Small farmers are less likely than large landowners to maintain required forest cover on their property in the Brazilian Amazon, worsening the environmental impact of their operations, reported a researcher presenting at the annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) in Bonito, Brazil. Fernanda Michalski, an ecologist with the University of São Paulo and the Pro-Carnivores Institute, analyzed forest cover trends on properties of various sizes in Alta Floresta in the southern Amazon and conducted interviews with farmers on the presence of wildlife on their holdings. She found that small properties (under 440 ha) tend to have less forest cover. Riparian zones are less likely to be maintained, reducing the connectivity of what forest patches do survive, making it more difficult for wildlife to move. Smaller forest blocks were affected by edge effects, leaving them without the cool, dark, stable conditions of the forest interior that some species require. Accordingly large-bodied mammals, birds, and reptiles are scarce on smallholder properties.

The Blue Tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The bird is easily recognizable by its brilliant blue and yellow plumage. Throughout Europe and western Asia, the blue tit is one of the most colorful birds to engage in their annual hormone-driven mating spectacle. Not unlike some among their human counterparts, male blue tits lose interest when their female mates’ beauty starts fading, staying out longer and neglecting their offspring, a new research report said in the journal of Frontiers in Zoology. Scientists who dulled the bright blue head tinge that crowns the female of the species, subsequently noticed the males skulking off for more alone time and making fewer trips to feed their chicks.

The East Coast of the United States is home to many of its major population centers. While some of the early colonizers migrated west, many stayed and built up some of America’s great cities, including Portland, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charleston, and Miami. Now this region is facing an unprecedented challenge caused by the changing climate. The sea level is rising, and due to a variety of oceanographic and topographic factors, it is rising faster on the US Atlantic Coast than it is globally. The greatest increase will be felt in the “hot zone”, from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to north of Boston, Massachusetts.

Stimulating the brain using magnetic currents can significantly reduce the urge smokers have to light up, researchers discovered. During the study, which was conducted in Israel, a special helmet-like device was developed for deep stimulation of specific parts of the brain. The device sends magnetic currents to the brain that stimulate the nervous system while the patients are entirely conscious.

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. About half of the world original forests had disappeared by 2011, the majority during the last 50 years. Since 1990 half of the rain forests have disappeared. Forests are removed and converted into other forms such as when it is used as fuel which will emit carbon dioxide. A new study with NASA participation has sharply reduced previous estimates of how much carbon was emitted into Earth’s atmosphere from tropical deforestation in the early 2000s. Research scientist Sassan Saatchi of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., participated in the study, published June 21 in the journal Science. They combined satellite data on gross forest loss and forest carbon stocks to track emissions from deforestation in the world’s tropical forests. The resulting gross emissions estimate of 0.81 billion metric tons of carbon emitted per year is approximately one third of previously published estimates, and represents just 10 percent of the total global human-produced carbon emissions over the time period analyzed (2000 to 2005)

A new kind of solar cell made from carbon harvests sunlight that other cells can’t see. The technology could greatly boost the efficiency of solar panels and help bring the down the price of solar panels.

UPS announced the results of a year long experiment to test five pilot vehicles and gauge whether they could meet the demands of the company’s operating and delivery needs. The results were an impressive reduction in fuel consumption, easier repairs and greater durability. Explained during a conference call yesterday, UPS’ exploration of composite vehicles is another chapter in the company’s quest to become as sustainable and responsible as possible.

With negotiations at an end, WWF Director General Jim Leape today issued the following closing statement about the Rio+20 summit: “This was a conference about life: about future generations; about the forests, oceans, rivers and lakes that we all depend on for our food, water and energy. It was a conference to address the pressing challenge of building a future that can sustain us. Unfortunately, the world leaders who gathered here lost sight of that urgent purpose. With too few countries prepared to press for action, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff chose to drive a process with no serious content – to the planet’s detriment.”

Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world’s oceans, the observed incidences of which have been increasing since oceanographers began noting them in the 1970s. These occur near inhabited coastlines, where aquatic life is most concentrated A team of NOAA-supported scientists is predicting that this year’s Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone could range from a low of approximately 1,197 square miles to as much as 6,213 square miles. The wide range is the result of using two different forecast models. The forecast is based on Mississippi River nutrient inputs compiled annually by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Gulf of Mexico dead zone is typically about 8,000 square miles and is located where the Mississippi River dumps high-nutrient runoff from its vast drainage basin, which includes the heart of U.S. agribusiness, the Midwest. This is equivalent to a dead zone the size of New Jersey.

An estimated 70.2 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide have been sold or leased to private and public investors since 2000, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online service. The bulk of these acquisitions, which are called “land grabs” by some observers, took place between 2008 and 2010, peaking in 2009. Although data for 2010 indicate that the amount of acquisitions dropped considerably after the 2009 peak, it still remains well above pre-2005 levels, writes Worldwatch author Cameron Scherer.