News
Environmental variability and global change are discussed more and more frequently in news articles and programs as the general public becomes increasingly aware of the rapid environmental transformations taking place around the world. The Institute of the Environment produces general interest articles about current UA research relevant to the environment, spotlights that chronicle the work of IoE faculty, and other articles, including a series on drought in the Southwest. The most recent articles are listed below. Older articles and links to UA News press releases also are available in the News Archive.
Latest Updates
The widely used strategy of endowing crops with redundant toxins to fend off pests rests on flawed assumptions, UA researchers have discovered. Their study helps explain why pests are evolving resistance much faster than predicted and offers solutions for better agricultural management.
Historically, in the Southwest the coming months are dry and windy, and there is some indication that temperatures may be warmer than average.
The UA will receive part of a $9 million federal contract to research citrus greening disease, which is harming the nation's citrus industry and keeping Arizona's industry on guard. Professor Judith Brown of the UA's School of Plant Sciences will lead the research conducted in Arizona, where the disease hasn't been seen so far - although the bug that spreads it has been detected in western counties.
The Green Fund continues to support students, faculty and staff as they work together to make the UA a more environmentally sustainable institution, benefiting the campus and community. More than $470,000 has been granted to projects that expand sustainability efforts.
When grape growers struggle with ailing crops, they call UA alumnus Geoff Hale for expert consultation. He pursued plant science after taking, and really liking, agriculture classes at the UA. Hale likens his work to that of a physician: "Plants have a basic ratio of needs of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron. You don't want to be too high or too low in any element."
A growing global concern about supplies of "rare earth" elements for computers, hybrid cars and other staples of everyday life has sparked exploration in Arizona. Mary Poulton, director of the UA Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources, said strong geologic associations could exist between some rare earth and copper deposits.
Simmons B. Buntin and Megan Kimble engage in a conversation on art and environment in a cross-post with the blog at Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments.
Contrary to predictions, billions of trees killed in the wake of mountain pine beetle infestations ranging from Mexico to Alaska have not resulted in a large spike in carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, a UA-led study involving large-scale field studies and satellite observations has found.
Mushrooms are crucial to the environment because they can break down fibrous materials, such as wood waste. They also play an important role in the production of food. Barry Pryor, a professor in the UA department of plant sciences, recently was awarded a grant to study mushrooms and their effectiveness at breaking down both landscape and consumer waste.
For more than three decades, UA neuroscientist John Hildebrand has worked with some of the world's smallest brains - the brains of insects. He studies their sense of smell and how it affects their behavior. Understanding how insect brains handle the business of smelling could give humans new tools for keeping pests at bay.