A previously underestimated risk lurks in the frozen soil of the Arctic. When the ground thaws and becomes unstable in response to climate change, it can lead to the collapse of industrial infrastructure, and in turn to the increased release of pollutants. Moreover, contaminations already present will be able to...
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Sleight-of-hand magic trick only fools monkeys with opposable thumbs
An illusion involving a hidden thumb confounds capuchin and squirrel monkeys for the same reason it does humans -- it misdirects expected outcomes of actions they can carry out. However, marmosets have five equidistant digits, and were rarely fooled by the magician. The research adds to evidence that animals struggle...
One of Swedish warship Vasa’s crew was a woman
When the human remains found on board the Swedish warship Vasa (1628) were investigated, it was determined that the skeleton designated G was a man. New research now shows that the skeleton is actually from a woman. About thirty people died when Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm,...
Joining Forces in a Drive to Promote Biodiversity
UKCEH is delighted to be working with Land App and Sainsbury’s on an industry-leading partnership giving farmers and suppliers in Great Britain greater abilities to enhance their positive impact on biodiversity, soil health, river pollution and climate.
Hope for Salamanders? Illinois Study Recalibrates Climate Change Effects
For tiny salamanders squirming skin-to-soil, big-picture weather patterns may seem as far away as outer space. But for decades, scientists have mostly relied on free-air temperature data at large spatial scales to predict future salamander distributions under climate change.
New research shows that bacteria get ‘hangry,’ too
Researchers have discovered, using a recently developed technology, that genetically identical cells within a bacterial community have different functions, with some members behaving more docile and others producing the very toxins that make us feel ill.
Cells refine palm fat into olive oil
For more than 50 years, it has been suspected that fat cells constantly remodel the lipids they store. Researchers have now demonstrated this process directly for the first time using culture cells. Among other things, the study shows that the cells quickly eliminate harmful fatty acids. They refine others into...
Rising temperatures alter ‘missing link’ of microbial processes, putting northern peatlands at risk
Researchers show that rising temperatures in northern regions may damage peatlands: critical ecosystems for storing carbon from the atmosphere -- and could decouple vital processes in microbial support systems.
Juvenile Black Rockfish Affected by Marine Heat Wave but Not Always for the Worse, Research Shows
Larvae produced by black rockfish, a linchpin of the West Coast commercial fishing industry for the past eight decades, fared better during two recent years of unusually high ocean temperatures than had been feared, new research by Oregon State University shows.
Most of the World’s Salt Marshes Could Succumb to Sea Level Rise by Turn of Century
Cape Cod’s salt marshes are as iconic as they are important.