The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) brings unexpected ecosystem benefits
All Canada Photos/Alamy
Two years after Mount St Helens erupted in 1980, a team of researchers helicoptered in a gopher to the ash-covered landscape. Decades later, the activity of that single gopher burrowing for a single day may have helped the decimated ecosystem regrow by boosting the diversity of soil fungi.
“There’s something to be said about learning lessons from the gophers,” says Mia Maltz at the University of Connecticut, who has used the eruption to understand how forests might recover from other stresses – including wildfires and…
Forget aesthetics, the reason to look after our skin should be health
Dr Jeremy Burgess/Science Photo Library Our skin isn’t just our biggest organ, it is also the one we are most...
Is solar geoengineering research having its moment?
Particles in ship exhaust inadvertently cause cloud brightening – some geoengineering projects would try to recreate this effectNASA’s Earth Obervatory...
‘Artificial tongue’ can detect chemical makeup of alcoholic drinks
Molecular testing can be used to assess drink qualityEvgenii Parilov/Alamy Drinks manufacturers and consumers may soon have a small, portable...
Are vast amounts of hydrogen fuel hidden below Earth’s surface?
Drill rig in Nebraska run by Natural Hydrogen Energy LLC, which established its first hydrogen borehole in 2019Viacheslav Zgonnik For...
