Review: Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature is Thriving in an Age of Extinction

Written by Matt Ridley

If human beings were to vanish from the Earth, what would their effect on wildlife have been? A rash of extinctions, a lot of mixing up so that wallabies and parakeets live in England and rabbits and sparrows in Australia, but also — according to Chris Thomas — an eventual doubling in the number of species on the planet: a “sixth genesis”, as he calls it in reference to the five previous times that biodiversity has expanded rapidly after a mass extinction. We are causing a mass speciation.

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Nickel key to Earth’s magnetic field, research shows

Written by Brooks Hays

New research suggests nickel is essential to the Earth’s magnetic field.

Earth’s magnetic field is generated by what’s called the “dynamo effect,” a unique combination of geophysical factors. Of these factors, the convection currents of Earth’s conductive, molten core and Earth’s constant rotation are the most important.

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Interactive Effects of CO2, Drought and Zinc Supply on Wheat

Written by Dr. Craig Idso

Most plant CO2-enrichment studies tend to only examine the singular effects of rising atmospheric CO2 on plant growth. Fewer are the studies that introduce other variables, such as temperature or soil water status, and even fewer are those that examine three or more variables.

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Common strength ‘genes’ identified for first time

Written by University of Cambridge

Common genetic factors that influence muscle strength in humans have been identified for the first time in a study led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and published today in Nature Communications.

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