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Spring 2012
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Infectious Imports
Illegal wildlife trade could spread disease
Safe-Deposit Box
Travels to the seed vault on top of the world
Mini Livestock
Could giant farm-raised rats shrink the bushmeat trade?
Hungry for Land
When the super-wealthy scoop up huge plots of land worldwide, what’s left behind?
Acid Trip
Rising carbon dioxide levels are messing with fish minds
When Enough Is Enough
In developed countries, people are consuming less. Could we be reaching “peak stuff”?
Where Did All That Oil Go?
Bacterial blooms gorged on oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill
May 17, 2012
Water-Hungry Wine
Vineyards are reducing survival of stream-dwelling fish
Wine country may be pretty, but it’s not so pleasant for the fish. According to a new study, California vineyards with heavy water demands are reducing the survival rates of steelhead in nearby streams.
Researchers studied the threatened steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss, which lives in streams with fluctuating water flow. From 1994 to 2002, biologists […] Read More »
May 16, 2012
Chow Down
Reducing food waste could substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions
Countries could cut a lot of greenhouse gas emissions if people would just stop wasting so much food, a review article in Nature Climate Change has concluded.
The authors focused on nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas emitted as a result of fertilizer use on crops. More than half of nitrous oxide emissions caused by […] Read More »
May 15, 2012
Go Fish
Satellite tracking of manta rays reveals wide-ranging routes
Scientists have tracked the mysterious manta ray using satellites, finding that these animals’ paths often intersect with shipping routes but rarely take them into marine protected areas. The data could help managers develop conservation strategies for this vulnerable species.
Researchers have used satellite tracking to follow other marine animals and determine where protected areas […] Read More »
May 14, 2012
Sneaky Spores
Fungi can invade countries via wooden kitchen utensils
Invasive fungi could be sneaking into new territories on manufactured wood products such as utensils, a study published in Biological Invasions has found.
Exotic fungi can trigger widespread damage to crops and ecosystems. For example, chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease are both caused by fungi. These invading pests can enter countries on timber […] Read More »
May 11, 2012
Off the Leash
Domestic dogs are harassing wild deer
Looks like Fido needs a fence. Domestic dogs in South America are terrorizing a threatened species of deer, forcing these wild animals to retreat to different parts of the forest.
There are more than half a billion domestic dogs in the world, and many are free to roam beyond their owners’ homes. Previous studies […] Read More »
May 9, 2012
Waste Not, Want Not
Some insects flourish on plastic garbage patch in North Pacific
At least one small species is benefiting from the giant patch of plastic garbage in the North Pacific. According to a study in Biology Letters, the mass of junk has given an ocean-dwelling insect plenty of new places to lay eggs.
The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is a huge collection of plastic debris floating […] Read More »
