Environment - Science & research news

Underwater forest’s recovery offers hope for marine restoration across the globe

June 2, 2023 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Enric Ballesteros Scientists show that efforts to restore the building blocks of marine ecosystems are paying off, [...]

Scientists discover microbes in the Alps and Arctic that can digest plastic at low temperatures

May 10, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Image: Beat Stierli Scientists from Switzerland have identified 19 novel strains of cold-adapted specialist bacteria and fungi [...]

Ill-fitting gear puts female firefighters at risk: Five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

May 4, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: CAL FIRE_Official/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global [...]

Restoring Asia’s roar: Our plan to see tigers flourish again in historic locations

April 20, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Dr Thomas Gray, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative Image: Shutterstock.com Dr Thomas Gray is a conservation biologist and Tiger Recovery Lead at the WWF Tigers Alive Initiative. [...]

Coral-eating fish poo may act as ‘probiotics’ for reefs

April 13, 2023 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Coral-eating fish are thought to weaken coral reefs because they consume coral tissue, whereas [...]

How a city walk may improve your mood: Here are five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

April 5, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of [...]

Lizards at US Army installation are stress eating during flyovers

March 29, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Colorado checkered whiptail, Aspidoscelis neotesselata. Image credit: Carina Kusaka Scientists studied the response of an [...]

Unusual Toxoplasma parasite strain killed sea otters and could threaten other marine life

March 22, 2023 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image by Mr Laird Henkel, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Four sea otters that stranded in California were [...]

What does flattery do to our brains? Here are five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

March 15, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of [...]

Rapid surge in highly contagious killer fungus poses new threat to amphibians across Africa

March 15, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Researchers studied the prevalence of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in a total of 16,900 historical and recent [...]

Wings, not webs: Certain bugs are the winners of urbanization, impacting cities’ insect diversity

March 7, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Dr Marion Chatelain. Occurrence and abundance of the ‘cucumber green spider’ decreased along the rural-urban [...]

12 exotic bacteria found to passively collect rare earth elements from wastewater

February 28, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Scientists have shown that the biomass of 12 previously unstudied strains of cyanobacteria from around the globe is efficient at [...]

From microplastic waste to large, ancient squirrels: Five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

February 16, 2023 // 0 Comments

By Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of [...]

European big cat population threatened with extinction as genetics show the population is near collapse

February 13, 2023 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Eurasian lynxes dispersed across the Swiss border with France in the late 1970s, but the [...]

‘The Maya had, and continue to have, a creative impact on forest composition’ – Dr Anabel Ford

December 2, 2022 // 0 Comments

El Pilar, an ancient Maya site in Belize In our Frontier Scientists series, we talk to Dr Anabel Ford, a leading researcher on the ancient Maya, about her career and research [...]

Vast phytoplankton blooms may be lurking beneath Antarctic ice

November 17, 2022 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Researchers using NASA’s Earth observing system find that Antarctic sea ice allows enough [...]

From ghost gear to microbe memories: 4 Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

November 4, 2022 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of [...]

60% of home ‘compostable’ plastic doesn’t fully break down, ending up in our soil

November 3, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer Image: Citizen scientist image from www.bigcompostexperiment.org.uk In a UK-wide study, researchers found that 60% of [...]

Real-time space observations can now keep watch over ‘super emitter’ power plants

October 28, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Bełchatόw power station in central Poland. Image credit: Pawel Brzozowski / Shutterstock.com Under the Paris Agreement, [...]

Secret behind spectacular blooms in world’s driest desert is invisible to human eyes

October 21, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer The 2021 ‘desierto florido’ near Caldera, Chile. The purple flowers are the pussypaw Cistanthe longiscapa (family [...]

Mushroom that grows on insects could help develop new anti-viral medications and cancer drugs

October 19, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image: bob.leccinum.Robert Kozak/Shutterstock.com Scientists studying the medicinal potential of a rare insect-eating [...]

WWII shipwreck has leaked many pollutants into the sea, changing the ocean floor around it

October 18, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer Torn deck plating of the V 1302 John Mahn that was damaged by the bomb that hit amidships. Image: Flanders Marine [...]

From chili-heat pain relief to blue whale migration: 5 Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

October 13, 2022 // 0 Comments

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of [...]

The ultimate death stare: How moth wing patterns scare off predatory birds with amazing optical illusion

October 12, 2022 // 0 Comments

by Dr Hannah Rowland, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, and Dr John Skelhorn, Newcastle University Image: Dr Hannah Rowland Many prey species have eyespot markings [...]

Ancient Maya cities were dangerously contaminated with mercury

September 23, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Temple of the Great Jaguar at Tikal, a UNESCO world heritage site in Guatemala. Image credit: Leonid Andronov,/ [...]

Bees, blue light, and bacteria in beetles’ ‘back pockets’: Most viewed articles of August 2022

September 23, 2022 // 0 Comments

Image: Shutterstock.com by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Each month, Frontiers shines a spotlight on some of the leading research across a wide range of [...]

Scientists eavesdrop on minke whale ‘boing’ calls in Hawai’i, and 4 other articles you don’t want to miss

September 12, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image: Annie Leblanc/Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. [...]

Modern pesticides damage the brain of bees so they can’t move in a straight line

August 17, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Researchers show for the first time that honeybee foragers exposed to the pesticides sulfoxaflor and [...]

Traces of 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill still detectable in 2020

August 9, 2022 // 0 Comments

By K.E.D. Coan, science writer Image: Breck P. Kent/Shutterstock.com Small amounts of highly weathered oil residues from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster were still [...]

Heat wave: article collections on the global impact of rising temperatures

July 20, 2022 // 0 Comments

As the temperature rises this summer, we have gathered our top article collections on how heat effects us and the planet. With collective views of over 1 million, researchers [...]

How bees prove to be skilled mathematicians and 3 other amazing science stories you may have missed

May 5, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Colm Gorey, Science Communications Manager Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of [...]

Most read articles of March 2022: Secrets of ancient leftovers revealed and endangered shark discovered in pet food

April 20, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Colm Gorey, Science Communications Manager, Frontiers Image: Shutterstock.com Each month, Frontiers shines a spotlight on some of the leading research across a wide range [...]

Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry 2021 Editor Awards

March 28, 2022 // 0 Comments

Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry is pleased to announce the inaugural edition of our Editor Awards. In 2021, Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry posted 28 themed [...]

Frontiers in Environmental Science 2021 Editor Awards

March 25, 2022 // 0 Comments

We are pleased to announce the first edition of the Frontiers in Environmental Science Editor Awards. In 2021, our journal published over two thousand articles and posted 134 [...]

Last of the giant camels and archaic humans lived together in Mongolia until 27,000 years ago

March 25, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Camelus knoblochi would have dwarfed the modern domestic Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus, which also has two humps. Image [...]

Sharp drop in flower abundance caused by climate crisis will leave pollinators searching further for food

February 23, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Image credit: Ellen D Moss Researchers simulated the warmer, wetter conditions predicted for northern Europe under climate [...]

Peace has led to more deforestation in Colombia

February 21, 2022 // 0 Comments

By K.E.D. Coan, science writer Difference between reserve and cattle ranches in Colombia. Image credit: Sebastian Di Domenico / Shutterstock In the tropics, when conflict [...]

Plant Science welcomes new Field Chief Editor

February 17, 2022 // 0 Comments

Meet the new Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Plant Science [...]

Scientists decode 450 years of boom and crisis in Europe from ages of building timber

January 26, 2022 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Roof truss of the Chapelle Saint-Denis in Marmoutier in Alsace, France, from the 16th century. Credit: Willy Tegel Scientists [...]

More than half of plastics in Mediterranean marine protected areas originated elsewhere

January 10, 2022 // 0 Comments

More than half of plastics in Mediterranean marine protected areas originated elsewhere, finds a new study in Frontiers in Marine Science [...]

No more ‘We’re going to Ibiza’? Between 56 and 65% of beach area in the Balearic Islands will be permanently lost due to the climate crisis

December 17, 2021 // 0 Comments

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Image credit: Anna Ok / Shutterstock.com Scientists use complex mathematical modeling of sea states, sea level rise, and local [...]

Restoring our planet: Research Topics on COP26

November 19, 2021 // 0 Comments

With all eyes on the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) this month, we have curated a list of our best Research Topics addressing the four goals of the conference. Explore collections on securing net zero and keeping 1.5 degrees within reach, adapting to protect natural habitats, mobilizing climate finance, and tackling the crisis through collaboration. [...]

Waters off French coast in winter may be a deadly trap for small, foraging turtles

October 26, 2021 // 0 Comments

By Tania Fitzgeorge-Balfour, Science writer A tracked loggerhead turtle on the beach with satellite tracker attached to its shell. Image: Oceane Cottier Aquarium La Rochelle [...]

Surprising discovery in Arctic songbird may reveal how it survives challenging migrations

October 6, 2021 // 0 Comments

By K.E.D Coan, science writer Snow buntings in winter. Image: Mircea Costina/Shutterstock.com There is still much to learn about how Arctic migratory birds adjust their [...]

Research reveals how much plastic debris is currently floating in the Mediterranean Sea

October 4, 2021 // 0 Comments

Research in Frontiers in Marine Science reveals how much plastic debris is currently floating in the Mediterranean Sea [...]

Bat guts become less healthy through diet of ‘fast food’ from banana plantations

September 23, 2021 // 0 Comments

By Tania Fitzgeorge-Balfour, science writer Pallas’s long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina) feeding on banana flowers. Image credit: Julian Schneider New research [...]

A dog’s life: James A Serpell and his investigation into the origin story of mankind’s best friend

June 24, 2021 // 0 Comments

By Colm Gorey, Frontiers science writer/Prof James Serpell, University of Pennsylvania Prof James A Serpell, University of Pennsylvania. Image: University of Pennsylvania Two [...]

World Bee Day 2021: Research Topics to Build Back Better for Bees

May 17, 2021 // 0 Comments

World Bee Day 2021’s theme is Bee engaged - Build Back Better for Bees, which focuses on finding ways to restore, support and enhance the role of pollinators. Check out our curated list of the best open Research Topics addressing these issues! [...]

International Earth Day 2021: Research Topics to Restore Our Earth

April 21, 2021 // 0 Comments

Earth Day 2021’s theme is Restore Our Earth™, which focuses on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Check out our curated list of the best Research Topics addressing these issues! [...]

97% of Earth’s land area may no longer be ecologically intact

April 15, 2021 // 0 Comments

Only between 2% and 3% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface can be considered ecologically intact, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change [...]