Ecological

Common animals and plants. Histogram showing the percentage of drawings containing at least one representative of each group for A: animals and B: plants. These data represent the combined totals of both specific (e.g., ‘Robin’, ‘Daisy’) and general (e.g., ‘Bird’, ‘Flower’) representations. Credit: Howlett, Turner, 2023, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) When asked to draw their local wildlife, 401 UK…

Artist’s reconstruction of Iani smithi. This newly discovered dinosaur provides significant insights into the considerable ecological shifts that occurred around 100 million years ago in North America. Its survival during a period of global warming parallels the present-day climate crisis. Credit: Jorge GonzalezNew insights into how dinosaurs weather mid-<span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>Cretaceous</div><div…

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has inundated large areas of southern Ukraine, leaving tens of thousands of people at risk of losing their homes. The disaster, for which Russia and Ukraine blame each other, also has far-reaching consequences for agriculture and ecology in southern Ukraine. Government representatives in Kyiv are calling it an “ecocide” perpetrated by Russian attackers. Scientific American’s German sister publication Spektrum der Wissenschaft spoke with zoologist Oleg Dudkin, director of the Ukrainian…

While the world awaits evidence and further details about what exactly happened to the dam, there is no doubting the ecological harm the breach will cause. Around 600 square kilometers of the Kherson region are currently underwater along the southern part of the Dnipro River, says Veremiychyk. And above the dam, a vast quantity of water has now drained away, which will leave behind a desert full of polluted dust, he adds.A video shared online by President Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, shows what appears to be…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In some parts of the world, the rules are strict; in others they are far more lax. In some places, people are likely to plan for the future, while in others people are more likely to live in the moment. In some societies people prefer more personal space; in others they are comfortable being in close quarters with strangers. …

A cyclist passes a logo of German car company Daimler in Berlin on April 8, 2009. German truck maker Daimler, Japan’s top automaker Toyota and two other automakers said Tuesday, May 30, 2023, they will work together on new technologies, including use of hydrogen fuel, to help fight climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File German truck maker Daimler, Japan's top automaker Toyota and two other automakers said…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Middle-class UK graduates produce more CO2 emissions in their daily activities than non-graduates and their ecological commitment is primarily "symbolic", new research says. Dr. Robert Dorschel, of Tilburg University in The Netherlands, analyzed survey data on 12,763 people in 5,473 households in the UK…

Wartime contamination is happening indirectly as well, Denisov says. During normal operations, coal mines in Donbas, for instance, have to pump water out to keep from flooding. But when the war interrupted that, rising water levels corrupted local stocks of groundwater. That’s not to mention the extensive damage to water infrastructure itself, which has cut off supplies to millions of Ukrainians.Less obviously, the war has put pressure on the government to reverse some of the past years’ environmental gains. Ukrainians…

Halloween is the perfect season for horror and thriller movie marathons. But while paranormal or slasher films often dominate our screens, it’s time to give eco-horror a closer look. What could possibly be scarier than nature turning against humankind?Read more... Halloween is the perfect season for horror and thriller movie marathons. But while paranormal or slasher films often dominate our screens, it’s time to give eco-horror a closer look. What could possibly be scarier than nature turning against humankind?Read…

Ecological stoichiometry plays an important role in revealing the mechanism of biogeochemical cycle and its relationship with the structure, function, and process of ecosystems. Soil is the foundation of terrestrial ecosystem, and soil ecological stoichiometry can…