Agricultural bacteria: Blowing in the wind
It was all too evident during the Dust Bowl what a disastrous impact wind can have on dry, unprotected topsoil. Now a new study has uncovered a less obvious, but still troubling, effect of wind: Not only can it carry away soil particles, but also the beneficial microbes that help build soil, detoxify contaminants, and recycle nutrients. View More (2012-05-09)
70 percent of beaches eroding on Hawaiian islands Kauai, Oahu, and Maui
An assessment of coastal change over the past century has found 70 percent of beaches on the islands of Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Maui are undergoing long-term erosion, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and University of Hawai'i (UH) report released today. View More (2012-05-08)
When dinosaurs roamed a fiery landscape
The dinosaurs of the Cretaceous may have faced an unexpected hazard: fire! View More (2012-03-30)
Sea level rise to alter economics of California beaches
Rising sea levels are likely to change Southern California beaches in the coming century, but not in ways you might expect. View More (2012-02-29)
Geological cycle causes biodiversity booms and busts every 60 million years, research suggests
A mysterious cycle of booms and busts in marine biodiversity over the past 500 million years could be tied to a periodic uplifting of the world's continents, scientists report in the March issue of The Journal of Geology. View More (2012-02-23)
5-10 percent corn yield jump using erosion-slowing cover crops shown in ISU study
The most recent annual results from a four-year Iowa State University study on using cover crops between rows of corn reveals that higher yields - by as much as 10 percent - are possible using the soil-saving approach to farming. View More (2012-02-10)
Scorpions inspire scientists in making tougher surfaces for machinery
Taking inspiration from the yellow fattail scorpion, which uses a bionic shield to protect itself against scratches from desert sandstorms, scientists have developed a new way to protect the moving parts of machinery from wear and tear. View More (2012-01-26)
The path less traveled: Research is driving solutions to improve unpaved roads
A Kansas State University graduate student sees the unpaved road ahead, and it's filled with biomaterial. View More (2012-01-11)
Improved rainwater harvesting system promising
Ridge and furrow rainwater-harvesting (RFRH) systems with mulches were first researched in the flat, lowland, semiarid conditions of northwest China to improve water availability and to increase crop production. View More (2011-12-14)
Evidence emerges of ancient lake in California's Eel River
A catastrophic landslide 22,500 years ago dammed the upper reaches of northern California's Eel River, forming a 30-mile-long lake which has since disappeared. It left a living legacy found today in the genes of the region's steelhead trout. View More (2011-11-15)
For land conservation, formal and informal relationships influence success
During the past decade, voluntary contracts called conservation easements have become a popular method for conserving land. View More (2011-11-01)
Study indicates nanoparticles could help pain-relieving osteoarthritis drugs last longer
A novel study demonstrates that using nanoparticles to deliver osteoarthritis drugs to the knee joint could help increase the retention of the drug in the knee cavity, and therefore reduce the frequency of injections patients must receive. View More (2011-10-26)
'Non-invasive' cultivar? Buyer beware
Cultivars of popular ornamental woody plants that are being sold in the United States as non-invasive are probably anything but, according to an analysis by botanical researchers published in the October issue of BioScience. View More (2011-10-07)
Researchers chance viewing of river cutoff forming provides rare insight
For University of Illinois river researchers, new insight into river cutoffs was a case of being in the right place at the right time. View More (2011-09-22)
If insurance companies pay out too often, farmers will be threatened with ruin in the long term
Insurance can help farmers to survive dry periods. However, it can also result in the long term in overgrazing and therefore threaten their existence if insurance companies pay out in periods of moderate drought and farmers change their management strategies as a result. View More (2011-09-21)
Study predicts sea level rise may take economic toll on California coast
California beach towns could face hefty economic losses caused by sea level rise in the next century, according to a new state-commissioned study conducted by economists at San Francisco State University. View More (2011-09-13)
Stevens Has an Eye on the Science of the Storm
While residents along the New Jersey and New York coasts rush to the store for batteries and bottled water, scientists at Stevens Institute of Technology are heading to the laboratory to help predict the impact of Hurricane Irene. View More (2011-08-26)
The First True View of Global Erosion
Every mountain and hill shall be made low, declared the ancient prophet Isaiah. In other words: erosion happens. But for the modern geologist a vexing question remains: how fast does this erosion happen? View More (2011-07-28)
ISU research: Corn yields with perennial cover crop are equal to traditional farming
Soil quality, water quality, and possibly even farm profits will all benefit by using a perennial cover crop on corn fields that allows for similar yields to traditional farming methods, according to Iowa State University research. View More (2011-07-26)
Fingerprinting Fugitive Dust
Each community of soil microbes has a unique fingerprint that can potentially be used to track soil back to its source, right down to whether it came from dust from a rural road or from a farm field, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil scientist. View More (2011-07-22)
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