Science

In 1980, conservationists began an ambitious ecological restoration programme on Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Southern California. The main goal was to remove tens of thousands of feral sheep whose uncontrolled grazing was damaging native plants and threatening wildlife habitats. Over the next seven years, organised eradication efforts dramatically changed the island’s landscape….

Archaeologists have uncovered skeleton inside the jar at the ancient Roman colony of Deultum (Image Credit: Archaeologia Bulgarica via Live Science) More than 1,600 years ago, as violence swept through a Roman settlement in what is now Bulgaria, a man appears to have made a desperate attempt to survive. He climbed inside a huge ceramic…

The study, published in Nature, could also change how scientists identify links between gut bacteria and disease.​ The human gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that together form the gut microbiome. These microbes play important roles in digestion, immune function and metabolism. Now, researchers led by the University of Vienna have found that common…

Quote of the day by Albert Einstein (Image: Wikipedia) Albert Einstein‘s famous words offer a genuinely different way of looking at achievement. In a world where success is often measured through money, job titles and public recognition, this line asks people to look beyond what they have actually achieved and think honestly about what kind…

BIO-ENGINE introduced in the pond. Image Credit: Hatena Blog Japanese students at Nakui Agricultural High School in Aomori Prefecture developed a natural water-cleaning system after years of research, and tested it on a pond where recurring algae outbreaks had caused unpleasant smells. According to Japan for Sustainability(JFS), the experiment worked. The pond’s algae outbreaks were…

AI generated for representation/ChatGPT Walk through the streets of Rome, London, Jerusalem or Delhi and you may be standing above a city that is hundreds or even thousands of years older. In Rome, archaeological deposits beneath the modern city can reach several metres in thickness. In London, Roman remains have been found beneath modern streets…

For decades, a concrete barrier on Virginia’s Appomattox River stood between migratory fish and more than 120 miles of upstream habitat. In 2014, its removal changed that. The Harvell Dam in Petersburg was taken out as part of a collaborative restoration effort, reconnecting roughly 127 miles of river for migratory and resident fish, according to…

Photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Two miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, in a world of near total darkness and crushing pressure, a remotely operated vehicle glided silently through the water. Its cameras were scanning the deep for the strange and the seldom-seen when something extraordinary…

Red-billed choughs are re-establishing themselves in Kent, with the county’s population now standing at 35 birds following a summer in which eight wild-born chicks successfully fledged. Kent Wildlife Trust confirmed the figure this week, noting that the latest additions take the total number of wild-born choughs to nine since the species returned to the county….

A new study reveals that wolves brought back to Isle Royale National Park are building a self-sustaining population. Researchers observed the wolves from September 2018 to September 2023 after the National Park Service released 19 animals captured in Minnesota, Michigan and Ontario. The population grew steadily during this period, reaching a minimum of 27 wolves…