news 2012

Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 21.05
More Plant Species Responding to Global Warming Than Previously Thought
Far more wild plant species may be responding to global warming than previous large-scale estimates have suggested. That's the conclusion of a team of scientists, which included a UC San Diego biologist, that found that many plant species, which appear to not be affected by warmer spring temperatures, are in fact responding as much to warmer winters.

Environmental Sciences - 18.05
Impact of ocean acidification on marine life
A Plymouth University academic researching the impact of ocean acidification on marine life is finding out exactly what we can expect as our seas soak up more and more carbon dioxide. PhD student Vivienne Johnston is working with Jason Hall-Spencer at Plymouth focusing on the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems close to volcanic carbon dioxide vents.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Environmental Sciences - 16.05
New advice on medication disposal: Trash beats take-back, new study suggests
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a University of Michigan study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs.

Environmental Sciences - Agronomy/Food Science - 14.05
Wasted milk is a drain on resources
Milk poured down Britain's kitchen sinks each year creates a carbon footprint equivalent to that of thousands of cars, research shows. University scientists say the 360,000 tonnes of milk wasted in the UK each year creates greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 100,000 tonnes of CO2.

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 9.05
Antarctic ice sheet on brink of change
A project to map part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has shown that the region may be on the threshold of change. Scientists from the University have mapped the ice-covered, largely unexplored landscape from the air.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 4.05
Australia’s disappearing sea snakes
Australia's sea snakes may be more in danger of extinction than previously thought, marine scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies say. New research by Vimoksalehi Lukoschek from James Cook University with Professor Rick Shine from the University of Sydney, on turtleheaded sea snakes, has found that they are strongly attached to their home reef and rarely venture even a few kilometres to neighbouring reefs.

Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 2.05
Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss could rival impacts of climate change and pollution
Loss of biodiversity appears to impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to a recent study by a team of researchers based at nine institutions in Canada, the United States and Sweden.

Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 2.05
Male orangutans need quality forests
Cardiff University researchers have discovered further proof that orangutans need large swaths of forests to survive. The study, recently published in the scientific journal Molecular Ecology, showed that the male orangutan would navigate much longer distances than the females and suggests changes are needed to ensure that males are able to move between suitable habitat patches.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 30.04
24 new species discovered on Caribbean islands are close to extinction
In a single new scientific publication, 24 new species of lizards known as skinks, all from islands in the Caribbean, have been discovered and scientifically named. According to Blair Hedges, professor of biology at Penn State University and the leader of the research team, half of the newly added skink species already may be extinct or close to extinction, and all of the others on the Caribbean islands are threatened with extinction.

Chemistry - Environmental Sciences - 26.04
New study sheds light on debate over organic vs. conventional agriculture
Researchers at University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and McGill University call for combining best of both approaches MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/26/2012) —Can organic agriculture feed the world?

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 23.04
Wo unsere Schwalben den Winter verbringen
Seit Ende März werden es täglich mehr: Die Rückkehr der Schwalben ist jetzt in vollem Gang. Wo die Vögel den Winter verbracht haben, war bisher unbekannt. Dieses Geheimnis haben Forscherinnen und Forscher der Schweizerischen Vogelwarte jetzt mit Unterstützung der Fondazione Bolle di Magadino geknackt.

Environmental Sciences - 17.04
Live fast, die young
New study shows urban plant communities have traits that make it harder for them to adapt to change than their countryside counterparts. MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/17/2012) —Cities harbor more plant species than rural areas.

Environmental Sciences - 16.04
Earlier relatives may have climbed out of family tree
It has long been believed that coming down from the trees was a crucial evolutionary shift. The behaviour of these chimpanzees suggests a more deep-seated, gradual transition." —Kathelijne Koops The first study into rarely-documented ground nest-building by wild chimpanzees has offered new clues about the ancient transition of early hominins - our "human-like" ancestors  – from sleeping in trees to sleeping on the ground.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 11.04
Caterpillars more likely to vomit alone
A type of caterpillar which defends itself by regurgitating on its predators is less likely to do so when in groups than when alone, a new study by researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Bristol has found.  Such reluctance is sufficient to cancel out the benefits of being in a group.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 2.04
Ancient Egyptian cotton unveils secrets of domesticated crop evolution
Scientists studying 1,600-year-old cotton from the banks of the Nile have found what they believe is the first evidence that punctuated evolution has occurred in a major crop group within the relatively short history of plant domestication.