Earth, Life, and Health Sciences

A photo of a salmon leaping up river

Salmon deplete fat stores while stopped at dams, UMaine study shows

Restoration of the critically endangered Atlantic salmon is an important issue in the rivers of Maine. Dams on Maine rivers have long been known to impact fish populations, but a new study led by the University of Maine quantifying the time and energy lost by Atlantic salmon stopped by dams indicate that the structures might […]

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Grew aids discovery of two compounds previously unknown to materials science

Edward Grew, research professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences at the University of Maine, has helped a team of Chinese and European scientists obtain official recognition for three new minerals discovered as tiny inclusions in corundum (Al2O3) from a chromite mine in Tibet, China. Read more on the School of Earth and […]

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News Center Maine reports on UMaine using eDNA to track rainbow smelt

News Center Maine featured research from the University of Maine that tracks down sea run rainbow smelt using environmental DNA, or eDNA. “It runs right up against forensics, it’s just, we move outside of crime scenes and into the wild. The nice things about environmental DNA is it only requires somebody to collect a water […]

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A photo of a mountain glacier

UMaine leads study of Ugandan glaciers that unravels 20,000-year-old geological mystery

Ancient geological discrepancies can not only puzzle scientists, but can also lead to revelations about our present climate once they are solved. An international team led by a University of Maine researcher has uncovered a 20,000-year-old geological mystery in Uganda that will inform how scientists understand the relationship between glaciers, sea level temperatures and precipitation […]

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Witter Center’s dairy herd ranked eighth in the nation

The herd of Holsteins at the University of Maine’s J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center is among ten best at U.S. colleges and universities, an annual ranking by the Holstein Association says.  The 26-cow herd placed third in New England and tied for eighth in the association’s nationwide 2022 Breed Age Average ranking. Breed Age […]

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Birkel speaks to USA Today to fact check article about global cooling

Sean Birkel, Maine state climatologist and assistant professor with a joint appointment in University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the UMaine Climate Change Institute, spoke to USA Today to fact check an article that falsely claims the sun is causing global cooling. Birkel explained that cold events can occur even on a warming planet. Climate […]

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A photo of Heather Leslie

Heather Leslie, Darling Marine Center Director, named 2022 AAAS fellow

Heather Leslie, professor of marine science and director of the Darling Marine Center at the University of Maine, has been named a 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, one of the highest honors in the scientific community. AAAS Fellows are a group of scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their achievements […]

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