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Categories: Biology: Marine, Space: Astronomy
Published Using eclipses to calculate the transparency of Saturn's rings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A student has measured the optical depth of Saturn's rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini spacecraft while it was in the shadow of the rings.
Published Galactic 'lightsabers': Answering longstanding questions about jets from black holes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The one thing everyone knows about black holes is that absolutely everything nearby gets sucked into them. Almost everything, it turns out. Astrophysicists have now determined conclusively that energy close to the event horizon of black hole M87* is pushing outward, not inward. The researchers have also created a way to test the prediction that black holes lose rotational energy and to establish it's that energy that produces the incredibly powerful jets.
Published Scientists uncover aurora-like radio emission above a sunspot
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have detailed radio observations of an extraordinary aurora-like display -- occurring 40,000 km above a relatively dark and cold patch on the Sun, known as a sunspot.
Published Endangered turtle population under threat as pollution may lead to excess of females being born
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers find exposure to heavy metals cadmium and antimony and certain organic contaminants, accumulated by the mother and transferred to her eggs, may cause embryos to be feminized in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), a species already at risk of extinction from a current lack of male hatchlings.
Published Second-most distant galaxy discovered using James Webb Space Telescope
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The second- and fourth-most distant galaxies ever observed have been discovered in a region of space known as Pandora's Cluster, or Abell 2744, using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
Published Milky Way-like galaxy found in the early universe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have discovered the most distant barred spiral galaxy, similar to the Milky Way, that has been observed to date.
Published Glow in the visible range detected for the first time in the Martian night
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have observed, for the first time in the visible range, a glow on the night side of the planet Mars. These new observations provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet and its variations throughout the year.
Published Barnacle bends shape to fend off warm-water sea snails on the move
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some barnacles are 'morphing' to protect themselves from predatory warm-water sea snails, which are expanding into their territory due to climate change.
Published Scientists find 14 new transient objects in space by peering through the 'Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered 14 new transient objects during their time-lapse study of galaxy cluster MACS0416 -- located about 4.3 billion light years from Earth -- which they've dubbed as the 'Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster.'
Published Zooplankton in ocean and freshwater are rapidly escalating the global environmental threat of plastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A collaborative research team has recently revealed that rotifers, a kind of microscopic zooplankton common in both fresh and ocean water around the world, are able to chew apart microplastics, breaking them down into even smaller, and potentially more dangerous, nanoplastics -- or particles smaller than one micron. Each rotifer can create between 348,000 -- 366,000 per day, leading to uncountable swarms of nanoparticles in our environment.
Published New findings support long-proposed process of planet formation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists just made a breakthrough discovery in revealing how planets are made. By observing water vapor in protoplanetary disks, they confirmed a physical process involving the drifting of ice-coated solids from the outer regions of the disk into the rocky-planet zone.
Published A different take on phosphorus: Bacteria use organic phosphorus and release methane in the process
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some bacteria are able to tap into unusual sources of nutrients in the surface water of the oceans. This enables them to increase their primary production and extract more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In doing so, however, they release the potent greenhouse gas methane.
Published Device 'smells' seawater to discover, detect novel molecules
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Under the ocean's surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as medications. Now, researchers report a proof-of-concept device that 'sniffs' seawater, trapping dissolved compounds for analyses. The team showed that the system could easily concentrate molecules that are present in underwater caves and holds promise for drug discovery in fragile ecosystems, including coral reefs.
Published Why a surprising discovery, warming seas and the demise of the 'Meg' may spell trouble for more and more sharks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some unexpected shark strandings and subsequent surprises following autopsies have, ironically, taken marine biologists millions of years back in time as they look to the future with concern. Adding chapters to an evolutionary tale involving the infamous megalodon shark (the 'Meg'), they think their work suggests there are more warm-blooded sharks out there than previously believed, and -- based on the Meg's demise -- these species may be at great risk from warming seas.
Published 450-million-year-old organism finds new life in Softbotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used fossil evidence to engineer a soft robotic replica of pleurocystitids, a marine organism that existed nearly 450 million years ago and is believed to be one of the first echinoderms capable of movement using a muscular stem.
Published Studies of geologic faulting on icy moons aid exploration of extraterrestrial watery worlds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Earth and space scientists document and reveal the mechanisms behind strike-slip faulting on the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, and Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede.
Published New algae species rewrites understanding of reef systems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of marine scientists has identified and officially named four species of algae new to science, challenging previous taxonomical assumptions within the Porolithon genus. The discovery has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the ecological role of these algae in the coral reef ecosystem.
Published Two fins are better than one: Fish synchronize tail fins to save energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source They say two heads are better than one. But in the world of fish, it appears two fins are better than one. Researchers have produced a theoretical model that demonstrates the underlying mechanisms behind how fish will synchronize their fin movements to ride each other's vortices, thereby saving energy.
Published Mystery resolved: Black hole feeding and feedback at the center of an active galaxy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. An international research team has recently observed the Circinus galaxy, which is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, with high enough resolution to gain further insights into the gas flows to and from the black hole at its galactic nucleus.
Published Crust-forming algae are displacing corals in tropical waters worldwide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over the past few decades, algae have been slowly edging corals out of their native reefs across the globe by blocking sunlight, wearing the corals down physically, and producing harmful chemicals. But in recent years, a new type of algal threat has surfaced in tropical regions like the Caribbean -- one that spreads quickly and forms a crust on top of coral and sponges, suffocating the organisms underneath and preventing them from regrowing. Marine biologists report that peyssonnelioid alga crusts, or PACs, are expanding quickly across reefs worldwide, killing off corals and transforming entire ecosystems.