Small farmers are less likely than large landowners to maintain required forest cover on their property in the Brazilian Amazon, worsening the environmental impact of their operations, reported a researcher presenting at the annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) in Bonito, Brazil. Fernanda Michalski, an ecologist with the University of…

The Blue Tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The bird is easily recognizable by its brilliant blue and yellow plumage. Throughout Europe and western Asia, the blue tit is one of the most colorful birds to engage in their annual hormone-driven mating spectacle. Not unlike some among their human counterparts,…

The East Coast of the United States is home to many of its major population centers. While some of the early colonizers migrated west, many stayed and built up some of America’s great cities, including Portland, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charleston, and Miami. Now this region is facing an unprecedented challenge caused by the…

Stimulating the brain using magnetic currents can significantly reduce the urge smokers have to light up, researchers discovered. During the study, which was conducted in Israel, a special helmet-like device was developed for deep stimulation of specific parts of the brain. The device sends magnetic currents to the brain that stimulate the nervous system while…

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. About half of the world original forests had disappeared by 2011, the majority during the last 50 years. Since 1990 half of the rain forests have disappeared. Forests are removed and converted into other…

A new kind of solar cell made from carbon harvests sunlight that other cells can’t see. The technology could greatly boost the efficiency of solar panels and help bring the down the price of solar panels.

UPS announced the results of a year long experiment to test five pilot vehicles and gauge whether they could meet the demands of the company’s operating and delivery needs. The results were an impressive reduction in fuel consumption, easier repairs and greater durability. Explained during a conference call yesterday, UPS’ exploration of composite vehicles is…

With negotiations at an end, WWF Director General Jim Leape today issued the following closing statement about the Rio+20 summit: “This was a conference about life: about future generations; about the forests, oceans, rivers and lakes that we all depend on for our food, water and energy. It was a conference to address the pressing…

Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world’s oceans, the observed incidences of which have been increasing since oceanographers began noting them in the 1970s. These occur near inhabited coastlines, where aquatic life is most concentrated A team of NOAA-supported scientists is predicting that this year’s Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone could range from…

An estimated 70.2 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide have been sold or leased to private and public investors since 2000, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online service. The bulk of these acquisitions, which are called “land grabs” by some observers, took place between 2008 and 2010,…