ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

New research has found that two types of weevils, common yet invasive beetles in many parts of the world, have been using epigenetic changes to adapt and respond to different toxins in the plants they eat. The findings have implications for how we consider asexual invaders and how successful they can be because of gene regulation.

Areas with climatic conditions suitable for sustaining permafrost in the Daisetsu Mountains are projected. The size of the area in the Daisetsu Mountains where climatic conditions were suitable for permafrost were estimated to be approximately 150 km2 in 2010. Under the business-as-usual scenario, this area is projected to disappear by around 2070. Under the low-carbon scenario consistent with Paris target scenario, the area is projected to decrease to approximately 13% of 2010 by 2100.

An international research team has shown that using solar-panels to produce microbial protein -- which is rich not just in proteins but also in other nutrients -- is more sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly than growing conventional crops. This method uses solar energy, land, nutrients, and carbon dioxide from the air.

Researchers have found evidence that World Trade Center responders had a higher likelihood of developing liver disease if they arrived at the site right after the attacks as opposed to working at Ground Zero later in the rescue and recovery efforts.

Greater buffer zones around bodies of water and more consistent enforcement of water protection regulations are needed to reduce agriculture-based pollution in the Western U.S., a recent review has found.

New research shows that city lights limit the ability of nocturnal animals to navigate by natural light in the night sky. Instead, they are forced to use streetlamps, neon light or floodlights to orient themselves.

For almost 20 years, researchers have conducted detailed censuses of the majestic kelp forests off Santa Barbara. By counting fish species and placing them in the context of their environmental conditions, coastal marine ecologists can look at the effects of human activity and natural drivers on kelp and its ability to maintain the kelp forest communities.

When La Niña brings unusually warm waters and abnormal air pressure to the Pacific Ocean, the resulting weather patterns create an increase in the carbon export from the Amazon River, new research has found.

Using nearly a decade of satellite data, researchers have uncovered "milky seas" in a way they've never been seen before -- a rare and fascinating oceanic bioluminescent phenomenon detected by a highly sensitive spaceborne low-light sensor.

Using a CeO2 catalyst, researchers develop an effective catalytic process for the direct synthesis of polycarbonate diols without the need for dehydrating agents. The high yield, high selective process has CO2 blown at atmospheric pressure to evaporate excess water by-product allowing for a catalytic process that can be used with any substrate with a boiling point higher than water.

Researchers compiled a dataset of 209 crustacean and 155 mollusk species from 16 mangrove forests around the world. They found that mangroves, when compared with other ecosystems, are among those with the lowest functional redundancy among resident fauna recorded to date, which suggests that these coastal vegetations are among the most precarious ecosystems in the world.

Of all the creatures on Earth, humans manipulate their environments the most. But, how far can we push it before something drastic happens? Scientists are calling for a better understanding of past extreme climate change events in an attempt to anticipate future changes.