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Categories: Ecology: Nature, Physics: Optics
Published How domestic rabbits become feral in the wild



After sequencing the genomes of nearly 300 rabbits from Europe, South America, and Oceania, researchers found that all of them had a mix of feral and domestic DNA. They say this was not what they had expected to find.
Published Microbeads with adaptable fluorescent colors from visible light to near-infrared



Researchers have successfully developed an environmentally friendly, microspherical fluorescent material primarily made from citric acid. These microbeads emit various colors of light depending on the illuminating light and the size of the beads, which suggests a wide range of applications. Furthermore, the use of plant-derived materials allows for low-cost and energy-efficient synthesis.
Published Insight into one of life's earliest ancestors revealed in new study



Researchers have shed light on Earth's earliest ecosystem, showing that within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, life on Earth was already flourishing.
Published Neural networks made of light



Scientists propose a new way of implementing a neural network with an optical system which could make machine learning more sustainable in the future. In a new paper, the researchers have demonstrated a method much simpler than previous approaches.
Published How plant cold specialists can adapt to the environment



Evolutionary biologists studied spoonworts to determine what influence genome duplication has on the adaptive potential of plants. The results show that polyploids -- species with more than two sets of chromosomes -- can have an accumulation of structural mutations with signals for a possible local adaptation, enabling them to occupy ecological niches time and time again.
Published Forest carbon storage has declined across much of the Western U.S., likely due to drought and fire



Forests have been embraced as a natural climate solution, due to their ability to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, locking it up in their trunks, branches, leaves, and roots. But a new study confirms widespread doubts about the potential for most forests in the Western US to help curb climate change. The paper analyzed trends in carbon storage across the American West from 2005 to 2019.
Published Light-induced Meissner effect



Researchers have developed a new experiment capable of monitoring the magnetic properties of superconductors at very fast speeds.
Published Introducing co-cultures: When co-habiting animal species share culture



Cooperative hunting, resource sharing, and using the same signals to communicate the same information -- these are all examples of cultural sharing that have been observed between distinct animal species. In a new article, researchers introduce the term 'co-culture' to describe cultural sharing between animal species. These relationships are mutual and go beyond one species watching and mimicking another species' behavior -- in co-cultures, both species influence each other in substantial ways.
Published Mapping the world's fungi from air samples



Researchers have found that the key to a quick and cost-effective mapping of biodiversity has been right in front of our eyes all along, but at the same time invisible -- i.e., in the air that surrounds us.
Published High-speed electron camera uncovers a new 'light-twisting' behavior in an ultrathin material



Using an instrument for ultrafast electron diffraction (MeV-UED), researchers discovered how an ultrathin material can circularly polarize light. This discovery sets up a promising approach to manipulate light for applications in optoelectronic devices.
Published Planted mangroves' ability to store carbon



Ecologists have published new findings on how planted mangroves can store up to 70% of carbon stock to that found in intact stands after only 20 years.
Published Mozambican Woodlands could store more than double the carbon previously estimated



The capacity of Mozambican woodlands to capture and store carbon is underestimated and potentially undervalued for their protection and restoration, finds new research from an international team of scientists.
Published Not so simple: Mosses and ferns offer new hope for crop protection



Mosses, liverworts, ferns and algae may offer an exciting new research frontier in the global challenge of protecting crops from the threat of disease.
Published Wolves' return has had only small impact on deer populations in NE Washington



Wolves returned to Washington state in 2008. A new study shows that, despite their rising numbers, wolves are not having much of an impact on white-tailed deer, one of their primary prey. Scientists report that the biggest factor shaping white-tailed deer populations in northeast Washington is the quality of habitat available, which is largely determined by human activity. Cougars were second in their impact. Wolves were a distant third.
Published Study examines tree adaptability to climate change



Many trees could expand their ranges by more than 25 percent based on their potential temperature tolerances.
Published Moving from the visible to the infrared: Developing high quality nanocrystals



Awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, quantum dots have a wide variety of applications ranging from displays and LED lights to chemical reaction catalysis and bioimaging. These semiconductor nanocrystals are so small -- on the order of nanometers -- that their properties, such as color, are size dependent, and they start to exhibit quantum properties. This technology has been really well developed, but only in the visible spectrum, leaving untapped opportunities for technologies in both the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Published Implantable LED device uses light to treat deep-seated cancers



Certain types of light have proven to be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for cancers located on or near the skin when combined with a light-activated drug. But deep-seated cancers have been beyond the reach of light's therapeutic effects. To change this, engineers and scientists have devised a wireless LED device that can be implanted. This device, when combined with a light-sensitive dye, not only destroys cancer cells, but also mobilizes the immune system's cancer-targeting response.
Published Global database reveals large gaps in our knowledge of four-footed animals



Researchers developed TetrapodTraits -- a global database of animals with four feet -- which can now be applied for better ecology, evolution and conservation research.
Published First local extinction in the US due to sea level rise, study suggests



The United States has lost its only stand of the massive Key Largo tree cactus in what researchers believe is the first local extinction of a species caused by sea level rise in the country.
Published How a plant app helps identify the consequences of climate change



A research team has developed an algorithm that analyses observational data from a plant identification app. The novel approach can be used to derive ecological patterns that could provide valuable information about the effects of climate change on plants.