job. You spend all day taking care of baby seals and release them when they’re strong enough to live on their own. But have these types of rehabilitation centers done enough research on what makes a seal ready for release? Could the time spent in rehabilitation cause the seals future problems or make it harder for them to survive in the wild? If so, should we stop seal rehabilitation all together?
Read moreInvasive Species Eradication: Prioritizing Efforts and Understanding Costs
Invasive predators can have major impacts on native prey species. Eradication, if possible, can help native species rebound, but many invasion scenarios are complex and include multiple invasive predators. How do we decide which species to target first? While such decisions can be difficult, recent theoretical work has shed light on the most effective strategies.
Read moreHow Microplastics Impact Life at the Bottom
Microplastics are prevalent in the news and in the oceans. Find out what effect they have on organisms at the bottom of the oceans… and the bottom of the food chain.
Read moreHealthy Trees need Oxygen, not Natural Gas in their soil – Case Study in Chelsea, MA
Schollaert, C., R. C. Ackley, A. DeSantis, E. Polka, M. K. Scammell. 2020. Natural gas leaks and tree death: a
Read moreLearning through Observing: Social learning occurs across vertebrate species
Social learning is widely thought to be something done only by species with social lives. However, recent research is showing that even more solitary species participate in social learning. A team of researchers from Australia tested the ability of a solitary shark species to learn through observing and mimicking members of their own species. They found that these particular sharks are capable of learning in this way, which contributes to our understanding of these animals’ lives and what we can do to conserve them.
Read moreAdded Benefits: Cleaning up our Energy
There are many factors to consider when making energy choices. Fortunately, one choice can have many benefits.
Read moreComputer models suggest how COVID-19 may disrupt warming oceans
COVID-19 has disrupted much of life as we know it – and the environment is no different. While we may not know the full impact until many years later, scientists suspect that the sudden, drastic decrease in fossil fuel use, especially air travel, will appear as some disruption to our seemingly unstoppable climb in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The primary way humans can slow global warming is to decrease our use of fossil fuels. What would such a world look like? Scientists hope to build models in order to learn and make better predictions from this unexpected experiment.
Read moreUnderstanding forecast uncertainty
Forecasts have been in the news a lot recently as people around the world are working to respond to the threat of coronavirus. To understand these forecasts (and all forecasts!) we need to wrap our minds around a notoriously difficult concept: forecast uncertainty. In this study, researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia demonstrated how different visualizations of forecast uncertainty can affect how people respond to forest fire risks.
Read more