Showing 20 articles starting at article 1261
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Developmental, Geoscience: Geography
Published Scientists discover pristine deep-sea coral reefs in the Galápagos Marine Reserve
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered extensive, ancient deep-sea coral reefs within the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) -- the first of their kind ever to be documented inside the marine protected area (MPA) since it was established in 1998. The first reef observed was found at 400-600m (1,310-1,970 feet) depth at the summit of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago and supports a breathtaking mix of deep marine life.
Published Coastal species persist on high seas on floating plastic debris
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The high seas have been colonized by a surprising number of coastal marine invertebrate species, which can now survive and reproduce in the open ocean, contributing strongly to the floating community composition. Researchers found coastal species, representing diverse taxonomic groups and life history traits, in the eastern North Pacific Subtropical Gyre on over 70 percent of the plastic debris they examined. Further, the debris carried more coastal species than open ocean species.
Published Environmental toxin PCB found in deep sea trench
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers on a deep-sea expedition have found PCB in sediment samples from the more than 8,000-meter-deep Atacama Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
Published Less ice, fewer calling seals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For several years, a team of researchers used underwater microphones to listen for seals at the edge of the Antarctic. Their initial findings indicate that sea-ice retreat has had significant effects on the animals' behavior: when the ice disappears, areas normally full of vocalizations become very quiet.
Published New approach estimates long-term coastal cliff loss
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new method for estimating cliff loss over thousands of years in Del Mar, California, may help reveal some of the long-term drivers of coastal cliff loss in the state.
Published Temperature, drought influencing movement of Plains bison
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Temperature and severe drought can drive movement among herds of Plains bison, says a recent study. The team's GPS-backed data suggests that conserving the once-endangered species could depend on accounting for the climate extremes that Plains bison will likely encounter moving forward.
Published 2022 Tongan volcanic explosion was largest natural explosion in over a century, new study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The 2022 eruption of a submarine volcano in Tonga was more powerful than the largest U.S. nuclear explosion, according to a new study. The 15-megaton volcanic explosion from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, one of the largest natural explosions in more than a century, generated a mega-tsunami with waves up to 45-meters high (148 feet) along the coast of Tonga's Tofua Island and waves up to 17 meters (56 feet) on Tongatapu, the country's most populated island.
Published Tastes differ -- even among North Atlantic killer whales
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Killer whales (also known as orcas) are intelligent predators. While it's known that killer whales in the Pacific Northwest exploit widely different food types, even within the same region, we know much less about the feeding habits of those found throughout the North Atlantic. Thanks to a new technique, it is now possible to quantify the proportion of different prey that killer whales in the North Atlantic are eating by studying the fatty acid patterns in their blubber. As climate change leads to a northward redistribution of killer whales, the results have implications not only for the health and survival of these killer whales, but also in terms of potential impacts on sensitive species within Arctic ecosystems.
Published Nature-based management is making rivers more resilient
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nature-based management is making rivers more resilient. New research shows progress in Australia towards United Nations goals, making rivers more able to recover from flood, drought and other impacts. In July 2022, the 120-kilometre Wollombi Brook, which flows north into the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, suffered one of its biggest floods on record. And it held up remarkably well, says Professor Kirstie Fryirs of the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University. 'Yes, there was widespread inundation, but the flood waters were slower and the vegetation prevented large scale erosion and sediment movement. 'All the hard work that a very active community put into nature-based rehabilitation for more than 20 years, such as continuous streamside revegetation, played a role in this outcome.' It is one of the best examples in Australia of sustainable environmental restoration in the management of rivers, she says
Published How did the Andes Mountains get so huge? A new geological research method may hold the answer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How did the Andes -- the world's longest mountain range -- reach its enormous size? This is just one of the geological questions that a new method may be able to answer. With unprecedented precision, the method allows researchers to estimate how Earth's tectonic plates changed speed over the past millions of years.
Published Shift to 'flash droughts' as climate warms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 'Flash droughts' have become more frequent due to human-caused climate change and this trend is predicted to accelerate in a warmer future, according to new research.
Published Biologists determine the evolutionary age of individual cell types providing critical insights for animal development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has recently made a significant discovery about the evolutionary age of different type of cells in a small animal called Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). By using single-cell transcriptomic data and refined phylostratigraphy, the team determines the transcriptomic age of individual cells, which means they are able to estimate the evolutionary origin of different cells based on the age of the genes expressed in the cells.
Published Predictive power of climate models may be masked by volcanoes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Simulated volcanic eruptions may be blowing up our ability to predict near-term climate, according to a new study.
Published How skates learned to fly through water
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Genes are not the only drivers of evolution. The iconic fins of skates are caused by changes in the non-coding genome and its three-dimensional structure, an international research team reports.
Published Oral barrier is similar in ceramide composition to skin barrier
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Acylceramides and protein-bound ceramides are vital for the formation of the oral barrier in mice, similar to their role in skin, protecting from infection.
Published Genes are read faster and more sloppily in old age
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have demonstrated the following findings which apply across the animal kingdom: with increasing age, the transcriptional elongation speed of genes increases, whereby the quality of the gene products suffers. With dietary restrictions, these processes could be reversed.
Published Critical observations of sinking coasts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using satellite-obtained data from 2007-21, researchers mapped the entire East Coast to demonstrate how the inclusion of land subsidence reveals many areas to be more vulnerable to floods and erosion than previously thought.
Published World's biggest cumulative logjam, newly mapped in the Arctic, stores 3.4 million tons of carbon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Throughout the Arctic, fallen trees make their way from forests to the ocean by way of rivers. Those logs can stack up as the river twists and turns, resulting in long-term carbon storage. A new study has mapped the largest known woody deposit, covering 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) of the Mackenzie River Delta in Nunavut, Canada, and calculated that the logs store about 3.4 million tons (about 3.1 million metric tons) of carbon.
Published As rising temperatures affect Alaskan rivers, effects ripple through Indigenous communities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Six decades of river gage data gathered from nine rivers in Alaska highlight the cumulative and consequential impacts of climate change for local communities and ecosystems in the Arctic.
Published Stowaways in the genome
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered over 30,000 viruses by using the high-performance computer cluster 'Leo' and sophisticated detective work. The viruses hide in the DNA of unicellular organisms. In some cases, up to 10% of microbial DNA consists of built-in viruses.