Newswise Feature Channel: Environmental Science

Reporting 'Rhode Kill:' New Study Calls on Citizen Scientists

University of Rhode Island — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:40:03 EST

URI's Natural Resources Science department recently launched an innovative solution to identify and address roadkill hotspots in the state using virtual data collection by Rhode Islanders.

The Wildlife Film Festival REEL WILD(tm)️ Kicked Off in NYC with Celebrities and Filmmakers From Around the World

Wildlife Conservation Society — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:25:43 EST

The Wildlife Conservation Society's REEL WILD(tm)️, a 2-day wildlife film festival in New York City, kicked off last night at a celebratory event with celebrities and Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award winning filmmakers from around the world.

Impact of Non-Native Plants and Climate Change on NY Wetlands Under Investigation

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:40:27 EST

Coastal wetlands are crucial for providing animals with food and shelter during disturbances. However, these ecosystems are under threat from rapidly spreading non-native aquatic plants, climate change, and dam regulation. Northern pike, native predators in the St. Lawrence River, have been forced to spawn in less optimal, deeper nearshore areas due to the invasive hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca) and water level regulation.

Scientists Use the Great Oxidation Event and How Organisms Adapted to It to Map Bacterial Evolution

University of Bristol — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:00:00 EST

Microbial organisms - particularly Bacteria - dominate life on Earth, yet tracing their early history and how they have developed over time has long eluded scientists because they rarely fossilize.

Electrochemical Method Supports Nitrogen Circular Economy

Washington University in St. Louis — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:35:30 EST

A new approach developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis converts nitrogen waste into valuable chemical product.

Bar-Ilan University Researchers Develop AI Model to Predict Lightning-Induced Wildfires with Unprecedented Accuracy

Bar-Ilan University — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 06:10:36 EST

A groundbreaking new artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by Israeli researchers promises to revolutionize wildfire prediction, with a particular focus on lightning-induced blazes that are growing increasingly common due to climate change.

Children Exposed to Higher Ozone Levels Early in Life Are More Likely to Develop Asthma

University of Washington — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 21:20:23 EST

Children exposed to higher levels of ozone in their first two years of life were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with asthma or wheezing at ages 4-6 -- but researchers didn't observe the increased risk of asthma at ages 8-9.

Tropical Forests Aren't Keeping Pace with Climate Change

University of Adelaide — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 21:15:43 EST

A major new study has revealed that tropical forests across the Americas are not adapting quickly enough to climate change, raising concerns about their long-term resilience.

Glaciers Erode Mountains in Bursts, Study Finds

Southern Methodist University — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:10:43 EST

A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface challenges whether glaciers are eroding mountains faster now than in the past.

Museum Collections Reveal Worldwide Spread of Butterfly Disease

University of Georgia — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 09:15:53 EST

While pinned butterfly specimens on display are stunning on their own, a new study from the University of Georgia explored how museum specimens can be used to track the spread of disease.

Landscape Architect Major Plants Seeds for a Budding Future

Rutgers University-New Brunswick — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 08:20:09 EST

At Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Josh Kover finds himself adapting - much like how plants can adapt to their environment. Kover's evolution took a dramatic turn four years ago. Shiftless during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maplewood, N.J., resident recognized a need in his community for a quiet and sustainable landscaping service while everyone was working from home.

Researchers to Map the Genome of the Invasive European Green Crab

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 08:00:54 EST

With state funding, Washington Sea Grant will work with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to shed light on a highly invasive species

Research Reveals Even Cool, Wet Northern Ireland Is Feeling Strain of Climate Change

University of Bristol — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 06:55:06 EST

Northern Ireland is known for its cool, wet weather - but a new study has shown warmer temperatures and erratic rainfall due to climate change are taking a toll on the nation's health and farming industry.

Professor Part of Study on New Fossil Carnivorous Mammals from Himalayan Foothills

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:40:06 EST

According to a new study published in Journal of Mammalian Evolution, two newly unearthed fossil specimens add important information to our collective knowledge of carnivorous mammals.

Mammals Were Adapting From Life in the Trees to Living on the Ground Before Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid

University of Bristol — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:00:00 EST

More mammals were living on the ground several million years before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, new research led by the University of Bristol has revealed.

Urbanization Reshapes Soil Microbes: Bacteria Adapt, Fungi Resist

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 06:40:30 EST

Urbanization is reshaping soil microbial communities worldwide, driving an unexpected homogenization of bacterial populations while fungal communities remain more resistant to change. A groundbreaking study reveals that urban environments favor bacterial generalists, which adapt to diverse conditions, whereas fungi maintain specialized ecological roles.

Nature's Time Machine: How Long-Term Studies Unlock Evolution's Secrets

Georgia Institute of Technology — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:35:40 EST

Georgia Tech scientists are revealing how decades-long research programs have transformed our understanding of evolution, from laboratory petri dishes to tropical islands -- along the way uncovering secrets that would remain hidden in shorter studies.

WHOI Oceanographers Investigate Southern Brazil's Catastrophic Flooding

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:00:25 EST

A new WHOI-led study uses satellite data to help uncover what caused devastating flooding and examine how it impacted some of the state's most vulnerable residents.

World-Renowned Experts in Tropical Plant Biodiversity Join WashU, Missouri Botanical Garden

Washington University in St. Louis — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:30:35 EST

Botanists Lucia Lohmann (left) and Toby Pennington will have joint appointments with both Washington University in St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

In an Advance for Promethium Production, Researchers Get a New View of the Element's Properties

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:25:08 EST

Promethium's short half-life and lack of stable isotopes makes it difficult to study. In addition, promethium is difficult to separate from other lanthanide elements because of these elements' similarity. In this study, scientists created a pure sample of the isotope promethium-147 and used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to examine the way it chemically bonds.