Southern pine beetle impacts on forest ecosystems
Research by USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) scientists shows that the impacts of recent outbreaks of southern pine beetle further degraded shortleaf pine-hardwood forest ecosystems in the southern Appalachian region. View More (2012-05-18)
When the soil holds not enough phosphorus
Plants cannot survive without phosphorus. It forms the backbone of many crucial molecules (such as DNA) and is a key player in energy transfer reactions. View More (2012-05-16)
Secret soil cracks linger, despite surface sealing
Deep cracks in soil can remain open underground even after they have visibly sealed on the surface, a new study has found. View More (2012-05-15)
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)
Plant Diversity Is Key to Maintaining Productive Vegetation
Vegetation, such as a patch of prairie or a forest stand, is more productive in the long run when more plant species are present, results of a new study show. View More (2012-05-07)
Plant diversity is key to maintaining productive vegetation, U of M study shows
Vegetation, such as a patch of prairie or a forest stand, is more productive in the long run when more plant species are present, a new University of Minnesota study shows. View More (2012-05-04)
Plant perfumes woo beneficial bugs
Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered that maize crops emit chemical signals which attract growth-promoting microbes to live amongst their roots. View More (2012-04-25)
WSU astrobiologist proposes fleet of probes to seek life on Mars
A Washington State University astrobiologist is leading a group of 20 scientists in calling for a mission to Mars with "a strong and comprehensive life detection component." View More (2012-04-24)
Genetically modified corn affects its symbiotic relationship with non-target soil organisms
An increasing number of crops commercially grown today are genetically modified (GM) to resist insect pests and/or tolerate herbicides. View More (2012-04-18)
Determining total fertility in strip-tilled fields
Band fertilizer placement may cause non-uniform distribution in the soil. Why does this matter? View More (2012-04-13)
Strip-till improves soybean yield
Crop yield can be improved by ensuring adequate nutrient availability. But how should you place the fertilizer and what cropping system gives the best yields? View More (2012-04-13)
800-year-old farmers could teach us how to protect the Amazon
In the face of mass deforestation of the Amazon, we could learn from its earliest inhabitants who managed their farmland sustainably. View More (2012-04-10)
History of Abandoned Urban Sites Found Stored in Soil
Old houses and vacant lots may not look like much to the naked eye, but to some, the site is better than gold. View More (2012-04-06)
Thawing permafrost 50 million years ago led to global warming events
In a new study reported in Nature, climate scientist Rob DeConto of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues elsewhere propose a simple new mechanism to explain the source of carbon that fed a series of extreme warming events about 55 million years ago, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), and a sequence of similar, smaller warming events afterward. View More (2012-04-05)
Removal of Invasive Tree Improves Health of American Samoa Forests
Removal of the Tamaligi tree (Falcataria moluccana), an invasive and destructive non-native tree on Tutuila Island, American Samoa greatly improves the health of its diverse native forests, according to a recently published study appearing in the journal Biological Invasions. View More (2012-03-26)
Fertilization by invasive species threatens nutrient-poor ecosystems
They can estimate whether native plants in the neighbourhood of invasive species incorporate the nitrogen fixed by the latter. View More (2012-03-14)
Final FACE harvest reveals increased soil carbon storage under elevated carbon dioxide
Elevated carbon dioxide concentrations can increase carbon storage in the soil, according to results from a 12-year carbon dioxide-enrichment experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. View More (2012-03-06)
X-rays reveal how soil bacteria carry out surprising chemistry
Researchers from Singapore, Japan, the UK and USA have discovered how soil bacteria carry out surprising chemistry, defying a longstanding set of chemical rules and thus paving the way for new synthesis of polyether drugs. View More (2012-03-05)
New way to tap largest remaining treasure trove of potential new antibiotics
Scientists are reporting use of a new technology for sifting through the world's largest remaining pool of potential antibiotics to discover two new antibiotics that work against deadly resistant microbes, including the "super bugs" known as MRSA. View More (2012-02-23)
Researchers reveal how cancer cells change once they spread to distant organs
Oncologists have known that in order for cancer cells to spread, they must transform themselves so they can detach from a tumor and spread to a distant organ. Now, scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have revealed critical steps in what happens next -- how these cells reverse the process, morphing back into classical cancer that can now grow into a new tumor. View More (2012-02-23)
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