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

Scientists, farmers and managers work together to avoid the decline of the little bustard, an endangered steppe bird      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The collaboration between scientists, farmers and managers is crucial to improve the protection of the little bustard, an endangered steppe-land bird in Spain due to human activity. The reduction of natural habitats, the increase in irrigation and the urbanization of the land have led to having less surface areas that guarantee the survival of this vulnerable species.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Energy: Technology Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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Mini-robots modeled on insects may be smallest, lightest, fastest ever developed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two insect-like robots, a mini-bug and a water strider may be the smallest, lightest and fastest fully functional micro-robots ever known to be created. Such miniature robots could someday be used for work in areas such as artificial pollination, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, micro-fabrication or robotic-assisted surgery. Reporting on their work in the proceedings of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society's International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, the mini-bug weighs in at eight milligrams while the water strider weighs 55 milligrams. Both can move at about six millimeters a second.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate
Published

The heat is on: Scientists discover southern Africa's temps will rise past the rhinos' tolerance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Southern Africa contains the vast majority of the world's remaining populations of both black and white rhinoceroses (80% and 92%, respectively). The region's climate is changing rapidly as a result global warming. Traditional conservation efforts aimed at protecting rhinos have focused on poaching, but until now, there has been no analysis of the impact that climate change may have on the animals. A research team has recently reported that, though the area will be affected by both higher temperatures and changing precipitation, the rhinos are more sensitive to rising temperatures, which will quickly increase above the animals' acceptable maximum threshold.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species
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Nearly dead plants brought back to life: Keys to aging hidden in the leaves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have known about a particular organelle in plant cells for over a century. However, scientists have only now discovered that organelle's key role in aging.

Biology: Botany Chemistry: General Ecology: Endangered Species Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Artificial 'power plants' harness energy from wind and rain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fake plants are moving into the 21st century! Researchers developed literal 'power plants' -- tiny, leaf-shaped generators that create electricity from a blowing breeze or falling raindrops. The team tested the energy harvesters by incorporating them into artificial plants.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Experiment could test quantum nature of large masses for the first time      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new experiment could in principle test the quantumness of an object regardless of its mass or energy.

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

Solid-state qubits: Forget about being clean, embrace mess      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New findings debunk previous wisdom that solid-state qubits need to be super dilute in an ultra-clean material to achieve long lifetimes. Instead, cram lots of rare-earth ions into a crystal and some will form pairs that act as highly coherent qubits, a new paper shows.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species
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New rice lines for Africa offer virus protection      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The so-called Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (for short: RYMV) is responsible for high crop losses in Africa, particularly among small-scale farmers. A research team has now produced rice lines that are resistant to the disease by means of genome editing. The rice varieties are a preliminary step toward being able to generate resistant locally adapted elite varieties for small-scale food producers in Africa.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
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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.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Thermal vision shows endangered numbats feel the heat of warming climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research using thermal imaging of numbats in Western Australia has found that during hot weather the endangered animals are limited to as little as ten minutes of activity in the sun before they overheat to a body temperature of greater than 40 C.

Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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New study pinpoints the weaknesses in AI      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

ChatGPT and other solutions built on Machine Learning are surging. But even the most successful algorithms have limitations. Researchers have now proven mathematically that apart from simple problems it is not possible to create algorithms for AI that will always be stable. The study may lead to guidelines on how to better test algorithms and reminds us that machines do not have human intelligence after all.

Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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Integrating dimensions to get more out of Moore's Law and advance electronics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers suggest a way to fit more transistors on a chip by seamlessly implementing 3D integration with 2D materials.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
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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.

Engineering: Biometric Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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AI discovers that not every fingerprint is unique      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have built a new AI that shatters a long-held belief in forensics -- that fingerprints from different fingers of the same person are unique. It turns out they are similar, only we've been comparing fingerprints the wrong way!

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Iron influences plant immunity and may promote resiliency against climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers discovered that plants manage iron deficiency without helping 'bad' bacteria thrive by eliminating the molecular signal for iron deficiency, and that the iron deficiency signaling pathway and the plant immune system are deeply intertwined. Their findings provide a new target for boosting plant resilience in the face of climate change, and offer new insight into plant and animal microbiomes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Plant warfare: The crucial function of Nrc proteins in tomato defense mechanisms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research delves into the intricate defense mechanisms of tomatoes against the notorious bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). It's a classic tale of nature's arms race: as pathogens evolve to outsmart plant defenses, plants counter with more sophisticated immune responses.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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New study uses machine learning to bridge the reality gap in quantum devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has used the power of machine learning to overcome a key challenge affecting quantum devices. For the first time, the findings reveal a way to close the 'reality gap': the difference between predicted and observed behavior from quantum devices.

Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study describes nine new species of carnivorous land snails, all of which are so small they could fit together on a U.S. nickel. They present a rare opportunity to study a group that in many other places is disappearing fast. Worldwide, mollusks account for more than 50% of all recorded extinctions since the year 1500, and many of these were land snails from Pacific islands.