This is the first study in the Mediterranean to combine boat and marina sampling data with crew surveys to better understand the role these boats play in spreading alien species. The researchers from the University of Pavia, Italy found that boats traveling to new marinas were likely to be transporting alien species in the biofouling:...
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Potentially Large Economic Impacts of Climate Change Can Be Avoided by Human Actions
People are less motivated to take actions if its outcome is uncertain, and this could be true for climate-related issues. The uncertainty in climate response to the increase in greenhouse gas concentration, which is often believed to be substantially large, makes it difficult to believe the benefit of reducing emissions or the effectiveness of making...
Africa’s Catholic Churches Face Competition and a Troubled Legacy as They Grow
Pope Francis has completed his seven-day tour of three African countries: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. It was a significant trip for a number of reasons. During his visit, the pope spoke on issues of peace and ecological sustainability that these countries are facing. Mozambique recently signed a peace accord with longtime rebels, and the country...
Far Fewer Mexican Immigrants Are Coming to the U.S. – and Those Who Do Are More Educated
Once upon a time, not long ago, Mexicans dominated the flow of migrants coming to the U.S. Mexican migration expanded over the course of much of the 20th century and into the start of the 21st century. That is no longer the case. The number of Mexican migrants fell during the economic recession and has...
Fetching Water Increases Risk of Childhood Death
Water fetching is associated with poor health outcomes for women and children, including a higher risk of death – according to new research from the University of East Anglia. A new study reveals that adults collecting water is associated with increased risk of childhood death, and children collecting water is associated with increased risk of...
Europe Warming Faster Than Expected Due to Climate Change
Climate change is increasing the number of days of extreme heat and decreasing the number of days of extreme cold in Europe, posing a risk for residents in the coming decades, according to a new study. Temperatures in Europe have hit record highs this summer, passing 46.0 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern France....
New UN High-Seas Treaty Must Close Gaps in Biodiversity Governance
Thousands of marine species could be at risk if a new United Nations high-seas biodiversity treaty, now being negotiated in New York, does not include measures to address the management of all fish species in international waters, not just the commercial species, warns an analysis by American, Dutch, Swiss and French researchers. “Of the 4,018...
What If We Paid Countries to Protect Biodiversity?
Researchers from Sweden, Germany, Brazil and the USA have developed a financial mechanism to support the protection of the world’s natural heritage. In a recent study, they developed three different design options for an intergovernmental biodiversity financing mechanism. Asking what would happen if money was given to countries for providing protected areas, they simulated where...
Impact of Climate Change on Global Banana Yields Revealed
Climate change could negatively impact banana cultivation in some of the world’s most important producing and exporting countries, a study has revealed. Bananas are recognised as the most important fruit crop – providing food, nutrition and income for millions in both rural and urban areas across the globe. While many reports have looked at the...
Poverty as Disease Trap
No drug can cure a paradox. That basic truth is at the heart of a new Stanford-led study highlighting how poverty traps make it impossible to eradicate a potentially deadly disease with current approaches. The study, published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, looks at why years of mass drug administration in Senegal...