Across Bolivia, even in protected areas recognized by the United Nations for their diversity of wildlife, more than 1,000 artisanal mining operations are razing trees, diverting waterways, and reshaping the land in their search for gold.
Argentine ants will do anything for sugar, but they won’t do this
Argentine ants have been able to displace native ant species in large part because of their aggressive foraging for sugar and other carbohydrates. However, when they've been deprived of food and competitors are present, they significantly limit their foraging activity instead of vigorously pursuing food. On the whole, this strategy...
Climate whiplash increased wildfires on California’s west coast about 8,000 years ago
Researchers have been studying the effects of the sudden decrease in global temperatures that occurred about 8,200 years ago, the so-called 8.2-kiloyear event, with the help of mineral deposits present in White Moon Cave in Northern California. New indications show that oscillations between extreme wetness and aridity in California were...
NASA Scientists Map Global Salt Marsh Losses and Their Carbon Impact
According to a new NASA-led study, the world has lost 561 square miles (1,453 square kilometers) of salt marshes over the past 20 years.
Megadrought: How the Current Southwestern North American Megadrought Is Affecting Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
New research, based on two decades’ worth of data, shows that in the ten years after its onset in 2000, the Southwestern North American (SWNA) megadrought caused a 30% change in gravity wave activity in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Coupled Computer Modeling Can Help More Accurately Predict Coastal Flooding, Study Demonstrates
LSU researchers used a unique coupled computer modeling approach to accurately recreate the coastal flooding that occurred during Hurricane Florence, demonstrating that it is more accurate than traditional modeling approaches.
Americans flocking to fire: National migration study
Americans are leaving many of the U.S. counties hit hardest by hurricanes and heatwaves -- and moving towards dangerous wildfires and warmer temperatures, says one of the largest studies of U.S. migration and natural disasters. These results are concerning, as wildfire and rising temperatures are projected to worsen with climate...
World’s simplest animals get their place in the tree of life
The group with the world's simplest animals -- tiny blob-like life forms with no organs and just a few cell types -- finally has a fleshed-out family tree. The study comes more than 100 years after the discovery of these ameboid animals called placozoans and represents the first -- and...
Ancient stone tools from China provide earliest evidence of rice harvesting
A new study analyzing stone tools from southern China provides the earliest evidence of rice harvesting, dating to as early as 10,000 years ago. The researchers identified two methods of harvesting rice, which helped initiate rice domestication.
Countries bet on forests and soils to reach net-zero
New research highlights the risks of countries relying on nature-based solutions to achieve net-zero. National climate strategies set out how countries plan to reduce emissions, for example by phasing out fossil-fuel use, to get to net-zero in 2050. The study found, once the bulk of emissions have been reduced, countries...