Four of five pinyon-juniper tree species declining in their ranges in the West
Pinyon-juniper woodlands host unique wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as areas for hiking and outdoor recreation. They are also…
Climate & Environment
Agriculture and the environment share an intricate relationship. Farming depends on natural resources like soil, water, and climate, while agricultural practices significantly influence ecosystems and the planet’s health. However, the growing threat of global warming and environmental degradation poses unprecedented challenges to agriculture.
California’s trees are dying, and might not be coming back
The State of California is banking on its forests to help reduce planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But that…
Bigger plants don’t always equal more nutritious ones
While increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere encourage plant growth, they also reduce the nutritional value of plants, which…
Algae as microscopic biorefineries
Fossil raw materials are limited and not available and extractable everywhere in the world — as we are becoming acutely…
Function follows form in plant immunity
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) and the University of Cologne, Germany, have discovered a…
CO2 removal by enhanced weathering
CO2 removal by enhanced weathering is a promising approach for mitigating the negative impacts of climate change.
Dams ineffective for cold-water conservation
Dams poorly mimic the temperature patterns California streams require to support the state’s native salmon and trout — more than…
Suitable growing regions for coffee, cashews, and avocados predicted to shift as Earth warms: First-of-its-kind analysis suggests declines in land suitability in most major producing countries
A new analysis predicts that, as climate change progresses, the most suitable regions for growing coffee arabica, cashews, and avocados…
Resurrecting billon-year-old enzymes reveals how photosynthesis adapted to the rise of oxygen
The central biocatalyst in photosynthesis, Rubisco, is the most abundant enzyme on earth. By reconstructing billion-year-old enzymes, a team of…
New bioremediation material to clean up ‘forever chemicals’
A novel bioremediation technology for cleaning up per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, chemical pollutants that threaten human health and…