The surge in hydroelectric dams is driving massive biodiversity loss

Migratory fish populations are down 81% since 1970, says a new report.

Taylor Maavara, Senior independent research fellow, University of Leeds • conversation
May 24, 2024 • ~6 min

Sleeping fish? From sharks to salmon, guppies to groupers, here's how they grab a snooze

Just about every creature on Earth needs to grab some Zs from time to time. Imagine trying to doze while dodging great whites and killer whales.

Michael Heithaus, Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education and Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
Sept. 5, 2022 • ~6 min

Chalk streams: why 'England's rainforests' are so rare and precious

A staggering 85% of the world’s chalk streams are found in England.

Tim Sykes, PhD Candidate in Environmental Biosciences, University of Southampton • conversation
Jan. 2, 2022 • ~6 min

Scientists at work: We use environmental DNA to monitor how human activities affect life in rivers and streams

Rivers are among among the most embattled ecosystems on Earth. Researchers are testing a new, inexpensive way to study river health by using eDNA to count the species that rivers harbor.

Emily S. Bernhardt, Professor of Biology, Duke University • conversation
Sept. 17, 2021 • ~9 min

Climate change: world's lakes are in hot water – threatening rare wildlife

The lives of one in ten of Earth's species are connected to lakes and their tributaries.

Antonia Law, Lecturer in Physical Geography, Keele University • conversation
June 7, 2021 • ~7 min

Floating solar farms could cool down lakes threatened by climate change

Earth's floating solar power capacity has grown one-hundredfold in the last five years.

Giles Exley, Associate Lecturer of Energy and Environment, Lancaster University • conversation
April 13, 2021 • ~6 min

Invasive species: why Britain can't eat its way out of its crayfish problem

We found that signal crayfish traps tend to catch larger males, letting the bulk of the population go free.

Eleri G. Pritchard, PhD Candidate in Freshwater Ecology, UCL • conversation
Oct. 13, 2020 • ~6 min

Pollutants banned for over 30 years linger in UK rivers – our wildlife is the evidence

The ghosts of our industrial and agricultural past continue to haunt freshwater ecosystems today.

Fred Windsor, Research Associate in Network Ecology, Newcastle University • conversation
Oct. 9, 2020 • ~6 min

Culverts – the major threat to fish you've probably never heard of

Fish need to cross roads too. But the tunnels built to channel rivers under roads and railways can block their migrations.

Sayali Pawar, Research Fellow in GIS and Environmental Change, Swansea University • conversation
Aug. 6, 2020 • ~6 min

Microplastics: tiny crustaceans can fragment them into even smaller nanoplastics

The discovery that such a common animal can rapidly produce vast numbers of nanoplastics is particularly worrying.

Alicia Mateos Cárdenas, Postdoctoral Researcher, University College Cork • conversation
July 31, 2020 • ~6 min

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