Villagers separate and collect the heads of Sal Borer insects after catching them in the forest. (Photo: Down to Earth and Instagram) In the forests of Madhya Pradesh, a rather unusual “mala” is being used in the fight to save thousands of Sal trees. But this is no ordinary garland. Made from the severed heads…
An aircraft followed the plume from above (Representational AI image) In September 2017, the US Geological Survey (USGS) carried out an unusual experiment on Idaho’s Kootenai River. Researchers released 72.57 kg (160 pounds) of Rhodamine WT dye into the river and then followed its movement through the water. The aim was to understand how a…
An 18-acre stretch of Arizona desert that was once heavily disturbed and overrun by invasive buffelgrass has been transformed through 16 years of sustained restoration work by volunteers and conservation partners. The Waterman Restoration Project, located on Bureau of Land Management land within Ironwood Forest National Monument near Marana, began in 2010 after earlier attempts…
Lead contamination in water is being studied through different approaches, including the use of waste materials that can help remove metal ions from water. Apple pomace, the residue left after juice production, was among the waste materials researchers examined for its ability to remove lead ions from water in laboratory experiments.Researchers compared untreated raw apple…
Representative Image (AI-generated) Britain’s coastal waters are home to more shark species than many people might expect, but scientists still know surprisingly little about how several of these animals move, feed and reproduce. In a report by The Guardian, researchers outlined plans for a new three-year project that will combine modern electronic tracking with decades…
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Image Credit: Ron Van Oers/Wikipedia Communities living beside Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have planted 4,053 agroforestry trees across 40 hectares of land, beginning the restoration of a damaged buffer zone around one of Africa’s most important rainforest landscapes. The work aims to improve habitat, support local livelihoods and reduce pressure on…
Representative Image (AI-generated) A routine blood sample contains a surprisingly detailed record of what the immune system is doing. Scientists have now demonstrated a way to read some of that information without adding fluorescent dyes or other chemical labels. The approach examines the natural light emitted by molecules inside immune cells, allowing researchers to assess…
After a cup of coffee is brewed, the grounds left behind are often discarded as waste. But researchers have found a way to turn them into a useful material for concrete. A 2023 study examined whether spent coffee grounds (SCG) could replace part of the sand used in concrete after being converted into biochar through…
South American tapir. Image Credit: Charles J. Sharp/Wikipedia A former cattle landscape in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has been transformed into a thriving wildlife refuge through years of restoration and the planting of native trees. At the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve in Rio de Janeiro State, land that was once cleared and used for grazing has gradually…
Tasmania introduced brown trout from England for sport More than 160 years after Tasmania introduced British brown trout to create a major recreational fishery, conservation workers are building artificial barriers and clearing entire waterways to save a tiny native fish from extinction. The Swan galaxias (Galaxias fontanus), a small, scaleless freshwater fish found only in…
