ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Almost 4 million people die annually from household air pollution (HAP) caused by exposure to the combustion of biomass fuels, kerosene, or coal. A new article explains the need for studies into biomarkers of HAP exposure and predictors of respiratory disease.

A research team has determined that the 2011 record-breaking algal bloom in Lake Erie was triggered by long-term agricultural practices coupled with extreme precipitation, followed by weak lake circulation and warm temperatures. The team also predicts that, unless agricultural policies change, the lake will continue to experience extreme blooms.

Move over dancing bears, Ronan the sea lion really does know how to boogie to the beat. A California sea lion who bobs her head in time with music has given scientists the first empirical evidence of an animal that is not capable of vocal mimicry but can keep the beat, according to new research.

California sagebrush in the southern part of the state will adjust better to climate change than sagebrush populations in the north, according to researchers.

Surface appearances can be so misleading: In most forests, the amount of carbon held in soils is substantially greater than the amount contained in the trees themselves, according to new research.

New research documents how the genetic structure of African malaria mosquitoes is evolving, which could lead to implications for controlling malaria.

Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new paper that highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts.