Environment

The AWI's citizen science project 'Microplastic Detectives' has analyzed 2.2 tons of sand from German coasts for microplastics. The global production of plastics and the resulting plastic waste has increased to such an extent that plastics have become ubiquitous in our environment. Plastics of various sizes are also found along the German North Sea and

An 'invisible forest' of phytoplankton is thriving in part of our warming ocean, new research shows. An "invisible forest" of phytoplankton is thriving in part of our warming ocean, new research shows. Phytoplankton are tiny drifting organisms that do about half of the planet's "primary production" (forming living cells by photosynthesis). The new study, by

Until now, it was believed that plants of the grape family arrived at the European continent less than 23 million years ago. A study on fossil plants draws a new scenario on the dispersal of the ancestors of grape plants and reveals that these species were already on the territory of Europe some 41 million

Scientists successfully extracted and analyzed DNA from ancient cheese samples found alongside the Tarim Basin mummies in China, dating back approximately 3,600 years. The research suggests a new origin for kefir cheese and sheds light on the evolution of probiotic bacteria. For the first time, scientists successfully extracted and analyzed DNA from ancient cheese samples

New research suggests that pigs may function as a transmission vehicle for a strain of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) common in rats that has recently been found to infect humans. New research suggests that pigs may function as a transmission vehicle for a strain of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) common in rats that

Using shells from the recent fossil record, researchers have determine that interactions between predator and prey in the northern Adriatic Sea have significantly declined due to human activity. If you'd stopped monitoring the Adriatic Sea's marine life in the mid-20th century, the outlook would have been promising. Snails and the clams they hunt for food

The discovery of new cynodont fossils from southern Brazil by a team of palaeontologists has led to a significant breakthrough in understanding the evolution of mammals. These fossils, belonging to the mammal-precursor species Brasilodon quadrangularis and Riograndia guaibensis, offer critical insights into the development of the mammalian jaw and middle ear, revealing evolutionary experiments that

The Eiffinger's tree frog found in Japan has a unique biological adaptation: its tadpoles do not defecate during their early developmental stages to reduce the risk of contaminating their small spawning areas. This finding contributes to our understanding of how the species survives in small, enclosed bodies of water. The Eiffinger's tree frog (Kurixalus eiffingeri)

Tree-ring data reveal that periodic shifts in strong winds high above the Earth's surface have driven opposite climates in different parts of Europe for the past 700 years and likely much longer, resulting in contrasting patterns in weather, agricultural and societal extremes. During her summer travels to her native Belgium, University of Arizona professor Valerie

A new study uncovers gender bias at the megalithic necropolis of Panoria where twice as many women were buried. A multidisciplinary research team led by the Archaeometry research group of the University of Tübingen and the GEA research group of the University of Granada made a surprising discovery in the megalithic necropolis of Panoría (Granada

Fruit bats generate more diverse antibodies than mice, but overall have a weaker antibody response, according to a new study. Fruit bats generate more diverse antibodies than mice, but overall have a weaker antibody response, according to a new study published September 24 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Dan Crowley from Cornell University

New research has found previously undocumented variation in coral heat tolerance on the Great Barrier Reef, giving hope that corals' own genetic resources may hold the key for us to help in its recovery and adaptation. Researchers measured the bleaching thresholds of more than 500 colonies of the table coral, Acropora hyacinthus, using a portable