Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Environmental Science

EcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Jeannie Wilkening

The Unintended Catch: Population Declines in Greater Scaup due to Fishery Bycatch

Aquatic birds play an important role in shallow water ecosystems, affecting the diversity of their prey communities and providing an important link in the food web. Over the years, mortality has increased in many aquatic bird species due to human activity. New research on a population of Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), an aquatic bird species native to Europe, determined that fisheries contribute heavily to its mortality and gives us tools to understand how we can reduce this impact. If no action is taken, this species could become endangered within the next 30 years.

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CitiesEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Pernilla Borgstrom

The five-dimensional road map: how can we foster positive human-nature interactions?

As humans, we interact with nature whether we want to or not. But the interaction and its outcome can look very different, depending on our background, and on where in the world we are. A new paper sets out to map the human-nature relationship, with the hope that we can better understand and foster it.

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Environmental Science
Sarah Shainker

The Endangered Species Act doesn’t protect all habitat equally

Biodiversity loss causes a reduction in ecosystem services, a loss of potential medical substances, and a less secure food supply chain. Habitat loss is the top reason for biodiversity loss as it reduces the size of populations and hinders reproductive success.

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Environmental Science
Jeannie Wilkening

These Boots Were Made from Exotic Leather

When picturing an American cowboy, images of horses and lassos come to mind, studded in spurs and blanketed in leather. The leather that you imagine is most likely cow hide, tanned and sourced in the United States of America. However, this mental image may require some adjustment. According to a study conducted by Jessica Heinrich and her team, exotic leather within the US is relatively common, particularly leather sourced from scaled mammals known as pangolins and large fish known as arapaima. Conservation efforts are more dire than ever as illegal trade of the two scaly organisms continues.

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Environmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public Health
Riley Lovejoy

One Crisis, One Effort, One Health

Understanding COVID-19 cannot be accomplished through strictly human medicine or research. The One Health approach advocates for a cooperative effort toward improving healthcare, and is especially relevant in the context of zoonotic (animal derived) diseases, such as the current pandemic.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceRemote Environments
Luiza Aparecido

Bring on the (prescribed) fire!!!

Prescribed burns should be applied not only to avoid uncontrolled wildfires, but also to maintain open vegetation types and their biodiversity as fundamental pieces of savannas and grasslands, threatened by fire suppression or modified fire regimes. (Modified from Durigan et al. (2020))

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Environmental Science
Laine Farber

Smooth Skinned Sharks: Ocean Acidification Proofs Harmful to Top Predator

As we careen toward the end of our second month of quarantine, there is only one thing on everyone’s mind… SHARKS. 

A new study conducted by German research teams suggests projected rates of ocean acidity will degrade shark skin on a global scale in the future.

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EcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public Health
Sienna Wessel

Could We “Dilute” Disease by Protecting Biodiversity?

So you are a passionate conservation activist distracted in the time of global pandemic- perhaps you haven’t had the mental space to prioritize biodiversity protection in your ever growing laundry list of pressing societal issues. What if I told you that the preservation of biodiversity could have the potential to check off a few items on that list- including disease impact? Read on to hear how science has worked tirelessly to determine if diversity can actually “dilute” disease in a variety of organisms, ending with a new comprehensive study that looks at this effect in plants.

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Animal behaviorEnvironmental Science
Whitney Kroschel

Do Crustaceans Feel Pain?

Believe it or not, quite a bit of research has gone into determining the answer to this question. Crustaceans have long been viewed as only having reflexes without any associated pain, but evidence is building that they experience more than just a reflex under “painful” circumstances. So what’s the consensus?

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ClimateEnvironmental ScienceScience through time
Munim Deen

Looking Ahead to the Past: Archeological Evidence Suggests Potential Solutions to Looming Climactic Challenges

Global warming is rapidly changing our planet which will impact the natural world as well as our daily life. Scientist are looking into the past to see if they can discover lessons on how to cope and survive extreme weather events. Recent archeological findings shed light on how the ancient people of Arabia dealt with changing climate over thousands of years.

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