Flea and tick medications trusted by pet owners worldwide may have an unexpected environmental cost. Scientists found that active ingredients from isoxazoline treatments pass into pet feces, exposing dung-feeding insects to toxic chemicals. These insects are essential for nutrient cycling and soil health. The findings suggest everyday pet treatments could...
Triceratops had a giant nose that may have cooled its massive head
Triceratops’ massive head may have been doing more than just showing off those famous horns. Using CT scans and 3D reconstructions of fossil skulls, researchers uncovered a surprisingly complex nasal system hidden inside its enormous snout. Instead of being just a supersized nose for smelling, it likely housed intricate networks...
Record-Breaking Sediment Core Provides Unprecedented Evidence of West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat
An international team has drilled the longest ever sediment core from under an ice sheet, providing a record stretching back millions of years that will help climate scientists forecast the fate of the ice sheet in our warming world.
FAU Feasibility Study: Queen Conch Aquaculture and Seagrass Impacts
Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has been awarded a grant from Blue Carbon Plus (BC+) to explore sustainable, market-driven aquaculture opportunities in The Bahamas and elsewhere.
Global Warming Must Peak Below 2°C to Limit Tipping Point Risks
Global warming must peak below 2°C then return under 1.5°C as quickly as possible to limit the risk of dangerous “tipping points”, experts say.
Giant virus discovery could rewrite the origin of complex life
A giant virus discovered in Japan is adding fuel to the provocative idea that viruses helped create complex life. Named ushikuvirus, it infects amoebae and shows unique traits that connect different families of giant DNA viruses. Its unusual way of hijacking and disrupting the host cell’s nucleus offers fresh insight...
Scientists uncover oxygen-loving ancestor of all complex life
For decades, scientists have believed that complex life began when two very different microbes joined forces, eventually giving rise to plants, animals, and fungi. But one major puzzle remained: how could these organisms have met if one depended on oxygen and the other supposedly lived without it? New research suggests...
Course Correction Needed Quickly to Avoid Pathway to ‘Hothouse Earth’ Scenario, Scientists Say
Scientists say multiple Earth system components appear closer to destabilization than previously believed, putting the planet at increased risk of a “hothouse” trajectory driven by feedback loops that can amplify the consequences of global warming.
Plant-Based Material Offers Sustainable Method of Recovering Rare Earth Element
Despite rare earth elements’ importance in manufacturing cell phones, magnets and a host of other consumer and commercial electronics, the lack of a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to obtaining these metals has led to a global shortage, according to Amir Sheikhi, associate professor of chemical engineering.
The Hidden Impact of Polluted Snow
As Canada experiences record snowfall, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that tiny amounts of industrial pollution trapped in snow can change how sunlight reaches the ground below and significantly alter fragile environments.