ENVIRO AONE

They are some of the most beautiful, and elusive, animals on the plant. Leopards. In a major scientific step, the whole genome DNA sequence of 23 individual leopards have been interpreted. These majestic animals are the only great cat species (Genus Panthera) to roam about both Africa and Asia today. Leopards are considered as highly…

The environmental impact of deep-sea mining is only partially known. Also, there is a lack of standards to regulate mining and set binding thresholds for the impact on the local organisms. Researchers have now determined that deep-sea mining-related disturbances have a long-term impact on the natural ecosystem functions and microbial communities at the seafloor. What…

Far below Bermuda’s pink sand beaches and turquoise tides, geoscientists have discovered the first direct evidence that material from deep within Earth’s mantle transition zone — a layer rich in water, crystals and melted rock — can percolate to the surface to form volcanoes. Scientists have long known that volcanoes form when tectonic plates (traveling…

Researchers found more than 90 per cent of the conventionally farmed soils in their global study were thinning, and 16 per cent had lifespans of less than a century. These rapidly thinning soils were found all over the world, including countries such as Australia, China, the UK, and the USA. The study, led by Lancaster…

Meat and dairy played a more significant role in human diets in Bronze Age China than previously thought. A new analysis also suggests that farmers and herders tended to sheep and goats differently than they did their cows, unlike in other parts of the world — keeping cows closer to home and feeding them the…

Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, can be captured and transformed into protein-rich feed for farmed fish — an increasingly important food sector. A new analysis shows how to make the approach more cost-effective than current fish feeds. «Industrial sources in the U.S. are emitting a truly staggering amount of methane, which is uneconomical to capture…

Environmental education provision needs greater investment and innovation if future generations are to be able to respond fully to the climate emergency, experts have said. The deepening environmental crisis will continue to worsen if there is not significant support and investment in environmental and science education, researchers have warned. Reforms would help young people to…