A healthy, green lawn can be the envy of any neighborhood, but how does someone cultivate a yard like that? Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science Amber Churchill has been getting her hands dirty and digging into the science behind it.

Marine plastic debris can persist for long periods and gradually break down into microplastics that are difficult to remove. Researchers from Ritsumeikan University used a system dynamics model to examine how reducing marine plastic inputs and varying the timing and intensity of cleanup could affect plastic accumulation by 2050. The findings show that halting plastic inputs is essential but insufficient on its own. Earlier cleanup of legacy macroplastics can reduce accumulation, but at higher costs.

The RELATE4NATURE project has officially kicked off! This project will work towards transforming socio-economic systems, human-nature relations and ecological governance  

Differences in forest structure and function, measured by aircraft, can help explain how birds use existing habitats, how they respond to threats, and which communities may be most at risk as forests change. As deforestation, climate change and land-use pressures continue to reshape tropical forests, researchers say the method could help land managers anticipate ecological change and prioritize strategies that protect both species diversity and ecosystem function.

A device that uses an electric coffee mug can inexpensively but accurately test for seven mosquito-borne diseases.

Dog brains segment speech into words in a way previously seen only in humans, a new study from Hungary finds. This suggests that efficient speech processing is not necessarily a consequence of humans’ unique language abilities: regular exposure to speech alone can reshape how the brain functions, even in a mammalian species evolutionarily distant from humans. The discovery by the Neuroethology of Communication Lab at the ELTE Department of Ethology, Budapest was published in Science.