For the first time, plastic microfibers have been discovered in wild animals' stool, from South American fur seals. The findings were made by a team of Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of Georgia, who suggest examining scat from pinnipeds can be an efficient way to monitor environmental levels of microfibers and microplastics in...
Transmission of antibiotic resistant E. coli mapped in wild giraffe social networks
A team from the University of Minnesota has shown that antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria in wild giraffes most likely come from anthropogenic sources, such as local cattle herds and humans. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
"We found that the majority of antibiotic resistance genes identified in giraffe E. coli had been previously...
Pollution in cities damaging insects and ecosystems
High levels of pollution found in many of the world's major cities are having negative effects on plants and insects, according to new research from the University of Sheffield.
The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that plants exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) -- similar to levels recorded in major urban centres --...
Tiny footprints, big discovery: Reptile tracks oldest ever found in Grand Canyon
A geology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has discovered that a set of 28 footprints left behind by a reptile-like creature 310 million years ago, are the oldest ever to be found in Grand Canyon National Park.
The fossil trackway covers a fallen boulder that now rests along the Bright Angel Trail in...
Yellowstone streams recovering thanks to wolf reintroduction
In the first study of its kind, research by Oregon State University scientists shows that the return of large terrestrial carnivores can lead to improved stream structure and function.
The findings, published today in Ecohydrology, are important because they highlight the role big predators play in the health of aquatic and riparian ecosystems.
Robert Beschta and William...
Unique study shows how bats maneuver
For the first time, researchers have succeeded in directly measuring the aerodynamics of flying animals as they manoeuvre in the air. Previously, the upstroke of the wings was considered relatively insignificant compared to the powerful downstroke but, in a new study, biologists at Lund University in Sweden have observed that it is on the upstroke...