Using fossil plant molecules to track down the Green Sahara

Researchers have developed a new concept to explain the phenomenon known as Green Sahara. They demonstrate that a permanent vegetation cover in the Sahara was only possible under two overlapping rainy seasons. Dr. Enno Schefuß ...

Rain is important for how carbon dioxide affects grasslands

Vegetation biomass on grasslands increases in response to elevated carbon dioxide levels, but less than expected. Vegetation on grasslands with a wet spring season has the greatest increase. This has been demonstrated in ...

How sheep grazing affects the Norwegian mountains

When animals graze, they affect the environment. They keep meadows open, their faeces fertilizes the soil, and forests yield to cultivated landscapes. But what effect does grazing have on overall biomass? Does grazing affect ...

Burst of morning gene activity tells plants when to flower

For angiosperms—or flowering plants—one of the most important decisions facing them each year is when to flower. It is no trivial undertaking. To flower, they must cease vegetative growth and commit to making those energetically ...

The path to our evolution

Did climate change affect how we got here? A study from 2016 suggests that the climate and geographical locations of our ancestors held sway over how our bodies evolved and how they were built to withstand sharp weather turns. ...

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