2023 News
There's a climate threat lurking in rivers around the world. New research shows where
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Jordan Pearson ,CBC News ,Humans may be turning rivers from carbon sinks into carbon sources, scientist says
Life in the Dirt Is Hard. And Climate Change Isn’t Helping.
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Sofia Quaglia ,The New York Times ,Heat and drought are taking a toll on the tiny soil creatures that help to lock away planet-warming carbon, according to a new analysis.
The mercury poisoning Grassy Narrows First Nation was supposed to go away over time. A new study reveals why it’s worse than it should be
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Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek ,Toronto Star ,A new study has found current sulphate emissions from a paper mill are exacerbating the impact of the old mercury still in the river system.
Why Humans Have The Scariest Voice In Nature
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Tom Marks ,2ST ,An intriguing study conducted in South Africa has discovered that savannah wildlife is twice as likely to flee from the sounds of human voices than from lions’ roars.
Alarm Call
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Kurt Kleiner ,Western Alumni Magazine ,What the birds are telling us about climate change
Study reveals how Canadian songbirds change their bodies during migration
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Julia Zarankin ,Canadian Geographic ,Researchers at Western University’s Advanced Facility for Avian Research explore how much songbirds’ bodies can change to fly higher when migrating
Location, location location: Why real estate's golden rule also applies to morel mushrooms
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Colin Butler ,CBC News ,Studies show morels pick up what's in their environment, like heavy metals and toxins
New work on bee swarms show that they are thinking outside the box
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Mitchell Zimmer ,Western Biology ,Fellowship award allows Sajesh Vijayan to explore physical communication in large bee collectives
Western celebrates 2024 Green Award recipients
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Keri Ferguson ,Western News ,From the classroom to the operating room, three campus community members recognized for their sustainability efforts
A warming climate could bring new animals to our region and beyond
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Patricia Boal ,Ottawa at Work-iHeart Podcast ,Alessandro Filazzola, Data Scientist and Adjunct Professor in Biology at Western University, joins Patricia Boal to follow up on his latest study showing Ottawa-Gatineau could stand to see significant changes to wildlife as a warming climate takes hold.
Bird tracking network receives $3.1-million boost
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USask Media Relations ,SaskToday.ca ,Dr. Christy Morrissey of USask’s Department of Biology and Dr. Chris Guglielmo at Western University are co-principal investigators leading the expansion of Motus further west and strengthen research collaborations across the country.
Wildlife tracking project receives new Canada Foundation for Innovation funding
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Megan Stacey ,Western News ,Motus on the Move one of five Western projects sharing in $14.7M
53rd Ontario Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution Colloquium Meeting Review Published
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Matheus Sanita Lima et al. ,Biology Open ,The review of the 53rd Ontario Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution Colloquium (OE3C 2023) not only recaps the meetings discussions and presentations, it also provides a synthesis of how biologists can move forward.
Use owls, not poison, to get rid of rodents, students tell university officials
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Arfa Rana ,CBC News London ,Rodent boxes use poison that travels up food chain and harms ecosystem, students say
Expert insight: Extreme environments coded into genomes of extremophiles
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Kathleen A. Hill, Western University, and Lila Kari, University of Waterloo ,Western News ,Genome of organisms living in extreme conditions reveal information about type of environment they thrive in
New sustainability projects secure seed money
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Megan Stacey ,Western News ,Western Sustainable Impact Fund supports first cohort of projects led by faculty, staff and students
1 in 5 migratory species at risk of extinction, UN report says
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Ara Garan ,CBC The National ,A new United Nations report says that almost half of the world's migratory animals are in decline and that many birds and fish are at risk of extinction.
World's globetrotting animals at risk due to habitat loss, climate change
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Benjamin Shingler ,CBS News ,New report highlights challenges facing migratory species, and what can be done to save them
How springtime weather in February affects bees and plants
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Colin Butler ,CBC Afternoon Drive ,Springtime temperatures in February might feel nice for us, but it could leave plants and insects confused. Graham Thompson, a professor of biology at Western University, joins host Colin Butler to share more.
Probiotics for Honey Bees: How Beneficial Microbes Could Boost Hive Health
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Ed Ricciuti ,Entomology Today ,Beekeepers are turning to probiotics for their honey bees to increase defenses against diseases and promote the overall health of their colonies, but which probiotics show any impact?
Ancient Balkan genomes trace the rise and fall of Roman Empire’s frontier, reveal Slavic migrations to southeastern Europe
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Briefs ,Science ,A multidisciplinary study has reconstructed the genomic history of the Balkan Peninsula during the first millennium of the common era, a time and place of profound demographic, cultural and linguistic change.
Western, international researchers reconstruct Balkan genomic history
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Jeff Renaud ,Western News ,Ancient genomes help trace demographic shifts, shared ancestry of modern communities
Hazards of flushable wipes
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Marek Sutherland ,CTV News London ,Western students team up with the City of London for awareness campaign about the hazards of 'flushable' wipes.
Animals like crickets use the ground to amplify calls: Western study
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Jeff Renaud ,Western News ,Research upends traditional theory that ground hinders animal communications
The Breathing Lands episode from Water Brothers
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Alex Mifflin ,TVO Today Docs - YouTube ,Dr. Brian Branfireun is featured in this episode of Water Brothers discussing his research in the wetlands of northern Ontario and their role is sequestering carbon.
Extreme environments leave genomic imprint in tiny organisms: Study
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Jeff Renaud ,Western News ,DNA of extremophiles living in comparably harsh conditions are similar despite being biologically unrelated
Safety measures taking flight to protect birds from crashing into windows
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Erin Anderssen ,Globe and Mail ,The first bird that Brendon Samuels found was a young northern flicker on the sidewalk by the gym at the University of Western Ontario in September, 2018.
Groundhogs Are Old News. In This Tiny Town, Caterpillars Predict the Weather
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Corey Buhay ,Smithsonian Magazine ,Thousands of people flocked to Banner Elk, North Carolina, this year to watch the nation’s biggest woolly worm caterpillar race
‘Buckthorn Bust’ helps eradicate invasive species
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Keri Ferguson ,Western News ,As part of Western's 'Campus as a Living Lab' project, master of environment and sustainability students mapped and removed the shrub along the Thames River
The World's Most Frightening Animal Sounds like This
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Karen Hopkin ,Scientific American ,A new study shows that animals from impalas to elephants are more likely to flee from a talking human
Western scholars among global winners in undergraduate competition
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Crystal Lamb ,Western News ,Lance Javier, earth & environmental sciences won an award with his paper enttled Growing Concerns: The Interactive Effects of Soil Copper and Microplastics on Soybeans
Western’s ‘dead bird guy’: Brendon Samuels
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Sonia Persaud ,The Gazette ,Brendon Samuels never thought he would be known as the “dead bird guy” on campus.
Animals fear humans more than lions as 'super predators'
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Paul Adepoju ,Nature ,Findings could affect ecology and conservation efforts in tourism-dependent regions of Africa.
Human Voices and the "Ecology of Fear"
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Aynsley O’Neill ,Living on Earth ,A new study finds that giraffes, zebras, warthogs and impalas are far more afraid of human conversation than even the growls of lions.
Being bugged by wasps? They're just bored and will die soon
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Michael Lacasse ,CBC News London ,The queens have left the colony and worker wasps are looking for food to keep themselves busy
Migratory songbirds change breathing pattern to fly at high altitude
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Jeff Renaud ,Western News ,Groundbreaking study reveals how avian species are pushing physiological limits to escape climate change effects
Mushrooms thriving in Nova Scotia's wet summer, say foragers
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Josefa Cameron ,CBC News Nova Scotia ,'There are possibly more chanterelles than I have ever seen'
Obituary- Professor Robert Bernard van Huystee
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Department of Biology ,Renowned for his pioneering work in plant complex peroxidase enzymes, Prof. van Huystee had "a passion for the university life, faculty and students at Western and his family."
Western grad offers field work opportunity to Black, Indigenous, racialized students
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Megan Stacey ,Western News ,Weekend biology program at provincial park builds new skills, relationships
Swarms of flying ants are emerging across Ontario right now
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Jack Landau ,blogTO ,Masses of flying ants are congregating in mating swarms across Ontario, just the latest disgusting fact to think about as you try to squeeze those last few days out of patio season.
Could miniscule organisms help the world meet its climate goals?
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Isabelle Gerretsen ,BBC Future Planet ,With global greenhouse gas emissions reaching an all-time high last year, many scientists and world leaders are now arguing that new technologies which can capture carbon and store it underground are needed to help the world meet its climate goals.
Harmless but hated, the ubiquitous earwig is a 'fascinating' bug with bad PR
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Andrew Lupton ,CBC News London ,Graham Thompson is a Western University entomologist and self-described "big-time bug guy." He has no problem getting up close and personal with all sorts of creepy crawlies, including ones known to bite, sting, suck blood or feed off human hosts.
Seeing more Canada geese than normal? It's because their goslings are growing up
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Michael Lacasse ,CBC News London ,If you've been noticing more Canadian geese recently across the city of London, Ont., you're not alone. Park goers are reporting seeing more of the familiar bird this summer, especially compared to this time last year.
Study lays out full extent of humans as global predators — and it’s a big problem
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Ivan Semeniuk ,Globe and Mail ,Humans collectively prey on nearly 15,000 wild vertebrate species, roughly one third of all varieties on the planet
The tallest poison ivy in the world is in Ontario, says Guinness
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Sheena Goodyear ,CBC As It Happens ,Plant is so high that, at eye level, it 'looks like a hairy creature from Stranger Things'
Conifer needles found to consume oxygen when times are hard
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Umea University ,PhysOrg ,An international research team has now shown that, particularly in early spring when low temperatures coincide with high light, conifer needles consume—not produce—oxygen
Gut health the key to a healthy honeybee
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Marek Sutherland ,CTV News London ,Concern over the health and longevity of bees has grown over the years. “They get exposed to all kinds of things. First of all, monoculture crops. That is not necessarily the most nutritious thing for them,” said Western University biology Professor Graham Thompson.
Probiotics positively influence honeybee health, Western research finds
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Crystal Mackay ,Western News ,Research team studies how changing honeybee gut microbiota contributes to hive health and influences social behaviour
Termite infestations are on the rise in Toronto — and not just downtown, experts say
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Michael Smee ,CBC News Toronto ,Even in the suburbs, the tiny pests may be eating your home from the inside out
Can mushrooms save the world? This Ontario farmer thinks so
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Colin Butler ,CBC News London ,Mushrooms are a booming business for wellness, industry and, of course, food
Noticing more mosquitoes? It could be because of the heat wave
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Michael Lacasse ,CBC News London ,Experts say conditions are ripe for the bloodsuckers to be born earlier than usual
‘There are people who will help’: Biology grad cherishes undergrad journey
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Megan Stacey ,Western News ,Alyssa Harvey weathered health challenges, learned powerful lessons on path to her degree
When a loved one dies: how academia can support bereaved colleagues
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Jyoti Madhusoodanan ,Nature ,Finding time and space to grieve for a partner, child or friend can be complicated for researchers — and the peers who support them.
Avian-flu threat means now isn't time to allow backyard chickens: Expert
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Calvi Leon ,The London Free Press ,With avian flu threatening flocks in Ontario, now is not the time to consider allowing backyard chickens, St. Thomas politicians are being told.
