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Categories: Ecology: Invasive Species, Energy: Technology
Published Lifting the veil on disease avoidance strategies in multiple animal species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A framework has been developed to test disgust and its associated disease avoidance behaviors across various animal species, social systems, and habitats. Over 30 species have been predicted to exhibit disease avoidance strategies in the wild. With these predictions, the team accounts for models of specific ecological niches, sensory environments and social systems for a number of species including the native common octopus and the invasive red-eared slider, which are both relevant to Japan.
Published New tool shows progress in fighting spread of invasive grass carp in Great Lakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers created a new way to estimate the abundance of invasive 'sleeper' species in freshwater ecosystems and help guide management strategies.
Published Insect decline also occurs in forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The number of insects has been declining for years. This has already been well documented for agricultural areas. In forests, however, temporal trends are mostly studied for insect species that are considered pests. Now, a research team has studied the trends of very many insect species in German forests. Contrary to what the researchers had suspected, the results showed that the majority of the studied species are declining.
Published Major storage capacity in water-based batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemical engineers have discovered a 1,000% difference in the storage capacity of metal-free, water-based battery electrodes.
Published Warming Arctic draws marine predators northwards
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Marine predators have expanded their ranges into the Arctic waters over the last twenty years, driven by climate change and associated increases in productivity.
Published Researchers assemble pathogen 'tree of life'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers provide open-access tool to capture new data on a global plant destroyer, Phytophthora.
Published Smart films help to make loudspeakers lighter and more energy-efficient
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists are developing intelligent materials that are opening up new avenues in sound reproduction technology: lightweight loudspeakers that use far less energy than their conventional counterparts, novel shapes for sound and signal generators and applications involving noise cancelling textiles. The basis for these smart materials are ultrathin silicone films that can act as artificial muscles with their own built-in sensors.
Published Mathematical model provides bolt of understanding for lightning-produced X-rays
(via sciencedaily.com) In the early 2000s, scientists observed lightning discharge producing X-rays comprising high energy photons -- the same type used for medical imaging. Researchers could recreate this phenomenon in the lab, but they could not fully explain how and why lightning produced X-rays. Now, two decades later, a team has discovered a new physical mechanism explaining naturally occurring X-rays associated with lightning activity in the Earth's atmosphere.
Published Energy-efficient and customizable inorganic membranes for a cleaner future
(via sciencedaily.com) A team of researchers has developed a revolutionary technique for producing ultrathin inorganic membranes. These inorganic membranes are not just energy-efficient but also highly customizable for different applications, such as filtration, separation, energy conversion, catalysis and sensing. This ground-breaking achievement could potentially revolutionize the way many industries operate for greater sustainability.
Published How whale shark rhodopsin evolved to see, in the deep blue sea
(via sciencedaily.com) A group of researchers discovered that the rhodopsin -- a protein in the eye that detects light -- of whale sharks has changed to efficiently detect blue light, which penetrates deep-sea water easily. The amino acid substitutions -- one of which is counterintuitively associated with congenital stationary night blindness in humans -- aid in detecting the low levels of light in the deep-sea. Although these changes make the whale shark rhodopsin less thermally stable the deep-sea temperature, allows their rhodopsin to keep working. This suggests that the unique adaptation evolved to function in the low-light low-temperature environment where whale sharks live.
Published Three newly discovered sea worms that glow in the dark named after creatures from Japanese folklore and marine biologist
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered three new species of luminescent Polycirrus worms that emit blue-purple light. They named two of them after glowing creatures in Japanese folklore, and the other after the former director of Notojima Aquarium who helped find the worms.
Published Revolutionary battery technology to boost EV range 10-fold or more
(via sciencedaily.com) A team develops layering-charged, polymer-based stable high-capacity anode material.
Published Turtles and crocodiles with unique characteristics are more likely to go extinct
(via sciencedaily.com) New study demonstrates that the most endangered turtles and crocodile species are those that have evolved unique life strategies. Many of the most threatened species carry out important ecosystem functions that other species depend on. Habitat loss was identified as the key overall threat to turtles and crocodiles, followed by climate change and global trade. Unique species faced additional pressure from local consumption, diseases, and pollution.
Published Eco-efficient cement could pave the way to a greener future
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists develop process to remove toxic heavy metals from coal fly ash, making for greener, stronger concrete.
Published Highly charged ions melt nano gold nuggets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Shooting ions is very different from shooting a gun: By firing highly charged ions onto tiny gold structures, these structures can be modified in technologically interesting ways. Surprisingly, the key is not the force of impact, but the electric charge of the projectiles.
Published What should we call evolution driven by genetic engineering? Genetic welding, says researcher
(via sciencedaily.com) With CRISPR-Cas9 technology, humans can now rapidly change the evolutionary course of animals or plants by inserting genes that can easily spread through entire populations. An evolutionary geneticist proposes that we call this evolutionary meddling 'genetic welding.' He argues that we must scientifically and ethically scrutinize the potential consequences of genetic welding before we put it into practice.
Published The powerhouse of the future: Artificial cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers identify the most promising advancements and greatest challenges of artificial mitochondria and chloroplasts. The team describes the components required to construct synthetic mitochondria and chloroplasts and identifies proteins as the most important aspects for molecular rotary machinery, proton transport, and ATP production. The authors believe it is important to create artificial cells with biologically realistic energy-generation methods that mimic natural processes; replicating the entire cell could lead to future biomaterials.
Published First silicon integrated ECRAM for a practical AI accelerator
(via sciencedaily.com) The transformative changes brought by deep learning and artificial intelligence are accompanied by immense costs. For example, OpenAI's ChatGPT algorithm costs at least $100,000 every day to operate. This could be reduced with accelerators, or computer hardware designed to efficiently perform the specific operations of deep learning. However, such a device is only viable if it can be integrated with mainstream silicon-based computing hardware on the material level.
Published Rare beetle, rediscovered after 55 years, named in honor of Jerry Brown
(via sciencedaily.com) While sampling for insects on former California Gov. Jerry Brown's ranch, a University of California, Berkeley, entomologist collected a rare species of beetle that had never been named or described -- and which, according to records, had not been observed by scientists in over 55 years. The new species will be named Bembidion brownorum, in honor of Jerry Brown and his wife, Anne Brown.
Published Meet the hybrid micro-robot: The tiny robot that is able to navigate in a physiological environment and capture targeted damaged cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a hybrid micro-robot, the size of a single biological cell (about 10 microns across), that can be controlled and navigated using two different mechanisms -- electric and magnetic. The micro-robot is able to navigate between different cells in a biological sample, distinguish between different types of cells, identify whether they are healthy or dying, and then transport the desired cell for further study, such as genetic analysis.