nature

A wildlife charity bought 335 hectares in Dorset; two years later, it is one of England’s newest National Nature Reserves

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A wildlife charity bought 335 hectares in Dorset; two years later, it is one of England’s newest National Nature Reserves

Representative Image of a vibrant landscape of chalk grassland and wildflower meadows at Lyscombe National Nature Reserve (AI Generated Image) In March 2024, Dorset Wildlife Trust and Natural England acquired 335 hectares of chalk downland and farmland at Lyscombe, around 10 miles north-east of Dorchester. The former organically managed farm was acquired for nature conservation … Read more

In 1976, Buffalo turned a 264-acre industrial dump into a nature preserve; 50 years later, its 75-acre marsh is Erie County’s largest remnant wetland and 260+ bird species have been observed

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In 1976, Buffalo turned a 264-acre industrial dump into a nature preserve; 50 years later, its 75-acre marsh is Erie County’s largest remnant wetland and 260+ bird species have been observed

Buffalo turned a 264-acre industrial dump into a nature preserve; 50 years later, its 75-acre marsh is Erie County’s largest remnant wetland (Image Credit: Tifft Nature Preserve) A former industrial site and municipal landfill on Buffalo’s Outer Harbor has spent the past five decades becoming something very different: a 264-acre urban nature preserve supporting wetlands, … Read more

In 2019, a Norfolk farm began giving 500 acres of marginal farmland back to nature; three years later, average plant diversity had doubled and ex-arable plots rose from 7 to 32 species

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In 2019, a Norfolk farm began giving 500 acres of marginal farmland back to nature; three years later, average plant diversity had doubled and ex-arable plots rose from 7 to 32 species

When Wild Ken Hill, a coastal farm in Norfolk, began transforming 500 acres of poor, marginal farmland in 2019, the aim was to let nature recover with as little intervention as possible. Three years later, a repeat vegetation survey found that the average number of plant species in open parts of the rewilding area had … Read more

Trees have their own version of muscles: Scientists discover how they sense a tilt and straighten themselves, a lesson in how nature finds its balance

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Trees have their own version of muscles: Scientists discover how they sense a tilt and straighten themselves, a lesson in how nature finds its balance

To study proprioception alone, the researchers had to remove other cues that normally affect a tree’s growth. A tree might look like it’s stuck in place, quietly suffering whatever weather comes. But below that stillness is a remarkable system for sensing, responding and correcting its own posture. But new research suggests that trees can sense … Read more

Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity; decades later scientists found the plantations were changing groundwater but not the soil nature

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Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity; decades later scientists found the plantations were changing groundwater but not the soil nature

Eucalyptus cladocalyx ‘nana’. Image Credit: ERA Nurseries Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity, hoping that thirsty, deep-rooted vegetation could help control the groundwater processes behind the problem. A long-running experiment in south-western Australia later showed that the effects of such plantations were more complicated than simply planting trees and waiting for the … Read more

A small Scottish town raised £6 million to buy 10,500 acres from a major landowner; its new nature reserve is now restoring 190 hectares of degraded peatland

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A small Scottish town raised £6 million to buy 10,500 acres from a major landowner; its new nature reserve is now restoring 190 hectares of degraded peatland

When people in the small Scottish town of Langholm set out to raise £6 million, they were not simply trying to buy a piece of countryside. Their campaign secured 10,500 acres and helped create the community-owned Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, turning an ambitious local vision into one of the region’s largest community-led conservation efforts. Now, … Read more

The average temperature at Antarctica’s Vostok station is minus 55°C, but a body of water the size of Lake Ontario has remained liquid under four kilometers of ice for 15 million years |

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The average temperature at Antarctica's Vostok station is minus 55°C, but a body of water the size of Lake Ontario has remained liquid under four kilometers of ice for 15 million years |

Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth, characterized by extreme temperatures, high altitudes and deadly ice and snow. The average temperature at Russia’s Vostok Station is minus 55°C, and on July 21, 1983, it recorded the lowest reliably measured temperature on Earth – -89.2°C.Yet beneath the region’s white ice caps lies a hidden ocean-sized lake … Read more

Rising sea levels make coastal flooding more common around the world; study finds |

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Rising sea levels make coastal flooding more common around the world; study finds |

Once considered unusual, coastal flooding is becoming an increasingly common part of life in many parts of the world, and rising sea levels appear to be a major cause. Gradual sea level rise is fundamentally changing the frequency of unusually high sea levels, making damaging coastal flooding more frequent than a century ago, a new … Read more

Augustus: Roman Emperor Augustus’ Quote of the Day: “We write our names in the sand, then the waves roll in and wash them away” and how all human achievements eventually disappear

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Augustus: Roman Emperor Augustus’ Quote of the Day: “We write our names in the sand, then the waves roll in and wash them away” and how all human achievements eventually disappear

“We write our names on the beach, and then the waves come and wash them away.” Stroll along any beach at sunset and you will sometimes see children and couples writing their names in the wet sand with a stick or a finger. Within minutes, rising waves covered the letters and smoothed the shoreline into … Read more

Got run over by a car and survived? The strange physics behind iron beetles

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Got run over by a car and survived? The strange physics behind iron beetles

Have you ever stepped on a bug underfoot and wondered why it kept buzzing? Now, imagine a car tire rolling over it; most creatures would be crushed, but not this evil ironclad beetle. Research published in the journal Nature found that this unusual desert dweller from the American Southwest is able to escape forces that … Read more