Search Results

Dr. Karen Lips, a University of Maryland biologist discusses the underlying causes of global amphibian declines and extinctions.

For decades, scientists have studied non-human animals to better understand infectious diseases. These species have been used to test vaccines and treatments, and more recently, scientists have been studying these creatures for clues about whether any of their viruses could infect humans — a process known as a spillover.

Warmer seawater temperatures are believed to be responsible for the lack of recovery of Atlantic cod populations, and given the demise of the cod, herring, and sardine fisheries, those who make their living from the sea don’t want to see the collapse of the lobster fishery as well.

Warming water temperatures bode for major disruption of the fishing industry of northern New England. Like rising sea level and more acidic seawater, warmer ocean temperatures will extract an economic cost and offer little economic benefit to the region.

A recent analysis suggests that inequality of wealth is inevitable in a globalizing world unless we are careful to install mechanisms to equalize wealth on a global scale. Beyond wealth, inequality can also pertain to the proportional use of resources (e.g., petroleum or copper consumption) or the production of wastes (carbon dioxide) among a population or among the peoples of the world.

Despite pollution controls, even today, there is more lead and mercury in the atmosphere from human activities than from all natural sources—dusts, volcanoes, forest fires—combined.

Already in some regions, the maple sugaring season has moved earlier, due to ongoing changes in climate, especially warmer winters. In addition, some studies show future declines in maple trees, as the optimal region for their growth and reproduction moves north into Canada as a result of climate change.

Most of the traditional wine-producing regions are projected to experience hotter and drier conditions as this century unfolds, forcing the production of wines elsewhere—generally northward in Europe and America.

Through an exploration of frogs, snakes, African megafauna and other charismatic wildlife, herpetologist Harry Greene reveals how natural history, aesthetics, and ethics underpin conservation.

A critical factor is increasingly warm temperatures for early-season snow-making before the holiday season, which can make or break the economics of operation.

Sewage effluent is a great fertilizer because it contains the nitrogen and phosphorous in forms that plants can assimilate into new plant tissue. It is unfortunate that so little sewage effluent is recycled in modern society; that which is not captured enters local waterways causing excessive algal growth.

Most organisms have evolved in an environment in which we expect sunlight during the day, and (at best), a little moonlight at night. Interrupt that pattern with an abundance of artificial light, and changes in their behavior will follow.

As with the addition of novel substances to our air and water, the addition of light to the environment can be regarded as a pollutant. Increasing reports of hormonal disruption in birds and humans subject to artificial light at night are increasing cause for concern.

Consider a switch to LED (light-emitting diode) lightbulbs for your holiday lights—they last longer and use much less energy than traditional holiday lights. But when they burn out, make sure to take them to your local electronics recycling facility to avoid contamination of the environment with trace metals.

Urban ecology in North America is of relatively recent vintage, with deeper roots in Europe and Asia. Sometimes people trace urban ecology in the US to the Chicago School in the 1920s at the University of Chicago. In reality, that intellectual tradition was sociological in nature.

Since de-icing with road salt began in the 1930s, the salinity of lakes across much of the US has been steadily increasing, posing a potential threat to aquatic life and drinking water supplies. However, a cautiously optimistic new study in  concludes that if we can hold steady or decrease road salt use, levels in many lakes could stabilize below thresholds set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

I suspect that these encounters with ticks of several species in New York and Kenya eventually trained my immune system to react to antigens in tick saliva, resulting in the death of ticks that attempt to feed on my blood.

Discover how the lives of humans, red knots, and horseshoe crabs are intertwined. Deborah Cramer, environmental writer and visiting scholar at MIT discusses her new book.

Find out what plants and animals have been observed in the Fern Glen, trails, and lowlands area of the Cary campus.