Living libraries could save our food
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Jul-2025 07:10 ET (3-Jul-2025 11:10 GMT/UTC)
New Haven, Conn. — As rising global temperatures alter ecosystems worldwide, animal species usually have two choices: adapt to changing local conditions or flee to a cooler clime. Ecologists have long assumed that the world’s bird species were best equipped to respond to the pressures of climate change simply because they have the option of flying to higher altitudes or towards global poles.
But a new Yale study finds that few bird species are able to escape the realities of a warming world.
The findings were published May 28 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
A new study shows how using drones with advanced cameras, ones that detect both heat and light, can help scientists better measure how field-grown wheat plants cope with climate change. By flying these drones over hundreds of wheat varieties, researchers could estimate key traits like how efficiently the plants breathe through their leaves, how leafy they are, and how much chlorophyll they have. They then matched these traits to specific genes in the wheat, identifying genetic markers linked to better performance under normal and dry conditions. This approach makes it easier to find and develop wheat varieties that are more resilient to climate challenges, helping to secure future food security.
Across the western U.S., wildfires are becoming larger and more severe — and even trees that initially survive are dying in subsequent years, making it harder for forests to regenerate, according to new research from Portland State University.
Trees, shrubs, and other plants along roads and sidewalks play an important role in making cities more resilient to climate change, improving public health, and advancing environmental justice. Yet, tracking its distribution and change over time remains a major challenge – especially across large, rapidly urbanizing regions of the world. A new IIASA-led study addresses this gap.
Climate change had a role but did not cause the LA wildfires, says the new study by UN University