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News & Articles By Frances Bloomfield

08/23/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Lasting gift from the dinosaurs: They fertilized our ecosystem

Dinosaurs helped nourish the global ecosystem with their dung, and the effects continue to be felt to this day. This was the conclusion that Northern Arizona University faculty member Christopher Doughty came to in his compelling new study. With over a decade of experience in studying large animals and their impact on the planet’s fertility, […]

08/04/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Billions of dollars in food wasted annually thanks to “use by” date on food labels

Over a billion tons of food is wasted every year, and the cause may lie in the label. Norbert Wilson, Professor of Food Policy in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, asserts that “use by” food dates are to blame for food waste. Of food waste, Wilson has theorized that consumers buy food […]

07/31/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Dead bat market: Southeast Asian bats are being killed by the thousands to feed a growing American market for the oddity

In Southeast Asia, bats are being slaughtered by the thousands. But rather than being culled solely to protect fruit crops, the deaths of these animals are fueled by the demands of dead bat enthusiasts in the United States. Website such as eBay, Etsy, and Instagram are becoming marketplaces for people to sell and buy dead […]

07/12/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Plastic pebbles, formed when plastic mixes with sand, now polluting beaches and endangering wildlife

The next time you stroll along the beach, be wary of any colorful pebbles you come across. Those aren’t rocks: they’re pebbles made of plastic. Also called “plastiglomerates,” hundreds of these pebbles have washed up on the beaches of Cornwall, England. According to CornwallLive.com, Atlantic currents are responsible for the surfeit of plastic pebbles across […]

06/26/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Trees sweat too! One species of eucalyptus found to release water during extreme heat

Sweating is our body’s way of keeping cool under high temperatures. Without sweat, our body temperature would go up and we would overheat. In fact, sweating is truly an effective way of maintaining a stable temperature that some trees do it too. This remarkable discovery was uncovered by a team of researchers led by scientists […]

06/16/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Biologist reveals surprising insights into the effects of nuclear accidents on wildlife

On April 26, 1986, the world was rocked by the Chernobyl disaster, one of the worst nuclear accidents in history. Massive amounts of radioactive materials were launched into the atmosphere from one of the graphite reactor cores, forcing people living nearby to evacuate their homes by the thousands. Now, almost four decades later, the effects […]

06/09/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Symbiotic farming: Using sheep to graze weeds on coffee plantations found to be beneficial economically, agriculturally, and environmentally

Could sheep help solve the weed problem troubling coffee plantations? According to an investigative team from the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), they most certainly can. So much so that they found the use of sheep to be highly beneficial from economic, agronomic, and environmental viewpoints. To arrive at this […]

06/01/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Mekong River delta in Southeast Asia is facing major environmental upheaval by multiple proposed dams that will disrupt life for humans and animals

As populations increase and economies grow in Southeast Asia, so too does the demand for electricity. Yet instead of constructing power stations, companies have turned to putting up dams along one of the most iconic rivers in Asia. The Mekong River has become the focus of efforts committed to bringing hydroelectric power to millions all […]

05/25/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Autonomous underwater robots will collect and archive seawater samples to track ocean microbes

Though small in size, the impact of ocean microbes is enormous. Not only do they act as the foundation for marine-based food chains, but they also play important roles in the oxygen cycle. Yet, scientists believe that we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. The full extent of their influence is a continuing subject […]

04/14/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Glacial rivers could contain fecal matter – you might just be drinking poop-filled water

Rising more than 20,000 feet above sea level, Denali, formerly Mount McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America and one of the highest mountains in the world. Apart from “tall,” another word that aptly describes this majestic land feature is “cold.” Much of Denali is permanently covered in a white sheet of snow, and […]

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