environmental science research for everyone
What do Hawaii and Mars have in common? They both might have suitable habitats for microbes that can survive the extreme conditions in space. Read on to learn about how scientists are using lava tubes from Hawaiian volcanoes to learn about how life might survive on Mars.
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Like social bees, solitary bees are important pollinators. How do they choose where to forage when their habitat is broken up?
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La grabación de fauna silvestre con drones fomenta la colaboración entre investigadores y aficionados de los vehiculos remotamente operados y la fotografía.
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Forests globally are facing threats from insect and pathogen outbreaks. In this battle, drought and unsustainable logging have weakened forests, making them more vulnerable to attacks by insects and pathogens. Luckily, scientists joined the fight and have developed a tool to help identify forests that are at risk. Still, the world’s forests are not out of the woods yet.
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Chimpanzees were thought to be an indicator of ecosystem biodiversity in the Gishwati-Mukura National Park until a group of scientists found there was no relationship between abundance of chimpanzee and biodiversity in that particular National Park—this does not mean this assumption is inherently wrong, it is just wrong for the area in question, showing us how biodiversity can be a difficult concept to measure.
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Can your favorite fruits and vegetables survive the effects of climate change? Scientists are finding creative solutions to this problem.
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Retention logging is the practice of harvesting trees while leaving some fraction of the forest in place. Studies have shown that this type of logging speeds forest recovery and maintains forest habitat for animals. But studies mostly watched forests recover for only a few years, while forests can take decades to recover from deforestation. Does retention logging really help forest ecosystems in the long run?
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Research directs how we can protect the recovery of the few remaining old-growth forests from the ground up.
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With one powerful flick of their tail, aptly-named springtails propel themselves from water to air. Though a close relative of insects, springtails can soar at heights 16 times the length of their body. No larger than a grain of rice, springtails are leaps and bounds ahead of cats when it comes to landing on their feet. Their controlled take-off, landing, and ability to right themselves in midair is unmatched and have caught the attention of scientists. These ancient acrobats may yield key innovations for robots with controlled landing.
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Original article: Kirtane, A., Dietschler, N.J., Bittner, T.D., Lefebvre, M.B., Celis, S., O’Connor, K., Havill, N. and Whitmore, M.C., 2022.
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