Tag: Environment news

Svalbard seed vault evokes epic imagery, controversy because of the power of seeds

November 7, 2024 admin

Exterior view of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the secure seed bank on Svalbard, Norway, March 2, 2016. Two men who were instrumental in the “craziest idea anyone ever had” of creating a global seed vault designed to safeguard the world’s agricultural diversity will be honored as the 2024 World Food Prize laureates, officials announced…

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Colombian scientists develop supplement to protect bees from pesticides

October 22, 2024 admin

Scientists in Colombia say they have developed a novel food supplement that protects bees’ brains from pesticides, keeping the insects safe from neurological damage caused by agricultural chemicals. | Photo Credit: K K Mustafah/The Hindu Scientists in Colombia say they have developed a novel food supplement that protects bees’ brains from pesticides, keeping the insects…

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Ukraine’s vast forests devastated in hellscape of war

October 10, 2024 admin

Serhiy Tsapok surveyed the smouldering ruins of pine trees, blackened stumps as far as the eye can see that bear witness to a scorched nation. “They’re dead now,” the weary ranger said of the trees he’d nursed for almost two decades. The 41-year-old’s daily route through the Ukrainian forests, once a joy, has become a…

World

Madagascar mining rush caused no more deforestation than farming: study

October 3, 2024 admin

The rainforests are really important for biodiversity as they are home to many unique species at risk of extinction, including lemurs such as the indri and black and white ruffed lemur. | Photo Credit: Shutterstock If tens of thousands of miners turned up in the middle of a protected rainforest to mine for sapphires, you might…

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Evolution can change how an ecosystem collapses, study finds

September 25, 2024 admin

Dying coral reefs, rainforests transforming into savannas, grasslands turning into deserts – these are ecosystem “tipping points”, boundary lines we’re desperate not to cross. In dynamic systems filled with life, these critical thresholds aren’t set in stone. Since organisms can evolve, the tipping points within these ecosystems might evolve too. Most of us think of…

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Worst drought on record lowers Amazon rivers to all-time lows

September 18, 2024 admin

A man rides a boat in front of the sandbanks at the Solimoes River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River, during a Greenpeace flyover to inspect what the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) says is the most intense and widespread drought Brazil has experienced since records…

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Bulgarian father and son row across Arctic Ocean for endangered species

September 18, 2024 admin

Stefan Ivanov, a banker and adventurer and his son Maxim pose for a picture on their boat “Neverest” before setting out on an expedition, in Haugesund, Norway, August 19, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters Stefan Ivanov, a 52-year-old banker from Bulgaria, and his son Maxim, 21, celebrated their birthdays in August rowing across the Arctic…

World

How skuas, frigatebirds, and gulls are helping spread avian influenza

September 17, 2024 admin

It’s not easy finding food at sea. Seabirds often stay aloft, scanning the churning waters for elusive prey. Most seabirds take fish, squid, or other prey from the first few metres of seawater. Scavenging is common. But there are other tactics. Frigatebirds, skuas, and gulls rely on the success of other seabirds. These large, strong…

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Avalanches can grow 100-times larger undersea than on land

September 5, 2024 admin

This underwater photograph shows light penetrating the water surface in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Batroun city on August 1, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP Underwater avalanches are powerful natural events that happen all the time under the surface of the ocean. They are impossible to see and extremely difficult to measure, which…

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Lego to replace oil in its bricks with pricier renewable plastic

August 28, 2024 admin

A view shows the Lego logo and some bricks inside their headquarters in Billund, Denmark, April 25, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters Toymaker Lego said on Wednesday (August 28, 2024) it was on track to replace the fossil fuels used in making its signature bricks with more expensive renewable and recycled plastic by 2032 after…

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