As Earth’s climate continues to warm, extreme and anomalous weather events are becoming more common. But predicting and analyzing the effects of what is, by definition, an anomaly can be tricky. Scientists say museum specimens can help. In the first study of its kind, published in Nature Communications Biology, researchers at the University of Florida used natural history specimens […]
National Science Foundation
Posted inSci/Tech
Mind-body connection is built into brain, study suggests
Calm body, calm mind, say the practitioners of mindfulness. A new study, partially funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, indicates that the idea of the body and mind being inextricably intertwined is more than just an abstraction. The study was done by a large multi-university team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. […]
Posted inEnviro
Water resources to become less predictable with climate change
Water resources will fluctuate increasingly and become more and more difficult to predict in snow-dominated regions across the Northern Hemisphere by later this century, according to a comprehensive new climate change study led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Although past research looked at the impacts of climate change on water availability, the new study […]
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New model developed to predict landslides along wildfire burn scars
A wildfire followed by an intense rainstorm is often a recipe for disaster. Without vegetation to cushion rainfall, water runoff can turn into a fast-moving, highly destructive landslide, called a “debris flow,” which often has the power to wipe out cars, homes and highways — sometimes resulting in casualties. Northwestern University researchers supported by the U.S. National […]
Posted inLife
Rare plants attract rare bees and birds in urban gardens
Little is known about what drives rare biodiversity in cities. Rare plant species in urban gardens may be the answer. The plants in turn attract rare bee and bird species, according to a Dartmouth College-led study looking at urban gardens in northern California. The U.S. National Science Foundation-supported results, published in Ecological Applications, show that women, older gardeners, and […]
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A cloudless future? The mystery at the heart of climate forecasts
We hear a lot about how climate change will change the land, sea and ice. But how will it affect clouds? “Low clouds could dry up and shrink like the ice sheets,” said Michael Pritchard, an Earth system scientist at the University of California, Irvine. “Or they could thicken and become more reflective.” These two […]
Posted inEnviro
Shrimps go big – and go Hollywood
Packing foam is forever – it can’t be recycled, and its petroleum-based plastic components can persist in the environment for centuries. With packaging waste making up about one-third of total U.S. waste every year, it’s a major challenge. Engineer and entrepreneur John Felts has an intriguing solution: shrimp shells. Felts and his partners devised a […]
Posted inEnviro
Climate change increases risks of tree death
Planting a tree seems like a good thing to do for the environment. Trees take in carbon dioxide, offsetting some of the emissions that contribute to climate change. But all that carbon in trees and forests worldwide could be thrown back into the atmosphere again if the trees burn up in a forest fire. Trees […]
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Study finds that climate change could spark the next pandemic
As Earth’s climate continues to warm, researchers predict that wild animals will be forced to relocate their habitats — likely to regions with large human populations — dramatically increasing the risk of a viral jump to humans that could lead to the next pandemic. The link between climate change and viral transmission is described by […]
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Dynamic rivers contribute to Amazon’s rich bird diversity
One of the most contentious questions in evolutionary biology is: how did the Amazon become so rich in species? A new study focused on birds examines how the movements of rivers in the Amazon have contributed to the area’s exceptional biological diversity. The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded team, led by American Museum of Natural History scientists, found that […]
Posted inEnviro
More than 1 in 5 reptile species are threatened with extinction
Conservation efforts for other animals have likely helped protect many reptile species, according to a new study led by scientists at NatureServe and other organizations. The study, published in the journal Nature, presents an analysis of the first comprehensive extinction risk assessment for reptiles on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. It […]
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We got it! Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the heart of our galaxy
Washington, D.C. – During a press conference hosted by the U.S. National Science Foundation with the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration in Washington, D.C. today, astronomers unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. This result provides overwhelming evidence that the object is indeed a black hole […]
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Microplastic pollution lingers in rivers for years before entering oceans
Microplastics can deposit and linger in riverbeds for as long as seven years before washing into the ocean, a new study has found. The research was supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Because rivers are in near-constant motion, researchers previously assumed that lightweight microplastics quickly flowed through rivers, rarely interacting with riverbed sediments. […]
Posted inEnviro
Bubbles of methane rising from seafloor in Puget Sound
The release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for almost a quarter of global warming, is being studied around the world, from Arctic wetlands to livestock feedlots. A University of Washington team has discovered a source much closer to home: 349 plumes of methane gas bubbling up from the seafloor in Puget Sound. The columns of […]
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Climate change could lead to blackouts, higher power costs on U.S. West Coast
Two new studies led by North Carolina State University researchers offer a preview of what electricity consumers on the West Coast could experience under two different future scenarios: one where excessive heat due to climate change strains power supplies, and one where the grid shifts toward renewable energy while the climate follows historic trends. In […]
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The glacier of greatest concern
Antarctica’s massive Thwaites Glacier is melting because of climate change, and a collapse of the glacier could raise sea levels significantly around the world. To glaciologists, it’s “the glacier of greatest concern” and the focus of the largest-ever joint U.S.-U.K. Antarctic field research program – the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. The U.S. National Science Foundation and […]
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The Stars Within Us
February 8, 2021 – Humans have always looked to the stars and studied them. Over the past century, science has revealed the fundamental role stars play for nearly everything in existence, including the elements on the Periodic Table. The birth, life and death of every star creates and disseminates the elements of the Periodic Table throughout […]
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In search of an undersea kelp forest’s missing nitrogen
June 25, 2019 – Plants need nutrients to grow. So scientists were surprised to learn that giant kelp maintains its impressive growth rates year-round, even in summer and early fall when ocean currents along the California coast stop delivering nutrients. Clearly something else is nourishing the kelp, but what? A team of NSF-supported scientists at UC […]
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After the hurricane: Maria’s far-reaching effects on Puerto Rico’s watersheds and forests
Dec. 10, 2018 – With fierce winds and flooding rains, hurricanes can be disasters for people — and for ecosystems. These devastating storms have major effects on tropical forests, demolishing tree canopies and leaving behind debris that piles up in watershed streams and on forest floors. Scientists at the National Science Foundation (NSF) co-located Luquillo […]
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Scientists fly above wildfires this summer to clarify chemistry of smoke
July 20, 2018 – On August 11, 2018, the WE-CAN team will host a research aircraft media event at the Boise Airport, featuring two aircraft: the NSF/NCAR C-130 and the University of Wyoming King Air. This summer, a four-engine cargo plane laden with scientists and sophisticated equipment will make flights straight into hazy smoke from Western wildfires. […]