Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Renewables Did Not Cause Spanish Blackout, Investigations Find

 

at 6/20/25 7:30am

In the aftermath of a massive blackout that hit Spain and Portugal in April, some pundits were quick to blame wind and solar for the loss of power. But official inquiries have found that a shortfall in conventional power led to the outages.Read more on E360 →

— Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North?

 

at 6/18/25 8:11am

A warmer world is expected to bring more thunderstorms, especially at higher latitudes. Scientists are now reporting a dramatic surge in lightning in the far north and are scrambling to parse how this could affect wildfires, the chemistry of the atmosphere, and Arctic ecosystems.Read more on E360 →

— Discarded U.K. Clothing Dumped in Protected Wetlands in Ghana

 

at 6/18/25 6:20am

Heaps of discarded clothing from the U.K. have been dumped in protected wetlands in Ghana, an investigation found.Read more on E360 →

— A Win for Farmers and Tribes Brings New Hope to the Klamath

 

at 6/16/25 8:03am

In the long-contentious Klamath River watershed, an experiment that turned a barley field into a wetland not only improved water quality. It also offered a path forward for restoring populations of two endangered fish species that are of cultural importance to Native tribes.Read more on E360 →

— As Earth's Magnetic Field Grows Stronger, Oxygen Levels Rise

 

at 6/16/25 5:56am

When the magnetic field around the Earth grows stronger, oxygen levels rise. That is the surprising finding of a new study looking at more than half a billion years of planetary history.Read more on E360 →

— A Third of Forests Lost This Century Will Likely Never Be Restored

 

at 6/13/25 6:47am

Of the forest lost so far this century, roughly a third was destroyed to make room for farms, a new analysis finds. Those woodlands, which spanned an area larger than Mongolia, will likely never be restored, authors say.Read more on E360 →

— Deconstructing Buildings: The Quest for New Life for Old Wood

 

at 6/11/25 12:42pm

A growing number of cities have launched initiatives to reuse the wood waste from construction and demolition that now ends up in landfills. The challenge, proponents say, is to deploy new techniques for disassembling old buildings and markets for repurposing the salvaged wood.Read more on E360 →

— How Restored Wetlands Can Protect Europe from Russian Invasion

 

at 6/10/25 9:46am

The flooding of Ukraine’s Irpin valley thwarted Russia’s assault on Kyiv in 2022. Now, scientists are proposing Europe create a band of restored and protected wetlands along its eastern borders to deter future Russian aggression, and military strategists are taking notice.Read more on E360 →

— As U.S. Scientists Look Abroad, China Aims to Lure Top Talent

 

at 6/10/25 4:46am

Chinese locales are looking to lure top scientific talent from overseas by offering lavish sums for resettling, as well as housing, health care, and other perks. The moves come as the Trump administration cuts funding for science and works to expel Chinese students.Read more on E360 →

— To Protect Amazon from Drug Traffickers, Title Indigenous Lands, Report Says

 

at 6/9/25 6:34am

Drug traffickers are violently seizing Indigenous lands in the Peruvian Amazon to clear rainforest and grow coca. To combat the drug trade, a new report calls for titling Indigenous territories along major trafficking routes. Read more on E360 →

— Amid Devastation in Gaza, a Deepening Environmental Wound

 

at 6/6/25 4:06am

The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip has obliterated crops and trees, according to a new assessment of the impact.Read more on E360 →

— Birds vs. Wind Turbines: New Research Aims to Prevent Deaths

 

at 6/4/25 9:43am

Window collisions and cats kill more birds than wind farms do, but ornithologists say turbine impacts must be taken seriously. Scientists are testing a range of technologies to reduce bird strikes — from painting stripes to using artificial intelligence — to keep birds safe.Read more on E360 →

— Britain Sees Sunniest Spring on Record

 

at 6/4/25 3:35am

This spring was the warmest and sunniest on record in the U.K., a symptom of a rapidly warming climate, weather officials say.Read more on E360 →

— Cambodian Forest Defenders at Risk for Exposing Illegal Logging

 

at 6/2/25 11:33am

The lush forests that have long sustained Cambodia’s Indigenous people have steadily fallen to illicit logging. Now, community members face intimidation and risk arrest as they patrol their forests to document the losses and try to push the government to stop the cutting.Read more on E360 →

— In California, Hummingbird Beaks Have Been Transformed by Feeders

 

at 5/30/25 1:00am

The profusion of hummingbird feeders in California homes has not only allowed some hummingbirds to expand their range, but has also altered the shape of their beaks.Read more on E360 →

— To Cope With Extreme Heat, Clownfish Shrink

 

at 5/29/25 1:00am

During a severe heat wave in 2023, scientists scuba diving off the coast of Papua New Guinea captured clownfish to measure their bodies. Between February and August, they calculated the length of 134 of these iconic, orange and white fish once a month, taking a total of six measurements for each fish. Those measurements revealed something peculiar: Most of the fish shrank.Read more on E360 →

— Warming Linked to Rising Cancer Rates Among Women in the Middle East

 

at 5/28/25 1:00am

New research finds a link between increasingly extreme heat in the Middle East and rising rates of cancer in women.Read more on E360 →

— The ‘Green’ Aviation Fuel That Would Increase Carbon Emissions

 

at 5/27/25 1:00am

The U.S. agriculture lobby has long promoted ethanol for cars. If President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” becomes law, the industry would be given tax credits for producing crop-based fuel for planes, too, despite evidence it would spur deforestation and increase emissions.Read more on E360 →

— In Test, A.I. Weather Model Fails to Predict Freak Storm

 

at 5/22/25 11:09am

Artificial intelligence is powering weather forecasts that are generally more accurate than conventional forecasts and are faster and cheaper to produce. But new research shows A.I. may fail to predict unprecedented weather events, a troubling finding as warming fuels new extremes.Read more on E360 →

— Penguin Droppings May Be Seeding Clouds, Study Finds

 

at 5/22/25 9:08am

Penguin droppings may play a role in the formation of clouds over Antarctica, new research finds.Read more on E360 →

— As Bird Flu Spreads, Vaccine Shows Promise for Protecting Cattle

 

at 5/21/25 4:53am

Since bird flu was first discovered in U.S. cattle last year, the virus has spread to more than 1,000 herds across the country. A new vaccine for cattle has performed well in early tests, raising hopes that it could protect livestock and help prevent an outbreak in humans.Read more on E360 →

As of 6/21/25 2:55am. Last new 6/20/25 9:26am.