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Study pinpoints key causes of ocean circulation change

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Researchers have identified the key factors that influence a vital pattern of ocean currents. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) carries warm water from the tropics northward.

Many scientists think that this heat transport makes areas including north-west Europe and the UK warmer than they would otherwise be.

Climate models suggest the AMOC is likely to weaken over the coming decades, with widespread implications for regional and global climate. [Read more…] about Study pinpoints key causes of ocean circulation change

How a small fish coped with being isolated from the sea

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The last ice age ended almost 12,000 years ago in Norway. The land rebounded slowly as the weight of the ice disappeared and the land uplift caused many bays to become narrower and form lakes.

Fish became trapped in these lakes.

Sticklebacks managed to adapt when saltwater became freshwater, and they can still be found in today’s coastal lakes along the Norwegian coast. [Read more…] about How a small fish coped with being isolated from the sea

Six out of every 10 teachers believe that changing the design of the classroom is key to improving learning

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The image of rows of chairs and desks facing a teacher at a blackboard has been a reality for decades. However, research reveals that this way of organizing the classroom furniture in schools is not the best way for favouring the learning process.

Especially if the needs of 21st-century students are taken into account, who, according to the OECD, require a social environment that fosters autonomy, flexibility, decision-making capacity and the connection of knowledge by individual students or through teamwork.

It is also the opinion of 6 out of every 10 teachers that changing the design of the classroom is key to improving learning. [Read more…] about Six out of every 10 teachers believe that changing the design of the classroom is key to improving learning

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  • Pandemic teaching transitions back to classroom with lessons learned
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    Pandemic teaching transitions back to classroom with lessons learnedThe COVID-19 pandemic created numerous changes and challenges for many people. In the education field, teachers were asked to re-create lesson plans and student interactivity in a virtual realm, something many had never experienced. During the 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, which will be held virtually June…
    Tags: classroom, students, teachers, education, changes, news

Cascading effects of noise on plants persist over long periods and after noise is removed

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Though noise may change moment by moment for humans, it has a more lasting effect on trees and plants.

A new Cal Poly study reveals that human noise pollution affects the diversity of plant life in an ecosystem even after the noise has been removed. This is the first study that explores the long-term effects of noise on plant communities. It was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

In a study conducted twelve years ago near natural gas wells in New Mexico, researchers found that there were 75% fewer piñon pine seedlings in noisy sites as in quiet ones.

This was most likely due to the noise driving away the Woodhouse’s scrub jay, which plants thousands of pine seeds while storing them to eat during the winter months. [Read more…] about Cascading effects of noise on plants persist over long periods and after noise is removed

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  • Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change
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    Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental changeOn an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge fossil-tree buried in the cold, grassy plain. The plant fossil record from this high-altitude site in southern Peru contains dramatic reminders that the environment in the…
    Tags: changes, plants, environment, plant, sites

As lumber prices skyrocket, professor develops method to predict future price changes

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At a time when lumber prices are skyrocketing, an Oregon State University researcher has developed a new way to predict the future price of logs that uses readily accessible economic information.

“Log prices are really variable,” said Jeff Reimer, a professor of applied economics at Oregon State. “That makes this a difficult business, whether you are land manager, mill owner, timberland investor or, as we are seeing now, a home builder.”

The timber industry is critical to the economy of many regions of the world, including the Pacific Northwest. [Read more…] about As lumber prices skyrocket, professor develops method to predict future price changes

Droughts longer, rainfall more erratic over the last 50 years in most of the West

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Dry periods between rainstorms have become longer and annual rainfall has become more erratic across most of the western United States during the past 50 years, according to a new study published by the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and the University of Arizona.

Against the backdrop of steadily warming temperatures and decreasing total yearly rainfall, rain has been falling in fewer and sometimes larger storms, with longer dry intervals between.

Total yearly rainfall has decreased by an average of four inches over the last half century, while the longest dry period in each year increased from 20 to 32 days across the West, explained co-senior author Joel Biederman, a research hydrologist with the ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. [Read more…] about Droughts longer, rainfall more erratic over the last 50 years in most of the West

Why the brain enjoys music

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Communication between the brain’s auditory and reward circuits is the reason why humans find music rewarding, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

Despite no obvious biological benefits, humans love music. Neuroimaging studies highlight similarities between how the brain’s reward circuits process music and other rewards like food, money, and alcohol.

Yet neuroimaging studies are correlational by nature. [Read more…] about Why the brain enjoys music

Brain activity foreshadows changes in stock prices

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Society for Neuroscience

Activity in the brains’ risk circuits can forecast changes in stock prices

Forecasting changes in stock prices may be possible with the help of brain activity in regions associated with how people feel before making investment choices.

Scientists could accurately forecast market price changes based on the average brain activity among a group but failed when using only prior stock trends or people’s investment choices, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

Scientists have used the average brain activity among a group to predict which videos will go viral and which crowdfunding campaigns will receive funding. [Read more…] about Brain activity foreshadows changes in stock prices

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  • Why writing by hand makes kids smarter
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    Why writing by hand makes kids smarterProfessor Audrey van der Meer at NTNU believes that national guidelines should be put into place to ensure that children receive at least a minimum of handwriting training. Results from several studies have shown that both children and adults learn more and remember better when writing by hand. Now another…
    Tags: brain, activity, news

Climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years reconciled

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Predictions of future climate change require a clear and nuanced understanding of Earth’s past climate. In a study published today in Science Advances, University of Hawai’i (UH) at Mānoa oceanographers fully reconciled climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years–solving a controversy debated in the scientific literature for decades.

Throughout Earth’s history, global climate and the global carbon cycle have undergone significant changes, some of which challenge the current understanding of carbon cycle dynamics.

Less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cools Earth and decreases weathering of rocks and minerals on land over long time scales. Less weathering should lead to a shallower calcite compensation depth (CCD), which is the depth in the ocean where the rate of carbonate material raining down equals the rate of carbonate dissolution (also called “snow line”). The depth of the CCD can be traced over the geologic past by inspecting the calcium carbonate content of seafloor sediment cores. [Read more…] about Climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years reconciled

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  • The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositions
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    The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositionsA new international study led by astrophysicist Eric Agol from the University of Washington has measured the densities of the seven planets of the exoplanetary system TRAPPIST-1 with extreme precision, the values obtained indicating very similar compositions for all the planets. This fact makes the system even more remarkable and…
    Tags: earth, study, space, science, uncategorized

Current food production systems could mean far-reaching habitat loss

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The global food system could drive rapid and widespread biodiversity loss if not changed, new research has found.

Findings published in Nature Sustainability shows that the global food system will need to be transformed to prevent habitat loss across the world. It shows that what we eat and how it is produced will need to change rapidly and dramatically to prevent widespread and severe biodiversity losses.

The international research team was led by the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford. [Read more…] about Current food production systems could mean far-reaching habitat loss

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  • Bioplastics in the sustainability dilemma
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    Bioplastics in the sustainability dilemmaPlastics made from crops such as maize or sugarcane instead of fossil fuels are generally considered sustainable. One reason is that plants bind CO2, which compensates for the carbon released into the atmosphere when plastics are disposed. However, there is a catch: With increasing demand for raw materials for bioplastic…
    Tags: production, study, land, global, university, sustainability, country
  • Better health for people and the planet grows on trees
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    Better health for people and the planet grows on treesTwo of humanity's biggest problems – the climate crisis and abysmal eating habits – can partly be solved by one healthy solution: eating more food from trees, specifically tropical ones. While global trends in agriculture and diets are not easily reversed, scientists say that creating incentives to grow and eat…
    Tags: food, systems, global, land, diets, production, healthy, lead, species, change
  • Serving size, satisfaction influence food waste on campus
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    Serving size, satisfaction influence food waste on campusUnderstanding what drives food choices can help high-volume food service operations like universities reduce waste, according to a new study. Researchers have concluded that food waste in places like university cafeterias is driven by how much people put on their plates, how familiar they are with what's on the menu…
    Tags: food, university, study, life
  • Virtual pollination trade uncovers global dependence on biodiversity for food consumption
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    Virtual pollination trade uncovers global dependence on biodiversity for food consumptionRecently, a published study in Science Advances assessed the contribution of pollinators to international market flows and showed that biodiversity conservation is essential to sustain global consumption patterns. This study results from the work of an interdisciplinary team that integrated researchers across the fields of economics, ecology, environmental sciences and social sciences.…
    Tags: biodiversity, global, international, loss, production, expansion, study, habitat, conservation, university