Computer Science: Encryption
Published

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities of common seismological equipment      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Seismic monitoring devices linked to the internet are vulnerable to cyberattacks that could disrupt data collection and processing, say researchers who have probed the devices for weak points.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Ancient seashell resonates after 18,000 years      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Almost 80 years after its discovery, a large shell from the ornate Marsoulas Cave in the Pyrenees has been studied by a multidisciplinary team: it is believed to be the oldest wind instrument of its type.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Early Indian monsoon forecasts could benefit farmers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

First ever in-depth analysis of ECMWF's latest seasonal forecasting system shows it accurately predicts Indian monsoon onset and rainfall, and could be used to avoid crop losses.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Study challenges ecology's 'Field of Dreams' hypothesis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study challenges the 'Field of Dreams' hypothesis in restoration ecology, which predicts that restoring plant biodiversity will lead to recovery of animal biodiversity. The study of restored tallgrass prairie found the effects of management strategies (specifically controlled burns and bison reintroduction) on animal communities were six times stronger on average than the effects of plant biodiversity.

Computer Science: Encryption
Published

Say goodbye to the dots and dashes to enhance optical storage media      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new technology is aimed at modernizing the optical digital storage technology. This advancement allows for more data to be stored and for that data to be read at a quicker rate. Rather than using the traditional dots and dashes as commonly used in these technologies, the innovators encode information in the angular position of tiny antennas, allowing them to store more data per unit area.

Computer Science: Encryption
Published

Researchers improve data readout by using 'quantum entanglement'      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers say they have been able to greatly improve the readout of data from digital memories - thanks to a phenomenon known as 'quantum entanglement'.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Disease threatens to decimate western bats      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A four-year study concludes that the fungal disease, white-nose syndrome, poses a severe threat to many western North American bats.

Computer Science: Encryption
Published

Physicists observe competition between magnetic orders      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Two-dimensional materials, consisting of a single layer of atoms, have been booming in research for years. They possess novel properties that can only be explained with the help of the laws of quantum mechanics. Researchers have now used ultracold atoms to gain new insights into previously unknown quantum phenomena. They found out that the magnetic orders between two coupled thin films of atoms compete with each other.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Uncovering how grasslands changed our climate      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Grasslands are managed worldwide to support livestock production, while remaining natural or semi-natural ones provide critical services that contribute to the wellbeing of both people and the planet. Human activities are however causing grasslands to become a source of greenhouse gas emissions rather than a carbon sink. A new study uncovered how grasslands used by humans have changed our climate over the last centuries.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Capturing 40 years of climate change for an endangered Montana prairie      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Over 40 years of monitoring, an endangered bunchgrass prairie became hotter, drier and more susceptible to fire annually -- but dramatic seasonal changes (not annual climate trends) seem to be driving the biggest changes in plant production, composition, and summer senescence.

Computer Science: Encryption Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

A biochemical random number      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have generated a huge true random number using DNA synthesis. It is the first time that a number of this magnitude has been created by biochemical means.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Trees and green roofs can help reduce the urban heat island effect      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Air pollution experts have found that green infrastructure (GI), such as trees, can help reduce temperatures in many of Europe's cities and towns.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Tiny cave snail with muffin-top waistline rolls out of the dark in Laos      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Recent cave exploration has turned up a tiny, top-heavy snail that glistens under the light of the microscope lens. Only 1.80 mm tall, this transparent snail bulges at the middle, giving a natural appearance to the ''muffin-top'' waistline. The article reveals new biodiversity from the seldom explored caves of central Laos.

Computer Science: Encryption
Published

Researchers simulate privacy leaks in functional genomics studies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers demonstrate that it's possible to de-identify raw functional genomics data to ensure patient privacy. They also demonstrate how these raw data could be linked back to specific individuals through their gene variants by something as simple as an abandoned coffee cup if these sanitation measures are not put in place.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Crop diversification can improve environmental outcomes without sacrificing yields      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Diversifying agricultural systems beyond a narrow selection of crops leads to a range of ecosystem improvements while also maintaining or improving yields, according to a new study that analyzed thousands of previously conducted experiments. Diversification practices such as crop rotations and planting prairie strips can lead to 'win-win' results that protect the environment without sacrificing yields, according to the analysis.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Seabirds' response to abrupt climate change transformed sub-Antarctic island ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A 14,000-year paleoecological reconstruction of the sub-Antarctic islands done by an international research team including HKU has found that seabird establishment occurred during a period of regional cooling 5,000 years ago. Their populations, in turn, shifted the Falkland Island ecosystem through the deposit of high concentrations of guano that helped nourish tussac, produce peat and increase the incidence of fire.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Expect more mega-droughts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Mega-droughts - droughts that last two decades or longer - are tipped to increase thanks to climate change, according to new research.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Boo! How do Mexican cavefish escape predators?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When startled, do all fish respond the same way? A few fish, like Mexican cavefish, have evolved in unique environments without any predators. To see how this lack of predation impacts escape responses that are highly stereotyped across fish species, scientists explored this tiny fish to determine if there are evolved differences in them. Findings reveal that the dramatic ecological differences between cave and river environments contribute to differences in escape behavior in blind cavefish and river-dwelling surface cavefish.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Atmospheric dust levels are rising in the Great Plains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A study finds that atmospheric dust levels are rising across the Great Plains at a rate of up to 5% per year. The trend of rising dust parallels expansion of cropland and even seasonal crop cycles. And if the Great Plains becomes drier, a possibility under climate change scenarios, then all the pieces are in place for a repeat of the Dust Bowl that devastated the Midwest in the 1930s.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

40 percent of Amazon could now exist as rainforest or savanna-like ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers focused on the stability of tropical rainforests in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. With their approach they were able to explore how rainforests respond to changing rainfall.