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…
Saturn has 128 new moons – more than the rest of the planets combined
Saturn now has a total of 274 moonsNASA/JPL/Space Science Institute A further 128 moons have been discovered orbiting Saturn, bringing...
Thousands join Stand Up for Science rallies across the US
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Norovirus vaccine pill shows promise against ‘winter vomiting’ bug
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US scientists rebuild climate risk map deleted from government site
The FEMA map detailed how climate change could affect the risk of various hazards across the USAndrii Biletskyi/Alamy Researchers in...
