PHYSorg · Page 13

The future of the European forests is at risk due to our changing climate. To observe the effects of climate change, we often look at the large trees. But the young trees are the future of the forest and are also the most vulnerable. The current drought is the…

From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about $35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday.

Marius Floriancic runs quickly along a narrow, well-trodden path, heading deeper and deeper into the forest. It is a cool, damp Thursday morning at the end of April; it rained the night before and water is still occasionally dripping down from the treetops…

When a major cyclone tears through an island nation, all efforts rightly focus on saving human lives and restoring livelihoods. However, these storms have permanent consequences for other species that are often forgotten.

Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of our time—and some of nature's tiniest organisms may offer a surprising way out.

How does a bird learn its birdsong? Tomoko Fujii and Masashi Tanaka, from Waseda University, explored what drives a zebra finch to approach and imitate other zebra finches to learn its birdsong in a new JNeurosci paper.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, global interest in antiviral therapies has increased significantly. Recently, with the growing attention to peptide-based drugs such as Wegovy, demand for effective peptide therapeutics derived from natural substances is rapidly…

Africa's predominantly rainfed agricultural sector is highly vulnerable to erratic rainfall and the impacts of climate change. Despite having significant irrigation potential, only a small fraction of Africa's arable land is currently equipped for irrigation.

If you're wondering why squirrels seem to vastly outnumber raccoons—or why certain car brands dominate city streets—a team of University of Virginia researchers may be able to help.

A team of ecologists and entomologists affiliated with several institutions in Brazil, working with a colleague from Mexico, has observed the first instance of galls providing protection against fire to gall-inducing Boheman weevil larvae. In their paper…

A recent study by behavioral biologists from Wageningen University & Research and the German Primate Research Center has uncovered a remarkable phenomenon among wild chimpanzees in West Africa: the use of stones to produce sound, presumably as a form of…

Scientists have uncovered a critical role for rapid DNA repair in maintaining genome stability. A new study reveals that repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in nuclear DNA in plants serves as a powerful safeguard against the integration of foreign DNA from…

Chinese researchers recently uncovered molecular evidence supporting Lamarckism—a long-debated theory from the early 19th century that acquired characteristics can be inherited.

A University of Tennessee researcher documented an immature Cooper's hawk using vehicle traffic and pedestrian signal patterns as concealment during hunting behavior at a suburban intersection.

Marine bacteria control how much CO2 is stored in the oceans, by swimming after and degrading sinking particles that would otherwise remain stored in the ocean for millennia. Researchers have discovered that some bacteria can swim for several days without food…

A study involving more than 100 scientists has revealed how Australia's plants and animals responded to the devastating 2019–20 megafires, and the findings could change how we manage bushfire risk.

Texas is the "battiest" state, home to 32 of the country's 47 bat species—and in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, nowhere may prove that better than the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. A recent acoustic survey found the Botanic Garden hosts up to five distinct bat…

Birds regularly shed and regrow their body and wing feathers in a process, called molting, that is critical for flight, migration, insulation, breeding and survival.

A team of researchers has developed a portable and automatic laboratory that can monitor soil chemistry in real time—and without expensive components. The aim is to give us easier access to follow the processes that usually take place hidden beneath our feet.

In recent years, the concept of "rewilding" has risen to prominence in the conservation community, but to date, most efforts have been concentrated on large protected areas far from cities—and consequently, far from urban areas suffering pronounced…