environment

The DNA fragments collected from permafrost in northern Greenland unlock insights into an ancient ecosystem.

The eRNA detection method could one day be used to catch early warning signs of distress in wild ecosystems. 

A tiny pilot study found that so-called chameleon vines mimicked plastic leaves, but experts say poor study design and conflicts of interest undermine the report.

The parasite appears to make infected wolves less risk-averse, potentially influencing the behavior of packs.

Scientists, students, and administrative staff are working to bring about a cultural shift to mitigate the impact of research on the environment.

Abundant environmental CO₂ can increase plant biomass and photosynthesis, but it has downsides for agriculture and ecosystems, a growing body of research finds.

This image took 5th place at the 2022 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.

Small charges carried by individual insects can add up, a study finds, with larger swarms generating substantial electrical fields.

Aridity appears to configure landscapes with a greater diversity of plant species that rely on symbiotic bacteria for nitrogen.

Researchers scramble to adapt as bouts of severe heat and aridity increasingly become the norm.

The long-tailed macaque and pig-tailed macaque are now endangered in the wild according to the IUCN Red List, which says exports for monkey research are partially to blame.

The broken-wing display, in which birds fake being wounded to protect their nests from predators, is found across the avian phylogenetic tree, a study finds.

The key to averting cataclysmic events, such as pandemics, climate change, and mass extinction of species, lies partly in what’s on our plates.

Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.

Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.

A new modeling technique aims to help scientists and policymakers detect declines in genetic diversity based on habitat loss.

A study suggests that pathogens affecting other species can indirectly harm human health.

Five major El Niño events per century could lead to fewer fishes that thrive in cold water and more terrestrial birds in eastern coastal ecosystems.

Oil on human skin reacts with ozone to produce highly reactive radicals that can generate toxic airborne chemicals in indoor spaces.

Ancient stashes of animal bones, tools, and other artifacts are often dismissed as archaic garbage heaps, but the deposits provide glimpses of the cultural practices and environmental conditions of past Indigenous settlements.