Subtropics

The Mexican burrowing toad is an expert digger. It can survive extreme conditions and plays a key role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The post Unique Mexican burrowing toad looks like a deflated balloon first appeared on EarthSky.

The third confirmed location of extinct hominins known as Denisovans shows these human cousins adapted to an impressive range of environments

Rotting logs turn out to be vital to forest biodiversity and recycling organic matter

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa, Mar 21 (IPS) - World Water Day calls us all to promote the essential element of life:?water. But we must also look this year at the rapidly?vanishing sources of freshwater that we depend on, especially glaciers. Although glaciers may be remote for many of us, they are?an essential component of the water cycle, nourishing rivers and lakes that are important for millions of people around…

The well-traveled tropical fruit exemplifies how farmers are embracing new crops as the world warms.

Learn more about the massive predator that lived in Hell's Aquarium during the late Cretaceous period.

Public health officials are concerned about mounting cases of mosquito-borne dengue virus in Baldwin Park and the potential for its continued spread.

The Southern Annular Mode (SAM), with an iconic dipolar zonal wind pattern centered around the axis of the storm track, is the most dominant mode of variability orchestrating the weather and wind from the subtropics to the poles. Its origin, maintenance and feedback have been one of the central themes of atmospheric dynamics. But what role the clouds play in the life cycle of the annular mode remains largely…

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000…

A genetic study led by researchers from RIKEN's Center for Integrative Medical Sciences has uncovered evidence that people in Japan descend from three ancestral groups.

Corn, a staple food crop consumed by billions of people and animals worldwide, is frequently contaminated by the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1, a highly potent carcinogen produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus.

A new simulation shows that an El Niño-like climate pattern begins near New Zealand and Australia, and can trigger temperature changes across the Southern Hemisphere.

When trying to understand the present, it's helpful to look to history. New research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln examined the fossil record going back 66 million years and tracked changes to mammalian ecosystems and species diversity on the North American continent.

The Andes mountains span over 4,300 miles along South America's western edge, traversing seven countries from Venezuela to Chile. Famous for its towering peaks like Aconcagua and ancient ruins such as Machu Picchu, the Andes are a captivating mix of natural wonders and historical treasures.

Where exactly are cases of dengue fever being detected? What to know after U.S. health officials warned doctors​ to be alert for the mosquito-borne virus.

Sweaty cows may not sound like the most exciting company, but in a warming world, researchers can't get enough of them. When cattle are too hot, they tend to stop eating, said Raluca Mateescu, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor in the department of animal science. This affects the cattle's health and growth and threatens the longevity of the food supply coming from…

Some of the ocean's tiniest organisms get swept into underwater currents that act as a conduit that shuttles them from the sunny surface to deeper, darker depths where they play a huge role in affecting the ocean's chemistry and ecosystem, according to new research.

Tropical parasitic disease is often asymptomatic, but beware of unexplained ocular symptoms

Tropical diseases are no longer just a problem for the Global South. They're everywhere.

Though atmospheric river storms are dreaded for the damage they can cause, they are also essential to the western U.S.'s water supply, particularly in California