Environment
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Pregnant primates miscarry when new male enters group
Study: Pregnant female geladas show an unusually high rate of miscarriage the day after the dominant male in their group is replaced by a new male.
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Belief in global warming rebounds after period of decline
The percentage of Americans who believe in global warming has reached the highest level since the fall of 2009, rebounding from a period of significant decline, a new survey reports.
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When continents collide: A new twist to a 50 million-year-old tale
Fifty million years ago, India slammed into Eurasia, a collision that gave rise to the tallest landforms on the planet, the Himalaya Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau. India and Eurasia continue to converge today, though at an ever-slowing pace. University of Michigan geomorphologist and geophysicist Marin Clark wanted to know when this motion will end and why.
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Acid rain threatens Great Lakes sugar maples
Because they grow in calcium-rich soils, sugar maple forests in the Great Lakes region have largely been spared the damage caused by acid rain in the Northeast. But now, U-M ecologists has uncovered a different and previously unstudied mechanism by which acid rain harms sugar maple seedlings in Upper Great Lakes forests.
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150 rivers in a lab
More than 3,000 gallons of Huron River water were trucked to the U-M campus recently to create 150 mini-Hurons that are used to study how environmental changes affect freshwater habitats like rivers and streams.
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‘Fingerprinting’ method tracks mercury emissions from coal-fired power plant
For the first time, the chemical “fingerprints” of the element mercury can directly link environmental pollution to a specific coal-burning power plant. “We see a specific, distinct signature to the mercury that’s downwind of the power plant, and we can clearly conclude that mercury from that power plant is being deposited locally,” said U-M researcher Joel Blum.
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Careless disposal of antibiotics can create aquatic superbugs
A wastewater treatment plant can provide the perfect mating ground for carelessly disposed of antibiotics to form superbugs that are eventually discharged into streams and lakes, says U-M researcher Chuanwu Xi.
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Back to basics in the kitchen and garden
Seems more people are interested in eating fresh, healthy foods. An alumnus and his co-author wife, who have built their own “farmstead” offer tips to get you started on the healthy, do-a-little-bit-more-yourself lifestyle.
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Researchers predict record Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' due to Mississippi River flooding
Extreme flooding of the Mississippi River this spring is expected to result in the largest Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” on record, according to a University of Michigan aquatic ecologist and his colleagues.