5.5 Million Bees Found Thriving Under A US Cemetery
by Jesse Taylor, Impactful Ninja
A chance discovery at a cemetery in Ithaca, New York has led scientists to uncover one of the largest known aggregations of ground-nesting bees ever recorded, with an estimated 5.5 million individuals of the species Andrena regularis living beneath the soil. About 75% of all bee species nest in the ground, yet these solitary bees remain poorly studied. “These populations are huge, and they need protection. If we don’t preserve nest sites, and someone paves over them, we could lose in an instant 5.5 million bees that are important pollinators,” said Bryan Danforth, professor of entomology at Cornell University.
Suicide Rates Have Declined Since The Launch Of 988 Suicide Hotline, Study Finds
by Rhitu Chatterjee and Michel Martin, NPR
We have some good news this morning about the mental health of young people in the U.S. Suicides among teens and young adults declined after the launch of the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022. That is the finding of a new study published in JAMA. Suicide deaths in 15- to 34-year-olds fell by 11% between the launch of the lifeline in July 2022 and December 2024. And that translates to 4,300 fewer suicides during that time compared to what the researchers would’ve expected based on trends, you know, in prior years.
Novel Research Finds Unexpected Climate Resilience In Up To 36% Of Amazon Forest
by Justin Catanoso, Mongabay
Manaus, a city at the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, forest ecologist Flávia Costa is upbeat as she highlights what appears to be a previously underappreciated underlying Amazon reality: Her research finds that the region’s vast wetlands, or shallow water table areas, have proven to be stubbornly drought resistant through years of intensifying climate change. In fact, her long-term research reveals that palm species and other wetland trees are not just surviving drought seasons, they’re maintaining their health and even adding biomass.
250 Millionth Tree Planted! Eco-Loving Search Engine Ecosia Hits Milestone For Earth Day
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
Reaching a stellar milestone just before Earth Day, Ecosia, the nonprofit search engine, is celebrating 250 million trees planted worldwide, becoming the world’s largest planter of native trees. Since its founding in 2009, Ecosia has built the world’s largest network of local reforestation operations, numbering more than 200,000 tree planters and 125 organizations worldwide. Users’ clicks and searches, as well as the ad revenue they generate, translate to revenue which the company uses to organize tree planting.
In US First, Ann Arbor Makes Its Own Green Power Company
by Carey L. Biron, Grist
When Krystal Steward started knocking on her neighbors’ doors in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2021, to discuss energy efficiency and sustainability upgrades, she was met with a lot of blank stares. She was new to the issues herself, she said. But the longtime social worker kept at her new job doing outreach for Community Action Network, a local nonprofit dedicated to serving under-resourced communities. She slowly started getting people in her neighborhood to take part first in home energy assessments, then a city program to swap out appliances, make structural fixes, and more.
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