Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Week in wildlife – in pictures: a rare blue frog, a cheeky heron and climbing bears

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 07:00:48 +0000

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Heatwave tourism in Death Valley – in pictures

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 06:00:45 +0000

Hundreds of Europeans touring the American west and adventurers from around the US are being drawn to Death Valley national park, even though the desolate region known as one of Earth’s hottest places is being punished by a dangerous heatwave, which was blamed for a motorcyclist’s recent death

As British butterflies head north, scientists ask public to help track migration

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 05:00:46 +0000

With up to 80% of butterflies in decline, people are being asked to spend 15 minutes to record number and type witnessed

Scientists are calling on the public to help track how British butterflies are moving north as the climate heats up.

Examining 50 years of data, researchers from the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, which runs the annual Big Butterfly Count, have identified a clear northerly shift among many species, including the familiar garden favourites the comma, peacock and holly blue.

Lower air pollution may help preserve older people’s independence – study

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 05:00:45 +0000

Researchers estimate 730,000 people a year in the US lose their ability to live independently due to traffic pollution

Reducing air pollution may help elderly people to live independent lives for longer, research has found.

‘Frog saunas’ could save species from deadly fungal disease, study finds

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 19:00:31 +0000

Australian scientists create brick refuges in greenhouses to help green and golden bell frogs survive infection

A “sauna” treatment for frogs has been used by researchers in Australia to successfully fight a deadly fungal disease that has devastated amphibians around the world, according to a new study.

Britons asked to send slugs by post for research into pest-resistant wheat

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:06:49 +0000

Snail mail replaced with slug mail as scientists need 1,000 grey field slugs to explore their impact on various crops

It may be known as snail mail, but researchers are hoping the public will use the postal service to send them a different kind of mollusc: slugs.

A team of scientists and farmers carrying out research into slug-resistant wheat say they need about 1,000 of the creatures to explore how palatable slugs find various crops.

Global population predictions offer ‘hopeful sign’ for planet, UN says

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:30:27 +0000

Projected high of 10.3bn people is lower and will come earlier than expected, analysis suggests

The global population is likely to peak earlier than expected and at a lower level, according to new UN projections that officials have said offer hope of reduced pressure on the environment.

The analysis predicts there will be about 10.3 billion people by the mid-2080s, up from 8.2 billion this year.

Cumbria coalmine was unlawfully approved, government says

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:07:51 +0000

Lawyers acting for minister say emissions of coal extracted from mine should have been taken into account

The government has admitted that a proposed coalmine in Cumbria was approved unlawfully, as the carbon emissions of coal from the mine should have been taken into account in the planning decision.

Mapping the world's fungi from air samples

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:15:08 +0000

Researchers have found that the key to a quick and cost-effective mapping of biodiversity has been right in front of our eyes all along, but at the same time invisible -- i.e., in the air that surrounds us.

How Sydney’s endless rain is ruining football seasons and breaking young hearts

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:00:30 +0000

As Saturday after Saturday gets wiped out by bad weather, clubs are drowning in a sea of unplayed fixtures

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The first thing Jamie Amendolia’s boys ask him when he picks them up from school every afternoon is the same: “Is training on? Is the game on? Has it been called off? Are we playing?”