news 2024

Study on the acceptance of animals in urban environments How do city residents feel about animals in their immediate surroundings' A recent study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Jena and the Vienna University of Technology shows how different the acceptance of various wild animals in urban areas is.

From today's perspective, they look like a cross between a horse and a gorilla: clawed animals (Chalicotheriidae) had a massive body and a horse-like head; their arms were much longer than their legs and equipped with claws. They belonged to the group of odd-toed ungulates and are thus related to modern rhinoceroses, horses and tapirs.

Global warming leads to decline in humus Mountain meadows are unique ecosystems. A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered that climate change reduces the humus content as well as the nitrogen stores in the grassland soils of the Alps and disturbs the soil structure.

Around 550 million years ago, the Earth's surface was a barren land mass surrounded by oceans. Almost all lifeforms that had evolved up to that point existed exclusively in the oceans. Then, however, the first plants made their way onto land-not only making the Earth greener but also fundamentally transforming the atmosphere, the climate and overall conditions of life on our planet.

International research team generates first genomes of complex closest relatives of land plants Land plants cover the surface of our planet and often tower over us. They form complex bodies with multiple organs that consist of a broad range of cell types. Developing this morphological complexity is underpinned by intricate networks of genes, whose coordinated action shapes plant bodies through various molecular mechanisms.

Environmental changes influence microbial communities, which are crucial for the health of the earth and humans. For instance, altered eating habits with heavily processed foods can lead to disrupted gut flora, or intensive agricultural practices can disturb the carbon cycle in the soil, respectively.

Research team outlines ways to make oil palm cultivation more ecologically and economically sustainable Palm oil is a widely used ingredient in many foods and cosmetics. The boom in oil palm cultivation in Indonesia in recent decades has improved the living conditions of many farmers, but has led to a loss of biodiversity and the large-scale destruction of rainforests.

In their natural environment, wild bees are exposed to various pesticides that can have a potentially toxic effect. A study by the University of Würzburg has now shown that bumblebees are relatively resistant to these products. Bumblebees appear to be quite resistant to common pesticides. This is shown by a new study, the results of which have now been published by scientists from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in the journal Environment International .

Research team at the University of Freiburg discovers previously unknown gene that indirectly promotes photosynthesis Cyanobacteria - also called blue-green algae - are known as the "plants of the ocean" because they carry out photosynthesis on a gigantic scale, produce oxygen and extract the greenhouse gas CO2 from the environment.

Research team at the University of Freiburg discovers a previously unknown gene that indirectly promotes photosynthesis Cyanobacteria are also known as blue-green algae and are considered the "plants of the ocean" because they photosynthesize on a gigantic scale, produce oxygen and extract the greenhouse gas CO2 from the environment.

With long legs and large wings, the white stork is a prominent star of the pageant that is animal migration. Flying from Europe towards Africa in autumn, and then back again in spring, birds can be seen taking to the sky in conspicuous flocks that herald the changing of the seasons. Now, a study from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, Germany, has an explanation for how this collective phenomenon forms: the storks are choosing to fly together.

Pioneering approach to conflicting goals Hybrid Intelligence Can Reconcile Biodiversity & Agriculture Preserving biodiversity without reducing agricultural productivity: So far, these two goals could not be reconciled because the socio-ecological system of agriculture is highly complex, and the interactions between humans and the environment are difficult to capture using conventional methods.

The oxidant pollutant removes mating barriers between fly species and increases the occurrence of sterile hybrids In a recent study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, show that ozone levels, such as those found in many places on hot summer days today, destroy the sex pheromones of fruit fly species.

Special features of the Arctic climate, such as the strong reflection of the sun's rays off the light snow or the low position of the sun, amplify global warming in the Arctic. However, researchers are often faced with the challenge of modelling the underlying climatic processes in order to be able to provide reliable weather forecasts.

Global study: Diversified agriculture strengthens food security and biodiversity . Mixing livestock farming and arable farming, integrating flower strips and trees, water and soil protection and much more: a comprehensive global study led by the Universities of Copenhagen and Hohenheim and with the participation of the University of Göttingen has investigated the effects of diversified agriculture.

Hydrogen chloride can now be stored, processed, and electrolyzed safely thanks to breakthrough by research team at Freie Universität Berlin A research team at Freie Universität Berlin led by Professor Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel has successfully developed a method for storing and electrolyzing gaseous hydrogen chloride in the form of an ionic liquid.

Microscopic algae play a significant role in binding carbon dioxide and are therefore of great ecological importance. In nature, microalgae have coexisted with bacteria for many millions of years. Bacteria can either harm algae or promote their growth. A research team at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany has now found a bacterium that forms a team with a green alga.

Coastal seas form a complex transition zone between the two largest CO2 sinks in the global carbon cycle: land and ocean. Ocean researchers have now succeeded for the first time in investigating the role of the coastal ocean in a seamless model representation. The team led by Dr. Moritz Mathis from the Cluster of Excellence for Climate Research CLICCS at Universität Hamburg and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon was able to show: The intensity of CO2 uptake is higher in coastal seas than in the open ocean.

University of Bonn researchers publish dataset of over 6,000 policies from all'over the world There can be no analysis without data. In this spirit, researchers from the University of Bonn and the Swiss Federal Institution of Technology (ETH) Zurich have published a database containing over 6,000 agri-environmental policies, thus enabling their peers as well as policymakers and businesses to seek answers to all manner of different questions.

Researchers gain new insights into how the first cells on Earth were able to use hydrogen gas as an energy source Hydrogen gas (H2) is seen as a key to sustainable energy for the future. Yet it is an ancient form of energy. Even the very first cells on earth lived on H2, which was produced in hydrothermal vents.