Claire Asher

Plants and animals provide a home within themselves to an invisible community of microbes known as the microbiome. But these natural microbial communities are being degraded and altered by human-caused biodiversity loss, pollution, land-use change and climate change.
On the macro level, habitat loss and diminished environmental microbe diversity, particularly in urban environments, is altering the gut microbiomes of humans and wild animals. Studies have linked microbiome changes to higher ris...

The plastics industry claims that ‘chemical recycling’ or ‘advanced recycling’ technologies, which use heat or solvents to convert waste plastic into chemical feedstocks that can potentially be further processed into new plastics, are a green alternative to mechanical recycling.
But according to a new report, five out of eight U.S. facilities assessed use chemical processes to produce combustible fuel, not new plastics. In addition, facilities are disposing of large amounts of hazardous waste...

Green energy technology growth (especially wind, solar and hydropower, along with electric vehicles) is crucial if the world is to meet Paris climate agreement goals. But these green solutions rely on technology-critical elements (TCEs), whose production and disposal can be environmentally harmful. Mining and processing of TCEs requires huge amounts of energy. Mines use gigantic quantities of fresh water; can drive large-scale land-use change; and pollute air, soil and water — threatening bio...

Green energy technology growth (especially wind, solar and hydropower, along with electric vehicles) is crucial if the world is to meet Paris climate agreement goals. But these green solutions rely on technology-critical elements (TCEs), whose production and disposal can be environmentally harmful.

Researchers asked agroforestry and conventional smallholder farmers in São Paulo state, Brazil for their views on the benefits of agroforestry — a farming technique that combines native vegetation with fruit trees, crops and sometimes livestock — and what they see as the barriers to switching.
Consistent with benefits identified in past ecological studies, agroforestry farmers ranked bird abundance and soil moisture higher than conventional farmers and reported that trees on their farms coole...

Researchers modeled the journey of microplastics released in wastewater treatment plant effluent into rivers of different sizes and flow speeds, focusing on the smallest microplastic fragments — less than 100 microns across, or the width of a single human hair.
The study found that in slow-flowing stream headwaters — often located in remote, biodiverse regions — microplastics accumulated quicker and stayed longer than in faster flowing stretches of river.
Microplastic accumulation in sediment...

As wind energy has grown in popularity, reports of birds killed by wind turbines have become more common. Few studies have investigated the phenomenon, but estimates suggest that between 10,000 and 100,000 birds are killed by turbine blade strikes annually in the UK.
That’s a lot, but it’s worth noting that approximately 55 million birds are killed in the UK each year by domestic cats. Nevertheless, research suggests there may be ways to make wind turbines safer for wildlife. For example, a s...

If you’ve ever tripped and grazed your skin, broken out in a rash, or suffered from acne or eczema, you might have found yourself wondering why human skin is so frail and fragile. Bruises, dry skin, callouses, hives, sunburn and scar tissue are among the many skin ailments that can at best irritate us and at worst seriously harm our health. But these gripes are minor when we consider all the things skin does for us.
Skin is the largest and fastest-growing organ in the body. It provides a wate...

Major changes in crop productivity will be felt globally in the next 10 years according to new computer simulations. Climate impacts on crops could emerge a decade sooner than previously expected in major breadbasket regions in North America, Europe and Asia according to the new forecasts.
Researchers combined five new climate models with 12 crop models, creating the largest, most accurate set of yield simulations to date. Corn could see yield declines of up to 24% by 2100, while wheat may se...

The enduring legend of the ‘brown note’ – a sound frequency so low that its resonance through the human body causes spontaneous, uncontrollable pooping – is thankfully no more than a legend. The origin of this hilarious, if unsettling, myth appears to be a spoof article published in 1974, which described a giant horn that apparently gave the entire audience diarrhoea with a rendition of the national anthem at its unveiling in 1850.
However, scientists have tested the effects of different soun...

Although many of us would rather not think too much about what happens to our bodies after we die, if you’ve ever come across one of the rare local media reports of an ‘exploding corpse’, you probably came away with more questions than answers.
The decomposition process begins just minutes after death – cells become deprived of oxygen and acids, and enzymes start to break them down. Body temperature drops and rigor mortis (the stiffening of oxygen-deprived muscles) starts to set in. Microbes ...

The “novel entities” planetary boundary encapsulates all toxic and long-lived substances that humans release into the environment — from heavy metals and radioactive waste, to industrial chemicals and pesticides, even novel living organisms — which can threaten the stability of the Earth system.
Humans have invented more than 140,000 synthetic chemicals and we produce them in vast quantities: around 2.3 billion tons annually. Yet, only a few thousand have been tested for their toxicity to hum...

We’ve all felt annoyed by noises that are outside of our control, whether it be a car horn, construction work, or an inconsiderate neighbour’s music. Regular exposure to sounds below 80 decibels (dB) won’t physically harm our ears, but even quiet sounds can have long-term effects on our brains and bodies.
Road traffic and aircraft noise have been linked to impaired concentration, learning and memory, plus increased risk of cardiovascular disease. For example, one analysis found that for every...

By the time you see the spider-tailed horned viper, it’s probably too late. At least if you’re a bird, that is. Its mottled beige and white body is brilliantly camouflaged against the shimmering backdrop of gypsum and limestone rocks in its natural habitat in Iran – all except for the very tip of its tail, which has evolved into an elaborate lure for unsuspecting birds.
As the name suggests, spider-tailed horned vipers have a unique growth at the tip of the tail that is covered in long thin s...