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Categories: Biology: Zoology, Geoscience: Geography

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Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: General
Published

New step in tectonic squeeze that turns seafloor into mountains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers describe zircons from the Andes mountains of Patagonia. Although the zircons formed when tectonic plates were colliding, they have a chemical signature associated with when the plates were moving apart. The researchers think that the unexpected signature could be explained by the mechanics of underlying tectonic plates that hasn't yet been described in other models.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

A new estimate of U.S. soil organic carbon to improve Earth system models      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emory environmentals scientist combined field-level data with machine-learning techniques to estimate soil organic carbon at the U.S. scale, another step toward providing more accurate baseline data to improve Earth system models for climate change.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Scientists' urgent call: End destruction and forge a just, sustainable future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists published a study emphasizing the urgent need to align political will, economic resources, and societal values to ensure a more sustainable and equitable world. The review summarizes the grave threats facing the planet but rejects a 'doom and gloom' philosophy. They advocate a global cultural shift that elevates kinship with nature and communal well-being, underpinned by the recognition of Earth's finite resources and the interconnectedness of its inhabitants.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

How and why animals can live alongside humans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research suggests animals can thrive in human-dominated environments by being expert judges of risk. Researchers examined the behavior of great-tailed grackles, a bird species successfully invading much of urban North America, showing that the dispersing males shy away from risk, which is a characteristic the researchers show is well-suited to chaotic environments like cities. These findings provide unique insight into how and why animals and humans can coexist.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

When did the chicken cross the road? New evidence from Central Asia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scholars present the earliest clear archaeological and biomolecular evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production, based on material from 12 archaeological sites spanning one and a half millennia. The research indicates that the domestic chicken, now a staple in diets around the world, is not as ancient as previously thought.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees
Published

Computational tools fuel reconstruction of new and improved bird family tree      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using cutting-edge computational methods and supercomputing infrastructure, researchers have built the largest and most detailed bird family tree to date -- an intricate chart delineating 93 million years of evolutionary relationships between 363 bird species, representing 92% of all bird families. The updated tree reveals sharp increases in effective population size, substitution rates and relative brain size in early birds in the aftermath of the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. And by closely examining one of the branches of this tree, researchers found that flamingos and doves are more distantly related than previous genome-wide analyses had shown.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Melting glaciers in a warmer climate provide new ground for invasive species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In 2022 and 2023, biologists from research institutes in the UK and the Falkland Islands led two expeditions to South Georgia to study the impacts of invasive species on this cold and rugged sub-Antarctic island. They report that several invasive plants and invertebrates rapidly colonized the new ground exposed by melting glaciers, leaving few pristine areas for native species. With ongoing climate change, more research is needed across the world to understand how invasive species impact the fragile ecosystems that develop after glacier melting.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature
Published

Machine learning provides a new picture of the great gray owl      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers upend the notion that the iconic great gray owl -- known as the phantom of the North -- lives far from cities, towns and other markers of human density.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature
Published

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hyenas are generalist predators (and scavengers) with a broad range of prey species. They are known for hunting (or scavenging) larger mammals such as antelopes and occasionally feed on smaller mammals and reptiles. Being flexible in the choice of prey is a strategy of generalists -- and this even extends to small passerine birds, as scientists observed in Namibia: Spotted hyenas pursued red-billed queleas, picked them from the ground or the surface of a waterhole and swallowed them whole, at a success rate of approximately one bird every three minutes.

Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature
Published

Lyrebird synchronizes elements of its mating dance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To woo a mate, the Albert's Lyrebird of Australia becomes a real song-and-dance bird. Each male first chooses a stage of entangled vines, then in performance he shakes the vines as part of his courtship footwork, synchronizing each shake with the beat of his striking song.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Open waste burning linked to air pollution in Northwestern Greenland      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A case study on the effects of open waste burning on air quality in Northwestern Greenland calls attention to the importance of no-one-left-behind sustainable air quality monitoring in the Arctic region.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How extratropical ocean-atmosphere interactions can contribute to the variability of jet streams in the Northern Hemisphere      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ocean-atmosphere coupling, the exchange in energy between the ocean and atmosphere, influences teleconnection patterns, the climate effects across vast geographical areas. However, its impact outside the tropics is unclear. A group of researchers examined the effect of ocean coupling on atmospheric circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere. They found that extratropical ocean-atmosphere coupling enhances teleconnection patterns and causes more meandering westerly jet streams, which are linked to extreme weather events.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Environmental: Water
Published

Understanding cattle grazing personalities may foster sustainable rangelands      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research finds that not all cattle are the same when it comes to grazing, and knowing that could lead to better animal health and range conditions.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Land under water: What causes extreme flooding?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If rivers overflow their banks, the consequences can be devastating -- just like the catastrophic floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate of 2021 showed. In order to limit flood damage and optimize flood risk assessment, we need to better understand what factors can lead to extreme forms of flooding and to what extent. Using methods of explainable machine learning, researchers have shown that floods are more extreme when several factors are involved in their development.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists warn: The grey seal hunt is too large      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers warn that today's hunting quotas of about 3,000 animals pose a risk to the long-term survival of the grey seal in the Baltic Sea. The conclusions of this new study are based on statistics from 20th century seal hunting and predictions of future climate change.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Looking to the past to prevent future extinction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Anthropologists created a computational model to predict the likelihood of animal extinctions based on the complex interaction of hunting and environmental change.