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Categories: Ecology: Research, Mathematics: Modeling
Published New method flips the script on topological physics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The branch of mathematics known as topology has become a cornerstone of modern physics thanks to the remarkable -- and above all reliable -- properties it can impart to a material or system. Unfortunately, identifying topological systems, or even designing new ones, is generally a tedious process that requires exactly matching the physical system to a mathematical model. Researchers have demonstrated a model-free method for identifying topology, enabling the discovery of new topological materials using a purely experimental approach.
Published Microplastics may be accumulating rapidly in endangered Galápagos penguins' food web
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Model predictions showed a rapid increase in microplastic accumulation and contamination across the penguins' prey organisms resulting in Galapagos penguin showing the highest level of microplastics per biomass, followed by barracuda, anchovy, sardine, herring, and predatory zooplankton.
Published The complexity of forests cannot be explained by simple mathematical rules, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The way trees grow together do not resemble how branches grow on a single tree, scientists have discovered.
Published What coffee with cream can teach us about quantum physics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new advancement in theoretical physics could, one day, help engineers develop new kinds of computer chips that might store information for longer in very small objects.
Published When lab-trained AI meets the real world, 'mistakes can happen'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Human pathologists are extensively trained to detect when tissue samples from one patient mistakenly end up on another patient's microscope slides (a problem known as tissue contamination). But such contamination can easily confuse artificial intelligence (AI) models, which are often trained in pristine, simulated environments, reports a new study. Each of the four AI models in the study paid too much attention to the tissue contamination, which resulted in errors when diagnosing or detecting vessel damage, gestational age, lesions and prostate cancer, the study found.
Published A new perspective on the temperature inside tropical forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New worldwide maps of temperatures inside tropical forests show that global warming affect different way in different parts of the forests. Undergrowth level temperature of the tropical forests can be even 4 degrees less than average temperature of the area.
Published New research guides mathematical model-building for gene regulatory networks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly published study provides guidance for building accurate mathematical models for gene regulatory networks.
Published Wolves and elk are (mostly) welcome back in Poland and Germany's Oder Delta region, survey shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An online survey conducted in Germany and Poland shows that large parts of the participants support the return of large carnivores and herbivores, such as wolves and elk, to the Oder Delta region. Presented with different rewilding scenarios, the majority of survey participants showed a preference for land management that leads to the comeback of nature to the most natural state possible. Locals, on the other hand, showed some reservations.
Published Translating nuclear waste site data into microbial ecosystem insights
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A flagship seven-year study that explores how environmental stresses influence different ecological processes shaping the composition and structure of microbial communities in groundwater has now been published.
Published AI harnesses tumor genetics to predict treatment response
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cancer resists treatment in a multitude of ways, but a new algorithm developed can decode them all simultaneously.
Published New AI makes better permafrost maps
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New insights from artificial intelligence about permafrost coverage in the Arctic may soon give policy makers and land managers the high-resolution view they need to predict climate-change-driven threats to infrastructure such as oil pipelines, roads and national security facilities.
Published Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change is causing Western U.S. forests to be less effective carbon sinks, even as it boosts the productivity of forests in the Eastern U.S., according to new research.
Published Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fossils of kelp along the Pacific Coast are rare. Until now, the oldest fossil dated from 14 million years ago, leading to the view that today's denizens of the kelp forest -- marine mammals, urchins, sea birds -- coevolved with kelp. A recent amateur discovery pushes back the origin of kelp to 32 million years ago, long before these creatures appeared. A new analysis suggests the first kelp grazers were extinct, hippo-like animals called desmostylians.
Published Human activity facilitates invasive plants' colonization in Mediterranean ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some invasive plants can form persistent banks of seeds that remain under the soil for years, and this makes their eradication practically impossible. Over time, this invisible population of large quantities of living, buried plants -- in seed form -- will reoccupy ecosystems and displace the typical flora of the natural environment.
Published Red deer populations in Europe: More influenced by humans than by wolves and other predators
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that human hunting and land use have a decisive influence on red deer density in Europe. Red deer density is only reduced when wolves, lynx and bears co-occur at the same site.
Published 'Carbon vault' peat suffers greatly from drought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Peatlands are affected more by drought than expected. This is concerning, as these ecosystems are an important ally in the fight against climate change. Following long periods of drought, peat is able to absorb little to no extra carbon (CO2). Increasing biodiversity also does little to make peat more drought-resilient.
Published Scientists name the most common tropical tree species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found almost identical patterns of tree diversity across the world's tropical forests. The study of over one million trees across 1,568 locations found that just 2.2% of tree species make up 50% of the total number of trees in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent consists of the same proportion of a few common species and many rare species.
Published In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have been studying the effects of climate change on coral reefs. Monitoring two coral species off the coast of Hawaii, one team found that local adaptations in response to near-severe heat stress allowed certain populations to endure such events.
Published Researchers developing AI to make the internet more accessible
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In an effort to make the internet more accessible for people with disabilities, researchers have begun developing an artificial intelligence agent that could complete complex tasks on any website using simple language commands.
Published Global study of extreme drought impacts on grasslands and shrublands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A global study shows that the effects of extreme drought -- which is expected to increase in frequency with climate change -- has been greatly underestimated for grasslands and shrublands. The findings quantify the impact of extreme short-term drought on grassland and shrubland ecosystems across six continents with a level of detail that was not previously possible. It is the first time an experiment this extensive has been undertaken to generate a baseline understanding of the potential losses of plant productivity in these vital ecosystems.