In 1842, the famous British researcher Michael Faraday made an amazing observation by chance: A thin layer of water forms on the surface of ice, even though it is well below zero degrees. So the temperature is below the melting point of ice, yet the surface of the ice has...
A new weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
The unreasonable use of antibiotics has pushed bacteria to develop resistance mechanisms to this type of treatment. This phenomenon, known as antibiotic resistance, is now considered by the WHO as one of the greatest threats to health. The lack of treatment against multi-resistant bacteria could bring us back to a...
Human expansion 1,000 years ago linked to Madagascar’s loss of large vertebrates
The island of Madagascar -- one of the last large land masses colonized by humans - -sits about 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the coast of East Africa. While it's still regarded as a place of unique biodiversity, Madagascar long ago lost all its large-bodied vertebrates, including giant lemurs, elephant...
Platypus populations impacted by large river dams are more vulnerable to threats
A new genetic study finds large dams restrict platypus movement, with significant implications for their conservation.
Native fish overlooked as invaders in U.S. waters
In the U.S. Geological Survey's Non-Indigenous Aquatic Species database, these so-called 'native transplant' fish are almost twice as common as fish introduced from outside the country. But a new review says native transplant fish, especially those that don't qualify as game fish, are rarely studied and their impacts poorly understood.
Carnivore gut microbes offer insight into health of wild ecosystems
A new study finds the microbial ecosystem in the guts of wild marten (Martes americana) that live in relatively pristine natural habitat is distinct from the gut microbiome of wild marten that live in areas that are more heavily impacted by human activity. The finding highlights an emerging tool that...
The importance of light for grassland plant diversity
Plants need light to grow. However, due to excess nutrients and/or the absence of herbivores less light can reach lower vegetation layers in grasslands. Consequently, few fast-growing species dominate and plant diversity declines. So far, this relationship has been established indirectly through experiments, but never directly by means of experimentally...
A common dietary fiber promotes allergy-like immune responses in preclinical studies
A type of dietary fiber called inulin, commonly used in health supplements and known to have certain anti-inflammatory properties, can also promote an allergy-related type of inflammation in the lung and gut, and other parts of the body, according to a preclinical study.
Invasive plant species are increasing exponentially, but no one knows how many invasive plant species there are
Invasive plants can have devastating effects on local ecologies, comparable to the effects wrought by global warming. And yet, there is currently no reliable understanding of how many invasive plant species there are in the world. New research comprehensively pinpoints the various unknowns that need to be addressed in order...
Global analysis shows where fishing vessels turn off their identification devices
Data from the shipboard Automatic Identification System (AIS) can provide information about global fishing activity, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Fishing vessels may disable their AIS devices, but a new analysis identifies intentional disabling events in commercial fisheries and shows that, while some disabling events may be for legitimate...