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Categories: Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ecology: Invasive Species
Published Biodegradable artificial muscles: Going green in the field of soft robotics


Scientists have developed fully biodegradable, high-performance artificial muscles. Their research project marks another step towards green technology becoming a lasting trend in the field of soft robotics.
Published Towards reducing biodiversity loss in fragmented habitats


By combining lab experiments and mathematical modelling, researchers have found a way to predict the movement of species that could guide conservation efforts to reconnect fragmented habitats.
Published Sea otters killed by unusual parasite strain


An unusually severe form of toxoplasmosis killed four sea otters and could pose a threat to other marine wildlife and humans, finds a new study.
Published New mosquito species reported in Florida


A mosquito known only by its scientific name, Culex lactator, is the latest to establish in the Sunshine State, according to a new study.
Published Forest growing season in eastern U.S. has increased by a month


The growing period of hardwood forests in eastern North America has increased by an average of one month over the past century as temperatures have steadily risen, a new study has found.
Published Douglas-fir in Klamath Mountains are in 'decline spiral'


Increases in mortality among Douglas-fir in the Klamath Mountains are the result of multiple factors that have the iconic tree in a 'decline spiral' in parts of the region.
Published Head-worn device can control mobile manipulators


New research aims to increase autonomy for individuals with such motor impairments by introducing a head-worn device that will help them control a mobile manipulator. Teleoperated mobile manipulators can aid individuals in completing daily activities, but many existing technologies like hand-operated joysticks or web interfaces require a user to have substantial fine motor skills to effectively control them. Research led by robotics Ph.D. student Akhil Padmanabha offers a new device equipped with a hands-free microphone and head-worn sensor that allows users to control a mobile robot via head motion and speech recognition.
Published Coffee plantations limit birds' diets


A new study explores a record of birds' diets preserved in their feathers and radio tracking of their movements to find that birds eat far fewer invertebrates in coffee plantations than in forests, suggesting that the disturbance of their ecosystem significantly impacts the birds' dietary options.
Published Mind-control robots a reality?


Researchers have developed biosensor technology that will allow you to operate devices, such as robots and machines, solely through thought control.
Published A sowing, pruning, and harvesting robot for SynecocultureTM farming


Synecoculture, a new farming method, involves growing mixed plant species together in high density. However, it requires complex operation since varying species with different growing seasons and growing speeds are planted on the same land. To address this need, researchers have developed a robot that can sow, prune, and harvest plants in dense vegetation growth. Its small, flexible body will help large-scale Synecoculture. This is an important step towards achieving sustainable farming and carbon neutrality.
Published Mountain forests are being lost at an accelerating rate, putting biodiversity at risk


More than 85% of the world's bird, mammal, and amphibian species live in mountains, particularly in forest habitats, but researchers report that these forests are disappearing at an accelerating rate. Globally, we have lost 78.1 million hectares (7.1%) of mountain forest since 2000 -- an area larger than the size of Texas. Much of the loss occurred in tropical biodiversity hotspots, putting increasing pressure on threatened species.
Published New study counts the environmental cost of managing Japanese knotweed


New research has looked at the long-term environmental impact of different methods to control Japanese knotweed. Different ways of trying to control the invasive species have developed over the years but now, as sustainability becomes increasingly important, understanding the effect of these management methods is vital.This new study examines at the entire life cycle and long-term impacts of different management approaches.
Published Humans are altering the diet of Tasmanian devils, which may accelerate their decline


New research shows how human-modified landscapes affect the diets of these marsupial scavengers.
Published Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage


Researchers have developed resilient artificial muscles that can enable insect-scale aerial robots to effectively recover flight performance after suffering severe damage.
Published Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots


The Walking Oligomeric Robotic Mobility System, or WORMS, is a reconfigurable, modular, multiagent robotics architecture for extreme lunar terrain mobility. The system could be used to assemble autonomous worm-like parts into larger biomimetic robots that could explore lava tubes, steep slopes, and the moon's permanently shadowed regions.
Published Robots can help improve mental wellbeing at work -- as long as they look right


Robots can be useful as mental wellbeing coaches in the workplace -- but perception of their effectiveness depends in large part on what the robot looks like.
Published Researcher solves nearly 60-year-old game theory dilemma


A researcher has solved a nearly 60-year-old game theory dilemma called the wall pursuit game, with implications for better reasoning about autonomous systems such as driver-less vehicles.
Published Researchers develop soft robot that shifts from land to sea with ease


Most animals can quickly transition from walking to jumping to crawling to swimming if needed without reconfiguring or making major adjustments. Most robots cannot. But researchers have now created soft robots that can seamlessly shift from walking to swimming, for example, or crawling to rolling using a bistable actuator made of 3D-printed soft rubber containing shape-memory alloy springs that react to electrical currents by contracting, which causes the actuator to bend. The team used this bistable motion to change the actuator or robot's shape. Once the robot changes shape, it is stable until another electrical charge morphs it back to its previous configuration.
Published Thousands of native plants are unphotographed, and citizen scientists can help fill the gaps


New research finds almost 4000 Australian plant species have not been photographed before in the wild, which may lead to their extinction.
Published Brown widow spiders' aggression likely driver of black widow decline


Black widow spiders have earned a fearsome reputation for their venomous bite. But in parts of the southern United States these spiders have much to fear themselves -- from spider relatives who really don't like their company. In the past couple decades, researchers have noticed black widow spiders being displaced by the brown widow, a fellow species in the same genus. But new research suggests this isn't a simple case of one species winning the competition for food or habitat. Instead, a study shows brown widow spiders have a striking propensity to seek out and kill nearby black widows.