Questions tagged [environment]
The natural world, especially pertaining to the interactions of life therein.
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Are there different species that profoundly changed the earth?
In the narration of the first episode of the new Netflix series Life on Our Planet it says that one species (humans) “would go on to change our planet like nothing before.” My immediate thought was ...
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What would actually be the ecological impact of deep sea mining?
In the last few months I have read a number of articles with increasing alarm concerning the potential of many countries soon engaging in deep sea mining. The idea is that in order to produce numerous ...
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If we were to discover an alien ecosystem that has a D-configuration of proteins, how would it react to our L-sided biology?
I'm concepting a hard-sci-fi story where a scientist discovers microorganisms in our solar system with disastrous results. I was thinking about how any cross-contamination with an alien ecosystem ...
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When do invasive species become native species?
Until when an invasive species is considered an "invasive species" and when it is starting to be considered a "native" species, i.e. a species that is an integral part of the local ...
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Why do so many pollutants affect the estrogen receptor?
We make loads of chemicals, and release them into the environment for reasons. We have loads of hormone receptors.
There are many instances of human made chemicals affecting the estrogen receptor, ...
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Is there any difference between microplastics from health perspective? [closed]
I wonder if there is difference between plastics if we talk about the negative health effects of microplastics. For example wood is just a bunch of polymer and some other components from chemical ...
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How can combusted methane from landfill samples be quantified? [closed]
Background:
For my studies I'm wanting and attempting to make a landfill greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) model that predicts the amount of greenhouse gas equivalent emissions ($GHG_{eq}$ [tonnes/year]) ...
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I am conducting an experiment with oil eating bacteria. However, I am struggling to find a method to check how much oil they cleaned?
I am experimenting to determine the optimum conditions for microbes to break down motor oil. The conditions I am going to test are different pH levels to resemble freshwater pH and saltwater pH. I ...
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What happens if a population of songbirds increases rapidly without predators?
Suppose there’s an area where there’s a rapid increase in the population of songbirds and no presence of predators. What type of detrimental effects, if any, would this have on the environment in ...
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Is there species of mushrooms that grow in the wild in Mediterranean environment?
I'm looking for species of mushrooms which can grow wild (or with minimal human intervention) in Mediterranean environment (which is characterized by dry summers and mild, wet winters.), specifically ...
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the effect of aquatic photoautotrophs on CO2 concentration in the air
The CO2 concentration in the air is more strongly influenced by the northern hemisphere than the southern hemisphere. A given explanation is that the northern hemisphere contains more terrestrial ...
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Are there life forms that freely fly in the atmosphere?
Are there (unicellular) Earth lifeforms that most of their life fly high in the atmosphere without contact with surface? For instance, in clouds, etc?
If so, at what max altitude have they been ...
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Darwinism and the idea of being too successful
Is there an example of any animals or insects that have evolved too efficiently and went extinct due to upsetting the homeostasis of their environment? Outside humans.
I was thinking about venomous ...
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Could the problem of overfishing be solved by throwing fertilized fish eggs at the right place and deepness into the sea? [closed]
I hear sometimes about over fishing and I wonder if the following idea could help to solve the problem.
My idea is to throw fertilized fish eggs at the right place and deepness into the sea. These ...
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Has this 2018 report of nematodes frozen for 30 to 40,000 years been confirmed? Has Carbon 14 dating confirmed their age?
Gizmodo's 2018 article Russian Scientists Claim to Have Resurrected 40,000-Year-Old Worms Buried in Ice says:
A team of Russian scientists is lining themselves up to be the opening cast of a John ...
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Questions about "parasite recursion"
So imagine a parasite of a parasite. Imagine a parasite of that parasite. Then imagine a parasite of that parasite, then a parasite of that parasite, and so on and so forth.
Is there a formal term ...
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Can viruses be reintroduced to humans from ice sheets?
A comment on reddit mockingly say
because the ice is melting away due to global warming, this new virus came out of the melted ice sheets
It has 60+ upvotes and no one replied
Is it possible for ...
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Can 'human' become a genus due to space colonization?
I have read that during the Second World War, some mosquitoes got trapped in the London underground railway system. The mosquitoes never got out and eventually they became a new species by themselves.
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What is the mass of carbon dioxide absorbed by an oak tree in one year?
I want to understand the environmental impact of oak trees due to absorption carbon dioxide. So my question is, what is the mass of carbon dioxide absorbed by an oak tree in one year?
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What are the environmental conditions for larval Haemonchus contortus to survive?
What is known about the environmental limits for Haemonchus contortus to survive outside of a host organism in its larval stages?
I'm interested in knowing:
temperature tolerance levels
preferred ...
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What is the defining characteristics of a Gap Species?
For the following competitive exam question: A road is constructed through a tropical rain forest, following which a population of a species of butterflies declines. Which of the following is NOT a ...
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Why does the SARS-CoV2 virus not remain infectious forever? Or does it?
Given that the majority of biologists do not currently consider viruses to be alive, a virus can never die. It can, however, get destroyed by long exposures to soapy water, alcohol, and apparently ...
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electrostatic charge of viruses, especially Coronaviruses
I am searching for (and failing to find) literature about the electric charge (+/-) of viruses, specifically the Coronaviruses. I am aware that it is a complicated issue, including interaction of pH ...
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Antibacterial soap impacts on septic system?
What impacts do antibacterial soaps have on septic systems?
I know that septic systems rely heavily on bacteria (especially regarding the breakdown of wastes by bacteria), so it seems as though ...
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Roughly speaking how stable are short sections of single-stranded RNA in exposed environments compared to double-stranded DNA?
A search following a recent news item led me to a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for 23 March 2020 which says in part:
SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified on a variety of
surfaces in cabins ...
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Why are Aardvarks capable of burrowing given their size?
I was wondering if large animals could possibly dig extensive burrows for themselves to live in. The polar bear burrows, but snow is not dirt. The aardvark goes about 4' long, ~150 lbs: similar to a ...
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What are the environmental conditions for SARS-CoV-2 to survive?
What do we know about the environmental limits for nCoV to survive outside the body? For example, in:
In open air
On surfaces
In water
What are the limits for temperature, humidity and air pressure,...
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Who were the first authors to talk about local adaptation?
I was curious to read about what Darwin had to say about the existance of locally adapted subpopulations. I discovered to my surprise that the expressions and terms "local adaptation", "spatial ...
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Why is Carbon Dioxide a Greenhouse Gas whereas Ammonia is not? [closed]
Why are some gases Greenhouse gases while some are not?
I did search this on the net but didn't get any clearcut/credible answers.
What exactly is the property that is common among Ozone, Water ...
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What are the negative consequences of a narrowed biodiversity to the planet?
In this question about the fires in the Amazon rainforest, a user responds with
It [the Amazon] is still a part of nature and burning it can narrow
the diversity of both plants and animals, which ...
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Is there a physiological reason why direct lightning strikes are not lethal for everyone or does it all come down to dumb luck?
Some people who get directly struck by lightning and some more than once (starts at 00:25) survive while others die instantly or later on due to complications/injuries.
Looking at a wiki page for ...
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Have there been any efforts to release opossums as a biological control against ticks?
There's plenty of examples of people recognizing opossums as a great ally in controlling tick populations (here's one example). However, I can't find any examples of opossums being intentionally ...
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How deep could a human swim with SCUBA apparatus?
Using normal SCUBA apparatus and wet suit, how much pressure can the human body withstand? This is assuming that they descend as gradually as necessary for their body to make adjustments. What would ...
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What's the lowest temperature a tardigrade can remain active at?
There's a lot of information floating around the net about how tough they are & what they can survive, like "We now know that some tardigrades can tolerate being frozen to -272.8 °C".
But any ...
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What's the lowest atmospheric pressure a tardigrade can remain active in?
I'm not asking what atmospheric pressures they can survive (we now they can survive the vacuum of space) I'm wondering at what point a deficit of atmospheric pressure would cause them to enter one of ...
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What is the thickness of the biosphere?
In other words, what is the vertical distance between the deepest and highest point on Earth where life is found?
Life has been discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, 13 km below sea level. ...
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How different is breathing in wildfire smoke in urban areas compared to sitting by a campfire for a night?
The air quality in the Bay Area is currently the worst in the world, due to the devastating Butte County wildfires. I understand smoke inhalation can cause inflammation and respiratory issues, ...
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Firefly mating displays
I live in the northeast US, and really enjoy firefly displays at dusk in the summer. However, when paying attention this summer, I noticed that the fireflies were not displaying every night, but ...
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Environment requirement for human life [closed]
I was wondering, what are the humans needs to fulfill to achieve a human colonisation on mars ?
Let me explain, this is for role play game in a futuristic world where humans colonized mars.
That ...
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Are there any animals that maintain white fur year round?
Besides examples of rare albino animals, it seems animals only have white fur during the winter. Additionally, and not coincidentally, the examples I've found live in the northern latitudes with ...
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How are epiphytes symbiotic?
I understand epiphytes are not parasitic. But how exactly are they helping the tree on which they grow?
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How is mankind important to nature? [closed]
Like mosquito eggs are important for fish, what’s our role in balancing the life on earth or its ecosystem.
Please suggest if this question doesn't fit in this community.
I am a mechanical engineer ...
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How do plastic containers and other thrash end up in the ocean [closed]
There are many photos of the ocean, which in some parts is littered with all sorts of waste, often plastic bags, containers etc. But I just wonder - how do such large amounts land in the ocean/sea? ...
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How did hydrophilic plants become established on an isolated island with an arid coastal zone?
I find unconvincing the existing explanation of how several hydrophilic endemic plants became established at St Helena. This is one of the most isolated islands in the world, has an arid semi-desert ...
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What causes plants in the prunus genus to reach anthesis?
In a related question, I ask how to trick fruit trees into flowering later in the spring by prolonging frozen ground conditions.
However, I'm starting to realize that I don't actually understand what ...
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Trick fruit trees into flowering later in the spring
There is a common problem with fruit trees in temperate climates where the trees flower before the last frost. Generally speaking, if the tree has flowered, and the temperature drops below freezing, ...
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Are there any oxygen loving bacteria? [closed]
It seems we only found bacteria that hate oxygen. Are there any bacteria that love oxygen and would thrive in high oxygen environment?
If it slowed down or stop multiplying in low (as in normal ...
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Is an animal's body height dependent on its environment?
Imagine the follwing situation: a newly born animal is brought into a small room. This room has no windows, but artifical light to imitate the sunlight. Furthermore, this light behaves like the sun, ...
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Have there ever been as many mammals as there are now?
I apologize for the weird question, but based on a Google search it looks like this topic hasn't been discussed before. I'm hoping that enough information about population biology is stored in the ...
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What is the effect of pesticides on worm growth?
As a new semester begins, we were asked to propose ideas for investigatory projects. Our idea revolves around the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms. Since frequent use of pesticides may ...
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