Published in the journal Nature, the study shows that oyster reefs are not random clusters of shells. Instead, their shapes and arrangements play a critical role in helping young oysters settle, survive, and avoid predators. Oyster Reefs Are Complex Living Structures Oysters act as “ecosystem engineers,” building reefs made from both living oysters and the shells […]

Eastern Germany’s mega complex of artificial lakes created from disused coal mines will reach a new milestone this summer. A decades-long project to transform Germany’s former coal mines into a massive lake complex will reach completion this April – creating a watery landscape almost as large as Italy’s Lake Como. Lake Sedlitz – the final […]

Queen bees can breathe underwater, allowing them to stay alive over winter as melting snow floods their burrows. Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for at least a week, according to new research. This remarkable feat occurs over winter, when the insects are buried underground and have entered a hibernation-like state known as diapause. During this […]

A new study offers one of the clearest pictures yet of what happens as Arctic permafrost thaws. Led by geoscientist Michael Rawlins at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the research provides detailed insight into how warming temperatures are reshaping water systems and releasing long-frozen carbon. The team examined a region of Alaska’s North Slope roughly […]

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) says global sea surface temperatures also reflect a “likely transition” toward El Niño conditions. Following an “exceptionally wet” February that triggered floods across the Mediterranean, Europe has witnessed its second-warmest March on record. New data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by the European Centre […]