Soils are fundamental to a healthy and functioning ecosystem. Therefore, forest land managers can greatly benefit from a more thorough understanding of the ecological impacts of fire and fuel management activities on the vital services soils provide. We present a summary of new research on fire effects and soils made possible through the Joint Fire Science Program and highlight management implications where applicable. Some responses were consistent across sites, whereas others were unique and may not easily be extrapolated to other sites. Selected findings include (1) postfire soil water repellency is most likely to occur in areas of high burn severity and is closely related to surface vegetation; (2) although wildfire has the potential to decrease the amount of carbon stored in soils, major changes in land use, such as conversion from forest to grasslands, present a much greater threat to carbon storage; (3) prescribed fires, which tend to burn less severely than wildfires and oftentimes have minor effects on soils, may nonetheless decrease species richness of certain types of fungi; and (4) early season prescribed burns tend to have less impact than late season burns on soil organisms, soil carbon, and other soil properties.

Invasive nonnative plants may be responsible for serious, long-term ecological impacts, including altering fire behavior and fire regimes. Therefore, knowing how to successfully manage invasive plants and their impacts on natural resources is crucial. We present a summary of research on invasive plants and fire that has been generated through the Joint Fire Science Program—focusing specifically on ecology of species invasions, the interactions between fire and invasives, and the responses of invasives to different management practices. Selected findings include (1) prescribed fire may increase invasive species in some ecosystems; (2) fuel treatments that leave some overstory canopy, minimize exposure of bare ground, and target sites that already host species capable of resprouting may be less likely to promote invasives; and (3) postfire seeding should be approached with caution, as it can increase invasives.

As Australia's performance in science declines, researchers are measuring school kids' brain signals, heart rate and skin temperature to understand what makes them bored or engaged in the classroom.

When you look in the mirror you might see your mothers eyes or your father’s chin. But have you inherited more than these physical characteristics? Beyond a genetic predisposition to illness , can you inherit a tendency to be religious or obese? Are the life experiences of previous generations shaping the way you behave now?  

Scientists have spent two years carrying out tests using decomposing whale flesh to test the common perception that buried carcasses attract sharks to beaches.

They collect vital climate information, but weather balloons are also a daily contributor to plastic pollution levels it's a dilemma the Bureau of Meteorology is struggling to solve.

The departure of some of north Queensland's best and brightest students is worrying the region's leaders and prompting them to devise a retention solution.

The presidential candidate talks about marijuana's effects.

So, you think you know Galileo? A new book out from Simon and Schuster publishing looks at the life and times of one of the most famous astronomers there ever was: Galileo Galilei. Galileo and the Science Deniers by Dr. Mario Livio not only looks at the life and times of the famous astronomer Galileo, but busts some of the most famous myths surrounding Galileo, and looks at his greatest discoveries and tempestuous clash with the Roman Catholic Church and its aftermath. Livio also connects the science denialism of the day, with comparisons to modern clashes between politics and science.

The post Review: Galileo and the Science Deniers by Mario Livio appeared first on Universe Today.

Have you ever said 'yes', when you wanted to say 'no'? You're not alone. A lot of people do this, and often the situation is different every time. For example: It's a hot afternoon and your skinny best friend implores you to go to the ice-cream bar, because she doesn't have anyone else to go […]

 “All for Earth” podcast speaks with Ben Strauss about working at the frontlines of communicating climate science — the local weather forecast.

In 'Defending Jacob,' based on the book by William Landay, creator Mark Bomback takes on the 'murder gene.' We looked into the science behind it.

Ministers are reportedly considering relaxing the two-metre rule for social distancing in workplaces.

To imagine earth without greenhouse gases in its atmosphere is to turn the familiar blue marble into a barren lump of rock and ice on which the average surface temperature hovers around -18ºC. Such a planet would not receive less of the sunlight which is the ultimate source of all Earth's warmth. But when the energy it absorbed from the sunlight was re-emitted as infrared radiation, as the laws of physics require, it would head unimpeded back out into space.

As part of the College's move to remote learning, 143 first-year students are taking a series of virtual field courses to investigate biodiversity.

Or, the one where Fiona Moss and Don Berwick tells us what they think quality improvement is. Fiona Moss is dean, Royal Society of Medicine, and Don Berwick is president emeritus and senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Don's talk and the interview with Fiona were both recorded at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in...

Virginia Murray, public health consultant in global disaster risk reduction at Public Health England, was instrumental in putting together the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction - an international agreement which aims to move the world from reacting to disasters, to proactively preventing them. In this podcast, she explains what they...

Mitt Romney wants to round up 12 million illegal immigrants and deport them. John Edwards wants to put an end to lobbyists. All the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates rail against the ways of Washington.

For decades, researchers have been studying the effectiveness of different kinds of pick-up lines in order to better understand the psychology of attraction. What they’ve found is that certain types of lines definitely seem to work better than others—and the results have been surprisingly consistent over the years.

During this time of lockdowns and quarantines, I know that many of you are looking for ways to pass the time, so allow me to suggest some entertaining and educational podcasts on the science of sex to help!

Massachusetts is the fifth state to join the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority created through the Every Student Succeeds Act, which allows states to experiment with new forms of testing.

Neurosciences.

Menopause.

Magic.

Paris : Pihan Delaforest (Morinval), 1831.

Edinburgh : A. and C. Black, 1873.

Michael L. Stein.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 35, Number 1, 31--41.

Abstract:
Climate science is a field that is arguably both data-rich and data-poor. Data rich in that huge and quickly increasing amounts of data about the state of the climate are collected every day. Data poor in that important aspects of the climate are still undersampled, such as the deep oceans and some characteristics of the upper atmosphere. Data rich in that modern climate models can produce climatological quantities over long time periods with global coverage, including quantities that are difficult to measure and under conditions for which there is no data presently. Data poor in that the correspondence between climate model output to the actual climate, especially for future climate change due to human activities, is difficult to assess. The scope for fruitful interactions between climate scientists and statisticians is great, but requires serious commitments from researchers in both disciplines to understand the scientific and statistical nuances arising from the complex relationships between the data and the real-world problems. This paper describes a small fraction of some of the intellectual challenges that occur at the interface between climate science and statistics, including inferences for extremes for processes with seasonality and long-term trends, the use of climate model ensembles for studying extremes, the scope for using new data sources for studying space-time characteristics of environmental processes and a discussion of non-Gaussian space-time process models for climate variables. The paper concludes with a call to the statistical community to become more engaged in one of the great scientific and policy issues of our time, anthropogenic climate change and its impacts.

In its first year, the class attracted more than 1,200 students. The online version is abbreviated, but free

Many teachers leave preservice training without clarity on what the cognitive science says about how students learn to read.

Many teachers leave preservice training without clarity on what the cognitive science says about how students learn to read.

Review of: How Behavior Spreads: The Science of Complex Contagions by Centola, Damon, reviewed by Srebrenka Letina

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — November 13th, 2019 — Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) is holding a Life Sciences Day for analysts and investors, today, Wednesday, November 13th, 2019 starting at 09.00 am ET in New York. The event includes presentations by the senior executive management team. The sessions are being webcast live and will be available for replay by accessing https://investor.3ds.com/events/event-details/life-sciences-day. Bernard Charlès, Dassault Systèmes’ Vice...

Christopher Medina-Kirchner used to be a drug dealer. Now he is a researcher looking at their effects, and says society's views on drugs and addiction need updating

By understanding garlic's chemistry we can amp up its pungency in a fiery garlic sauce or tame it through gentle cooking to make mellow garlic confit, says Sam Wong

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, why do some people stockpile and others shrug? The psychology of uncertainty explains what's going on, says Rachel McCloy

Many people feel intimidated by the prospect of making pastry, says Sam Wong, but a little understanding can go a long way to successfully making this beautiful rhubarb tart

Boredom can be unpleasant, but we can learn from some of the world's dullest people how to keep ourselves amused, says boredom researcher James Danckert

Getting your wok scorching hot and preparing your ingredients in advance is the best way to make a tasty stir-fry, says Sam Wong

Effective altruists use evidence and reason to maximise the impact of their kindness. Joshua Howgego follows their lead to see if it can help him do good better

Fancy bidding on a Christmas present steeped in science history? Find out what they'll set you back, and which present-day artefacts might be worth investing in

Does pounding the pavement damage your joints? Can you get away with just walking? Sports engineer Steve Haake pits running against walking and dispels some abiding myths

Getting your wok scorching hot and preparing your ingredients in advance is the best way to make a tasty stir-fry, says Sam Wong