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Life Sciences - Environment - 22.12.2021 
Greater diversity of Iberian spiders previously unknown
Populations of peninsular spiders that make aerial spider webs and move around the air by ballooning (using the silk threads as parachutes) present a more homogeneous genetics structure and are better connected between them. However, species of nocturnal spiders, which hunt on the ground and have a low dispersal capacity, show less genetically connected populations and are more vulnerable to local extinction processes due to environmental factors.
Life Sciences - Environment - 20.12.2021 
Space and time: how to better understand biological processes in plants
If the perspective of space and time is not properly applied to plant research, the understanding of biological processes is limited as well as the response to the threats that endanger the life of plants worldwide. This is one of the main conclusions of an article published in the journal Trends in Plant Science by Professor Sergi Munné-Bosch, from the Faculty of Biology , the Biodiversity Research Institute ( IRBio ) and the Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety ( INSA ) of the UB.
Environment - 09.12.2021
Life Sciences - Environment - 12.11.2021 
Research on the only skeleton of a calf of straight-tusked elephant in Europe
UB researchers Montserrat Sanz and Joan Daura have studied the only remains of a calf in Europe, a species known as the straight-tusked elephant: Palaeoloxodon antiquus . The study has been carried out jointly with Maria Rita Palombo, of the Sapienza University of Rome and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).
Environment - Life Sciences - 11.11.2021 
Complex behaviour of sea urchins regarding the predators’ threat
Sea urchins, albeit having a limited and ancestral sensory system, can show a complex behaviour when escaping a predator. These marine invertebrates tend to move slowly and with unpredictable movements, but when they smell a predator, they escape following a ballistic motion -straightforward, quick and directional- to escape the threat.
Environment - Life Sciences - 20.10.2021 
Savannah chimpanzees, a model for the understanding of human evolution
To prosper, most great apes need lush forests in Africa (bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas) or Southeast Asia (orangutans), except for some groups of chimpanzees that live in savannahs, habitats characterised by high temperatures and very low seasonal rainfall. Adriana Hernández, Serra Hunter professor at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona, co-led the study conducted by an international team of primatologists who reviewed the existing research on the behaviour and ecology of savannah chimpanzees to understand how these apes adapt to extreme conditions.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 05.10.2021 
The colonization of the Azores began seven hundred years before the arrival of the Portuguese
The first settlers in the Azores Islands arrived seven hundred years ago before the first Portuguese arrived there in the 15th century as stated in the official historiography. This is one of the main conclusions of a study carried out by an international and multidisciplinary team in which the experts Alberto Sáez and Olga Margalef, from the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB, -have taken part.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 17.09.2021 
Extreme volcanism did not cause the massive extinction of species in the late Cretaceous
A study published in the journal Geology rules out that extreme volcanic episodes or peaks in the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit around the sun had any influence on the massive extinction of species in the late Cretaceous. The results confirm the hypothesis that it was a giant meteorite impact what caused the great biological crisis that ended up with the dinosaur lineages and other marine and terrestrial organisms 66 million years ago.
Environment - 02.07.2021 
The ocean plastic sink that went away with the rivers
The amount of plastic discharged by rivers to our oceans and seas has been overestimated by two to three orders of magnitude. This would explain why a large volume of microplastics seems to disappear in a mysterious ocean sink.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 07.05.2021 
The UB takes part in a study that reveals the recent tendency in the evolution of snow in western Pyrenees
A study published in the International Journal of Climatology , in which several researchers of the UB participated, analysed for the first time the recent evolution of snow at high levels in the Catalan Pyrenees. The study shows that over the last twenty years, at more than 2,000 meters high, the snow has not decreased but there has been an increase of snow-shape rain during the winter.
Career - Environment - 27.04.2021 
The factors that improve job resiliency in North American cities have been identified
"Job connectivity? (the possibility of finding a similar job) is a key factor for the recovery of local economies in the face of crises, according to a study published recently by researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Max Planck Society and the University of Pittsburgh.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 23.04.2021 
TRANSMOW campaign to analyse circulation of Mediterranean outflow waters with new geochemical tracers
Finding the signature of past climate transitions in the Mediterranean using the analysis of innovative geochemical tracers -specifically, isotopes of neodymium and rare-earth distributionis the objective of the oceanographic campaign TRANSMOW, led by the experts Leopoldo Pena and Jaime Frigola, members of the consolidated Research Group on Marine Geosciences of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB.
History / Archeology - Environment - 15.04.2021
Life Sciences - Environment - 26.03.2021 
Study analyses fish larval dispersal in western Mediterranean
A new study analyzes the larval dispersal of nine fish species in the western Mediterranean and identifies three large areas in which there is barely fish exchange, so fish would remain in the same area all their life.
Environment - 23.03.2021 
Intensity of phytoplankton production during Antarctic summer affects the structure of seafloor ecosystems
Understanding the evolution of the polar sea ice is not enough to study the effects of the climate change on marine ecosystems in Antarctic seafloors. It is also necessary to determine the intensity of phytoplankton local production during the Antarctic summer, as stated in a new study by a research team of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute ( IRBio ) of the UB, published in the journal Marine Environmental Research .
Environment - Innovation - 18.03.2021 
Climate change ravages coralligenous architects in the Mediterranean
Recerca Marine heatwaves are dramatically affecting the marine ecosystems of the world and the Mediterranean is no exception. In the Mediterranean, these extreme climate episodes and its resulting massive mortality of species are getting more and more intense and frequent. To date, most of the studies analysed the effects of these perturbations on specific species and populations, although researchers still do not know how this affects the functioning of the involved ecosystems.
Environment - Life Sciences - 04.03.2021 
Albatros and petrels: roadmap to protect the most threatened sea birds at sea
Recerca Albatrosses and petrels spend about 39% of their life cycle on the high seas, a large global marine area that goes beyond the field of national and international jurisdictions of nature protection.
Chemistry - Environment - 24.02.2021 
Important steps for transforming toxic molecules in air at low temperatures
Recerca Air pollution from fuel combustion is one of the greatest environmental problems, especially in urban environments. In densely populated cities, the presence of nitrogen oxides, very small carbon particles, and carbon monoxide (CO) in the air seriously harms the human health and increases mortality.
Environment
Results 1 - 18 of 18.
Populations of peninsular spiders that make aerial spider webs and move around the air by ballooning (using the silk threads as parachutes) present a more homogeneous genetics structure and are better connected between them. However, species of nocturnal spiders, which hunt on the ground and have a low dispersal capacity, show less genetically connected populations and are more vulnerable to local extinction processes due to environmental factors.
If the perspective of space and time is not properly applied to plant research, the understanding of biological processes is limited as well as the response to the threats that endanger the life of plants worldwide. This is one of the main conclusions of an article published in the journal Trends in Plant Science by Professor Sergi Munné-Bosch, from the Faculty of Biology , the Biodiversity Research Institute ( IRBio ) and the Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety ( INSA ) of the UB.
A system that combines solar energy and a chemical reactor to get more from biomass has been designed
Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" (Italy) have designed a new system that allows more to be got from biomass (such as forest and agricultural waste) thanks to a chemical reactor that works with a small solar power facility. Biological waste contains a large amount of energy, if used properly.
Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" (Italy) have designed a new system that allows more to be got from biomass (such as forest and agricultural waste) thanks to a chemical reactor that works with a small solar power facility. Biological waste contains a large amount of energy, if used properly.
UB researchers Montserrat Sanz and Joan Daura have studied the only remains of a calf in Europe, a species known as the straight-tusked elephant: Palaeoloxodon antiquus . The study has been carried out jointly with Maria Rita Palombo, of the Sapienza University of Rome and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).
Sea urchins, albeit having a limited and ancestral sensory system, can show a complex behaviour when escaping a predator. These marine invertebrates tend to move slowly and with unpredictable movements, but when they smell a predator, they escape following a ballistic motion -straightforward, quick and directional- to escape the threat.
To prosper, most great apes need lush forests in Africa (bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas) or Southeast Asia (orangutans), except for some groups of chimpanzees that live in savannahs, habitats characterised by high temperatures and very low seasonal rainfall. Adriana Hernández, Serra Hunter professor at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona, co-led the study conducted by an international team of primatologists who reviewed the existing research on the behaviour and ecology of savannah chimpanzees to understand how these apes adapt to extreme conditions.
The first settlers in the Azores Islands arrived seven hundred years ago before the first Portuguese arrived there in the 15th century as stated in the official historiography. This is one of the main conclusions of a study carried out by an international and multidisciplinary team in which the experts Alberto Sáez and Olga Margalef, from the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB, -have taken part.
A study published in the journal Geology rules out that extreme volcanic episodes or peaks in the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit around the sun had any influence on the massive extinction of species in the late Cretaceous. The results confirm the hypothesis that it was a giant meteorite impact what caused the great biological crisis that ended up with the dinosaur lineages and other marine and terrestrial organisms 66 million years ago.
The amount of plastic discharged by rivers to our oceans and seas has been overestimated by two to three orders of magnitude. This would explain why a large volume of microplastics seems to disappear in a mysterious ocean sink.
A study published in the International Journal of Climatology , in which several researchers of the UB participated, analysed for the first time the recent evolution of snow at high levels in the Catalan Pyrenees. The study shows that over the last twenty years, at more than 2,000 meters high, the snow has not decreased but there has been an increase of snow-shape rain during the winter.
"Job connectivity? (the possibility of finding a similar job) is a key factor for the recovery of local economies in the face of crises, according to a study published recently by researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Max Planck Society and the University of Pittsburgh.
Finding the signature of past climate transitions in the Mediterranean using the analysis of innovative geochemical tracers -specifically, isotopes of neodymium and rare-earth distributionis the objective of the oceanographic campaign TRANSMOW, led by the experts Leopoldo Pena and Jaime Frigola, members of the consolidated Research Group on Marine Geosciences of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB.
To improve climate models, an international team with the participation of UPF turns to archaeological data
The project, called LandCover6k, offers a new classification system that the researchers hope will improve predications about the planet's future and fill in gaps about its past. .Published in PLOS ONE , the study includes the participation of researchers from the universities of Pennsylvania, Pompeu Fabra and Glasgow, including Marco Madella, ICREA research professor of the Department of Humanities at UPF, who is one of the project leaders.
The project, called LandCover6k, offers a new classification system that the researchers hope will improve predications about the planet's future and fill in gaps about its past. .Published in PLOS ONE , the study includes the participation of researchers from the universities of Pennsylvania, Pompeu Fabra and Glasgow, including Marco Madella, ICREA research professor of the Department of Humanities at UPF, who is one of the project leaders.
A new study analyzes the larval dispersal of nine fish species in the western Mediterranean and identifies three large areas in which there is barely fish exchange, so fish would remain in the same area all their life.
Understanding the evolution of the polar sea ice is not enough to study the effects of the climate change on marine ecosystems in Antarctic seafloors. It is also necessary to determine the intensity of phytoplankton local production during the Antarctic summer, as stated in a new study by a research team of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute ( IRBio ) of the UB, published in the journal Marine Environmental Research .
Recerca Marine heatwaves are dramatically affecting the marine ecosystems of the world and the Mediterranean is no exception. In the Mediterranean, these extreme climate episodes and its resulting massive mortality of species are getting more and more intense and frequent. To date, most of the studies analysed the effects of these perturbations on specific species and populations, although researchers still do not know how this affects the functioning of the involved ecosystems.
Recerca Albatrosses and petrels spend about 39% of their life cycle on the high seas, a large global marine area that goes beyond the field of national and international jurisdictions of nature protection.
Recerca Air pollution from fuel combustion is one of the greatest environmental problems, especially in urban environments. In densely populated cities, the presence of nitrogen oxides, very small carbon particles, and carbon monoxide (CO) in the air seriously harms the human health and increases mortality.
