Noisy natural gas equipment harms bird reproduction

New research shows how noise from natural gas pipeline compressors affects the reproductive success of some songbirds.

Jeff Mulhollem-Penn State • futurity
Feb. 25, 2021 ~7 min

Power outages across the Plains: 4 questions answered about weather-driven blackouts

Heat waves, droughts and deep freezes can all strain the electric grid, leading utilities to impose rolling blackouts. Climate change is likely to make these events more common.

Michael E. Webber, Josey Centennial Professor of Energy Resources, University of Texas at Austin • conversation
Feb. 16, 2021 ~9 min


Fossil fuel subsidies amount to hundreds of billions of dollars a year – here's how to get rid of them

The costs that fossil fuels impose on public health through air pollution alone are enormous.

Radek Stefanski, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of St Andrews • conversation
Feb. 11, 2021 ~7 min

Prehistoric pigments reveal how melanin has shaped bird and mammal evolution

The study reveals changes in the functions of melanin over 500 million years.

Valentina Rossi, PhD Researcher, Palaeobiology, University College Cork • conversation
Feb. 9, 2021 ~8 min

Nature: how do you put a price on something that has infinite worth?

People both for and against pricing biodiversity need to work together to protect the natural world.

Tom Oliver, Professor of Applied Ecology, University of Reading • conversation
Feb. 5, 2021 ~7 min

J-PAL North America calls for proposals from state and local governments

The State and Local Innovation Initiative is seeking government partners to rigorously evaluate policies and programs aiming to address critical social issues.

J-PAL North America • mit
Feb. 1, 2021 ~6 min

Beetle parents manipulate information broadcast from bacteria in a rotting corpse

If you think only humans engage in disinformation, think again. Here is a stunning example of a beetle manipulating the odors emitted from a rotting corpse to keep it hidden from competitors.

Stephen Trumbo, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut • conversation
Jan. 26, 2021 ~9 min

Why the US rejoining the Paris climate accord matters at home and abroad — 5 scholars explain

US backing of the Paris Agreement has an influence on food security, health and safety and the future warming of the planet.

Walt Meier, Senior Research Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center, NASA • conversation
Jan. 22, 2021 ~11 min


Now's the time to rethink your relationship with nature

If all of humanity was wiped out tomorrow, it's estimated that the natural world would take at least five million years to recover from the damage humans have done to the world.

Matthew Adams, Principal Lecturer in Psychology, University of Brighton • conversation
Jan. 19, 2021 ~6 min

Vampire finches: how little birds in the Galápagos evolved to drink blood

Finches have evolved to feed off blood from red-footed and Nazca boobies – and we've seen it first-hand.

Jaime Chaves, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolution, San Francisco State University • conversation
Jan. 15, 2021 ~7 min

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