ECOSYSTEM

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Dec 18 2024SCIENCE

Carnivorous Californian Squirrels: A Surprising Find!

In California's Briones Regional Park, scientists stumbled upon a fascinating behavior in ground squirrels — they've started hunting and eating voles! This isn't something squirrels are known for, as they usually munch on seeds and plants. But with a recent increase in vole numbers, these critters h

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Dec 17 2024POLITICS

How Sports Podcasts Snubbed Kamala Harris' Campaign

Imagine this: the former White House official who pushed for online censorship is now griping about politics and sports. Rob Flaherty, who worked for Vice President Kamala Harris, revealed that her campaign struggled to get booked on sports podcasts. Why? Because sports culture had become associated

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Dec 13 2024SCIENCE

Scientists Sound Alarm on Potential ‘Second Tree of Life’ Pandemic

What if a tiny microbe could turn into a global threat? This is what hundreds of biologists are worrying about. They claim that in the next few decades, scientists might create a dangerous microorganism. This microbe could start a pandemic that's impossible to stop. Crop fields might turn into waste

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Dec 13 2024ENVIRONMENT

The Big Murre Die-Off: What Happened After a Marine Heatwave?

You might have heard that marine heatwaves can mess things up in our oceans. But did you know they can hit seabirds hard too? Let's talk about Alaska's common murres. After an intense marine heatwave, these birds didn't fare so well. In Alaska, we're talking about a loss of roughly half the common

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Dec 13 2024ENVIRONMENT

Plastic Pollution's Secret Impact on Daphnia and Their Microbiomes

Microplastics, tiny plastic bits under five millimetres, are causing big trouble in our waterways. These little pieces are gathering in urban freshwater ponds, affecting creatures like Daphnia, which are vital for these ecosystems. Scientists looked at how microplastics affect Daphnia's health and t

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Dec 06 2024HEALTH

Healthy Planet, Healthy Us: The Power of Care

Ever stopped to think how our well-being is tied to the planet's health? That's what we call Planetary Health. It’s a simple concept: a healthy Earth means healthy people. But humans have been messing with the planet, and it’s hurting us too. Enter planetary empathy – understanding we’re all in this

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Dec 02 2024ENVIRONMENT

Climate Change and Mangrove Fishing: A Global Look

Are you curious about how climate change is affecting mangrove fisheries? Mangroves, those unique trees that grow along coastal lines, are vital for many small fishing communities. They support a variety of marine life like fish, crustaceans, and molluscs. But, recent changes in the climate are maki

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Nov 28 2024ENVIRONMENT

Underwater Grasslands: How Hot Oceans Impact Them

Seagrass meadows play a big role in keeping our oceans healthy. They provide homes for many sea creatures and help keep our water clean. But climate change is making things tough for these underwater plants, especially with those sudden heatwaves in the ocean, called marine heatwaves. Scientists are

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Nov 26 2024SCIENCE

Yeast Shapes Change with Ocean Food Supply

Meet the yeast, Aureobasidium pullulans, a tiny creature from the vast open ocean. This yeast has a unique ability: it can switch between growing as single cells and forming long, thread-like filaments. Scientists have been trying to understand what causes this change in shape. A recent study found

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Nov 25 2024SCIENCE

Meet lefser: A New Tool for Finding Metagenomic Biomarkers in R

You might know LEfSe, the popular Python tool used for discovering and visualizing metagenomic biomarkers. It uses tests like Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon, along with Linear Discriminant Analysis. But if you're an R user, you've probably felt left out, right? That's because R/Bioconductor hasn't had

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