Researchers have found a way to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed to grow cereals such as rice, wheat and corn.
No, the human brain did not shrink 3,000 years ago
Did the 12th century B.C.E. -- a time when humans were forging great empires and developing new forms of written text -- coincide with an evolutionary reduction in brain size? Think again, says a team of researchers whose new paper refutes a hypothesis that's growing increasingly popular among the science...
The many ways nature nurtures human well-being
A systematic review of 301 academic articles on 'cultural ecosystem services' has enabled researchers to identify how these nonmaterial contributions from nature are linked to and significantly affect human well-being. They identified 227 unique pathways through which human interaction with nature positively or negatively affects well-being. These were then used...
Experts Warn That Climate Change and Increasing Populations are Threatening the Resilience of UK Wastewater Infrastructure
Researchers from the University of Portsmouth have examined the dynamic changes in the resilience of UK wastewater treatment works, now known as Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs), and discovered that environmental stressors are increasing the potential for pollution events.
Weddell Seal Moms Sacrifice Their Diving Capacity to Provide Iron to Their Pups
Weddell seals, which are excellent divers, during lactation provide so much iron to their pups that the mothers then dramatically limit their own diving and underwater foraging capabilities.
Nutrition solution can help heat-stressed cows as US warms
Rising temperatures pose major challenges to the dairy industry -- a Holstein's milk production can decline 30 to 70% in warm weather -- but a new study has found a nutrition-based solution to restore milk production during heat-stress events, while also pinpointing the cause of the decline.
Less Rain in the Forest: Amazon Even More Vulnerable Than Previously Thought
For every three trees dying from drought in the Amazon rainforest, a fourth tree – even though not directly affected – will die, too.
HKU Marine Scientists Unveil Sea Urchin’s Secret to Surviving Marine Heatwaves
Global ocean temperatures are increasing due to climate change, exposing ecosystems to extreme temperatures called marine heatwaves (MHWs), which can increase the temperature of marine waters by 5°C higher than normal in summer.
The Global Map of Aridity
Precipitation alone does not properly characterize vegetation water stresses.
New study calculates retreat of glacier edges in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park
As glaciers worldwide retreat due to climate change, managers of national parks need to know what's on the horizon to prepare for the future. A new study has measured 38 years of change for glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park south of Anchorage and discovered that 13 of the 19...