A new study presents video evidence that at least one species of terrestrial leech can jump, behavior that scientists have debated for more than a century.
Non-native plants and animals expanding ranges 100 times faster than native species
An international team of scientists has recently found that non-native species are expanding their ranges many orders of magnitude faster than native ones, in large part due to inadvertent human help. Even seemingly sedentary non-native plants are moving at three times the speed of their native counterparts in a race...
Wooden surfaces may have natural antiviral properties
Viruses, including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can get passed from person to person via contaminated surfaces. But can some surfaces reduce the risk of this type of transmission without the help of household disinfectants? Wood has natural antiviral properties that can reduce the time viruses persist on its surface...
At least one in four US residential yards exceed new EPA lead soil level guideline
Roughly one in four U.S. households have soil exceeding the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lead screening levels of 200 parts per million (ppm), halved from the previous level of 400 ppm, a new study found. For households with exposure from multiple sources, the EPA lowered the guidance to 100...
When in drought: Researchers map which parts of the Amazon are most vulnerable to climate change
Some areas of the Amazon rainforest are more resilient to drought than others, new research shows. But if not managed carefully, we could 'threaten the integrity of the whole system,' researchers say.
Study Finds Air Pollution Can Increase Cardiovascular Risk for Cancer Patients
Modern therapies have extended the lives of many cancer patients; however, survivors often live with chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease.
Is Coffee Good for You or Bad for You?
Coffee drinking is a heritable habit, and one that carries a certain amount of genetic baggage.
Restored rat-free islands could support hundreds of thousands more breeding seabirds
Archipelago case-study shows that removing invasive rats and restoring native vegetation could help bring back hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs of seabirds lost to tropical islands. Calculating that there are enough fish to sustain restored seabird populations should be an important consideration for restoration projects, scientists say. Restored seabird...
Odors are encoded in rings in the brain of migratory locusts
Researchers describe how odors are encoded in the antennal lobe, the olfactory center in the brain of migratory locusts. Using transgenic locusts and imaging techniques, the researchers were able to show a ring-shaped representation of odors in the brain. The pattern of olfactory coding in the antennal lobe is the...
Large wildfires create weather that favors more fire
A new study shows soot from large wildfires in California traps sunlight, making days warmer and drier than they ought to be.