Environment

Jan 01, 2013 12:30 PM EST

Warming Climate Allows Mountain Pine Beetles to Invade Defenseless Ecosystems

Warming climate has forced mountain pine beetles to invade high-elevation trees that are not strong enough to defend and stop them, finds a new study.

Dec 31, 2012 02:57 AM EST

Cave-Dwelling Flowering Plant Discovered in China

Botanists have discovered a new cave-dwelling flowering plant species in China that can thrive in low light levels.

Dec 30, 2012 06:12 AM EST

Rare Titan Arum Flower Blooms in Brazil

A rare Titan arum flower, also known as the "corpse flower," has bloomed for the second time since 2010 in a botanical garden in Southern Brazil.

Dec 28, 2012 06:43 AM EST

Fossil Forest in New Zealand May Shed Light on Ancient Life Near South Pole: Study

A 100 million-year-old fossil forest, including large trees and rare insects, has been discovered on the Chatham Islands of New Zealand.

Dec 27, 2012 06:43 AM EST

Deforestation in Amazon Affects Microbial Diversity: Study

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest affects the diversity of microbial communities, finds a new study.

Dec 26, 2012 03:06 AM EST

Urbanization Causing Negative Impact on Ground-Nesting Bumblebees: Study

Landscapes with more paved roads and constructions are causing a negative impact on ground-nesting bumblebees

Dec 26, 2012 04:58 AM EST

Christmas Trees Absorb Greenhouse Gas Methane: Study

A new study by researchers in Sweden has found that Christmas trees absorb methane, a second most important greenhouse gas next to carbon dioxide.

Dec 25, 2012 03:08 PM EST

Study of Pipestone Artifacts Overturns a Century-Old Assumption

In the early 1900s, an archaeologist, William Mills, dug up a treasure-trove of carved stone pipes that had been buried almost 2,000 years earlier.

The researchers examined lake sediments from Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, looking for biomarkers -- fossil molecules -- from ancient trees and grasses.

Dec 25, 2012 02:59 PM EST

Fluctuating environment may have driven human evolution

A series of rapid environmental changes in East Africa roughly 2 million years ago may be responsible for driving human evolution, according to researchers at Penn State and Rutgers University.

Dec 24, 2012 02:10 PM EST

New Data Challenge Old Views About Evolution of Early Life

A research team led by biogeochemists at the University of California, Riverside has tested a popular hypothesis in paleo-ocean chemistry, and proved it false.

Dec 24, 2012 04:23 AM EST

Delayed Diversification of Eukaryotes Not Due to Lack of Zinc,Study Finds

The delayed diversification and proliferation of eukaryotes, creatures that possess a membrane-bound nucleus, was not due to less availability of zinc, a new study finds.

Dec 24, 2012 01:32 AM EST

Colorado River Flow Likely to Decline by 10 Percent in Next Few Decades: Study

A new study predicts a 10 percent drop in the annual stream flow of Colorado River over next few decades, owing to climate change and human population growth.

Dec 23, 2012 03:55 AM EST

Groundwater Causing Hawaiian Islands to Dissolve From Within, Study Shows

Mountains on the Hawaiian islands are slowly dissolving from within and will turn into a flat, low-lying island, a new study shows.

Dec 21, 2012 05:46 AM EST

Source of Gulf Sheen Near BP Oil Spill Site Still Unidentified

The U.S. Coast Guard and BP are yet to solve the mystery behind a sheen that appears on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, near the deepwater horizon spill site.