Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

UK's Overseas Territories at ongoing risk from wide range of invasive species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has for the first time predicted which invasive species could pose a future threat to the UK's ecologically unique Overseas Territories.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Qubits on strong stimulants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the global push for practical quantum networks and quantum computers, an international team of researchers has demonstrated a leap in preserving the quantum coherence of quantum dot spin qubits.

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

Quantum physicists make major nanoscopic advance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new breakthrough, researchers have solved a problem that has caused quantum researchers headaches for years. The researchers can now control two quantum light sources rather than one. Trivial as it may seem to those uninitiated in quantum, this colossal breakthrough allows researchers to create a phenomenon known as quantum mechanical entanglement. This in turn, opens new doors for companies and others to exploit the technology commercially.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Graphene Offbeat: Computers and Math Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Scientists observe 'quasiparticles' in classical systems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Quasiparticles -- long-lived particle-like excitations -- are a cornerstone of quantum physics, with famous examples such as Cooper pairs in superconductivity and, recently, Dirac quasiparticles in graphene. Now, researchers have discovered quasiparticles in a classical system at room temperature: a two-dimensional crystal of particles driven by viscous flow in a microfluidic channel. Coupled by hydrodynamic forces, the particles form stable pairs -- a first example of classical quasiparticles, revealing deep links between quantum and classical dissipative systems.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research
Published

Economics trump environment to save big cats, say ecologists      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Rapid economic growth has pushed rare species of big carnivores to the brink of extinction, but ecologists have suggested our appetite to once again live alongside big cats is increasing.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

No 'second law of entanglement' after all      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When two microscopic systems are entangled, their properties are linked to each other irrespective of the physical distance between the two. Manipulating this uniquely quantum phenomenon is what allows for quantum cryptography, communication, and computation. While parallels have been drawn between quantum entanglement and the classical physics of heat, new research demonstrates the limits of this comparison. Entanglement is even richer than we have given it credit for.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Environment law fails to protect threatened species in Australia      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Federal environmental laws are failing to mitigate against Australia's extinction crisis, according to new research.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Can elephants save the planet?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report that elephants play a key role in creating forests which store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of forests in Africa. If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

More effective protected areas needed to halt biodiversity loss      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Protected natural areas of the UK are struggling to halt declines in insects and spiders that have occurred over the past 30 years, according to a new study.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Forests face fierce threats from multiple industries, not just agricultural expansion      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Intact forests are important climate regulators and harbors of biodiversity, but they are rapidly disappearing. Agriculture is commonly considered to be the major culprit behind forest loss, but the authors of a new article show that agriculture isn't solely to blame. For forest loss associated with the 2014 world economy, over 60% was related to final consumption of non-agricultural products, such as minerals, metals and wood-related goods, and the authors argue that we must consider international trade markets when designing conservation strategies.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Collision risk and habitat loss: Wind turbines in forests impair threatened bat species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In order to meet climate protection goals, renewable energies are booming -- often wind power. More than 30,000 turbines have already been installed on the German mainland so far, and the industry is currently scrambling to locate increasingly rare suitable sites. Thus, forests are coming into focus as potential sites. A scientific team has now demonstrated that wind turbines in forests impair endangered bat species: Common noctules (Nyctalus noctula), a species with a high risk of colliding with rotor blades, are attracted to forest wind turbines if these are located near their roosts. Far from roosts, common noctules avoid the turbines, essentially resulting in a loss of foraging space and thus habitat for this species.

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

Shedding light on quantum photonics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As buzz grows ever louder over the future of quantum, researchers everywhere are working overtime to discover how best to unlock the promise of super-positioned, entangled, tunneling or otherwise ready-for-primetime quantum particles, the ability of which to occur in two states at once could vastly expand power and efficiency in many applications.

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

Can you trust your quantum simulator?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Physicists have developed a protocol to verify the accuracy of quantum experiments.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Blast chiller for the quantum world      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The quantum nature of objects visible to the naked eye is currently a much-discussed research question. A team has now demonstrated a new method in the laboratory that could make the quantum properties of macroscopic objects more accessible than before. With the method, the researchers were able to increase the efficiency of an established cooling method by an order of a magnitude.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New modelling shows how interrupted flows in Australia's Murray River endanger frogs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Flooding in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin is creating ideal breeding conditions for many native species that have evolved to take advantage of temporary flood conditions. Scientists have now developed virtual models of the Murray River to reveal a crucial link between natural flooding and the extinction risk of endangered southern bell frogs (Litoria raniformis; also known as growling grass frogs). Southern bell frogs are one of Australia's 100 Priority Threatened Species. This endangered frog breeds during spring and summer when water levels increase in their wetlands. However, the natural flooding patterns in Australia's largest river system have been negatively impacted by expansive river regulation that in some years, sees up to 60% of river water extracted for human use.

Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossils reveal dinosaurs of prehistoric Patagonia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study is providing a glimpse into dinosaur and bird diversity in Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous, just before the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. The fossils represent the first record of theropods -- a dinosaur group that includes both modern birds and their closest non-avian dinosaur relatives -- from the Chilean portion of Patagonia. The researchers' finds include giant megaraptors with large sickle-like claws and birds similar to todays ducks and geese.

Ecology: Extinction
Published

New research shows dynamics of memory-encoding synapses in the brains of live mice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team that has used two-photon imaging technology to show the creation and elimination of synapses between neurons in the brains of live mice.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

The optical fiber that keeps data safe even after being twisted or bent      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An optical fiber that uses the mathematical concept of topology to remain robust, thereby guaranteeing the high-speed transfer of information, has been created by physicists.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

The thermodynamics of quantum computing      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In research on quantum computers, one aspect that has been mostly neglected until now is the generation of heat. Physicists now focus their attention on heat as an interference factor -- and have developed a method to experimentally measure the heat generated by a superconducting quantum system.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

New quantum computing architecture could be used to connect large-scale devices      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have demonstrated an architecture that can enable high fidelity and scalable communication between superconducting quantum processors. Their technique can generate and route photons, which carry quantum information, in a user-specified direction. This method could be used to develop a large-scale network of quantum processors that could efficiently communicate with one another.