Sunday, June 7, 2026

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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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Animal behaviorEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Andrew Abraham

In need of a spa day? Why whales migrate to tropical waters

Whales have long been known to undertake mega-migrations. The seasonal occurrence of these marine giants provides great excitement, opportunities for tourism and a myriad of local ecological benefits. Yet, whilst scientists have documented and mapped these journeys for many whale populations across the world, the underlying reason for such odysseys has remained elusive. New research now suggests that whales may make these epic undertakings for the benefit of their skin.

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Animal behaviorEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Brianne Palmer

New Discoveries of Luminescent Life

Have you ever wanted to glow in the dark? If you are an amphibian, this power may be more common than we thought! A study from St. Cloud State University recently characterized the patterns resulting from red, blue, and green light from the bodies of salamanders from around the world!

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Animal behaviorClimateEnvironmental Science
Brandi Pessman

“Mite”-y Mothers Protect Their Eggs from Drought

Mother’s Day is near, and what better way to celebrate than by learning about some “mite”-y moms! When predatory mite mothers are exposed to drought conditions, they prepare their eggs to survive stressful environments. In doing so, mite mothers exert more energy and resources which reduces the number of eggs that are produced and the time the mothers survive.

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Environmental Science
Sarah Shainker

Bugmeal: The Future of Aquaculture?

With global declines in wild fish stocks, there is an increasing demand for fish grown through aquaculture. Yet current diets for aquaculture fish are mostly made of fish sourced from wild fisheries and from the aquaculture industry itself (Péron et al., 2010), contributing to unsustainable practices in the industry. In an effort to find a more sustainable replacement, researchers at the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences conducted a study looking at the effects of substituting fish protein used in fish diets with protein made from the younger stages of the black soldier fly. The results look promising.

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Animal behavior
Ashley Riane Booth

Hammerhead’s Night Out: The Day-to-Day Life of Hammerhead Sharks

Hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) are, understandably, one of the most charismatic species in the world of marine biology. However, these sharks have suffered major declines in recent years due to direct hunting and overfishing of their prey.

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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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