https://phys.org/biology-news/biology-other en-us The latest news on biology, natural sciences, environment Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have warned. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-botany-feature-prominently-school-curriculum.html Ecology Other Fri, 01 Dec 2023 15:30:57 EST news620667054 A Hobart-based solicitor built his reputation as "the foremost scientist in the colony" in the mid-1800s, despite limited contributions to scientific knowledge. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-solicitor-19th-century-tasmania-human-aboriginal.html Plants & Animals Other Tue, 28 Nov 2023 19:00:01 EST news620411401 Do you like cod, shrimp, salmon, crab or pollock (also known as fish sticks)? Of course you do. Do you shop at Walmart, Costco, Kroger or Albertsons for fish? Who doesn't? Do you eat at one of the more than 400,000 restaurants supplied by food distributor Sysco? Almost certainly. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-kind-seafood-morally-ethical.html Other Agriculture Fri, 24 Nov 2023 14:15:07 EST news620057705 Thanks to videos circulating on social media of bedbugs crawling through Parisian hotel rooms, movie theaters and public transportation, anxiety over the blood-sucking insects is high. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bedbugs-problem-paris-theyre-resurgent.html Other Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:45:04 EST news619274699 Hidden environmental, social and health costs of agrifood systems were as much as $12 trillion globally in 2020, according to new research from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), based on analysis by Oxford's Dr. Steven Lord. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reveals-trillions-hidden-agrifood.html Other Agriculture Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:52:03 EST news618591121 In Honduras and El Salvador, coffee (Coffea arabica) is one of the leading agricultural exports, and the share of specialty coffee is growing each year. However, despite the importance of specialty coffee production and exports, there is a knowledge gap regarding its cost structure and profitability, particularly those associated with labor costs https://phys.org/news/2023-11-profitability-specialty-coffee-central-america.html Other Agriculture Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:58:03 EDT news618238681 Can Dutch dairy farms that work more sustainably also perform well or even better economically than less sustainable dairy farms? Yes, that is possible, according to a study by Wageningen Economic Research, commissioned by the Sustainable Dairy Chain, a theme group of ZuivelNL. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-sustainable-dairy-farms-economically.html Other Agriculture Thu, 02 Nov 2023 16:43:03 EDT news618162181 There are stories in the human bones at the American Museum of Natural History. They tell of lives lived—some mere decades ago, others in past centuries—in cultures around the world. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-ny-natural-history-museum-thousands.html Other Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 26 Oct 2023 04:32:43 EDT news617513560 Coral reefs support approximately 25% of marine species, and are essential to coastal economies, such as the fishing and tourism industries, to name a few. But coral reefs worldwide are at risk due to climate change and are on the brink of collapse. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-biases-coral-reef.html Ecology Other Tue, 24 Oct 2023 14:13:04 EDT news617375581 Which sustainability goals do people in Germany find more important: Animal welfare? Or environmental protection? Human health is another one of these competing sustainability goals. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-animal-welfare-environmental-goal.html Other Agriculture Tue, 24 Oct 2023 12:12:03 EDT news617368321 Farmers are used to growing crops and producing other goods, but a new study led by Penn State researchers suggests the social media platform TikTok may help them cultivate something new: empathy around the issue of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tiktok-farmers-cultivate-empathy-climate.html Other Agriculture Thu, 05 Oct 2023 11:37:04 EDT news615724621 The UK government is facing calls to crack down on the backyard breeders of XL bully dogs, and even to cull the breed, following a string of horrifying attacks. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-uk-urged-tackle-killer-xl.html Other Thu, 05 Oct 2023 08:24:00 EDT news615713036 A study on social media activity during the Black Summer bushfires has revealed how the discussions changed through the phases of the disaster, and how critical social media is in disseminating information during natural disasters. The study was published in Forest Ecology and Management. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bushfire-tweets-reveal-role-social.html Ecology Other Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:14:03 EDT news615471241 Every person hosts trillions of microorganisms, like bacteria and viruses, on their skin and in organs including those that make up the digestive tract, like their mouth, that collectively make up their microbiome. Microbiome research can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-qa-indigenous-community-first-approach-ethical.html Cell & Microbiology Other Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:10:50 EDT news615136245 The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a fast-growing "financial portfolio" within the larger illegal, violent, parallel transnational global economy. As such, it creates state-level security and development risks, especially in source countries. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-endangered-wildlife-aml-law-coverage.html Ecology Other Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:22:04 EDT news614938921 Tokitae the orca has come home. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ashes-orca-tokitae-home-death.html Plants & Animals Other Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:10:05 EDT news614610601 Lolita, the orca who lived in a tank at the Miami Seaquarium from her capture in 1970 in waters off Washington state to her death 53 years later in August, will be honored in a homecoming Saturday. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-lolita-orca-ashes-home-traditional.html Plants & Animals Other Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:59:02 EDT news614527141 No longer limited to the realm of science fiction, bio-computing is here, so now is the time to start considering how to research and apply this technology responsibly, an international group of experts says. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-brain-dish-moral-rights.html Biotechnology Other Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:04:48 EDT news614358283 Recent publication of OIST research findings in the journal Integrative Organismal Biology likely marks the first use of Uchinaaguchi, the indigenous Okinawan language, in a scientific research publication. OIST researchers and staff translated an abstract of the paper entitled, "Parallel and Divergent Morphological Adaptations Underlying the Evolution of Jumping Ability in Ants" into this endangered language. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ants-uchinaaguchi.html Plants & Animals Other Thu, 14 Sep 2023 16:10:07 EDT news613926601 Human activities can drastically alter the nutrient balance in ecosystems, causing long-lasting problems for wildlife. Coastal oligotrophication, the process by which a coastal ecosystem becomes progressively less enriched with nutrients over time, is a problem that is becoming increasingly important. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-surveying-combat-nutrient-depletion-large.html Ecology Other Wed, 13 Sep 2023 16:22:32 EDT news613840948 Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger share a biosphere reserve known as the WAP complex (W-Arly-Pendjari), which spreads across the borders of the three countries. The first part of this 3 million hectare Unesco world heritage site was declared in 1996 and it was extended in 2002. It's intended to protect species that are highly threatened in the region, including elephants and cheetahs, as well as important wetlands. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-jihadist-groups-threaten-key-west.html Ecology Other Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:40:01 EDT news613830577 An Oregon State University-led collaboration of ecologists and art historians has demonstrated that landscape paintings from more than 150 years ago can advance environmental science. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-art-science-merge-19th-century-landscape.html Ecology Other Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:23:15 EDT news613740190 The British scientist who led the team that created Dolly the sheep, a breakthrough in cloning, has died at the age of 79, his former university said on Monday. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientist-team-dolly-cloned-sheep.html Other Mon, 11 Sep 2023 12:01:54 EDT news613652511 The smell of sawdust and popcorn fills the air. The clowns, acrobats and magicians are all in place. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-german-circus-animals-holograms.html Other Sun, 10 Sep 2023 08:44:29 EDT news613554260 Twice as many people (16%) say they have a closer relationship with their trees than with their neighbors (7%), according to new research. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-people-trees-neighbors-survey.html Ecology Other Tue, 29 Aug 2023 13:47:15 EDT news612535633 At a time of nature crisis driven by unparalleled rates of biodiversity loss, a new interconnected system to monitor biodiversity around the world is urgently needed to direct and focus conservation action. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-global-observatory-earth-biodiversity.html Ecology Other Fri, 25 Aug 2023 02:14:13 EDT news612148450 In the age of the selfie taking photos of yourself has become an everyday occurrence. Half of all teenagers regularly post selfies. Driven by social media algorithms, many of us now flock to natural places for the best selfie background. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-trampling-art-life-selfies-nature.html Ecology Other Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:09:04 EDT news612018542 In 1772, Joseph Banks commissioned the foremost painter of animals in England, George Stubbs, to paint a dingo and a kangaroo. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-unfamiliar-european-australian-animals-alien.html Plants & Animals Other Mon, 21 Aug 2023 13:43:03 EDT news611844182 A schooner set sail Tuesday from the south coast of England to train and inspire a new generation of naturalists by retracing the voyage taken by a young Charles Darwin nearly 200 years ago that led to his theory of evolution. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ship-england-retrace-charles-darwin.html Other Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:02:49 EDT news611334163 In October 2022, Elon Musk purchased Twitter (recently renamed X), which had previously served as the leading social media platform for environmental discourse. Since then, reports a team of researchers in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution on August 15, there has been a mass exodus of environmental users on the platform—a phenomenon that could have serious implications for public communication surrounding topics like biodiversity, climate change, and natural disaster recovery. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-environmentalists-abandoned-twitter-musk-takeover.html Other Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:04:07 EDT news611316243