Tag Archives: global trade

A world of art at the Watson Institute

As a student in the Brown/RISD Dual Degree Program, senior Youbin Kang uses textiles to bring attention to global issues. Her work hangs in the Watson Institute as part of a new initiative to showcase art by students, faculty, and staff. 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Banglatie, a knit garment made by senior Youbin Kang, hangs on a wall of the Watson Institute, its form loosely resembling the shape of a person, with arms, legs, and feet dangling from the nails that hold it in place. (more…)

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Global Bullfrog Trade Spreads Deadly Amphibian Fungus Worldwide

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— The global trade in bullfrogs, which are farmed as a food source in South America and elsewhere, is spreading a deadly fungus that is contributing to the decline of amphibians worldwide, according to a University of Michigan biologist and his colleagues.

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide at an alarming rate, and the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus is believed to be a contributing factor. The fungus infects the skin of frogs, toads and salamanders.

In a study to be published in an upcoming edition of the journal Molecular Ecology, University of Michigan evolutionary biologist Timothy James and his colleagues examine the role of bullfrog farming in spreading the chytrid fungus between the forests and frog farms of Brazil and then to the United States and Japan. (more…)

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UF Study Traces Global Red Imported Fire Ant Invasions to Southern U.S.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Red imported fire ant invasions around the globe in recent years can now be traced to the southern U.S., where the nuisance insect gained a foothold in the 1930s, new University of Florida research has found.

Native to South America, the ant had been contained there and in the southeastern U.S. before turning up in faraway places in the last 20 years — including California, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. (more…)

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