A unique housing arrangement between a specific tree species and carbo-loading bacteria may determine how well tropical forests can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, says new research from 16 September 2013 in an advance online publication of the journal Nature.
“Elephants across Africa and Asia are being poached for their ivory at increasing levels,” says WWF. Fortunately, there are many local human populations, national and international organizations and governments in the world often working together to save elephants and their habitats, groups in Asia and Africa, and even with elephant sanctuaries in the United States.
Climate change is already affecting the spread of infectious diseases--and human health and biodiversity worldwide--according to disease ecologists reporting research results in the August 2, 2013 issue of the journal Science. Modeling disease outcomes from host and parasite responses to climate variables, they say, could help public health officials and environmental managers address the challenges posed by the changing landscape of infectious disease.
Support for a sustainable management program at Macaya National Park: A $9 million grant will help Haiti carry out a sustainable land management program at the Macaya National Park, home to one of the country’s largest remaining forests, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced on 1 August 2013.
“The geckos stuck just as well under water as they did on a dry surface, as long as the surface was hydrophobic [water-loving],” Stark explains. “We believe this is how geckos stick to wet leaves and tree trunks in their natural environment.”
The study has implications for the design of a synthetic gecko-inspired adhesive. Geckos' ability to stick to trees and leaves during rainforest downpours has fascinated scientists for decades, leading a group of University of Akron researchers to solve the mystery.
The icy Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica is about as cold, stormy and inhospitable a body of water as can be imagined. But thanks to the ingenuity of a group of high-school students, their teacher and a miniature video camera on a cable, it has also become a real-life classroom for budding marine engineers.
Kerstin Forsberg, a 28-year-old marine conservation biologist and campaigner based in Peru, has been awarded the WWF International President’s Award 2013 at a special ceremony during global conservation organization WWF’s Annual Conference on June 11, 2013.
The government of Mexico has taken a decisive step to save the vaquita - a porpoise threatened by extinction - and to promote sustainable fisheries in the upper Gulf of California for the benefit of fishers and their families, says WWF-Mexico.
On 22 May 2013 the WWF released dozens of photographs and video footage of endangered species captured by camera traps in the mountainous giant panda reserves in China, marking this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity. With the footage, taken since 2011, WWF conservation officers have gained a better understanding of the identification of animal traces and areas of their activities, the study of the impact of human activities on the species and management of nature reserves, according to Jiang.
Scientists find widespread but neglected disease is significant health threat in Botswana
The newest public health threat in Africa, scientists have found, is coming from a previously unknown source: the banded mongoose. Leptospirosis, the disease is called. And the banded mongoose carries it. Leptospirosis is the world's most common illness transmitted to humans by animals. It's a two-phase disease that begins with flu-like symptoms. If untreated, it can cause meningitis, liver damage, pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure and death.