Researchers have successfully used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the genomes of the black-legged tick. To accomplish this feat, they developed an embryo injection protocol that overcame a major barrier in the field.
Discovery of ancient plant fossils in Washington points to paleobotanic mystery
A new description of two well-preserved ancient fossil plant specimens in Washington state is prompting paleobotanists to rethink how plants might have been dispersed during the Late Cretaceous, between 66 and 100 million years ago.
Lichens are in danger of losing the evolutionary race with climate change
To learn how lichens might be able to adapt to climate change, researchers examined the evolutionary history of the algae that's a part of 7,000 kinds of lichens. By studying genetic relationships between algae and building a giant family tree to show how different algae are elated to each other...
Accelerated ammonia synthesis holds promise for conversion of renewable energy
Scientists reveal a way to make ammonia from its constituent molecules of nitrogen and hydrogen at ambient pressure.
Ending the debate: New research solves longstanding Antarctic climate change mystery
New research definitively resolves a long-standing discrepancy in the geologic record that pitted studies of marine ice-sheet behavior against those that reconstructed past conditions on land. The research lends additional weight to evidence that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is sensitive to small changes in carbon dioxide levels and that, in...
Reacting to a changing environment involves inhibiting previous behavior
Researchers teamed up to understand the role of flexibility and inhibition in problem solving and how they relate to each other in a behaviorally flexible urban bird species, the great-tailed grackle. The researchers assessed the cognitive abilities of individuals using multiple tests, and found that self control, a form of...
What lies beneath: Roots as drivers of South African landscape pattern
Research findings suggest that alternative stable states can be maintained through biotic mechanisms, such as root traits, in addition to the commonly understood abiotic factors like climate. This insight is critical to conserving threatened ecosystems around the world.
Dead or alive: Seagrasses continue to release methane after their die-off
Seagrass meadows play an important role in the marine carbon cycle and our climate. On the one hand, they sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it underground, on the other hand, they emit the potent greenhouse gas methane. Researchers have now investigated what controls methane production and release...
Global study finds the extent of pharmaceutical pollution in the world’s rivers
A new study looking at the presence of pharmaceuticals in the world's rivers found concentrations at potentially toxic levels in more than a quarter of the locations studied.
Decolonize research to save heritage threatened by climate change
Climate change threatens to destroy invaluable heritage sites and traditions in marginalized countries -- but empowering local people is key to adaptation. Locally led research and more equitable research funding are needed to address the true potential loss and damage to heritage from climate change, researchers argue.