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Categories: Ecology: Nature, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Non-native plants and animals expanding ranges 100 times faster than native species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists has recently found that non-native species are expanding their ranges many orders of magnitude faster than native ones, in large part due to inadvertent human help. Even seemingly sedentary non-native plants are moving at three times the speed of their native counterparts in a race where, because of the rapid pace of climate change and its effect on habitat, speed matters. To survive, plants and animals need to be shifting their ranges by 3.25 kilometers per year just to keep up with the increasing temperatures and associated climactic shifts -- a speed that native species cannot manage without human help.
Published Fishy parenting? Punishing offspring encourages cooperation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists discovered that Neolamprologus savoryi fish use punishment to encourage offspring to cooperate in brood care, revealing advanced cognitive abilities previously thought unique to higher vertebrates. This study highlights that punishment for promoting cooperation exists beyond human societies, prompting a reevaluation of animal intelligence.
Published The world's oldest wine discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A white wine over 2,000 years old, of Andalusian origin, is the oldest wine ever discovered.
Published Natural hazards threaten over three thousand species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Natural hazards can speed up the extinction process of land animals that have limited distribution and/or small populations. But there is hope to turn the negative development around, says researchers behind new study.
Published Restored rat-free islands could support hundreds of thousands more breeding seabirds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Archipelago case-study shows that removing invasive rats and restoring native vegetation could help bring back hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs of seabirds lost to tropical islands. Calculating that there are enough fish to sustain restored seabird populations should be an important consideration for restoration projects, scientists say. Restored seabird populations also provide huge boost to the health of surrounding coral reef ecosystems through restored nutrient cycles.
Published Where to put head and tail?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Formation of the body axes is a critical part of embryonic development. They guarantee that all body parts end up where they belong and that no ears grow on our backs. The head-tail axis, for example, determines the orientation of the two ends of the body. It was previously assumed that this axis is largely determined by the interplay between the Nodal and BMP signals. However, there appears to be another player in this system, as researchers have now discovered by using an embryo-like model system they developed. In the absence of BMP, the signalling molecule beta-catenin takes on the role of the Nodal antagonist. This new mechanism could be a flexible solution for axis formation in embryos with different shapes.
Published Wear it, then recycle: Designers make dissolvable textiles from gelatin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers hope their DIY machine will help designers around the world experiment with making their own, sustainable fashion and other textiles from a range of natural ingredients -- maybe even the chitin in crab shells or agar-agar from algae.
Published 'Lost' birds list will aid in protecting species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A group of scientists has released the first comprehensive list of birds that haven't been documented with sound or video in more than a decade.
Published Ancient polar sea reptile fossil is oldest ever found in Southern Hemisphere
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists has identified the oldest fossil of a sea-going reptile from the Southern Hemisphere -- a nothosaur vertebra found on New Zealand's South Island. 246 million years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, New Zealand was located on the southern polar coast of a vast super-ocean called Panthalassa. 'The nothosaur found in New Zealand is over 40 million years older than the previously oldest known sauropterygian fossils from the Southern Hemisphere.
Published Research into structures of ape hearts provide insight into human evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered new insights into the human heart's structure, revealing its evolutionary history. This study enhances understanding of heart development and its implications for treating heart disease.
Published Early Homo sapiens facilitated the establishment of the Bonelli's eagle in the Mediterranean 50,000 years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have unraveled the ancestral history of one of the most iconic birds of prey in the current Iberian fauna: the Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata). The study combines evidence from several disciplines, including palaeontology, genetics and ecology, to answer questions about when and why the Bonelli's eagle, a species primarily found in tropical and subtropical areas, colonized the Mediterranean Basin.
Published Sharks have depleted functional diversity compared to the last 66 million years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has found that sharks retained high levels of functional diversity for most of the last 66 million years, before steadily declining over the last 10 million years to its lowest value in the present day.
Published Sweaty cattle may boost food security in a warming world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change is making it more difficult to raise cattle -- growth and reproduction are affected by heat -- so it's critical to breed cattle better adapted to a hotter and longer summer. A new study shows it's possible to identify the genes within breeds of cattle that would lead to the sweatiest, heat-tolerant offspring.
Published A conservation market could incentivize global ocean protection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Thirty-by-thirty: protect 30% of the planet by 2030. While conservation is popular in principle, the costs of actually enacting it often stall even the most earnest efforts. Researchers have now proposed a market-based approach to achieving the 30x30 targets in the ocean.
Published Scientists preserve DNA in an amber-like polymer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With their 'T-REX' method, researchers developed a glassy, amber-like polymer that can be used for long-term storage of DNA, such as entire human genomes or digital files such as photos.
Published Scientists unravel drivers of the global zinc cycle in our oceans, with implications for a changing climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The understanding of the global zinc cycle in our oceans has important implications in the context of warming oceans. A warmer climate increases erosion, leading to more dust in the atmosphere and consequently more dust being deposited into the oceans. More dust means more scavenging of zinc particles, leading to less zinc being available to sustain phytoplankton and other marine life, thereby diminishing the oceans' ability to absorb carbon.
Published Paleontology: New fossil fish genus discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Paleontologists have identified a new genus of fossil goby, revealing evolutionary secrets of a lineage that stretches back millions of years.
Published Marine heatwaves devastate red gorgonians in the Medes Islands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves in recent decades is one of the effects of global climate change. A study shows that the extreme heatwave of 2022 caused an 'unprecedented' increase in mortality of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata, affecting 70% of the colonies located in the Montgr Natural Park, the Medes Islands and the Baix Ter. According to the researchers, these results are 'alarming and threaten the viability' of this species of great value for the biodiversity of benthic ecosystems, since it is considered to be an inhabitant-forming species.
Published Eating small fish whole can prolong life expectancy, a Japanese study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has found evidence linking the intake of whole-sized small fish with a reduced risk of all-cause and cancer mortality in Japanese women.
Published Soaring birds use their lungs to modify mechanics of flight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An air-filled sac within the birds' lungs is believed to increase the force the birds use to power flight muscles while soaring.