Air pollution remains a significant global health challenge and is increasingly recognized as a critical exposomic risk factor for adverse birth outcomes. Although numerous epidemiological studies have linked prenatal air pollution exposure to low birth weight, preterm birth, and stillbirth, important uncertainties remain regarding the underlying biological mechanisms, critical exposure windows, and the interplay between diffe...

Forests are essential for climate, biodiversity, and society. Consequently, conserving or increasing forest cover is the focus of many national and international policies. Yet implementing such policies locally remains a massive challenge, partly due to diverging perceptions of small-scale forest cover changes and their effects on livelihoods. In this study, we couple remotely sensed forest cover changes at the village level w...

This study presents new U–Pb–Hf isotopic data and zircon ages from the Ediacaran to Ordovician Ötztal Complex of the Eastern Alps in Austria to provide new constraints on the evolution of the northern Gondwana active margin in the “proto-Alpine” realm. The multistage tectonic evolution of the complex started with siliciclastic deposition presumably in an accretionary wedge that may have lasted from ca. 600 Ma to ca. 517 Ma. Th...

Hybridization of native species with introduced closely related taxa is of concern for nature conservation due to the risk of outbreeding depression and genetic swamping. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences and 13 microsatellite loci, we provide first genetic evidence that native grass snake ( Natrix natrix natrix ) populations in Berlin have been compromised by the introduction of at least one foreign subspecies ( N. n. moreoti...

Until now, the genetic identity of common grass snakes ( Natrix natrix ) in Poland remained poorly understood. This study presents the first comprehensive phylogeographic analysis for Poland using mitochondrial DNA sequences ( cyt b and ND4 + tRNAs ) and 13 nuclear microsatellite loci. A total of 982 individuals from Poland and adjacent countries were analysed. Three mitochondrial lineages were identified, with partially overl...

Particulate filters are state-of-the-art and are used in internal combustion engines worldwide to eliminate carcinogenic nanoparticles. Health studies estimate that this prevents about one million premature deaths annually. What is less known and often neglected is their equally powerful effect on mitigating global warming. This is because these ultrafine particles form stable aerosols in the atmosphere, absorb sunlight, and h...

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species‐level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, includi...

We aimed to examine the effects of a 16-week multimodal exercise program (MEP) on activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals with dementia (IWD). Furthermore, we investigated the participants’ individual response to the MEP and whether baseline cognitive and motor performance explain ADL performance. We conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 319 participants aged ≥ 65 years with mild to modera...

Aim We advocate an interdisciplinary approach to biogeography, integrating geology and paleobiology to examine how biodiversity dynamics evolved as mountain ranges formed through (geological) time. Location Global; case study: Anatolia (Turkey). Methods We discuss the links between surface uplift and biodiversity dynamics and review recent developments for reconstructing the history of geography and biodiversity. To illustrate...

In the Lluta Valley, northern Chile, climate is hyperarid and vegetation is restricted to the valley floors and lowermost footslopes. Fossil tree trunks and leaves of predominantly Escallonia angustifolia , however, are abundant up to ∼15 m above the present valley floor, where they are intercalated with slope deposits, reflecting higher water levels in the past. A total of 17 samples have been radiocarbon dated, yielding ages...

The role of the Arctic in future global change processes is predicted to be important because of the large carbon (C) stocks contained in frozen soils and peatlands. Lakes are an important component of arctic landscapes although their role in storing C is not well prescribed. The area around Kangerlussuaq, SW Greenland (66–68°N, 49–54°W) has extremely high lake density, with ∼20 000 lakes that cover about 14% of the land area....

Cryoconite holes, which can cover 0.1–10% of the surface area of glaciers, are small, water‐filled depressions (typically In situ primary production and respiration in cryoconites during the summer is often comparable with that found in soils in warmer and nutrient richer regions. Considering only glacier areas outside Antarctica and a conservative average cryoconite distribution on glacial surfaces, we found that on a global...