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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Mathematics: General
Published Prehistoric climate change repeatedly channelled human migrations across Arabia
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have discovered archaeological sites in the Nefud Desert of Saudi Arabia associated with the remains of ancient lakes formed when periods of increased rainfall transformed the region into grassland. The researchers found that early humans spread into the region during each 'Green Arabia' phase, each bringing a different kind of material culture. The new research establishes northern Arabia as a crucial migration route and a crossroads for early humans.
Published Researchers discover fresh water in the Mediterranean Sea
(via sciencedaily.com) There is enough water on our planet, but by far the largest part is salt water that is unsuitable as drinking water. Therefore, especially in dry regions of the earth, the search for new freshwater resources is very active. An international team of researchers has now discovered strong evidence of a groundwater deposit off the coast of Malta.
Published City-living bees benefit most from specific types of urban ‘greening’
(via sciencedaily.com) Converting vacant urban lots into greenspaces can reduce blight and improve neighborhoods, and new research shows that certain types of such post-industrial reclamation efforts offer the added bonus of benefiting bees.
Published Ancient ostrich eggshell reveals new evidence of extreme climate change thousands of years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Evidence from an ancient eggshell has revealed important new information about the extreme climate change faced by human early ancestors.
Published Solving a long-standing mystery about the desert's rock art canvas
(via sciencedaily.com) Petroglyphs are carved in a material called rock varnish, the origins of which have been debated for years. Now, scientists argue it's the result of bacteria and an adaptation that protects them from the desert sun's harsh rays.
Published More intense and frequent thunderstorms linked to global climate variability
(via sciencedaily.com) Large thunderstorms in the Southern Great Plains of the U.S. are some of the strongest on Earth. In recent years, these storms have increased in frequency and intensity, and new research shows that these shifts are linked to climate variability.
Published Butterflies regularly cross the Sahara in longest-known insect migration
(via sciencedaily.com) Wetter conditions in Sub-Saharan and North Africa at certain times of year can result in hundreds of times more Painted Lady butterflies making the 14,000 km round trip to Europe. Findings improve understanding of how insects move to other countries, including pests that destroy crops and disease-carrying species like mosquitoes.
Published Fungal spores from 250-year-old collections given new lease of life
(via sciencedaily.com) The biological and historical diversity in museum collections is staggering, with specimens collected across centuries by some of the most famous scientists in history. In a new study, researchers successfully revived museal fungal specimens that were more than 250 years old and used the live cultures for whole genome sequencing and physiological experiments.
Published Ways to tackle water security challenges in world's drylands
(via sciencedaily.com) To counter the effects of climate change on drylands, a new study suggests that global access to water should be managed in a more integrated way.
Published New insights into survival of ancient Western Desert peoples
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have used more than two decades of satellite-derived environmental data to form hypotheses about the possible foraging habitats of pre-contact Aboriginal peoples living in Australia's Western Desert.
Published Sick bats also employ 'social distancing' which prevents the outbreak of epidemics, study suggests
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new study, researchers demonstrate that sick bats, just like ill humans, prefer to stay away from their communities, probably as a means for recovery, and possibly also as a measure for protecting others.
Published Using fossil plant molecules to track down the Green Sahara
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new concept to explain the phenomenon known as Green Sahara. They demonstrate that a permanent vegetation cover in the Sahara was only possible under two overlapping rainy seasons.
Published Does cold wildfire smoke contribute to water repellent soils in burned areas?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source After a wildfire, soils in burned areas often become water repellent, leading to increased erosion and flooding after rainfall events - a phenomenon that many scientists have attributed to smoke and heat-induced changes in soil chemistry. But this post-fire water repellency may also be caused by wildfire smoke in the absence of heat, according to a new article.
Published Road verges provide opportunity for wildflowers, bees and trees
(via sciencedaily.com) Road verges cover 1.2% of land in Great Britain - an area the size of Dorset - and could be managed to help wildlife, new research shows.
Published Prehistoric horses, bison shared diet
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers found that a broader diversity of plants in the Arctic 40,000 years ago supported both more -- and more diverse -- big animals like horses, bison and ground sloths. The research could inform conservation of wood bison in Alaska.
Published Nature has enormous potential to fight climate change and biodiversity loss in the UK
(via sciencedaily.com) A new report details how nature can be a powerful ally in responding to the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Published Cryptic sense of orientation of bats localized: the sixth sense of mammals lies in the eye
(via sciencedaily.com) Mammals see with their eyes, hear with their ears and smell with their nose. But which sense or organ allows them to orient themselves on their migrations, which sometimes go far beyond their local foraging areas and therefore require an extended ability to navigate? Scientific experiments now show that the cornea of the eyes is the location of such an important sense in migrating bats.
Published Cave deposits reveal Pleistocene permafrost thaw, absent predicted levels of CO2 release
(via sciencedaily.com) Expanding the study of prehistoric permafrost thawing to North America, researchers found evidence in mineral deposits from caves in Canada that permafrost thawing took place as recently as 400,000 years ago, in temperatures not much warmer than today. But they did not find evidence the thawing caused the release of predicted levels of carbon dioxide stored in the frozen terrain.
Published Spring forest flowers likely key to bumblebee survival
(via sciencedaily.com) For more than a decade, ecologists have been warning of a downward trend in bumble bee populations across North America, with habitat destruction a primary culprit in those losses. While efforts to preserve wild bees in the Midwest often focus on restoring native flowers to prairies, a new study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded landscapes.
Published Climate change is making Indian monsoon seasons more chaotic
(via sciencedaily.com) If global warming continues unchecked, summer monsoon rainfall in India will become stronger and more erratic. This is the central finding of an analysis by a team of researchers that compared more than 30 state-of-the-art climate models from all around the world. The study predicts more extremely wet years in the future - with potentially grave consequences for more than one billion people's well-being, economy, food systems and agriculture.