Environment News

Testosterone regulates solo song of tropical birds
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - 12:29

Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen have now discovered that in duetting African white-browed sparrow weavers, the solo song of dominant males is linked to elevated levels of testosterone. What is more, the male-typical solo song could be activated via testosterone treatment in female birds. The study thus shows a complex relationship between song behaviour and hormone concentration also in a tropical bird species.

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Hermit crabs socialize to evict their neighbors
Monday, October 29, 2012 - 14:57

Social animals usually congregate for protection or mating or to capture bigger prey, but a University of California, Berkeley, biologist has found that the terrestrial hermit crab has a more self-serving social agenda: to kick another crab out of its shell and move into a larger home.

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Study finds elevated levels of formaldehyde, other contaminants, in day care centers
Monday, October 29, 2012 - 11:26

A new, comprehensive survey of day care centers by University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that, overall, the environmental quality in child care settings was similar to other indoor environments, but that levels of formaldehyde and several other contaminants exceeded state health guidelines. Cleaning- and sanitizing-related chemicals were also present in the air, and sometimes at higher levels, than in comparable studies on homes.

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Study explains connection between Hawaii’s dueling volcanoes
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - 13:57

A new Rice University-led study finds that a deep connection about 50 miles underground can explain the enigmatic behavior of two of Earth’s most notable volcanoes, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The study, the first to model paired volcano interactions, explains how a link in Earth’s upper mantle could account for Kilauea and Mauna Loa’s competition for the same deep magma supply and their simultaneous “inflation,” or bulging upward, during the past decade.

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Air pollution study clears the air on diesel versus gas emissions
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - 11:08

Are gasoline-fueled cars or large diesel trucks the bigger source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), a major component of smog? UC Berkeley researchers have stepped into this debate with a new study that says diesel exhaust contributes 15 times more than gas emissions per liter of fuel burned.

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Proof at last: Moon was created in giant smashup
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - 14:06

It’s a big claim, but Washington University in St. Louis planetary scientist Frédéric Moynier says his group has discovered evidence that the Moon was born in a flaming blaze of glory when a body the size of Mars collided with the early Earth.

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