A massive global collaboration has tracked over 12,000 marine animals from whales to turtles to create one of the most detailed movement maps of ocean giants ever assembled. The project, MegaMove, highlights how animal migrations intersect with fishing, shipping, and pollution, revealing alarming gaps in current ocean protections. Even if...
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Extreme weather is wiping out amphibians—Here’s where it’s worst
Frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians are not just battling habitat loss and pollution they're now also contending with increasingly brutal heat waves and droughts. A sweeping 40-year study shows a direct link between the rise in extreme weather events and the growing number of species landing on the endangered list....
Scientists find immune molecule that supercharges plant growth
Scientists have discovered that a molecule known for defending animal immune systems called itaconate also plays a powerful role in plants. Researchers showed that itaconate not only exists in plant cells but actively stimulates growth, such as making corn seedlings grow taller. This surprising crossover between plant and animal biology...
Scientists uncover 230 giant ocean viruses that hijack photosynthesis
Scientists have uncovered over 200 new giant viruses lurking in ocean waters that not only help shape marine ecosystems but also manipulate photosynthesis in algae. These massive viruses once nearly invisible to science are now being exposed using powerful supercomputing and a new tool called BEREN. By studying these viruses,...
3,500-year-old graves reveal secrets that rewrite bronze age history
Bronze Age life changed radically around 1500 BC in Central Europe. New research reveals diets narrowed, millet was introduced, migration slowed, and social systems became looser challenging old ideas about nomadic Tumulus culture herders.
Research Reveals Best Plant Seed Mixes for Pollinators and People
Concern over declines in insects has increased public interest in planting flowers in gardens and parks to support species that are vital for wildlife – but choices over ‘pollinator-friendly’ seed mixes are often based on anecdotal advice.
Fires Near Alberta’s Oil Sands
Canada has vast boreal forests that span from the Yukon in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east.
Climate Change Supercharges Atmospheric Rivers Over Antarctica
A new study published last week in Nature Communications reveals that rising levels of atmospheric moisture caused by climate change are expected to dramatically increase the frequency and intensity of “atmospheric rivers” over Antarctica – long, narrow plumes of warm, moist air that can travel thousands of kilometres and deliver...
Openly Available Geodata for High-Resolution Maps for Targeted Mosquito Control
Geospatial big data methods enable mapping potential habitats.
When Stressors Converge, How Will Our Forests Fare?
Two recent publications dig into the impacts of compounding factors threatening New England trees.