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Yale Environment 360
To Foil a Deadly Pest, Scientists Aim for a Beetle-Resistant Ash Tree
The tree Radka Wildova and Jonathan Rosenthal wanted to show me was only a few hundred feet from the trail at Tivoli Bays, a state wildlife management area in Rhinebeck, New York. But getting to it required bushwhacking through a thicket of non-native honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and poison ivy. “It’s like a museum of invasives here,” Rosenthal, an ecologist based in nearby New Paltz, observed as we stumbled through the underbrush.
New Research Challenges Story of Collapse on Easter Island
A new study casts doubt on the narrative often told about Easter Island, of an ancient society that plundered its forests to the point of collapse. Researchers have found fresh evidence for another, more hopeful story — that the islanders learned to live within the bounds set by nature.
How a Global Boom in Greenhouses Is Having a Cooling Effect
The world is awash with greenhouses growing fresh vegetables year-round for health-conscious urbanites. There are so many of them that in places their plastic and glass roofs are reflecting sufficient solar radiation to cool local temperatures — even as surrounding areas warm due to climate change. The extent of...
Outrage Over Kidnapping of East African Pipeline Opponent
Campaigners are calling for an investigation into the kidnapping and beating of Stephen Kwikiriza, an opponent of a controversial drilling and pipeline project in Uganda. Kwikiriza was abducted on June 4 in Kampala by what appeared to be plainclothes officers from the Ugandan military. Five days later, he was dropped 150 miles away, by the side of a road in Kyenyoyo. Kwikiriza said he was stripped down to his underwear, given only minimal food, and a bucket for sanitation. He said he was severely beaten and knocked unconscious, enduring injuries that required hospital treatment.
In Brazil, a ‘Citizen Map’ Is Helping Prepare for the Next Big Flood
When Lucas George Wendt arrived in Lajeado in late May, the water had already started to recede. Just days before, the peaks of roofs and the tops of trees were some of the only things visible above the murky brown water that had covered his hometown. Located in the Taquari Valley, Lajeado, population 85,000, was one of the communities hit hardest by the historic flooding that tore through Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, between late April and mid-May, displacing more than 650,000 people, killing 173, and injuring 806.
Wildfire Smoke Killed More Than 50,000 Californians Over a Decade
A new study finds that more than 50,000 Californians died from exposure to wildfire smoke over a little more than a decade. Smoke contains tiny particles, small enough to enter the bloodstream when inhaled, that can raise the risk of dying from heart or lung disease. For the study, researchers modeled particulate pollution from wildfires across California from 2008 to 2018. They then compared their model with local mortality numbers to infer the number of deaths from wildfire smoke.
Elephants Have Names for Each Other, Study Finds
Elephants call each other by name and respond when they hear others call their name, according to new research. For the study, researchers analyzed hundreds of elephant calls recorded over more than a year in Kenya. Using machine learning, they identified the specific sounds that elephants made when calling each other. Researchers then played recorded calls, finding that elephants responded to the sound of their friends or family saying their name — they called back, or moved toward the speaker. Elephants responded less enthusiastically to the sound of other names.
Scientists Find Tire Chemicals in Leafy Vegetables
Scientists have found in leafy vegetables traces of several chemicals used to prevent the aging and corrosion of car tires. Through normal wear and tear, tires cast off countless tiny bits of rubber, which linger in the atmosphere or are washed down sewage drains and into waterways. In the air, these particles can affect the formation of clouds. In the water, they leach compounds that have been shown to be toxic to fish.
As ‘Zombie’ Deer Disease Spreads, Scientists Look for Answers
Late last year federal officials discovered the carcass of a mule deer buck near Yellowstone Lake in a remote region of Yellowstone National Park. Its cause of death was chronic wasting disease (CWD), experts said, making this the first confirmed death of an animal in the park from the disease.
Rich Countries Still Falling Short on Climate Aid, Analyses Find
Fifteen years ago, wealthy nations pledged to channel $100 billion in climate aid to poorer countries by 2020. New analyses find that not only were rich nations two years late in meeting this goal, but much of that money is existing aid that has been relabeled as climate assistance or takes the form of loans.
Despite Criticism, the Last of the Rattlesnake Roundups Hang On
In 1958, the Sweetwater Jaycees, of Nolan County, Texas, had trouble killing the 3,000 western diamondbacks captured for the group’s first Rattlesnake Roundup. When they pumped pickup-truck exhaust into enclosed pens, the animals refused to die. Next, they went to garden hoes, then lawn-edging blades. Today they use machetes.
Tiny Fern Found to Have Largest Genome on Earth
A rare fork fern found in the island nation of New Caledonia has become a world record holder. Scientists have discovered that the tiny plant, which grows in the trunks and branches of trees, has the largest genome of any living organism. If unraveled, the DNA contained in a single...
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Yale Environment 360 is an online magazine offering opinion, analysis, reporting, and debate on global environmental issues.
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