Earth
- Agriculture
Made in the shade
Agroforestry combines woody plants and agriculture. Growing trees alongside crops and livestock benefits wildlife, environment, climate — and farmers.
- Environment
Insecticide can change a spider’s personality
A chemical meant to kill moths affects the behavior of some spiders. It alters the spiders’ ability to capture prey — including those moths.
- Environment
Some pollutants made mice less friendly
Hormone-interfering chemicals make mice less social and may also alter their weight, a study finds. That affected the animals’ confidence — and behavior.
- Plants
Plant ‘vampires’ lay in wait
A new study shows how some parasitic plants evolved the ability to sense a potential host — and then send out root-like structures to feed on them.
- Environment
Nanosilver: Naughty or nice?
Nanosilver is in many products, from socks to toothbrushes. The tiny particles kill microbes. But it’s still unclear whether they can harm us or the environment.
- Climate
Beliefs about global warming vary by country
Opinions about climate change — whether it exists, what’s causing it and how dangerous it is — vary greatly around the world.
- Environment
Can house dust make us fat?
Materials found in dust, including common fats, may trigger human fat cells to grow. This might promote weight gain, some scientists worry.
- Agriculture
Organic food starts to prove its worth
Organic food often comes with a higher price. But research is showing that food grown this way can be better for the environment — and possibly for us.
- Earth
Carbon ‘sponge’ found beneath desert
Watering farmlands in arid parts of the world could have long-term climate benefits, a new study concludes.
- Tech
Ground-thumping cheers help scientists
Eager to test new sensors before the next ‘big one,’ earthquake scientists make use of a predictable source of ground-shaking: football fans.
- Tech
Phoning in earthquakes
Sensors in your internet-connected phone, tablet or personal computer could help detect earthquakes more quickly and reliably.
- Climate
New El Niño coming on strong
The current El Niño event could be a record breaker, changing weather patterns worldwide and bringing rain to drought-parched California.
