ecology

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Ecologists Want People to 'Adopt' These 'Water Monsters'

Mexican researchers launch fundraiser to bolster conservation for endangered axolotl

(Newser) - Ecologists from Mexico's National Autonomous University last week relaunched a fundraising campaign to bolster conservation efforts for axolotls, an iconic, endangered fishlike type of salamander. The campaign, called "Adoptaxolotl," asks people for as little as 600 pesos (about $35) to virtually adopt one of the tiny "...

Bjork's New Single Is Part of Her Larger Mission
Bjork Releases
Single to Fight
'Frankenstein
Mutants'
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

Bjork Releases Single to Fight 'Frankenstein Mutants'

Iceland's most famous star has put out 'Oral' to help raise funds to fight salmon farming in her home country

(Newser) - Bjork is putting out a new single—but she didn't make it solely to indulge her creative and musical sensibilities. The 57-year-old Icelandic singer is using "Oral," put together with Spanish singer Rosalia and released Thursday, to raise funds to "help fight fish farming in Iceland,...

Vegan Diets Seen as Way Better for the Environment
Vegan Diets Seen as Way
Better for the Environment
New Study

Vegan Diets Seen as Way Better for the Environment

Getting meat-eaters to cut down is like taking millions of cars off the road, say Oxford researchers

(Newser) - For anyone keeping score, this might be meat-eaters 0, vegans 1. A study spotlighted by the BBC found that following a vegan diet—eating only plant-based foods and excluding animal-derived products—can lead to considerable reduction in damage to the environment. In the UK anyway, getting carnivores to cut down...

'Devil Bird' in New York Shows a Shift in Migration Patterns

Climate change is opening new areas to Southern bird species

(Newser) - A bird known as the anhinga, or "devil bird," rarely seen in New York, has taken up residence around Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake for the past two weeks, reports the New York Times . This marks the first ever anhinga sighting in Kings County, and only the second...

Last Female's Death Spells Doom for Huge Turtles

Yangtze giant softshell turtle may not be around much longer

(Newser) - The Yangtze giant softshell turtle was hit with a brutal blow, reports LiveScience , when the last known female of the largest known freshwater species, a huge creature over 5 feet long and weighing in at 205 pounds, was found dead on the banks of Hanoi's Dong Mo Lake on...

In the Utah Desert, Rising Temps May 'Bust the Crust'

Biocrusts are vital to desert life, but they can only take so much heat

(Newser) - At first glance, most desert landscapes appear uniformly parched and bland. It’s easy to overlook cryptobiotic soil, or biocrust: the blackened “skin” that forms the vital top layer of desert soil. A closer look reveals a vibrant community of microbial cyanobacteria, algae, mosses, fungi, and lichens. And without...

She Made Her Own Scientist Barbies. Now It's Official

Mattel teams with forest ecologist, honors her with doll that looks like her

(Newser) - When Nalini Nadkarni was a kid, she'd run home from school, climb into one of the eight maple trees in her parents' backyard, and spend an afternoon there with an apple and a book, per the AP . That time in the treetops set the tone for the rest of...

Researchers See 'Horrific Decline' in Insect Numbers

Scientist warns of 'ecological Armageddon'

(Newser) - If it seems like there are fewer squished bugs on your windshield after long journeys than in years past, you're not imagining things: Researchers say there appears to have been a steep and extremely worrying decline in insect populations in recent decades. In a study published in the journal...

Street Lights Change Insect Ecology
 Street Lights 
 Change Insect 
 Ecology 
study says

Street Lights Change Insect Ecology

More bugs live under them, even during the day: study

(Newser) - If you're not a fan of bugs, you may not want to hang out near street lights: A new study finds that insects are more numerous in the areas under such lights, even during the day, when they're not on. The study suggests that street lights significantly influence...

How Bug Warfare Could Save the Baseball Bat

Ecologists hoping Asian wasps can stop the emerald ash borer

(Newser) - The mighty baseball bat could soon be brought low by bugs—unless a USDA plan to instigate some bug warfare succeeds. Meet the emerald ash borer, or EAB, a beetle that recently began infesting New York’s forests and feeding on its ash trees. And since roughly 50% of major...

Obama on Gulf Coast: 'BP Will Be Paying the Bill'

In Louisiana, president gets firsthand look at effects of ruptured oil well

(Newser) - President Obama visited Louisiana this afternoon, seeing for himself the effects of the continuing oil spill and promising an "all-hands-on-deck" reaction, the Times-Picayune reports. "BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill," he said. "But as president of the United States, I...

Google Doodle Celebrates Earth Day

Search engine goes green for Ma Nature

(Newser) - The Google doodlers are at it again, this time with a vividly green Avatar-like image of a magical woodland to celebrate Earth Day. Clicking on the image on the Google search page calls up everything connected to Earth Day. The doodle marking the green day, founded in 1970 by a...

Right-Wingers Go Ballistic Over Avatar

 Right-Wingers 
 Go Ballistic 
 Over Avatar  
SCREEN SCREEDS

Right-Wingers Go Ballistic Over Avatar

Anti-military sci-fi 'hippies' giving conservatives fits

(Newser) - Here's one more thing that's sure to rocket hyper-popular Avatar to even greater heights: right-wingers hate it. America's "prickly cadre of political conservatives" can't stand its eco message, negative portrayal of vicious military contractors and its "can't-we-all-get along counterculture vibe," writes Patrick Goldstein in the Los Angeles ...

Bottled Water Sales Head Down the Drain

Environmentalists claim credit; industry blames economy

(Newser) - Bottled water sales are sinking, and environmentalists point triumphantly to their hard-fought campaign against the wasteful industry. Consumption is expected to drop 2% this year, following a 3.2% drop last year, MSNBC reports. But industry executives say it’s just a natural result of the economic downturn, noting that...

Team Counts on Birds to Sing Their Population

Recordings + math equations = accurate numbers

(Newser) - The intensity of birdsong can be used to accurately calculate bird populations, scientists have discovered. Researchers are using recordings from microphones placed in woods to count birds using mathematical equations. The method is expected to revolutionize the monitoring of other species. Counting animals is extremely time consuming, and many species,...

In Eco-Terms, Dog = Hummer
 In Eco-Terms, 
 Dog = Hummer 
pop science

In Eco-Terms, Dog = Hummer

(Newser) - A dog has about the same impact on the planet as an SUV, according to a study out of New Zealand. The authors of Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living claim the environmental footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser is smaller than the ecological impact...

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas
 Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas 

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas

(Newser) - Once considered a win-win for the environment and energy independence, America’s biofuel industry is sputtering to a halt, the Wall Street Journal reports. Thanks to the recession, lower oil prices, and government delays, two-thirds of American biodiesel refineries—dozens of plants—are idle, and companies across the country are...

US Frontier Mythology Is Alive and Dangerous

(Newser) - Sarah Palin took to the national stage in August 2008, and two weeks later Lehman Brothers collapsed. That's a helpful metaphor, writes Naomi Klein in the Guardian, who sees the former Alaska governor as "the last clear expression of capitalism-as-usual before everything went south." The financial crisis should...

Peru Army Cracks Down on Amazon Eco Uprising

(Newser) - The Peruvian Army has imposed a curfew and set up checkpoints following deadly clashes with indigenous tribes protesting plans to drill for oil and gas in ancestral homelands in the Amazon region, reports the BBC. Dozens of people, both police and protesters, were killed in the clashes that mark the...

9 Ways to Go Green and Save Green

(Newser) - Being sensitive to the environment doesn't have to cost a fortune. In fact, the green option is often the most cost-effective one. Scientific American spotlights nine ways of cutting your bills as you save the Earth:
  • Shrink your living space. Prefab homes and plans for dwellings as small as 65
...

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