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  • The Bright Side of the Green Crab

    May 13, 2021 |

    Hakai Magazine |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Nova Scotia

    The invasive European green crab was wreaking havoc on the soft-shell clam fishery in Nova Scotia. But fishers, researchers, and park officials worked together to remove as many of them as possible and find an alternative use for them. Their efforts were working: eelgrass meadows and clam populations were rebounding. Now, they’re testing how these crabs can be used in lobster bait, bioplastics, or even fertilizer for gardens.

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  • The forest sound detectives

    May 04, 2021 |

    BBC |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: Papua New Guinea

    After remote Indigenous communities in Papau New Guinea set aside some of their land as conservation areas, they wanted to know if it was working. With the help from scientists and The Nature Conservancy, they were able to use bioacoustics or audio recordings of the rainforests to map out the biodiversity. Using 34 recording devices, they were able to record the forest, listen to them, analyze the sounds, and determine that these areas had a healthy biodiversity.

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  • To Solve 3 Cold Cases, This Small County Got a DNA Crash Course

    May 03, 2021 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Kentland, Indiana

    Genetic genealogy's use in criminal cases has gone mainstream. As the cases of three murder victims in Indiana illustrate, the science of DNA evidence combined with genealogical research and detective work is rapidly ramping up, from a hobby to a curiosity and now to a major commercial and criminal-justice opportunity. Hundreds of missing persons have been identified from decades-old remains, or murder suspects identified from old biological evidence in cold cases. By creating a family tree of the victim or suspect, investigators can zero in on an identity more quickly and inexpensively than ever.

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  • The Farmer Trying to Save Italy's Ancient Olive Trees

    April 29, 2021 |

    Atlas Obscura |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Italy, Gagliano del Capo, Puglia

    An imported strain of bacteria is threatening to destroy olive trees in Italy that produce about 12 percent of the world’s olive oil. An agronomist is working with other scientists to graft trees — taking a different kind of tree that could be resistant to the bacteria and inserting it into the trunk of an older tree. After years of trial and error, they’ve found some success. On one farm, 70 percent of the grafts used have survived. But conspiracy theories and financial difficulties have made it a challenge to have a coordinated response to the problem.

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  • The fight to save India's most elusive cat

    April 18, 2021 |

    BBC |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: India, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

    After a fishing cat was first documented in an Indian coastal city, state authorities, scientists, and conservationists sought to understand how many felines called the wetland home. Using camera traps, they observed 10 individual fishing cats among the mangrove forests, though this method of estimating the population is tricky. Another survey is underway as researchers study how the health of these habitats are linked to the health of the fishing cats, and how to effectively educate locals about the importance of protecting this species.

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  • Is Seaweed The Key To Carbon Offsets?

    April 17, 2021 |

    Freethink |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Maine

    Running Tide Technologies, a shellfish hatchery in Maine, is betting on kelp forests as a way to store carbon deep in the ocean and sell that carbon to corporations looking to combat climate change and offset their own emissions. The startup is growing mini-farms of kelp on biodegradable floats and after a few months, they sink to the seafloor. More research is needed to see if it works, but they already have about 1,600 floats adrift in the ocean and the e-commerce company Shopify is the first to buy carbon offsets from them.

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  • How Scientists Are Pivoting In Their Quest To Save Hawaii's Crows

    April 16, 2021 |

    Honolulu Civil Beat |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Hawaii

    After a five-year effort to reintroduce the alala bird on Hawaii’s Big Island failed, conservationists are looking into releasing the nearly extinct Hawaiian crow on a different island. Of the 30 birds released in 2016, only five survived. Another predator known as the Hawaiian hawk killed off some of the birds. Releasing the crows on Maui is a temporary solution, but could allow them to learn skills to survive with other predators.

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  • Corn Farmers Upend Tradition to Reduce Air Pollution

    April 10, 2021 |

    Global Press Journal |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Mexico, Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua

    After a drought left cattle farmers in Mexico without grass to feed its animals, a unique partnership with corn farmers allowed them to use their leftover stalks and leaves. Usually, the farmers burn these materials, known as stover, which contributes to air pollution. This partnership was facilitated by the government and allowed the corn farmers to sell their leftovers to the cattle farmers. As a result, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions dropped significantly, and a new market for these materials is emerging.

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  • The rice of the sea: how a tiny grain could change the way humanity eats

    April 09, 2021 |

    The Guardian |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Spain, El Puerto de Santa María

    A Spanish chef piloted a project to start a “marine garden” — cultivating eelgrass and obtaining grains it produces to be used in different recipes. The grain has healthy benefits, including 50 percent more protein than rice, and growing the seagrass can transform salt marshes into biodiverse ecosystems that can also capture carbon emissions. They are working to scale the project to understand the ideal conditions to grow the plants.

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  • The Return of the Polish Wolf

    April 08, 2021 |

    Tygodnik Powszechny |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Poland

    Scientists, NGOs, conservationists, and the government worked together to bring the Polish wolf back from the brink of extinction. Methods like GPS tracking and genetic sampling have helped politicians made decisions about how to reduce human-animal conflict and ensure human development didn’t interfere with their habitats. As a result, over the last 50 years the wolf population in Poland has increased 50-fold.

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