Category: Nature
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Animals and birds – 2 Min Easy Read on Pets
Specially dedicated to all the Dog Lovers Animals- Pets Together for so many years animals and birds play an important role in our lives Dogs and cats, mainly domestic animals, are most welcomed in our homes. From the poor to rich households, dogs are one of the friendly members of the family. The economically rich…
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Planting new forests is part of but not the whole solution to climate change
The large-scale planting of new forests in previously tree-free areas, a practice known as afforestation, is hailed as an efficient way to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—a so-called natural climate solution. But a new study led by a Colorado State University biology researcher finds that the carbon-capture potential of afforestation may be overestimated.…
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Fungal pathogen disables plant defence mechanism
The white mould fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum detoxifies the mustard oil bomb in plants of the cabbage family Summary Cabbage plants defend themselves against herbivores and pathogens by deploying a defensive mechanism called the mustard oil bomb. Researchers have now been able to show that this defence is also effective against the widespread fungus Sclerotinia…
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Volcanic activity and changes in Earth’s mantle were key to the rise of atmospheric oxygen
Oxygen first accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere about 2.4 billion years ago, during the Great Oxidation Event. A long-standing puzzle has been that geologic clues suggest early bacteria were photosynthesizing and pumping out oxygen hundreds of millions of years before then. Where was it all going? Summary Evidence from rocks billions of years old…
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Mangrove trees will not survive sea-level rise by 2050 if emissions are not cut
Scientists explored how the valuable ecosystems responded to rising seas in the past Summary Mangrove trees — valuable coastal ecosystems found in Florida and other warm climates – will not survive sea-level rise by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, according to a new study. Using sediment data from the last 10,000…
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Global environmental changes leading to shorter, younger trees
Fig 1. Forests are becoming shorter and younger because of a range of factors, a new study says. Ongoing environmental changes are transforming forests worldwide, resulting in shorter and younger trees with broad impacts on global ecosystems, scientists say. In a global study published in the May 29 issue of the journal Science, researchers led…
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Scientists find first evidence of microplastics passing from insects to predators in rivers
A species of river bird is swallowing hundreds of plastic fibres every day via their insect prey, research by Cardiff University and the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter has shown. Dippers are also inadvertently feeding thousands of plastic fibers contained in insects to their nest-bound chicks during their development. The aquatic songbirds…
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Mysterious glowing coral reefs are fighting to recover
Fig 1. Acropora corals. Colourful bleaching in New Caledonia. A new study by the University of Southampton has revealed why some corals exhibit a dazzling colourful display, instead of turning white, when they suffer ‘coral bleaching’ – a condition which can devastate reefs and is caused by ocean warming. The scientists behind the research think…
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Modern sea-level rise linked to human activities
Surprising glacial and nearly ice-free periods in the last 66 million years Summary New research reaffirms that modern sea-level rise is linked to human activities and not to changes in Earth’s orbit. Surprisingly, the Earth had nearly ice-free conditions with carbon dioxide levels not much higher than today and had glacial periods in times…
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Microplastics are everywhere, study finds
Microplastics are everywhere—including in our drinking water, table salt and in the air that we breathe. Having studied the scope of microplastics in a number of countries, researchers are worried. “Given the lifetime inevitable exposure to microplastics, we urgently call for a better understanding of the potential hazards of microplastics to human health,” says Dr.…