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Categories: Archaeology: General, Ecology: Research

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Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Habitat will dictate whether ground beetles win or lose against climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The success of North American crops from corn to Christmas trees partly depends on a relatively invisible component of the food web -- ground beetles. Nearly 2,000 species of ground beetle live in North America. New research shows that some of these insects could thrive while others could decline as the climate changes. The team found that the response will largely depend on the species' traits and habitats and could have significant implications for conservation efforts.

Archaeology: General Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: General
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Copper artifacts unearth new cultural connections in southern Africa      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemical and isotopic analysis of artifacts from southern Africa called copper ingots reveals new cultural connections among people living in the region between the 5th and 20th centuries.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Animals Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate
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Genome research: Origin and evolution of vine      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cultivation and growth of grapevines have strongly influenced European civilizations, but where the grapevine comes from and how it has spread across the globe has been highly disputed so far. In an extensive genome project, researchers have determined its origin and evolution from the wild vine to today's cultivar by analyzing thousands of vine genomes collected along the Silk Road from China to Western Europe.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Coffee plantations limit birds' diets      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study explores a record of birds' diets preserved in their feathers and radio tracking of their movements to find that birds eat far fewer invertebrates in coffee plantations than in forests, suggesting that the disturbance of their ecosystem significantly impacts the birds' dietary options.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

How fishermen benefit from reversing evolution of cod      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Intense fishing and over-exploitation have led to evolutionary changes in fish stocks like cod, reducing both their productivity and value on the market. These changes can be reversed by more sustainable and far-sighted fisheries management. A new study shows that reversal of evolutionary change would only slightly reduce the profit of fishing, but would help regain and conserve natural genetic diversity.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
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Cyprus's copper deposits created one of the most important trade hubs in the Bronze Age      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The coveted metal copper and a sheltered location turned the Cypriot village of Hala Sultan Tekke into one of the most important trade hubs of the Late Bronze Age. Recent excavations confirm the importance of the Bronze Age city in the first period of international trade in the Mediterranean.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research
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Bigger flowers, greater rewards: Plants adapt to climate disruptions to lure pollinators      (via sciencedaily.com) 

There's been a well-documented shift toward earlier springtime flowering in many plants as the world warms. The trend alarms biologists because it has the potential to disrupt carefully choreographed interactions between plants and the creatures -- butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others -- that pollinate them.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Fossils
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Indigenous Ashaninka DNA helps geneticists write new chapters of pre-colonial history in South America      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Geneticists have written new chapters in the reconstruction of pre-colonial Americas history after using DNA from the indigenous Ashaninka people from Amazonian Peru. They have discovered previously unexpected levels of genetic variation in this group and uncovered a strong hint that these people were involved in a South-to-North migration that led to the transition from an archaic to ceramic culture in the Caribbean islands.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
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Lasers and chemistry reveal how ancient pottery was made -- and how an empire functioned      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Peru's first great empire, the Wari, stretched for more than a thousand miles over the Andes Mountains and along the coast from 600-1000 CE. The pottery they left behind gives archaeologists clues as to how the empire functioned. In a new study researchers showed that rather than using 'official' Wari pottery imported from the capital, potters across the empire were creating their own ceramics, decorated to emulate the traditional Wari style. To figure it out, the scientists analyzed the pottery's chemical make-up, with help from laser beams.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Swan populations grow 30 times faster in nature reserves      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Populations of whooper swans grow 30 times faster inside nature reserves, new research shows.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Evolutionary
Published

Surprising similarities in stone tools of early humans and monkeys      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered artefacts produced by old world monkeys in Thailand that resemble stone tools, which historically have been identified as intentionally made by early hominins. Until now, sharp-edged stone tools were thought to represent the onset of intentional stone tool production, one of the defining and unique characteristics of hominin evolution. This new study challenges long held beliefs about the origins of intentional tool production in our own lineage.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Sea temperatures control the distributions of European marine fish      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An analysis extending from southern Portugal to northern Norway highlights the importance of temperature in determining where fish species are found.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

To help dry forests, fire needs to be just the right intensity, and happen more than once      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Research into the ability of a wildfire to improve the health of a forest uncovered a Goldilocks effect -- unless a blaze falls in a narrow severity range, neither too hot nor too cold, it isn't very good at helping forest landscapes return to their historical, more fire-tolerant conditions.

Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Plant roots fuel tropical soil animal communities      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for below-ground life, particularly in the tropics. Millions of small creatures toiling in a single hectare of soil including earthworms, springtails, mites, insects, and other arthropods are crucial for decomposition and soil health. For a long time, it was believed that leaf litter is the primary resource for these animals. However, this recent study is the first to provide proof that resources derived from plant roots drive soil animal communities in the tropics.

Biology: Botany Computer Science: General Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Phone-based measurements provide fast, accurate information about the health of forests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses computer vision techniques to accurately measure trees almost five times faster than traditional, manual methods.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

The world's first horse riders      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered evidence of horse riding by studying the remains of human skeletons found in burial mounds called kurgans, which were between 4500-5000 years old. The earthen burial mounds belonged to the Yamnaya culture. The Yamnayans had migrated from the Pontic-Caspian steppes to find greener pastures in today's countries of Romania and Bulgaria up to Hungary and Serbia.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
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Archaeological study of 24 ancient Mexican cities reveals that collective forms of governance, infrastructural investments, and collaboration all help societies last longer      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Some cities only last a century or two, while others last for a thousand years or more. Often, there aren't clear records left behind to explain why. Instead, archaeologists piece together clues from the cities' remains to search for patterns that help account for why certain places retained their importance longer than others.