Around the world, energy systems are increasingly impacted by the effects of a changing climate. Energy systems, especially the electric-power system, are vulnerable to natural stressors such as wildfires, severe storms, extreme temperatures and long-term disruptions of the hydrological cycle. «As we have experienced in recent years, there have been more and more natural stressors…

Climate change will intensify winds that steer hurricanes north over Texas in the final 25 years of this century, increasing the odds for fast-moving storms like 2008’s Ike compared to slow-movers like 2017’s Harvey, according to new research. The study published online July 3 in Nature Communications examined regional atmospheric wind patterns that are likely…

Genetic assessment of captive gibbons to identify their species and subspecies is an important step before any conservation actions. A group of wildlife researchers recently discovered a previously unknown population of white-handed gibbons (subspecies lar) from Peninsular Malaysia. In 2013, the National Wildlife Rescue Centre (NWRC) of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)…

Due to human-caused pressures and global warming, some soils in Europe’s Mediterranean region are reaching what the researchers refer to as ‘critical limits for their ability to provide ecosystem services,’ which include farming and absorbing carbon, among others. Perhaps even more troubling, the problem could be even more extensive than we realize, says an author…

Scientists have come up with a new way of analyzing sand in mountain rivers to determine the activity of landslides upstream, which has important implications for understanding natural hazards in mountainous regions. Landslides occur in hilly and mountainous landscapes, often triggered by extreme rainfall events or ground shaking resulting from earthquakes. For example, a magnitude…

Genome sequencing is now much cheaper than it was, but still accounts for a large part of the costs in animal and plant breeding. One trick to reduce these costs is to sequence only a very small and randomly selected part of the genome and to complete the remaining gaps using mathematical and statistical techniques.…

Satellite images taken over three decades show that keeping dingoes out comes at a price. The study, recently published in Landscape Ecology, pairs 32 years’ worth of satellite imagery with site-based field research on both sides of the Dingo Fence in the Strzelecki Desert. The researchers found that vegetation inside the fence — that is,…

Wolfe Creek Crater, one of the world’s largest meteorite craters, is much younger than previously thought. Wolfe Creek Crater is situated on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in northern Western Australia. It is the second largest crater on Earth from which meteorite fragments have been recovered (the largest is Meteor Crater in Arizona).…

Biologists are studying weeds to better understand (among other things) how they might respond to climate change. Research shows that most invasive plants are characterized by their rapid pace when it comes to taking up nutrients, growing, and reproducing — and they’re even faster in the regions they invade. He said most invasive plants are…

Women tend to take cover or prepare to evacuate sooner, but often have trouble convincing the men in their life to do so, suggests a new study exploring how gender influences disaster response. The research also found that traditional gender roles tend to resurface in the aftermath of disasters, with women relegated to the important…