California Mountain Bikers Are Asked to Ride in the Name of Science
California Mountain Bikers Are Asked to Ride in the Name of Science originally appeared on BikeMag.
Love the outdoors? Love mountain biking? Love science? Conservation nonprofit Adventure Scientists has teamed up with the Calirado Kid (AKA Joe Foft) to enlist mountain bikers in California to collect soil and insect samples to better understand California's biodiversity.
The samples will be used as part of California's 30X30 Strategy, in which the state hopes to conserve 30 percent of California lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Foft, a mountain biker known for his humor who has hundreds of thousands of followers across Instagram and YouTube, is asking anyone who mountain bikes in California to enroll in the project. Volunteers take a quick online training class, and will be sent a collection kit. During rides, they'll collect soil and bug samples. The samples are then returned and analyzed by the California Institute for Biodiversity.Some of the National Forests the program is interested in sampling through mountain biking, hiking, trail running and backpacking are Shasta Trinity, Six River, Pluma, Angeles, Lassen, Los Padres, Humbolt-Toiyabe, Eldorado and Tahoe.
There are no costs incurred by volunteers and all supplies are free. Mountain bikers were specifically requested due to the amount of remote terrain they access in a short period of time.
"By enlisting the help of volunteers, the project is able to collect vast quantities of biodiversity data across a wide geographic region that would otherwise be too expensive and difficult to collect," Adventure Scientists says. "Athletes are uniquely positioned to help protect California's biodiversity because they can access remote parts of the state that would otherwise go undocumented."
Data collected and processed will be used to help develop statewide conservation efforts. California is one of the most ecologically diverse states in the nation, Adventure Scientists says, but is increasingly under threat from factors including climate change and wildfires.
The volunteer program is open now through August 31, 2025. For complete information, visit the Adventure Scientists project page.
This story was originally reported by BikeMag on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
If You Can Only Buy 1 Cathie Wood Stock in 2025, It Should Be This
Cathie Wood, founder, CEO and chief investment officer of Ark Invest, continues to make headlines for her high-conviction approach to disruptive innovation. Her flagship fund, the Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), has posted a 52.9% return in the past 52 weeks, reflecting investor confidence. Known for identifying transformational themes early, Wood maintains focused exposure to industries like genomics, autonomous technology, and blockchain. Within this context, Natera (NTRA) has drawn sharp relevance. The company leads in cell-free DNA testing and precision medicine, aligning directly with Ark's long-term thesis. CoreWeave Just Revealed the Largest-Ever Nvidia Blackwell GPU Cluster. Should You Buy CRWV Stock? AMD Is Gunning for Nvidia's AI Chip Throne. Should You Buy AMD Stock Now? The Saturday Spread: Statistical Signals Flash Green for CMG, TMUS and VALE Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! For investors seeking a stock that fits the Ark playbook, Natera may represent one of the most fundamentally aligned additions under Wood's current investment lens. Based in Austin, Texas, stands Natera (NTRA), a pioneer in the field of cell-free DNA and genetic testing. The $23.3 billion biotech firm's arsenal includes powerful offerings like Panorama for prenatal screening, Signatera for real-time cancer surveillance, and Prospera, which sharpens the lens on transplant rejection. Over the last three months, the stock has climbed 16.9%, leaving the broader S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 5.4% gain behind. On May 8, Natera opened the books on its first-quarter, and the results exceeded Wall Street expectations. Investors responded swiftly, with the stock inching up 1.5% the same day. Natera posted $501.8 million in total revenues, a 36.5% year-over-year increase that soared past Wall Street's $443.3 million forecast. Behind those numbers were powerhouse operations. The company processed 855,100 tests during the quarter, up 16.2% year over year. Women's health volumes climbed meaningfully over the fourth quarter, but it was Signatera that stole the spotlight. The personalized, tumor-informed molecular residual disease test reached new heights, recording its highest volume quarter ever. Clinical volumes for Signatera grew 52% year over year, with a sequential gain of roughly 16,005 units over Q4, marking the most significant quarter-on-quarter growth to date. Gross margins landed at 63.1%, reflecting solid cost discipline. Moreover, Natera's net loss narrowed 1% from the year-ago period to $66.9 million. Also, the company managed to trim its loss per share by 10.7% to $0.50, outperforming analysts' projections of a $0.59 loss per share. As for liquidity, the balance sheet remained in good shape. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash climbed to $973.8 million, up from $945.6 million on Dec 31, 2024. CEO Steve Chapman has made no secret of the firm's long-term vision. He believes Signatera could ultimately generate over $5 billion in annual revenue, and he emphasized that they are still playing in the shallow end of a much deeper market pool. In a move that reinforced this optimism, Natera has raised its full-year revenue guidance to between $1.94 billion and $2.02 billion. That is a $70 million boost from the midpoint of its earlier outlook, pointing to a 26% year-over-year growth. On the other hand, analysts expect the Q2 2025 loss per share to widen 100% year over year to $0.60. For FY25, the loss per share is projected to increase 37% to $2.10, but FY26 could bring relief, with a forecast 64.8% narrowing to $0.74, hinting that profitability may finally be within reach. Analysts seem to be singing in harmony when it comes to NTRA, marking it with a firm 'Strong Buy' rating. Out of 19 analysts following the stock, 16 have given it an enthusiastic 'Strong Buy' rating, and the remaining three have placed their bets on a 'Moderate Buy.' The average price target of $200.42 represents potential upside of 17.6%. Meanwhile, the Street-High target of $251 hints at a 48% climb from current levels. Such projections do not come lightly and often reflect deep-rooted confidence in future earnings momentum and strategic execution. On the date of publication, Aanchal Sugandh did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Company makes game-changing breakthrough that could solve common issue with plant-based food — here's what you need to know
Let's be honest: Plant-based protein doesn't always taste great. Even if you love the idea of eating less meat for your health and the planet, the weird aftertaste of some plant-based meats can be hard to ignore. But that might be about to change. According to FoodNavigator USA, the flavor company T. Hasegawa USA has developed a high-tech, natural flavor that tackles the unpleasant "off" notes of plant proteins such as pea and soy. The whole technology (and science) behind it is pretty impressive. When meat sizzles in a pan or bread gets crispy in the toaster, the Maillard reaction creates craveable aromas and flavors. But plant proteins such as soy and pea don't react the same way during cooking, which can leave them tasting bland or, worse, beany and bitter. If companies want people to go for meat alternatives, there's a need to focus on options that taste good and have pleasant textures. As Mark Webster, vice president of sales and marketing at T. Hasegawa, said, "That is where the headwind is." The T. Hasegawa team tackled this problem by developing a natural flavor technology called Plantreact that increases Maillard reactions — the chemical processes that give so-called browned foods their flavors. This innovation doesn't stop with fake meats. The same flavor solution can also recreate creamy, dairy-like notes in alternative milks and other nondairy products. That's huge for people who love the idea of oat or almond milk but miss the full-bodied taste of cow's milk. Plantreact has been in the works for a while, but it's now ready to hit the market. T. Hasegawa is already working with food brands to roll it out in products. Better flavor means plant-based foods are more enjoyable, which makes it easier for more people to cut back on animal products and reduce pollution, conserve water, and shrink their carbon footprints. This tech is already being explored by plant-based brands looking to improve their products, and it may soon appear in alternative meat and dairy products at your local grocery store. Combined with the work of companies such as Meati and Perfect Day, this kind of innovation helps build a future in which eating more sustainably doesn't mean compromising on taste. Why do you eat plant-based foods? The health benefits It's cheaper It's good for the planet I prefer the taste Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scientists make jaw-dropping find at base of Antarctic glacier: 'May be greatly underestimated'
Antarctica was once believed to host little biodiversity beyond coastal areas and a few hardy microbes, but a team of scientists has made a shocking discovery beneath a slowly retreating glacier in Antarctica: a bustling network of microbial life. A team of researchers aboard Germany's Polarstern research vessel traveled to the Larsemann Hills on the southern coast of Antarctica to analyze the biodiversity of disturbed soil near the glacier's edge. Their findings, titled "Advocating microbial diversity conservation in Antarctica" and published in Frontiers, revealed 2,829 genetically defined species, and the study revealed associations among these species that suggest that these organisms don't merely coexist; they collaborate to survive. One of the study's authors, Dr. Dirk Wagner, a professor at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences and the University of Potsdam in Germany, said, "Here we reveal unexpectedly abundant and diverse microbial community even in these driest, coldest, and nutrient-poorest of soils, which suggest that biodiversity estimates in Antarctic soils may be greatly underestimated." By analyzing both DNA from living and extinct organisms, researchers revealed a dynamic history of life that now provides science with a better understanding of how ecological succession and symbiotic relationships have transformed Antarctica's hostile environment into a hospitable habitat. One of the study's key discoveries is that these organisms cooperate. Cold-loving fungi could be breaking down organic matter to supply bacteria with carbon. Algae and bacteria appear to exchange nutrients, and different species have settled into unique zones proximal to the glacier. These discoveries suggest that this tightly knit ecological network could be the very thing that makes life hospitable in this harsh region. A study published in March found that conserving diverse microbial ecosystems in Antarctica in the face of the changing climate is crucial, as these organisms thrive in extreme conditions and influence nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. The authors wrote, "By prioritizing microbial conservation, strengthening international cooperation, and integrating protection plans into policy frameworks, we can safeguard these invaluable ecosystems for future generations." Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Definitely Not sure No way Only in some cities Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
