The warming arctic, herbivore outbreaks and the importance of long-term field studies – Functional Ecologists

In our latest post, Myrsky Eero, a PhD student at the University of Helsinki, presents his work ‘Higher vascular plant abundance associated with decreased ecosystem respiration after 20 years of…

Is dust the culprit behind discrepancies?

Breastfeeding benefits mothers as much as babies, but public health messaging often only tells half of the story

Four babies are born every second in the world, and there are only two options for their first food at birth: human milk or formula. Global and U.S. health authorities…

Ecuador’s oil drilling vote could be delayed by the new president

To fund a crackdown against gang violence, Ecuador’s recently elected president Daniel Noboa suggested a moratorium on a vote to ban an Amazon oil drilling project. Last August, Ecuadorians voted…

Starving Mass Monster – Technology Org

With the upgraded GRAVITY instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer of the European Southern Observatory, a team of astronomers led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has…

Researchers identify potential way to treat genetic epilepsy by replacing ‘lost’ enzyme

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found a new treatment target for CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), one of the most common types of genetic epilepsy.…

Hollowed out bone containing drugs found at Roman-period settlement

Archaeologists have uncovered a hollowed bone containing black henbane seeds, providing the first conclusive evidence for intentional use of the plant as a medicine or narcotic during the Roman period.…

Researchers estimate survival chances during CPR for cardiac arrest

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A person’s chance of surviving while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for cardiac arrest in hospital declines rapidly from 22% after one minute to less than 1%…

Immune Cell Enzyme Links Stress to Depression

Summary: Researchers identified a novel ‘body-mind mechanism’ that links chronic stress to depression. They discovered that stress increases the enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) in blood, which then impacts brain neurons,…

Can solar geoengineering save the world?

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The concept of solar geoengineering—blocking the sun’s radiation to slow Earth’s warming—is no longer just the realm of science fiction. In 2023, the U.S. government and…