Ecology News
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Aberdeen -
New technology will enable the world's first floating wind farm to be constructed and the platform has emerged, for its first public viewing, off the coast of Scotland. The technology promises lower costs energy for businesses and consumers.
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There are different measures of the state of an environment, such as toxins in soil or gasses in air. One measure, that can be qualified, is the microbial population since living entities directly signal the ‘health’ of a given locale.
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Materials scientists have succeeded in developing an environmentally-friendly concrete. This is based on energy-efficient technology that harnesses largely low-temperature, water-based reactions.
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Nottingham -
Shopping bags are major contributors to waste. Although there have been moves to reduce plastic bags, many types of bags end up in landfill. To create biodegradable shopping bags, a type based on shrimp shells have been developed.
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Oslo -
One of Norway's political parties has called upon the population to put aside one hour twice per year for the hunting of slugs. This is to deal with the rise of an invasive species.
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Many disease patterns are predictable provided that the information about the disease is accurate and a suitable technological framework is constructed. This is complex, but it can work based on appropriate algorithms and accurate information.
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University of Montana forest ecology professor Andrew Larson has posted a research paper that estimates the abundance of morel mushrooms after a wildfire in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.
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A new study has concluded that drones are much more accurate for monitoring the size of seabird colonies in tropical and polar environments. This could lead to a wider application of drones for ecological research.
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The European Union has delayed any decision about extending the license that permits the use of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate. This is because of a potential cancer risk.
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Vancouver -
Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) claim human actions are responsible for accelerating the evolutionary process by causing the extinction of “younger” species.
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Toronto -
Researchers in Canada are considering the feasibility of using biogas, derived from human waste, to produce energy. They argue that each year people produce waste that could be converted to energy worth $9.5 billion, at current prices.
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London -
The new U.K. Conservative Government has covertly and overtly dropped a number of pro-environmental policies. Many of these were policies the party appeared to support when in coalition.
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By AFP
Toukyo -
A brand new island emerging off the coast of Japan offers scientists a rare opportunity to study how life begins to colonise barren land -- helped by rotting bird poo and hatchling vomit.
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The David Suzuki Foundation is asking Canadians to knit during the spring as a way of symbolically welcoming monarch butterflies back to the country after a long, difficult winter in Mexico.
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Disturbing data suggests that almost two-thirds of the world’s wetlands have been lost over the past 100 years. This has resulted in a loss of freshwater animals and plants.
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The British Ecological Society has offered to scientifically evaluate the controversial badger culling trials taking place in the U.K. The idea is to provide some unbiased data.
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Exeter -
Over the last 30 years, bird populations Europe-wide have fallen drastically with the sharpest falls seen among the most common bird species.
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Toronto -
The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) and the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) are to work together in order to “enhance the stewardship and conservation practices” in Canada.
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Panama City -
A Frank Gehry-designed biodiversity museum has opened in Panama. Called the Biomuseo, the complex has been built at the entrance from the Pacific ocean to the Panama Canal.
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Saint Austell -
The Eden project in Cornwall, England contains two fascinating biomes. One of the ecological centers contains a tropical wonderland. Digital Journal paid a visit.
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A report from the National Audubon Society suggests that more than half of U.S. bird species are under threat. The reasons given range from displacement to extinction due to climate change.
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According to geophysical research from the University of Washington and the Naval Research Laboratory in Mississippi, a previously frozen section of the Arctic Ocean now has massive waves.
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Miami -
A sixth grader’s science project on the salinity tolerance of lionfish has been proved spot on. An academic researcher has confirmed the student’s results. The data expands knowledge about an invasive species.
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Forres -
Amid much fanfare the native Scots pine was declared Scotland’s national tree, end January, but a leading conservation charity is calling for concerted action to ensure the iconic species has a secure future.
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Afraid of the wolf? The world will be a whole lot scarier if wolves and other large carnivores become extinct, according to a new study published Friday by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in collaboration with the University of Montana.
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Potsdam -
Climate change is likely to transform landscapes worldwide, affecting most of Earth’s forests and agriculture — and it isn’t a far future scenario, says a new report. Profound changes in the world’s ecosystems could happen less than 90 years hence
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A new study provides evidence that herbicides alter ecosystems around the world and that as the use of herbicides rises, the risks to the planet's ecosystems similarly increase.
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Denver -
North American frogs, toads and other amphibious animals are disappearing so quickly that they could become extinct from their natural habitats by 2033.
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Paris -
The city of Paris is to begin an experiment this April using sheep as a replacement for lawnmowers. Ultimately, it may result in some of the French capital’s most famous parks and open spaces being tended by sheep rather than mechanical means.
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US scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have reported a sharp leap in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels in 2012.
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Ecology Image
Canadian Cabinet Minister Leona Aglukkaq, representing Canada at the 2013 meeting of the Arctic Council, signs the Kiruna Declaration with US Secretary of State John Kerry in the background. Arctic Council
Believe it or not back in 1971, youngsters were able to become a member of the "Sugar Bear Ecology Club" courtesy of Super Sugar Crisp Cereal made by General Foods Corp. Ah, the things kids could get in a box of breakfast cereal back then!
Black morels growing in the Peace River Area, British Columbia, Canada. Johannes Harnisch
Scattered remnants of a once great forest - Mature Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris. Glen Quoich, looking towards Beinn a Bhuird, Scotland. Graham Lewis - Wikipedia CC License
"Consulting the Genius of the Place" by Wes Jackson is published by Counterpoint Press of Berkeley, CA (2010)
Stunning waterfalls in Croatia
Pripyat - School. View from the class to school playground full of trees. They are growing from concrete and asphalt. Photo taken: June 12, 2010. Roman Harak
An alternative view of an Eden Project biome, located in an area richly steeped in Cornwall's wild flowers.
Yellow morel mushrooms growing in West Virginia. Gzirk
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