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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 23, 2012
Fish Forensics
Scientists devise precise DNA test to trace seafood's origin
A highly accurate genetic testing method could help pinpoint illegal and mislabelled fish, a team has reported in Nature Communications.
About 20 percent of fish caught around the world fall into the category of illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing. Some agencies have demanded that the fish’s origin be stated on a catch certificate, […] Read More »
May 22, 2012
Party Animals
Wild pigs' unruly behavior helps exotic plants invade tropical forest
Wild pigs aren’t exactly delicate eaters. They root through leaf litter for fruit and bugs, stir up the soil with their snouts and hooves, and generally make a big mess. Now researchers have found that these disorderly habits may have encouraged invasive plants to move into a tropical forest.
The team studied the Pasoh […] Read More »
May 21, 2012
Junk Medicine
Throwing pills in garbage is better for environment than other disposal strategies
Tossing unused pills in the trash may be a more environmentally-friendly option than flushing them down the toilet or taking them to a pharmacy for incineration, researchers have concluded.
U.S. households accumulate millions of pounds of pharmaceutical products per year that have to be thrown away because they are expired or no longer needed. […] Read More »
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 »
