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

Supersized fruit eater database on climate change frontline      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To conserve precious and fragile biodiversity hotspots, a crucial step is knowing how the fruit eaters are doing. To assist in that, scientists and students have supersized a database to keep track of such animals and birds.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Open-source software to speed up quantum research      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Quantum technology is expected to fundamentally change many key areas of society. Researchers are convinced that there are many more useful quantum properties and applications to explore than those we know today. A team of researchers has now developed open-source, freely available software that will pave the way for new discoveries in the field and accelerate quantum research significantly.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Cryo conservation: A cool solution to saving species from extinction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the face of the biodiversity crisis, and alarming data showing a 69% decline in global animal populations since 1970, researchers are banking on a cool solution to help save species from extinction. Much like egg-freezing is used to preserve human fertility options for a later date, the cryo-freezing of genetic samples taken from animals may play an essential role in curbing species extinctions. A new study sheds light on the immense potential of living cell banks, also known as cryobanks, to contribute to global conservation priorities.

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

New technique in error-prone quantum computing makes classical computers sweat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Today's quantum computers often calculate the wrong answer because of noisy environments that interfere with the quantum entanglement of qubits. IBM Quantum has pioneered a technique that accounts for the noise to achieve reliable results. They tested this error mitigation strategy against supercomputer simulations run by physicists, and for the hardest calculations, the quantum computer bested the supercomputer. This is evidence for the utility of today's noisy quantum computers for performing real-world calculations.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Researchers find high risk to amphibians if fungal pathogen invades North America      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research indicates the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) could be devastating to amphibian biodiversity if introduced to North America.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Lost giants: New study reveals the abundance decline of African megafauna      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking new paper focuses on the size and abundance of living and fossil African large mammals, shedding light on the ecological dynamics behind the decline of these iconic creatures. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the causes of megafaunal extinctions in Africa and provide new insights into the restructuring of ecosystems over millions of years.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Schrödinger's cat makes better qubits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Drawing from Schrodinger's cat thought experiment, scientists have built a 'critical cat code' qubit that uses bosons to store and process information in a way that is more reliable and resistant to errors than previous qubit designs.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Team finds reliable predictor of plant species persistence, coexistence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ecological scientists have long sought ways to measure and predict how specific plant communities will fare over time. Which species in a diverse population will persist and coexist? Which will decline? What factors might contribute to continuing biodiversity? Researchers report on a new method for determining whether pairs or groups of plant species are likely to coexist over time.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New superconducting diode could improve performance of quantum computers and artificial intelligence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has developed a more energy-efficient, tunable superconducting diode -- a promising component for future electronic devices -- that could help scale up quantum computers for industry and improve artificial intelligence systems.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Older trees accumulate more mutations than their younger counterparts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study of the relationship between the growth rate of tropical trees and the frequency of genetic mutations they accumulate suggests that older, long-lived trees play a greater role in generating and maintaining genetic diversity than short-lived trees.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Air quality stations have collected vast stores of DNA by accident, a potentially 'game-changing' discovery for tracking global biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The accelerating loss of biodiversity and increasing rate of species extinction is a major threat to ecosystems around the globe. And yet, quantifying those losses at a large scale hasn't been possible, in large part due to a lack of the required infrastructure. But a new study shows that a major source for such information already exists in the form of environmental DNA (eDNA), which has been inadvertently collected in filters by thousands of ambient air quality monitoring stations in countries around the world for decades.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Quantum computers are better at guessing, new study demonstrates      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated a quantum speedup over the most efficient classical computer algorithm possible for what is believed to be the first time.  The accomplishment was performed on an IBM Montreal Quantum Falcon r4 27-qubit device.

Biology: Biochemistry Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Human factors affect bees' communication      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Human influences have the potential to reduce the effectivity of communication in bees adding further stress to struggling colonies, according to new analysis.

Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Forest protection and carbon dioxide stored in biomass      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has found that worldwide protected forests have an additional 9.65 billion metric tons of carbon stored in their above-ground biomass compared to ecologically similar unprotected areas.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

The 'breath' between atoms -- a new building block for quantum technology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered they can detect atomic 'breathing,' or the mechanical vibration between two layers of atoms, by observing the type of light those atoms emitted when stimulated by a laser. The sound of this atomic 'breath' could help researchers encode and transmit quantum information.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Study identifies boat strikes as a growing cause of manatee deaths in Belize      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The endangered Antillean manatee faces a growing threat from boat strikes in Belize, according to a new study that raises concerns about the survival of what had been considered a relatively healthy population. Belize hosts a population of around 1,000 manatees. With the growth of tourism in recent decades, however, Belize has seen a substantial increase in boat traffic, making boat strikes an increasingly important cause of manatee deaths and injuries.

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

Understanding the tantalizing benefits of tantalum for improved quantum processors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers working to improve the performance of superconducting qubits, the foundation of quantum computers, have been experimenting using different base materials in an effort to increase the coherent lifetimes of qubits. The coherence time is a measure of how long a qubit retains quantum information, and thus a primary measure of performance. Recently, scientists discovered that using tantalum in superconducting qubits makes them perform better, but no one has been able to determine why -- until now.