How to Build Your 'Oh, Crap!' Fund
Nerd Wallet, 5/3/2018
The emergency fund is a bust. Millions of Americans don't have one, and some of those who do resist tapping what they've saved. I'd like to propose an alternative for both sets of people: The "oh, crap!" fund, a savings account for not-quite-emergency expenses... The "oh, crap!" fund is designed to be spent, not hoarded. Emergency funds are meant to be spent, too, but people are often reluctant to part with money labeled as savings, says financial literacy expert andRutgers University professor Barbara O'Neill. "People hate to experience losses, [and] pulling money out of a savings account feels like a loss," O'Neill says.
Hlubik: Tools available for N.J. organic farmers
American Farm Publications, 5/11/2018
A lot of the integrated pest researchMiddlesex County agriculture agent Bill Hlubikis doing now is in response to a growing number of organic farmers and farmers looking into organic transition, including landscaping companies... He said Rutgers Extension has developed manuals for both backyard vegetable growers and organic landscaping companies. "A course in organic landscaping is offered here every January," he told workshop attendees on April 4.
Stink bugs leave DNA footprints on produce
Nature, 5/14/2018
Stink bugs leave a DNA trail that can help scientists to detect the pest's forays into crop fields. The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorphahalys) is native to Asia, but has damaged crops across North America and Europe.Rafael Valentin at Rutgers Universityin New Brunswick, New Jersey, and his colleagues developed a highly sensitive method for detecting the insect.
Endangered Bornean Orangutans Threatened Further By Wildfires, Both Natural And Human-Made
International Business Times, 5/15/2018
Wendy Erb, a researcher from Rutgers Universityin New Brunswick, New Jersey, was studying male orangutans in Indonesian Borneo when the fires started (often done by small farmers to clear forest land) in 2015. A few weeks later, Erb noticed a change in the male orangutans' vocalizations, specifically in the call scientists think males use to attract females and to warn other males. "I thought they sounded raggedy, a little like humans who smoke a lot," Erb said in a statement Tuesday, and that prompted her to investigate the effects of inhaling smoke on the orangutans' health.
Already endangered orangutans face wildfire smoke health risks
Earth, 5/15/2018
For wild animals like orangutans, an already critically endangered species, avoiding wildfire smoke during fire season is nearly impossible, and a new study found that smoke is just as harmful to orangutans as it is to humans. The study was conducted by researchers from the Department of Anthropology atRutgers University-New Brunswick and the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in Borneo and published in the journal Scientific Reports...Wendy Erb, the lead author of the study, noticed a few weeks into the season that the male orangutans' "long call" vocalization, meant to attract females and warn males, sounded different. "I thought they sounded raggedy, a little like humans who smoke a lot," said Erb.
Rutgers Center Battles Noise Pollution Nationwide
Tapinto Bloomfield, 5/15/2018
Eric Zwerlinggot a call this week from a man was living next to a fitness center, complaining he repeatedly heard the loud thud heavy free weights and medicine balls hit the floor. The man was recovering from having a pace maker in his chest and wondering of the impact of the noise from the gym. "I've received thousands of calls," said Zwerling, director of theRutgers Noise Technical Assistance Center. Over nearly three decades, Zwerling, has fielded calls and traveled nationwide to explain the dangers of loud sounds on people's lives. He has written noise code regulations for communities from Florida to Alaska and he has trained investigators in all 21 New Jersey counties.
Why Do Some Fruits and Vegetables Conduct Electricity?
Live Science, 5/16/2018
The best food battery is any fruit or vegetable that has high levels of superconductive ions, such as potassium or sodium, and the proper internal structure to create a working current. Potatoes, which have homogenous structures, and pickles, which have high levels of sodium and acidity, are good examples of such foods. .. In contrast, tomatoes have unorganized, messy insides and often leak, and even an orange - which has high levels of potassium - won't work well, because the flesh of the fruit is divided into internal compartments, and these create barriers that block the current,Paul Takhistov, an associate professor of food engineering at Rutgers Universityin New Jersey, told Live Science.
Hundreds of fish species will be forced to shift north due to climate change, study says
The Boston Globe, 5/16/2018
Hundreds of fish and invertebrate species will be forced to shift north to seek relief from warming waters, potentially disrupting the fishing industry on both the east and west coasts of the United States and Canada, according to a new study from Rutgers...Malin Pinsky, a Rutgers professor of ecology, evolution, and natural resources, said the shifts in the habitats, which will draw the fish with them, will often mean longer trips and higher fuel costs for fishermen.
Climate Change Will Force Hundreds of Marine Species to Move
The Scientist, 5/16/2018
Hundreds of marine animal species living on North American continental shelves will be forced to shift their ranges further north as a result of climate change, according to a study published today in PLOS ONE... "We found a major effect of carbon emissions scenario on the magnitude of projected shifts in species habitat during the 21st century," study coauthorJames Morley of Rutgers Universitysays in a statement.
East Asian invasive tick has now been found in third N.J. county
NJ.com, 5/16/2018
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that the East Asian tick (also called the Longhorn tick) has been found in Middlesex County. The ticks were discovered on May 10 at Rutgers's Cook Campus farm during a statewide "Tick Blitz" organized by theRutgers Center for Vector Biology, according to the NJDA. The ticks were found in a patch of tall grass along College Farm Road. So far, the East Asian ticks in New Jersey have yet to show any harm to humans.Robert Goodman, the executive dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Health Sciences, stressed that people should be more concerned about native tick species."From a public health standpoint, however, people should be more concerned about our native ticks and the diseases they may carry, such as Lyme disease," Goodman said.
Rare Tick Located In Middlesex County
New Brunswick Patch, 5/16/2018
The East Asian tick, also known as the longhorned tick or bush tick, was found at Rutgers University-New Brunswick's Cook Campus farm in a patch of high grass along College Farm Road on May 10...Robert M. Goodman, executive dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Health Sciences, said theRutgers Center for Vector Biologyis playing a lead role "as we seek to determine how widespread this tick is across New Jersey, and develop the best ways to eliminate it."
Warming Waters Push Fish To Cooler Climes, Out Of Some Fishermen's Reach
NPR, 5/17/2018
Fish can be as picky about their water temperature as Goldilocks was about her porridge.Ecologist Malin Pinsky of Rutgers Universitysays a warming climate is heating up their coastal habitats. "Here in North American waters," he says, "that means fish and other marine animals, their habitat is shifting further north quite rapidly."Pinsky studied 686 marine species ranging from bass and flounder to crab and lobster. He projected how much warmer oceans would get over the next 80 years, using various scenarios for emissions of greenhouse gases and the rate of global warming. Then he projected how fish species would probably react to that based on what they've been doing already. "And [with] about 450 of those," he says, "we have high certainty in terms of how far they are going to shift in the future."
Exotic tick species spreads to Middlesex County
MyCentralJersey.com, 5/17/2018
On Wednesday, the state Department of Agriculture announced the Longhorned tick, also known as the East Asian tick, was found on Rutgers University's Cook Campus. Samples were collected during a statewide "Tick Blitz" on May 10 led by theRutgers Center for Vector Biology. Results of the Tick Blitz, including confirmation of whether Longhorned ticks were found elsewhere in New Jersey, will be available soon.Robert Goodman, executive dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Health Sciences, said, "Our Rutgers Center for Vector Biology is playing a lead role as we seek to determine how widespread this tick is across New Jersey, and develop the best ways to eliminate it."
Your dinner might be swimming North thanks to climate change, Rutgers study says
NJ.com, 5/17/2018
Climate change is making oceans warmer and the fish are taking flight. And that could have a big impact on New Jersey's $7.9 billion fishing industry according to a new Rutgers-led study published Wednesday. Aquatic life has a narrow tolerance for temperature range, so as the water heats up species populations are shifting northward to find suitable habitat according toMalinPinksy, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor in Rutgers' Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources... "This is a big deal for New Jersey's fishermen," Pinsky said.
East Asian exotic tick found in Middlesex County, NJ department says
Monroe Now, 5/17/2018
The tick, the state Department of Agriculture said in a statement on May 16, was found on May 10, at Rutgers University New Brunswick's Cook Campus during a statewide "Tick Blitz" lead by theRutgers Center for Vector Biology... "We are taking steps to eliminate the ticks where they were found from our campus," saidRobert M. Goodman, executive dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Health Sciences. "From a public health standpoint, however, people should be more concerned about our native ticks and the diseases they may carry, such as Lyme disease. Because this is tick season, people enjoying the outdoors should follow the standard steps to protect themselves, their children and their pets from tick-borne disease."
They can swarm, suck blood and spread disease: Meet the ticks of N.J.
NJ.com, 5/18/2018
The tiny, blood-sucking creatures of nightmares are back in the news after it was recently confirmed that an invasive species of Asian tick that swarms livestock in the thousands survived the winter and is now established in New Jersey. Keep a close eye out for Blacklegged ticks if you're out in the woods. Deer ticks are common in New Jersey, are known to bite humans, and can carry various diseases including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis. The ticks can also carry powassan virus, though that is pretty uncommon according toAlvaro Toledo, an assistant professor of entomology at Rutgers.
N.J. flounder, sea bass pushed north because of climate change, say scientists
The Inquirier, Philly.com, 5/18/2018
Continued ocean warming could cause habitats of many species of fish, including flounder and black sea bass, regularly found off New Jersey's coast, to move much farther north with the potential to alter fisheries and challenge commercial fishing operations, new research has found. "Our study suggests that climate change will force hundreds of marine animals to shift north, including some of the species most important right here in the Mid-Atlantic," saidMalin Pinsky, a biologist and Rutgers University professor in the department of ecology, evolution, and natural resources. He is a co-author of the Rutgers-led study, published last week in the journal PLOS ONE.
Exotic tick species found in Middlesex County
Morning Ag Clips, 5/21/2018
The National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed on May 11 that the Longhorned tick (Haemaphysalislongicornis) was found at Rutgers University-New Brunswick's Cook Campus farm in Middlesex County, in a patch of high grass along College Farm Road. Samples were collected during a May 10 statewide "Tick Blitz" led by theRutgers Center for Vector Biology... "ur Rutgers Center for Vector Biology is playing a lead role as we seek to determine how widespread this tick is across New Jersey, and develop the best ways to eliminate it," saidRobert M. Goodman, executive dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Health Sciences.
7 new tick viruses to worry about with 'big epidemic' of bugs in much of the country
MSN, 5/21/2018
Welcome to the new tick season. No one knows exactly how many ticks are out there, but the skyrocketing cases of tick-borne diseases recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides indirect evidence that the little bloodsuckers are becoming more numerous, saidAlfaro Toledo, an assistant professor in the department of entomologyat Rutgers University. "It's a big epidemic affecting the entire East Coast," said Toledo. "Witness the spread of the deer tick to the north and west."
Stripers, Skilletfish and Sondes: Jacques Cousteau NERR Serves Up Vast Research Possibilities
Environmental Monitor, 5/21/2018
Stretching over 116,000 acres, only approximately one percent of which has been developed, theJacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve(JC NERR) offers a large, pristine area on coastal New Jersey unlike any other. It is not only a haven for fish, birds and other wildlife, it is also a haven for researchers... "Our program here is very much place-based," saysGregg Sakowicz, Field Researcher at Rutgers Universityand System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) Coordinator at JC NERR. "We have the support of the local community, regional representation and also a national database. We're lucky to have the system we have."
We invite you to send an email lerting us when you are quoted in a story or if your program is mentioned in the news. Please send links of news,as it happens, as some media outlets do not retain online links beyond a week.
Visit the newly redesigned SEBS and NJAES Newsroom atsebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu.