Sunday, June 7, 2026

Welcome to Envirobites

We want to make cutting edge research in the environmental sciences accessible to all by highlighting recent studies and explaining how these advances shape the understanding of our world.

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Andrea Valcarcel

¿De cuántas maneras puedes contar lobos?

Aunque el radioseguimiento se utiliza a menudo para controlar las poblaciones de lobos, los científicos se están centrando en métodos que no requieren la captura de animales vivos. ¿Cuáles son algunas de estas opciones y cómo se comparan con el radioseguimiento?

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Animal behavior
Brandi Pessman

Why are zebras striped? – Biting flies read between the lines

Why are zebras striped? A simple question with a seemingly complex answer. The stark black and white striped pattern has mystified scientists as to why the animal developed such coloration. Researchers have tested ideas from individual recognition to camouflage from predators. Perhaps the stripes help zebras avoid attacks from a much smaller predator. A recent study adds a piece to the puzzle, though this research poses more questions that leave the stripes an enigma.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Julia Bebout

“Remembering” Past Climates May Help Trees Survive in a Changing World

Tree growth rate can depend on both past and present environmental conditions. With increasingly frequent and intense droughts, the importance of this environmental “memory” for growth may be changing in two-needle piñon trees.

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Environmental Science
Andrea Valcarcel

Striving to Be Everywhere, All the Time: How Citizen Science Can Help Environmental Research

The world is pretty big. Sometimes, even when scientists breakdown and reduce their study area, they don’t have the resources to collect enough samples to be able to reliably interpret the results of their studies. Here is where citizen science comes in. Citizen science is when the general public becomes voluntarily involved in scientific processes, helping researchers collect data and reporting on what they see. But, how efficient and accurate is this new resource we’re only recently applying? And, how can you get involved?

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Andrea Valcarcel

Abracadabra, patas de cabra: El tiburón fantasma de las profundidades desarrolló un sexto sentido

Las burbujas que surgen de las profundidades del mar son señal de problemas: un enfrentamiento entre un depredador y su presa. Las profundidades marinas, un hábitat relativamente inexplorado y misterioso, albergan criaturas que se han adaptado a la oscuridad y el silencio del fondo del océano durante cientos de millones de años. Pasar tanto tiempo en estas duras condiciones ha obligado al tiburón fantasma a desarrollar un sexto sentido: la capacidad de detectar cambios en el campo electromagnético. Los científicos están empezando a descubrir esta historia fantasmal, pero gran parte de ella sigue siendo un misterio.

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Animal behaviorCase StudiesEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Lauren Otolski

How Many Ways Can You Count Wolves?

Although radio-collaring is often used to monitor wolf populations, scientists are turning their attention towards methods that do not require live-capture of animals. What are some of these options, and how do they stack up against radio-collaring?

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EcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Maria Marlin

Wimpy or Willful Wasps? The Effect of Heat on a Parasitoid’s Survival

Article: Moore, M.E., Hill, C.A. and Kingsolver, J.G., 2022. Developmental timing of extreme temperature events (heat waves) disrupts host–parasitoid interactions. Ecology

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