In the News: The Blue Rose

Fig.1. The Suntry "blue" rose is at the center of a shift in plant engineering
(Credit: BlueRoseMan, 2011)

From laser technology to DNA barcoding, the modern study of plants involves increasingly unique approaches to examining preserved specimens. This week in the news, we remember the history of herbaria, grow miniature vegetables, and start a home-grown plant engineering movement that seeks to shake up genetics!

Fire and Ice in the Sierra Nevada

Fig.1. A view of Half Dome in the Sierra Nevada (Credit: Dimitry B. via Flickr, 2013)

Earlier this year, California Gov. Jerry Brown issued water restrictions for first time ever in the state’s history, mandating that urban water suppliers cut their use by 25 percent. This measure addressed California’s ongoing drought, which has entered its fourth year and contributed to deadly wildfires and billions lost in agriculture. A new study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that this record-breaking streak may stretch back far more than a few years ago.

Forests in a Time of Drought

Fig.1. Trees like this Pinus ponderosa will struggle to recover from droughts (Credit: Thayne Tuason via Flickr)

In the past few decades, the world’s forests have absorbed up to 30 percent of annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Forests act as carbon sinks, or reservoirs that accumulate and store carbon. Unlike humans who release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - either through breathing or fossil fuels - trees take in this compound from the atmosphere during photosynthesis to use for energy and growth. The long-term storage of carbon in trunks, branches, litter, or soil is known as carbon sequestration.

Year(s) Without a Summer

Fig.1. The end of Alaska’s Augustine eruption of 2006, which lasted several months (Credit: Cyrus Read, USGS via Flickr)

In 1816, the Northern Hemisphere experienced the coolest summer on record, triggering crop failures and famine throughout Europe. The “Year Without a Summer” was later attributed to the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, a volcano in modern day Indonesia that killed an estimated 92,000 people.

Teaching old data new tricks

Fig.1. Rock core samples, pictured, stored at the U.S. Geological Survey's Core Research Center. Data derived from core samples, among other types of samples, are useful in testing climate models. (Credit: USGS, 2012)

There’s an old saying that history repeats itself. But in the case of Carrie Morrill’s research, she’s looking to history to prepare for the future.

In the News: A Change in (Ancient) Tides

Fig.1. This adult deer tick and other members of its species are spreading into new areas in North America, thanks to climate change. The spread is a particular concern for public health because deer ticks are vectors for Lyme disease (Credit: Scott Bauer, USDA)

Ancient changes in the environment and modern disease response to climate change are the topics for this week’s #FollowFriday. Read about avian flu in the United States, the rise of Panama, the fall of a civilization, and more:

Gerbils, Tree Rings, and Plague, oh my!

Fig.1. This adorable great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) found in Central Asia could be to blame for the spread of plague into Europe during the 1300s (Credit: Yuriy75, 2009).

When traveling to New York City, you might want to avoid touching surfaces within the subway. According to a recent study, nearly 15,000 different microorganism species were found along railings, ticket kiosks, seats, doors, and poles. Of that number, about half the organisms were bacteria, including the causative agent for the bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis. Although the infamous New York City rats can carry this deadly disease, they might not be the rodents to blame for spreading the Black Death in the 14th century. A climatological study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences might overturn this long held belief about how the pandemic killed millions in Europe, Asia, and Africa.