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Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Living near green spaces could reduce risk of premature birth
Mothers living in areas where new trees are planted are more likely to give birth at term, with babies of higher weights, researchers say. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : The benefits of green spaces for human health are well established – they have been shown, for example, to promote physical activity, and reduce stress and pollution. But proximity to nature also has an impact on the number of premature births, according to a recent US study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Conducted by professors at Drexel University in Philadelphia, this research followed over 36,000 pregnant women who gave birth between Jan 1, 2015, and Dec 31, 2020, residing in Portland, Oregon, where over 36,000 trees were planted between 1990 and 2020. The number of trees planted within a 100m radius of the participants' addresses was evaluated. 'We found that tree planting around maternal address was associated with increased birthweight as well as a reduced probability of a small-for-gestational-age or preterm birth,' the researchers wrote. In other words, mothers living in areas where trees were planted within the past 30 years were more likely to give birth at term, with babies of higher birth weights, than those living farther away from tree-planted areas. Specifically, living within 100m of at least 10 trees is associated with an increase of about 50g in birth weight, which was the case for 2,879 babies in the sample studied. 'This might not seem like a lot, but if every baby in our sample gained 50g at birth, that means 642 fewer babies considered small for gestational age and at higher risk for worse development later in life,' said senior author Yvonne Michael. The study also notes that older trees may provide some additional benefits compared to those recently planted, such as improved air quality and reduced noise pollution from road traffic. This study isn't the first to highlight a link between a reduction in premature births and proximity to green space. But the novelty lies in its methodology, which focuses on recently planted trees and over a precise period. 'Existing tree cover is often closely tied to factors like income, education and race, making it difficult to fully account for other possible explanations when studying birth outcomes. By focusing on newly planted trees, we were able to reduce the bias – essentially treating it as a natural experiment,' Michael explained. 'This is another data point showing that planting trees is a relatively easy and low-cost way to improve public health from the earliest stages of life,' she concluded.
The Guardian
04-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Invasive Asian hornets ‘eating hundreds of insect species' in Europe
Invasive Asian hornets are eating hundreds of different species of insects in Europe, including many which are important pollinators, researchers have warned. The findings, from tests of the guts of more than 1,500 larvae, raise new concerns over the 'extra threat' the hornet poses to native insects already under pressure from farming, changes in land use and chemical pollution. The study also highlights the potential impact on agriculture, with 43 of the 50 most commonly identified species in the hornet larvae's diet known to visit flowers – including Europe's three main crop pollinators. The Asian hornet, or yellow-legged hornet, a voracious invasive, is native to south-east Asia. It arrived in France in a cargo of pottery from China about 20 years ago and spread rapidly across the continent. Its main prey is honeybees. The Asian hornet can kill 50 bees a day and has devastated colonies in France and Italy. It was first seen in the UK in 2016, and there have been regular sightings since, including 44 confirmed in 2024 – largely in Kent and East Sussex. The researchers from the University of Exeter carried out genetic analysis in a method called 'deep sequencing' to identify prey species in the guts of more than 1,500 hornet larvae from 103 nests in Jersey, France, Spain and the UK. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion They identified 1,449 different prey which had been fed by adult hornets to their larvae in the nests, more than half of which (55%) could be identified as a specific species. Prey included a wide range of flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, moths and spiders, with honeybees, common wasps and blowflies most commonly found. While the hornets have a preference for honeybees, which were found in all nests and almost all samples, a wide range of other species were also recorded, showing they are 'opportunistic' and prey on any creatures that are abundant in the areas near their nests. Europe's top three crop pollinators – the honeybee, buff-tailed bumblebee and red-tailed bumblebee – were all found among the top 50 prey species identified. The study's lead author, Siffreya Pedersen, said: 'Asian hornets are known to prey on honeybees, but until now the full range of their diet hasn't been tested. The diet varied strongly over the seasons and between regions, showing that they are highly flexible predators. She said: 'Insects play vital roles in enabling ecosystems to function – including pollination, decomposition and pest control. Most insect populations are in decline due to factors such as habitat destruction and chemical pollution. The expanding area inhabited by Asian hornets poses an extra threat.' The study is published in the journal Science Of The Total Environment.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Asian hornets eating wide range of insects in ‘extra threat' to wildlife
Invasive Asian hornets are eating hundreds of different species of insects, including many which are important pollinators, researchers have warned. The findings, from tests of the guts of more than 1,500 larvae, raise new concerns over the 'extra threat' the hornet poses to native insects already under pressure from farming, changes in land use and chemical pollution. The study also highlights the potential impact on agriculture, with 43 of the 50 most commonly identified species in the hornet larvae's diet known to visit flowers – including Europe's three main crop pollinators. The Asian hornet or yellow-legged hornet, a voracious invasive, is native to South East Asia and arrived in France in a cargo of pottery from China about 20 years ago, spreading rapidly across the continent. Its main prey is honeybees, and it can kill 50 bees a day, devastating colonies in France and Italy. It was first seen in the UK in 2016, and there have been regular sightings since, including 44 confirmed in 2024 – largely in Kent and East Sussex, although a rapid response approach to destroy hornets and nests has stopped its spread in Britain. The researchers from the University of Exeter carried out genetic analysis in a method called 'deep sequencing' to identify prey species in the guts of more than 1,500 hornet larvae from 103 nests in Jersey, France, Spain, and the UK. They identified 1,449 different prey which had been fed by adult hornets to their larvae in the nests, more than half of which (55%) could be identified as a specific species. Prey included a wide range of flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, moths and spiders, with honeybees, common wasps and blow flies most commonly found. While the hornets have a preference for honeybees, which were found in all nests and almost all samples, a wide range of other species were also recorded, showing they are 'opportunistic' and prey on any creatures that are abundant in the areas near their nests. Europe's top three crop pollinators – the honeybee, buff-tailed bumblebee and the red-tailed bumblebee – were all found among the top 50 prey species identified. The study's lead author Siffreya Pedersen said: 'Asian hornets are known to prey on honey bees, but until now the full range of their diet hasn't been tested. 'The diet varied strongly over the seasons and between regions, showing that they are highly flexible predators. And she said: 'Insects play vital roles in enabling ecosystems to function – including pollination, decomposition and pest control. 'Most insect populations are in decline due to factors such as habitat destruction and chemical pollution. 'The expanding area inhabited by Asian hornets poses an extra threat,' she warned. The study is published in the journal Science Of The Total Environment.
