Anthropogenic effects, as a biological process, encompass the direct and indirect impacts of human activities on biological systems, altering organismal physiology, behavior, population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem function. These effects arise from mechanisms such as habitat modification, pollution, overexploitation, introduction of invasive species, and climate forcing via greenhouse gas emissions. At the biological level, anthropogenic effects drive phenotypic plasticity, rapid evolutionary change, altered life-history strategies, and disrupted species interactions (e.g., predation, competition, mutualism). They also modify biogeochemical cycles, primary productivity, and trophic networks, frequently resulting in biodiversity loss, shifts in species ranges, and changes in ecosystem resilience and stability.
A heat wave lasting four months, followed by water shortages and crop failures. This is England in the 13th century, not the 21st. What is often called the Medieval Warm Period saw elevated temperatures in many parts of the ...
Earth Sciences
23 hours ago
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Factors such as erosion, dehydration and soil compaction are jeopardizing food supplies for broad swaths of the world's population, according to a study by the University of Bonn, the University of Minnesota, the University ...
Agriculture
Jul 22, 2026
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AI companies increasingly want to move their operations into space. Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to launch over a million AI data center satellites and ultimately build them on the moon.
Earth Sciences
Jul 20, 2026
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Climate lawsuits seeking massive damages from fossil fuel companies increasingly hinge on this question: How reliably can scientists link specific extreme weather events to human-caused climate change?
Environment
Jul 16, 2026
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A new Comment article by Simon Marvin, Sophia Maalsen and Robyn Dowling published in the journal Nature Cities argues that urban nature is entering a new phase in which ecological processes are increasingly sensed, modeled ...
Environment
Jul 15, 2026
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There is a clear need to shift toward healthier and more sustainable food systems. According to the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission Report, global adoption of a flexitarian Planetary Health Diet could prevent around 15 million ...
Agriculture
Jul 15, 2026
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A study predicts increasing human-elephant conflict in Southern Africa. A growing number of farmers and 290,000 African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) share space in Southern Africa, with conflicts arising from elephants ...
Ecology
Jul 7, 2026
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Human-caused climate change is "unequivocally" responsible for the intensity of a record-breaking heat wave scorching Europe, scientists said Friday.
Environment
Jun 28, 2026
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A new "prescription for the planet" aims to address the deepening environmental crisis.
Environment
Jun 23, 2026
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Ten Australians—including a firefighter, First Nations leaders and young people—are bringing their concerns about the nation's coal and gas exports to the United Nations. On Tuesday, the group lodged a complaint with the ...
Environment
Jun 23, 2026
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