Category Archives: News & Archives

Monarch butterfly population on decline, public asked to help

Monarch butterfly population on decline, public asked to help
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is encouraging people to help the monarch butterfly population. It said the monarch population is in decline, so it's asking the public and scientists to track and report monarch sightings. “If some evil demon caused all butterflies to be extinct tomorrow, it wouldn’t be the end of the…
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Scientists make fundamental discovery to creating better crops

Scientists make fundamental discovery to creating better crops
A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered the specific gene that controls an important symbiotic relationship between plants and soil fungi, and successfully facilitated the symbiosis in a plant that typically resists it. The discovery could lead to the development of bioenergy and food crops that…
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Scientists scramble to learn why monarch butterflies are dying so quickly

Scientists scramble to learn why monarch butterflies are dying so quickly
Scientists across the country are scrambling to understand why monarch butterflies are disappearing at such an alarming rate as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers listing the butterfly as endangered. North America's largest population of monarchs, which migrate between Mexico and the Midwest, has fallen 80 percent, from a billion in the 1990s to…
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New study explains the molecular mechanism for the therapeutic effects of cilantro

New study explains the molecular mechanism for the therapeutic effects of cilantro
Herbs, including cilantro, have a long history of use as folk medicine anticonvulsants. Until now, many of the underlying mechanisms of how the herbs worked remained unknown. In a new study, researchers uncovered the molecular action that enables cilantro to effectively delay certain seizures common in epilepsy and other diseases. The study, published in FASEB Journal,…
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Discovery reveals secrets about how ghost orchids reproduce

Discovery reveals secrets about how ghost orchids reproduce
Deep in remote Florida swamps, a team of researchers and photographers have made a new discovery that upends what we thought we knew about the ghost orchid, one of the world’s most iconic flowers, and how it reproduces. These rare, charming orchids were long thought to be pollinated by a single insect: the giant sphinx…
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12 Bugs You Should Never Kill

12 Bugs You Should Never Kill
Butterflies The mere presence of butterflies adds a heavenly vibe to any garden, but these graceful insects also help beautify plants by pollinating them. One of the best ways to attract a few of these magnificent creatures is by planting liatris, spiky flowers that some butterflies find very appealing. Praying Mantises Praying mantises are like…
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How trees could save the climate

How trees could save the climate
Around 0.9 billion hectares of land worldwide would be suitable for reforestation, which could ultimately capture two thirds of human-made carbon emissions. The Crowther Lab of ETH Zurich has published a study in the journal Science that shows this would be the most effective method to combat climate change. The Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich investigates nature-based…
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When the dinosaurs died, lichens thrived

When the dinosaurs died, lichens thrived
When an asteroid smacked into the Earth 66 million years ago, it triggered mass extinctions all over the planet. The most famous victims were the dinosaurs, but early birds, insects, and other life forms took a hit too. The collision caused clouds of ash to block the sun and cool the planet's temperature, devastating plant…
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Evolution of life in the ocean changed 170 million years ago

Evolution of life in the ocean changed 170 million years ago
The ocean as we understand it today was shaped by a global evolutionary regime shift around 170 million years ago, according to new research. Until that point, the success of organisms living within the marine environment had been strongly controlled by non-biological factors, including ocean chemistry and climate. However, from the middle of the Jurassic…
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