Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Will climate change lead to the extinction of a newly discovered tarantula species?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists have discovered a new species of tarantula from the Madrean Sky Island biodiversity hotspot in southeastern Arizona. This remarkable new species is endemic to the Chiricahua Mountains and is predominately distributed in mid- to high-elevation forests, which are increasingly threatened due to climate change.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Nitrogen interventions as a key to better health and robust ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team combined multidisciplinary methods to evaluate how nitrogen interventions could improve air quality and reduce nitrogen deposition. Their study found that interventions, such as improving fuel combustion conditions, increasing agricultural nitrogen use efficiency, and reducing food loss and waste, could significantly lower premature deaths attributed to air pollution, crop losses, and ecosystems risks.

Computer Science: General
Published

Detecting machine-generated text: An arms race with the advancements of large language models      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Today, many commercial tools claim to be highly successful at detecting machine-generated text, with up to 99% accuracy, but are these claims too good to be true? RAID, the Robust AI Detection benchmark, which shows that most detectors are easily fooled, setting a new bar for AI detection to clear.

Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

It's a rave: Underground acoustics amplify soil health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Barely audible to human ears, healthy soils produce a cacophony of sounds in many forms -- a bit like an underground rave concert of bubble pops and clicks. Special recordings made by ecologists show this chaotic mixture of soundscapes can be a measure of the diversity of tiny living animals in the soil, which create sounds as they move and interact with their environment.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Blind cavefish have extraordinary taste buds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A biologist studies blind cavefish, a species of fish that dwell in cave ponds in Mexico. He looked at the timeline for when the cavefish develop additional taste buds on the head and chin, finding the taste bud expansion starts at five months and continues into adulthood.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Nearly 25% of European landscape could be rewilded, researchers say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Europe's abandoned farmlands could find new life through rewilding, a movement to restore ravaged landscapes to their wilderness before human intervention. A quarter of the European continent, 117 million hectares, is primed with rewilding opportunities, researchers report.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Robot planning tool accounts for human carelessness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new algorithm may make robots safer by making them more aware of human inattentiveness. In computerized simulations of packaging and assembly lines where humans and robots work together, the algorithm developed to account for human carelessness improved safety by about a maximum of 80% and efficiency by about a maximum of 38% compared to existing methods.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Advancing modular quantum information processing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of physicists envisions a modular system for scaling quantum processors with a flexible way of linking qubits over long distances to enable them to work in concert to perform quantum operations. The ability to carry out such correlated or 'entangling' operations between linked qubits is the basis of the enhanced power quantum computing holds compared with current computers.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General
Published

New brain-computer interface allows man with ALS to 'speak' again      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new brain-computer interface translates brain signals into speech with up to 97 percent accuracy. Researchers implanted sensors in the brain of a man with severely impaired speech due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The man was able to communicate his intended speech within minutes of activating the system.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Revealing the mysteries within microbial genomes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique will make it much easier for researchers to discover the traits or activities encoded by genes of unknown function in microbes, a key step toward understanding the roles and impact of individual species within the planet's diverse microbiomes.

Chemistry: General Computer Science: General Energy: Technology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Smart fabric converts body heat into electricity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a smart fabric that can convert body heat and solar energy into electricity, potentially enabling continuous operation with no need for an external power source. Different sensors monitoring temperature, stress, and more can be integrated into the material.

Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

How air-powered computers can prevent blood clots      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new, air-powered computer sets off alarms when certain medical devices fail. The invention is a more reliable and lower-cost way to help prevent blood clots and strokes -- all without electronic sensors.

Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

In subdivided communities cooperative norms evolve more easily      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers simulated social norms with a supercomputer. Their findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolution of social norms and their role in fostering cooperative behavior.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the a new systematic review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events will change in future under different climate change scenarios.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists achieve more than 98% efficiency removing nanoplastics from water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in people, nanoplastics continue to build up, largely unnoticed, in the world's bodies of water. The challenge remains to develop a cost-effective solution to get rid of nanoplastics while leaving clean water behind. That's where Mizzou comes in. Recently, researchers created a new liquid-based solution that eliminates more than 98% of these microscopic plastic particles from water.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Study reveals urban trees suffer more from heat waves and drought than their rural counterparts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding highlights the challenges urban trees face in the context of climate change and underscores the importance of tailored urban forestry management as a tool for protecting tree species and reducing urban heat islands.

Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Say 'aah' and get a diagnosis on the spot: is this the future of health?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A computer algorithm has achieved a 98% accuracy in predicting different diseases by analyzing the color of the human tongue. The proposed imaging system can diagnose diabetes, stroke, anemia, asthma, liver and gallbladder conditions, COVID-19, and a range of vascular and gastrointestinal issues, according to new research.