Traces of life in the environment reveal ecosystem health, prompting a scientific hunt for them. By Jack McGovan During her doctoral studies in 2009, Professor Kristy Deiner trudged around mountain lakes in the US state of California to help a scientist and park manager study frogs there. A fungus-like pathogen was tearing through the amphibian … Read more
The relationship between indigenous peoples in the Arctic region and their herds reveals a rich history and provides clues about how to protect it. By Ali Jones Reindeer prance into the festive spotlight each December, but when Santa’s magical sleigh goes empty for another year what does life hold for Rudolph’s relatives? Dr Roza Laptander … Read more
Scientists from numerous countries are joining forces to tackle risks to life in the world’s second-largest ocean. By Jack McGovan During his first offshore expedition in 1997, marine-biology expert Murray Roberts was shocked to see the state of cold-water corals located west of Scotland’s Shetland Islands. A century earlier, Victorian-era naturalists described seeing stony thickets … Read more
Making diets kinder to the environment and better for people’s health requires root-and-branch changes in production and consumption. By Anthony King As a young scientist, Dr Christian Bugge Henriksen never minded getting his hands dirty. He put on his wellies to study soil nutrients in barley and potato fields in his native Denmark. Henriksen has … Read more
Better use of grass-covered areas across the EU can protect nature and strengthen agriculture. By Vedrana Simičević German farmers in the Lower Oder Valley National Park on the eastern border with Poland faced a dilemma: what to do with grass that was useless as animal feed. Like many of their counterparts in Europe, these agricultural … Read more
Artificial intelligence, which can already generate texts and mimic human speech, might also help the world prepare for the worsening effects of climate change. By Tom Cassauwers In late October, climate change suddenly felt very real in northern Italy. A severe storm brought heavy rainfall to the region, causing Lake Como and the Seveso River … Read more