Thursday, June 18, 2026

Environmental Science

Environmental Science
Kari St. Laurent

Microplastics: Smells like dinner

Microplastic pollution is a trending concern as these tiny plastic pieces can end up dinner for small ocean critters such as copepods. Copepods are tiny, cosmopolitan marine creatures that are a vital food source for fish, birds, and many more. In the vast ocean, many copepods find their food, algae, by scent, as some algae give off a sulfur smell from the compound dimethyl sulfide. This study set out to test if copepods would be more likely to eat microplastics that were infused with this sulfur-scented compound.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Andrew Barton

Fear and Hope: One Million Species at Risk of Extinction

“The overwhelming evidence of the IPBES Global Assessment, from a wide range of different fields of knowledge, presents an ominous picture,” said IPBES Chair, Sir Robert Watson. “But it’s not too late.” (UN IPBES 2019)

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Environmental Science
Riley Lovejoy

Aquariums to the rescue? The role of zoos and aquariums in conserving aquatic biodiversity

The primary goal of conservation is to protect species in their natural habitats, but this can be extremely challenging. Captive breeding in zoos and aquariums may play a vital role in conserving endangered species, but good data must be readily available.

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Environmental Science
Lauren Bonatakis

The Future of Seafood: Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture

Aquaculture has long been revered as a benefit to the seafood industry by increasing food availability for developing nations and taking pressure off of overexploited wild fish stocks. However, aquaculture has also been cited for its negative environmental impacts. Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is a solution that combines species of different trophic levels to be grown together in the same aquaculture setting, reducing environmental impacts and increasing overall production.

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Environmental Science
Laine Farber

Panda Pillow Talk: Vocal Analysis of Captive Pandas Helps Zoologists Understand Breeding Habits

For years scientists have pondered, do pandas tell each other when they’re in the mood for love? Now, we know.

In an attempt to improve captive breeding of the endangered species, researchers took a stab at decoding panda pillow talk. After analyzing the vocalizations of 23 captive pandas, they had a definitive answer: pandas let each other know when they are down to clown.

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Case StudiesClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Sarah Shainker

Islands and Alleles: How genetics can help protect endangered species

When talking about diversity in the natural world, we often think of the bright colors and bold patterns of fish gliding among a reef, or the variety of flying, creeping, and crawling critters found in the layers of a rainforest canopy. However, diversity even within a single species is an important indicator of a population’s health and stability. This type of diversity can be invisible to us when contained in the form of genes that control which traits organisms possess. In this study, scientists helped us to see the invisible diversity of an endangered skink and learn how to more effectively conserve this diversity.

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EcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceToxicology
Anita Masse

Avoiding A Problem: Spineless Critters Signalling Trouble For Plants?

Spineless creatures are fleeing, alerting scientists to an unseen problem. The avoidance behavior of soil worms and insects could provide a fast and easy method for scientists to screen chemicals for plant toxicity.

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