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.
New research has unearthed new insights into the disruptive and detrimental effects that human-produced electromagnetic noise can have on the ability of bats to migrate effectively. The study, published in the journal Science, ...
Plants & Animals
May 28, 2026
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Extreme heat and drought could damage harvests and worsen global food insecurity this summer.
Environment
May 19, 2026
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Kenyan ant expert Dino Martins gushes over the red and black insects that have become the center of an international smuggling trade.
Ecology
May 18, 2026
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What's the link between the global economy and the climate? Consumption drives extraction and carbon emissions. But there is more. The inequalities of the global economy don't just shape what goes into the atmosphere. They ...
Earth Sciences
May 8, 2026
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Caring about future generations means believing that people who will live decades or centuries from now deserve ethical consideration. In practice, that means taking their interests into account when making all kinds of decisions ...
Environment
May 1, 2026
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A new report from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) warns that biodiversity loss, alongside climate shocks and geopolitical conflict, is disrupting our food system, risking catastrophic ...
Environment
Apr 30, 2026
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Artificial light at night not only alters the landscape, but also profoundly disrupts natural ecosystems. A recent study by the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau shows that light pollution can significantly disrupt the ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 28, 2026
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The rise in infertility is not limited to humans, as environmental stressors are quietly undermining the reproductive potential of different forms of life. A recent review published in npj Emerging Contaminants investigated ...
Human history is littered with expired civilizations, and scholars and archaeologists have made a determined effort to understand why and how civilizations collapse. They've found that symptoms like a growing wealth gap and ...
Astrobiology
Apr 22, 2026
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44
Why do trees fall in the forest? The Answer is Changing. New research suggests that in just 15 years, the causes of most tree loss have flipped from human hands to a handful of natural causes.
Ecology
Apr 7, 2026
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