Clouds now contain microscopic pieces of plastic that in turn are causing “plastic rainfall”, according to a new study. Scientists fear that these particles of less than 5mm – known as microplastics – could be contaminating “nearly everything we eat and drink”. Keep reading via Independent
Tag Archives: earth
02
Oct
Oct
The decline in plankton abundance in the North East Atlantic over the past six decades should serve as a red flag to policy makers about the need to protect some of the planet’s most critical forms of life, a new study has warned. Scientists from across western Europe carried out the most comprehensive assessment to […]
06
Sep
Sep
Mosses are some of the oldest land plants. They are found all over the world, from lush tropical rainforests to the driest deserts, and even the wind-swept hills of Antarctica. They are everywhere; growing in cracks along roads and pathways, on the trunks of trees, on rocks and buildings, and importantly, on the soil. Yet despite […]
This centuries-old planting trick is having a resurgence – and experts claim it will help you grow better garden vegetables! The method makes use of electromagnetic fields to boost soil fertility and stimulate plant growth and no, it doesn’t involve any complex wiring or expensive machines. More via livingetc.
14
Aug
Aug
A pair of ecologists with the University of California has found that honeybees are not as good at pollinating flowers as native pollinators. In their study, reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Dillon Travis and Joshua Kohn obtained samples of pollinated flowers in the wild and compared them to see how well they […]
14
Aug
Aug
Ocean temperatures have been off the charts since mid-March 2023, with the highest average levels in 40 years of satellite monitoring, and the impact is breaking through in disruptive ways around the world. Read more via The Conversation.
We know less about the rainforest canopy, where most of the world’s species live than we do about the surface of Mars or the bottom of the ocean. However, that is about to change thanks to GEDI—a NASA space laser that has provided a detailed structure of the world’s rainforests for the first time ever. […]
31
Jul
Jul
he Wall Street Journal in America recently ran an alarming multipage story that warned of how lead-insulated telecoms cables, which were installed decades ago, had been found to allegedly be poisoning the ground and nearby water. Similar cables were installed by BT (GPO) in the UK, but do they still pose a risk? Read more via IS Preview.
17
Jul
Jul
Spongy, uniquely green, and allegedly good with directions, Earth’s ubiquitous mosses are more important to ecosystems than they appear. Found in at least 12,000 species living everywhere from snow-capped mountains to red-hot deserts, moss is the oldest living relative of all plants, but despite its age it seem to hold the key to many of […]