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Categories: Ecology: Nature, Offbeat: Space

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Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research
Published

How food availability could catalyze cultural transmission in wild orangutans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" has been used to describe the source from which our cultural evolution springs. After all, need in times of scarcity has forced humans to continually invent new technologies that have driven the remarkable cumulative culture of our species. But an invention only becomes cultural if it is learned and spread by many individuals. In other words, the invention must be socially transmitted. But what are the forces that drive social transmission?

Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research
Published

Plant groupings in drylands support ecosystem resilience      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many complex systems, from microbial communities to mussel beds to drylands, display striking self-organized clusters. According to theoretical models, these groupings play an important role in how an ecosystem works and its ability to respond to environmental changes. A new article focused on the spatial patterns found in drylands offers important empirical evidence validating the models.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Scammed! Animals 'led by the nose' to leave plants alone      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fake news works for wallabies and elephants. Herbivores can cause substantial damage to crops or endangered or protected plants, with traditional methods to deter foraging lethal, expensive or ineffective. Biologists are now using aromas from plants naturally repellent with remarkable success to deter the animals.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Rare 3D fossils show that some early trees had forms unlike any you've ever seen      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the fossil record, trees typically are preserved with only their trunks. They don't usually include any leaves to show what their canopies and overall forms may have looked like. In a new study, researchers describe fossilized trees from New Brunswick, Canada with a surprising and unique three-dimensional crown shape.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Tidal landscapes a greater carbon sink than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mangroves and saltmarshes sequester large amounts of carbon, mitigating the greenhouse effect. New research shows that these environments are perhaps twice as effective as previously thought.

Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Increased temperature difference between day and night can affect all life on earth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a change in what scientists already knew about global warming dynamics. It had been widely accepted since the 1950s that global temperature rises were not consistent throughout the day and night, with greater nighttime warming being observed. However, the recent study reveals a shift in dynamics: with greater daytime warming taking place since the 1990s. This shift means that the temperature difference between day and night is widening, potentially affecting all life on Earth.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate change threatens older elephants most, jeopardizing African elephants' future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative team of researchers has conducted first-of-its kind research into how global climate change affects African elephants. The work shows that older elephants will have markedly decreased chances of survival, which will not only drastically reduce the species' overall ability to weather the changing climate but will send ripple effects throughout the surrounding landscape. The team has also modeled possible mitigation scenarios.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Bright galaxies put dark matter to the test      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The earliest galaxies are thought to have formed as the gravitational pull of dark matter, which has been impossible to study directly, slowly drew in enough hydrogen and helium to ignite stars. But astrophysicists now show that after the Big Bang, hydrogen and helium gas bounced at supersonic speeds off dense, slowly moving clumps of cold dark matter. When the gas fell back in millennia later, stars formed all at once, creating small, exceptionally bright galaxies. If models of cold dark matter are correct, the James Webb Space Telescope should be able to find patches of bright galaxies in the early universe, potentially offering the first effective test for theories about dark matter. If it doesn't, scientists have to go back to the drawing board with dark matter.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Fungal-rich soil may improve green roofs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Green roofs have become increasingly popular thanks to their benefits related to climate adaptation, mitigation, and urban biodiversity management. But, in the U.S., green roofs are typically planted with non-native plants in sterile soils, and their effectiveness declines over time. A new study finds that managing green roof soil microbes boosts healthy urban soil development, which is a methodology that could be applied to support climate resilience in cities.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: General
Published

Asparagus and orchids are more similar than you think      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How is a beech leaf constructed? What determines the appearance of an asparagus? A new 'encyclopaedia' helps us learn more about the building blocks of plants. The encyclopaedia, probably the largest of its kind, could be used to improve targeted plant breeding efforts, to make them both more climate-resilient and more easily digestible.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Staggering structure in 19 nearby spiral galaxies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The James Webb Space Telescope observed 19 nearby face-on spiral galaxies in near- and mid-infrared light as part of its contributions to the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Do tree-planting campaigns follow best practices for successful forest restoration?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research reviewed publicly available information for 99 different organizations that coordinate large-scale tree-planting programs around the globe to see if these organizations seemed to be applying best practices for successful reforestation.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature
Published

Endangered seabird shows surprising individual flexibility to adapt to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research finds that individual behavioural flexibility and not evolutionary selection is driving the northward shift of Balearic shearwaters. The findings were revealed through a decade-long study which tagged individual birds. The results indicate that individual animals may have greater behavioural flexibility to respond to climate change impacts than previously thought.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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Researchers spying for signs of life among exoplanet atmospheres      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by closely scrutinizing the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, new research suggests.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Back from the dead: Tropical tree fern repurposes its dead leaves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea rojasiana, reconfigures these 'zombie leaves,' reversing the flow of water to draw nutrients back into the plant.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Astronomers spot 18 black holes gobbling up nearby stars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified 18 new tidal disruption events (TDEs) -- extreme instances when a nearby star is tidally drawn into a black hole and ripped to shreds. The detections more than double the number of known TDEs in the nearby universe.

Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
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Scientists develop novel method to estimate biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have employed novel statistical methods to reveal the extent of biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries. The study paints the most accurate picture to date of the ecological impact of deforestation and urban development in the tropical city-state. From a comprehensive dataset, the study estimated that Singapore has lost 37 per cent of its species.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Confirmation of ancient lake on Mars builds excitement for Perseverance rover's samples      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ground-penetrating radar on board NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has confirmed that the Jezero Crater, formed by an ancient meteor impact just north of the Martian equator, once harbored a vast lake and river delta. Over eons, sediment deposition and erosion within the crater shaped the geologic formations visible on the surface today. The discovery of lake sediments reinforces the hope that traces of life might be found in soil and rock samples collected by Perseverance.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Use it or lose it: How seagrasses conquered the sea      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seagrasses provide the foundation of one of the most highly biodiverse, yet vulnerable, coastal marine ecosystems globally. They arose in three independent lineages from their freshwater ancestors some 100 million years ago and are the only fully submerged, marine flowering plants. Moving to such a radically different environment is a rare evolutionary event and definitely not easy. How did they do it? New reference quality genomes provide important clues with relevance to their conservation and biotechnological application.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Stars travel more slowly at Milky Way's edge      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists discovered stars near the edge of the Milky Way travel more slowly than those closer to its center -- a surprise suggesting our galaxy's gravitational core may have less dark matter than previously thought.