Feature Channels: Environmental Science

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A new study sequences the genomes of 80 silver birch trees, a tree that has not been studied much by scientists despite its commercial value for papermaking, construction, furniture-building and more. Researchers identified genetic mutations including mutations that may affect how well birch trees grow and respond to light at different latitudes and longitudes and under different environmental conditions. The research could help breed trees that better meet the needs of various industries.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the trade association of the U.S. cleaning product supply chain, as a Safer Choice Partner of the Year. ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) was recognized in the Supporter category.

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By understanding how they respond to toxic elements, scientists can look at how environmental changes caused by agriculture and road runoff or warming temperatures and climate change could impact populations in lakes, rivers and standing bodies of water.

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The roundtable gathered information from a diverse group of flood experts and practitioners to identify decision support tools, research and development investments and data solutions that would help meet the Flood Apex’s program objective of reducing uninsured losses.

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If you’re an electric utility planning a new power plant by a river, it would be nice to know what that river will look like 20 years down the road. Will it be so high that it might flood the new facility? Will the water be so low that it can’t be used to cool the plant? A new initiative by Argonne combines climate data and analysis with infrastructure planning and decision support to offer real help.

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A recent discovery by Sandia National Laboratories researchers may unlock the potential of biofuel waste — and ultimately make biofuels competitive with petroleum.

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A basin in the Falkland Islands exhibits traits of a large impact crater, according to a new analysis by a team of scientists.

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Shortly before her retirement, UF/IFAS plant pathology professor Monica Elliott talked about the past, present and predicted future of the health of Florida palm trees. She spoke at this week's meeting of the Florida Phytopathological Society.

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Interactive modules developed at Michigan Tech help federal employees understand the science climate change and how to incorporate that knowledge in land management planning.

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Scientists have completed the first outdoor field trial sanctioned by the EPA for genetically engineered algae. A genetically engineered strain of algae tested in outdoor ponds demonstrated that genetically engineered algae can be successfully cultivated outdoors without adversely impacting native algae populations.

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Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by Michigan State University researchers.

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The University of Delaware is part of a multinational team that used underwater vehicles to map deep sea reefs near the island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean. Researchers believe data culled from the study can help conservation efforts and aid in hazard risk management throughout the Caribbean.

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Growing evidence suggests that the hybridization of Tamarix may provide variation in traits that could promote local adaptation.

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James Randerson, whose studies on the relationships among humans, the ecosystem and the environment have advanced our understanding of the effects of climate change, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

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Researchers studied the impact of conservation agriculture techniques over a span of 11 years on two different farms. The farms have soils that are typically challenging to keep productive.

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A new University of Wisconsin-Madison study shows that the electricity production associated with air conditioning causes emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide to increase by hundreds to thousands of metric tons, or 3 to 4 percent per degree Celsius (or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Zebrafish exposed to very low levels of methylmercury as embryos not only passed on toxic effects of the chemical exposure to their offspring, but also to the third generation, according to a new study. If the same effects occur in people, it means the health hazards from exposure to methylmercury, which is present in waterways and fish, are dramatically underestimated.

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Global Temperature Report: April 2017

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The black bear population in southern New York has grown and expanded its range since the early 1990s, which has led to increased encounters with humans.

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An optimistic book about the environment? The geologist and MacArthur Fellow's latest book explores how farming practices around the world can improve soil health, boost farmers' profits and help fight climate change.

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Enhanced software tools will accelerate gene discovery and characterization, vital for new forms of fuel production.

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SPOKANE, Wash. – With two bee apiaries at the Hemmingson Center Roof Garden and one at Bozarth Mansion, Gonzaga University has become the 25th educational institution in the nation – and first in the state of Washington – to be a certified affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program, designed to marshal educational institutions to benefit these endangered pollinators.

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There's more to fruit flies than Drosophila melanogaster. There's enough variation and ecological niches to warrant a whole field guide, the "Drosophilids of the Midwest and Northeast" is the first regional guide published in 96 years.

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Researchers at Nanostructures for Electrical Energy Storage, an Energy Frontier Research Center, take advantage of nature-made materials and structure for energy storage research.

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Water table depth and groundwater flow are vital to understanding the amount of water that plants transmit to the atmosphere.

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A University of Washington team has made new headway on a solution to remove beetle-killed trees from the forest and use them to make renewable transportation fuels or high-value chemicals. The researchers have refined this technique to process larger pieces of wood than ever before ― saving time and money in future commercial applications.

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Dandelions are much-maligned weeds, with a paratrooper-like seed dispersal system that makes them difficult to eradicate. However, new research from an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis finds a great benefit in an unlikely place for the pesky dandelion: each of its tiny seeds can be used as a perfect pipette in the laboratory setting.

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Scientists have identified two factors that affect the accumulation of a radioactive contaminant in waterfowl.

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Recent articles have declared that deposits of mineral raw materials (copper, zinc, etc.) will be exhausted within a few decades. An international team, including the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has shown that this is incorrect and that the resources of most mineral commodities are sufficient to meet the growing demand from industrialization and future demographic changes. Future shortages will arise not from physical exhaustion of different metals but from causes related to industrial exploitation, the economy, and environmental or societal pressures on the use of mineral resources. The report can be read in the journal Geochemical Perspectives.

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A new WCS study reveals evidence that some corals are adapting to warming ocean waters – potentially good news in the face of recent reports of global coral die offs due to extreme warm temperatures in 2016.

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ORNL aids St. Jude’s brain development research with software to speed processing of microscopy images; bottleneck to breakdown lignin for biofuels may occur at plant cell wall surface; predicting how ecosystems respond to environmental change could be more precise through new process method; through quantum mechanical squeezing, researchers designed new concept to increase resolution of atomic force microscopy

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Research, published in Global Change Biology with help from Kansas State University ecologists, found that leaf litter is not as sensitive to increases in temperature as ecologists once thought.

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Research focused on converting crude glycerine, a key chemical feedstock in over-supply – into greener, more value-added products on developing alternative, greener technologies and processes – is being honored with the 2017 Glycerine Innovation Award. The award is sponsored by the American Cleaning Institute® (ACI) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).

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17 business innovations to be honored for contributions to the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

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Now that we're in National Strawberry Month, UF/IFAS associate professor Vance Whitaker breeds strawberries, and UF/IFAS nutrition experts provide input on the outstanding nutrients of strawberries.

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Compacted soil can be a tough problem to solve. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) May 1 Soils Matter blog post explains why soils become compacted, and what you can do about it.

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Research appearing in PLOS ONE suggests the 2006 Soy Moratorium had a larger effect in reducing deforestation in the Amazon than has been previously understood.

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Technion researchers have detected three new groups of viruses that attack microorganisms from the archaeal marine group, Euryarchaeota. In all, 26 viruses previously unknown to science were found.

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Sac State and Keep California Beautiful will work to develop a model for colleges and universities across the U.S.

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University of Adelaide researchers have constructed a marine food web to show how climate change could affect our future fish supplies and marine biodiversity.

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Humboldt State University’s northern California campus is home to the tallest tree on any college campus anywhere in the world. This was confirmed by HSU Forestry Professor and renowned tall tree expert Steve Sillett and his graduate students who have painstakingly measured and mapped the major limbs of this impressive 240 foot Sitka spruce.

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Although studies suggest that inhaling certain scents may reduce stress in humans, aromatherapy is relatively unexplored in veterinary medicine. But new research presented today at the American Physiological Society (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2017 in Chicago raises the question of whether aromatherapy may be beneficial to horses as well.

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Corn raised for biofuel can result in eroded soils, as all materials are removed from the field. However, using a perennial grass groundcover could preserve soil in addition to reducing costs.

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Biologists at UC San Diego have provided the first evidence that a widely used pesticide can significantly impair the ability of otherwise healthy honey bees to fly. The study, which employed a bee “flight mill,” raises concerns about how pesticides affect honey bee pollination and long-term effects on the health of honey bee colonies.

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Students from California State University Dominguez Hills and their professor are featured in a two exhibitions, “LA Living Space: Photographs by Ellie Zenhari” and “We Will Be Heard: Work by CSUDH Students,” at Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro from April 23 to May 30 that explore the environmental impact of the Port of Los Angeles. An opening reception on April 30 at noon includes an informative exhibit tour, and a student dance performance.

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India will not be able to meet its Paris climate agreement commitments in the coming years if it carries through with plans to construct nearly 370 coal-fired power plants, according to University of California, Irvine and CoalSwarm researchers.