Search Results

A surprising computer-based study highlights Nebraska and Kansas as possible “hotspots” for mammals carrying viruses with the potential to infect human populations.

Most of us use the sounds around our homes to take measure of our neighborhood: the sounds of lawnmowers, the next-door neighbors having a party, an alarm system being triggered—it's all part of the information we process about our surroundings.

Across the Northeastern US, over 10 million tons of sodium chloride is applied to roadways annually. We also rely on salt to prevent falls on walkways and driveways. While useful for stabilizing slippery surfaces, salt use comes at a cost.

Dr. Solomon studies the ecology of lakes and other aquatic ecosystems, and of the fish and other organisms that live in them. He is broadly interested in how these systems function, and how we can manage and conserve them.

There are few creatures more deadly than the tiny Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits malaria, dengue fever and other infectious diseases. Malaria is one of the world's great killers, claiming about 800,000 lives each year.

Most of us are familiar with the stereotype of the peace-loving, tree-hugging hippy with a penchant for marijuana. So just how green is grass grown in sunny California? The answer might surprise you.

A lot of dead plant material is stored in the tundra soils of the far north. Most of it is frozen in permafrost, and inaccessible to the microbes that normally decompose organic matter in soils.

Managing fish in human-altered rivers is a challenge because their food webs are sensitive to environmental disturbances.  So reports an exhaustive three-year analysis of a 240-mile stretch of the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.

In earlier segments, we’ve discussed how trees improve our mental and social well-being.  Trees increase property values in neighborhoods where they are planted. Through the evaporation of soil water, trees cool the urban environment, reducing the need for air conditioning.  In fact, a number of cities have embarked on large campaigns to plant trees within the city limits.

Nothing is more beautiful than a tall, stately tree. But sometimes they get in the way of progress. Well-meaning people think that planting a couple of smaller trees will make up for the loss of the elder statesman. Not so.

Though not in the news as much as it once was, acid rain remains a problem. Power plants, factories, and vehicles give off sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions, which react in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids are then deposited back onto the landscape in rain, snow, fog, or particles.

Next time you go shopping, keep an eye out for the origins of the things you purchase. From kiwis grown in Chile to shirts made in Bangladesh – we are living in the age of the global marketplace.

Kathleen Weathers studies ecosystem processes within and among aquatic, airborne, and terrestrial systems. She was co-Chair of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) for 10 years, guiding GLEON from its infancy to adulthood. GLEON is a world-wide grassroots collaboration of 800 research partners studying 150 lakes in 53 countries.

For years, I lived in a densely wooded neighborhood in suburban North Carolina. Anyone who wanted to grow vegetables needed to plant them in the front yard, where there was much more sunlight. Fortunately, the neighbors were very tolerant of street-side gardens.

Many of us have experienced a restorative walk in the woods. But does associating with trees really make us any healthier? After investigating the loss of some 100 million ash trees in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, Forest Service researcher Geoffrey Donovan and his colleagues suspect that the answer is yes.

Most of us are familiar with ammonia as an irritating gas that is emitted from window-cleaning fluids. It is a great way to cut through grease that has condensed on glass.

A new study is the first to reveal that triclosan – a synthetic antibacterial widely used in personal care products – is fueling the growth of resistant bacteria in streams and rivers.

The rise of antibacterial products has come with a hidden cost to human health and the environment. Around half of liquid soaps now contain the chemical, as do toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, and other personal care products. It’s become a billion dollar industry.

Gene Likens, along with three colleagues, worked with the Forest Service to begin studying Hubbard Brook in 1963. One of the most notable discoveries at the site is acid rain.