environment

Avian Deception More Widespread Than Previously Thought

The broken-wing display, in which birds fake being wounded to protect their nests from predators, is found across the avian phylogenetic tree, a study finds.
Kentish plover standing by nest with eggs
Organic food - flat design style colorful illustration. A composition with male, female characters, family, a big plate of vegetables, vegetarian salad, carrot, pepper, greens. Healthy lifestyle

Opinion: Eating Right to Avoid Catastrophe

  1. Home
  2. Categories
  3. environment
a fuzzy black and tan beetle chews on the bark of a pine tree sapling, whose needles can be seen in the background
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles
Katherine Irving | Sep 30, 2022
Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.
Green fish with boat behind
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’s Hidden Impacts on Mahi-Mahi      
Natalia Mesa | Sep 28, 2022
Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.
Environmental DNA Sequencing: Lessons from Ancient and Modern Environments
The Scientist Creative Services Team
In this webinar, Eske Willerslev and Simon Creer will discuss the discoveries they have made about the ancient and modern world through environmental DNA sequencing.
A white deer mouse on sand surrounded by plants
Are We In the Midst of a Silent Mass Extinction?
Andy Carstens | Sep 22, 2022
A new modeling technique aims to help scientists and policymakers detect declines in genetic diversity based on habitat loss.
An orange toad perched on a leaf
Past Malaria Surges Linked to Amphibian Die-off
Andy Carstens | Sep 21, 2022
A study suggests that pathogens affecting other species can indirectly harm human health.
Combating Zika Virus with Synthetic Biology and Genome Editing
The Scientist Marketing Team
To explore the union of urgency and collaboration that has typified the rapid response, The Scientist is bringing together a panel of experts to share their research into understanding and combatting Zika virus, and to explore the lessons learned. 
group of people standing on rock outcropping with ocean in distance
Repeated El Niño Events Could Spark Big Ecological Shifts
Margaret Osborne | Sep 19, 2022
Five major El Niño events per century could lead to fewer fishes that thrive in cold water and more terrestrial birds in eastern coastal ecosystems.
Four study participants in t shirts and shorts sit around a table in a stainless steel chamber. All four are looking at personal electronics and wearing a breathing mask connected to a nearby machine via blue tubing.
A New Culprit in Air Pollution: Reactions Triggered by Human Skin
Shafaq Zia | Sep 2, 2022
Oil on human skin reacts with ozone to produce highly reactive radicals that can generate toxic airborne chemicals in indoor spaces.
A postcard from the early 1900s depicting an Indigenous midden in Damariscotta, Maine.
Sticks and Bones, Circa 8000 BCE
Dan Robitzski | Sep 1, 2022
Ancient stashes of animal bones, tools, and other artifacts are often dismissed as archaic garbage heaps, but the deposits provide glimpses of the cultural practices and environmental conditions of past Indigenous settlements.
dead bee surrounded by yellow flower petals
Science Snapshot: One Insect’s Corpse Is Another’s Breakfast
Lisa Winter | Aug 31, 2022
Though it’s poetic to say that ants were grieving the bee at a funeral, the reality is a bit more prosaic.
Green frog in trees with green leaves
For Frogs, Bigger Brains Mean Worse Camouflage
Natalia Mesa | Aug 23, 2022
Frogs invest in cognitive capacity to avoid predators—up until there are too many hungry snakes around for the evolutionary strategy to pay off.
An aerial view of the Tetiaroa Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
Science Snapshot: Reversing an Invasion of Paradise
Lisa Winter | Aug 17, 2022
After years of work, conservationists have successfully eliminated two invasive rat species from the Tetiaroa Atoll in French Polynesia.
Chinook salmon swimming in the water
Probable Chlorine Exposure Kills 21,000 Fish at UC Davis
Catherine Offord | Aug 16, 2022
Threatened and endangered species were among the dead, likely poisoned overnight by a chlorination system used to decontaminate the animals’ tank water.
Oysters’ shells were made into concrete and other materials used in construction during the Industrial Revolution.
Scientists Use Sound to Attract Baby Oysters Back to the Reef
Ian Rose | Aug 15, 2022
Meet the team trying to restore mollusk populations with the help of underwater speakers.
Ferns bounced back much faster than other plants after the meteor impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished?
Amanda Heidt | Aug 15, 2022
A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.
A male and female lizard sit together on a fence post with grass in the foreground
Climate Change Prematurely Ages Lizards Before They’re Born
Amanda Heidt | Aug 9, 2022
Lizards born to parents that experienced persistent heat had shortened telomeres, a genetic weathering that typically happens with age but can also be exacerbated by stress.
Mosquitos flying at sunset
Climate Change Worsens Most Infectious Diseases
Andy Carstens | Aug 8, 2022
Of the pathogens known to have infected humans, more than half may cause more widespread disease as a result of rising temperatures, precipitation changes, or other climate-related factors, a study finds.
Magical fairytale forest. Coniferous forest covered of green moss. Mystic atmosphere.
The Unusual Functions of Geosmin
Connor Lynch | Aug 1, 2022
The compounds responsible for the earthy smell of recent rain are produced by a wide variety of bacteria and fungi. Recent research sheds light on why microbes bother.
A gametophyte of the brown alga <em>Desmarestia dudresnayi</em> that has both male and female reproductive structures
Meet the Algae That Went from Male/Female to Hermaphroditic
Natalia Mesa | Aug 1, 2022
A study suggests that several species of brown algae may have independently evolved to express both sexes simultaneously, and it’s likely that female algae evolved male traits—not the other way around.
A headshot of James Lovelock standing between tree trunks
Gaia Theorist James Lovelock Dies at 103
Andy Carstens | Jul 29, 2022
Lovelock’s environmental research improved humanity’s understanding of pollutants, but he’s best known for his hypothesis that Earth behaves like a self-regulating organism, which changed how scientists view the planet.