Soil Types News

April 22, 2024

Top Headlines

How Soil Microbes Survive in Harsh Desert Environments

Apr. 17, 2024 — Prolonged droughts followed by sudden bursts of rainfall -- how do desert soil bacteria manage to survive such harsh conditions? This long-debated question has now been answered by microbiologists. The study reveals that desert soil bacteria are ...

Dog Attacks on Mountain Tapirs Highlight a Growing Threat to Endangered Wildlife

Apr. 17, 2024 — Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened ...

Leptanilla Voldemort, a Ghostly Slender New Ant Species from the Dark Depths of the Underground

Apr. 12, 2024 — In the sun-scorched Pilbara region of north-western Australia, scientists have unearthed a mysterious creature from the shadows -- a new ant species called Leptanilla ...

Integrated Dataset Enables Genes-to-Ecosystems Research

Apr. 8, 2024 — A new dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes has been released. The project aims to inform research regarding how natural systems function, their vulnerability to a changing climate, and ...

Latest Headlines

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'Diverse' Agriculture Benefits People and the Environment at the Same Time

Apr. 4, 2024 — A new analysis from 2,655 farms on five continents suggests that moving away from industrial, monoculture farming could benefit both the planet and ...

Manganese Plays a Surprising Role in Soil Carbon Sequestration

Mar. 28, 2024 — A recent study reveals an unexpected link between manganese -- a naturally occurring mineral -- and increased carbon emissions from high-latitude boreal forests. The study uncovers how manganese ...

Maize Genes Control Little Helpers in the Soil

Mar. 21, 2024 — Tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi help to promote the health and function of plant roots. It is commonly assumed that the composition of these microbes is dependent on the properties of the ...

Small Changes Can Yield Big Savings in Agricultural Water Use

Mar. 25, 2024 — While Hollywood and Silicon Valley love the limelight, California is an agricultural powerhouse, too. Agricultural products sold in the Golden State totaled $59 billion in 2022. But rising ...

Better Phosphorus Use Can Ensure Its Stocks Last More Than 500 Years and Boost Global Food Production

Mar. 25, 2024 — More efficient use of phosphorus could see limited stocks of the important fertilizer last more than 500 years and boost global food production to ...

Researchers Discover Evolutionary 'Tipping Point' in Fungi

Mar. 25, 2024 — Scientists have found a 'tipping point' in the evolution of fungi that throttles their growth and sculpts their shapes. The findings demonstrate how small changes in environmental factors can lead to ...

Deep Earth Electrical Grid Mystery Solved

Mar. 20, 2024 — To 'breathe' in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons, produced during the 'burning' of ...

Fairy Circles: Plant Water Stress Causes Namibia's Gaps in Grass

Mar. 19, 2024 — Namibia's legendary fairy circles are mysterious, circular, bald patches in the dry grasslands on the edge of the Namib Desert. Their formation has been researched for decades and has recently been ...

Genes Identified That Allow Bacteria to Thrive Despite Toxic Heavy Metal in Soil

Mar. 18, 2024 — Some soil bacteria can acquire sets of genes that enable them to pump the heavy metal nickel out of their systems, a study has found. This enables ...

We Know the Arctic Is Warming -- What Will Changing River Flows Do to Its Environment?

Mar. 5, 2024 — Scientists recently combined satellite data, field observations and sophisticated numerical modeling to paint a picture of how 22.45 million square ...

Product That Kills Agricultural Pests Also Deadly to Native Pacific Northwest Snail

Mar. 21, 2024 — A product used to control pest slugs on farms in multiple countries is deadly to least one type of native woodland snail endemic to the Pacific Northwest, according to scientists who say more study ...

Advances in Forensic Science Improve Accuracy of 'Time of Death' Estimates

Mar. 4, 2024 — Accurate 'time of death' estimates are a mainstay of murder mysteries and forensic programs, but such calculations in the real world are often complex and imprecise. In a first-of-its-kind ...

Scientists Discover 18 New Species of Gut Microbes in Search for Origins of Antibiotic Resistance

Feb. 29, 2024 — Researchers have discovered 18 new species of Enterococcus type bacteria from soil samples collected from all corners of the globe, which may offer new clues to the origins of antibiotic-resistant ...

Study Reveals Accelerated Soil Priming Under Climate Warming

Feb. 28, 2024 — A new study highlights a crucial biosphere feedback mechanism and its effects on releasing soil carbon into the ...

Global Warming Increases the Diversity of Active Soil Bacteria

Feb. 25, 2024 — Warmer soils harbor a greater diversity of active microbes, according to a new study. The study represents a significant shift in our understanding of how microbial activity in the soil influences ...

Carbon Emissions from the Destruction of Mangrove Forests Predicted to Increase by 50,000% by the End of the Century

Feb. 22, 2024 — The annual rate of carbon emissions due to the degradation of carbon stocks in mangrove forests is predicted to rise by nearly 50,000% by the end of the century, according to a new study. Mangroves ...

Potassium Depletion in Soil Threatens Global Crop Yields

Feb. 19, 2024 — Potassium deficiency in agricultural soils is a largely unrecognized but potentially significant threat to global food security if left unaddressed, finds new ...

Viruses That Can Help 'Dial Up' Carbon Capture in the Sea

Feb. 19, 2024 — Armed with a catalog of hundreds of thousands of DNA and RNA virus species in the world's oceans, scientists are now zeroing in on the viruses most likely to combat climate change by helping ...

Root Microbes May Be the Secret to a Better Tasting Cup of Tea

Feb. 15, 2024 — You'd think the complex flavor in a quality cup of tea would depend mainly on the tea varieties used to make it. But a new study shows that the making of a delicious cup of tea depends on ...

Pesticides to Help Protect Seeds Can Adversely Affect Earthworms' Health

Feb. 14, 2024 — While pesticides protect crops from hungry animals, pesky insects, or even microbial infections, they also impact other vital organisms, including bees and earthworms. And today, research reveals ...

Controlling Root Growth Direction Could Help Save Crops and Mitigate Climate Change

Feb. 14, 2024 — Scientists have determined how the well-known plant hormone ethylene is crucial in controlling the angle at which roots grow. The findings can be used to engineer plants and crops that withstand the ...

Alien Invasion: Non-Native Earthworms Threaten Ecosystems

Feb. 9, 2024 — Analysis reveals imported earthworm species have colonized large swaths of North America, and represent a largely overlooked threat to native ecosystems. The researchers warn of the need to better ...

Surprise Discovery of Tiny Insect-Killing Worm

Feb. 8, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a tiny worm species that infects and kills insects. These worms, called nematodes, could control crop pests in warm, humid places where other beneficial nematodes are ...

How Plants Obtain Nitrogen by Supplying Iron to Symbiotic Bacteria

Feb. 6, 2024 — Researchers have discovered peptide factors that function in the shoot and root systems to transport iron into the root nodules colonized by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Moreover, these peptide factors ...

Plant Groupings in Drylands Support Ecosystem Resilience

Feb. 2, 2024 — Many complex systems, from microbial communities to mussel beds to drylands, display striking self-organized clusters. According to theoretical models, these groupings play an important role in how ...

Tidal Landscapes a Greater Carbon Sink Than Previously Thought

Feb. 1, 2024 — Mangroves and saltmarshes sequester large amounts of carbon, mitigating the greenhouse effect. New research shows that these environments are perhaps twice as effective as previously ...

Microbial Research Unravels a Global Nitrogen Mystery

Feb. 1, 2024 — A research findings show that different AOM lineages employ different regulatory strategies for ammonia or urea utilization, thereby minimizing direct competition with one another and allowing for ...

Swarming Cicadas, Stock Traders, and the Wisdom of the Crowd

Feb. 1, 2024 — The springtime emergence of vast swarms of cicadas can be explained by a mathematical model of collective decision-making with similarities to models describing stock market ...

Fungal-Rich Soil May Improve Green Roofs

Jan. 31, 2024 — Green roofs have become increasingly popular thanks to their benefits related to climate adaptation, mitigation, and urban biodiversity management. But, in the U.S., green roofs are typically planted ...

Back from the Dead: Tropical Tree Fern Repurposes Its Dead Leaves

Jan. 29, 2024 — Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea ...