Showing 20 articles starting at article 421
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Marine, Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published Oldest known species of swimming jellyfish identified
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Royal Ontario Museum announces the oldest swimming jellyfish in the fossil record with the newly named Burgessomedusa phasmiformis. This 505-million-year-old swimming jellyfish from the Burgess Shale highlights diversity in the Cambrian ecosystem.
Published Sea level rise shifts habitat for endangered Florida Keys species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly published study describes the response to sea level rise by the silver rice rat, an endangered species only found in the Florida Keys.
Published DNA decodes the dining preferences of the shell-shucking whitespotted eagle ray
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With mighty jaws and plate-like teeth, the globally endangered whitespotted eagle ray can pretty much crunch on anything. Yet, little information is available on critical components of their life history in the U.S., such as their diet. A study is the first use DNA barcoding to uncover the finer-scale feeding patterns of this protected species in Florida. The surprising results have important implications for both shellfish enhancement activities and species management.
Published Sun 'umbrella' tethered to asteroid might help mitigate climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Earth is rapidly warming and scientists are developing a variety of approaches to reduce the effects of climate change. An astronomer has proposed a novel approach -- a solar shield to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth, combined with a tethered, captured asteroid as a counterweight. Engineering studies using this approach could start now to create a workable design that could mitigate climate change within decades.
Published Researchers find evolutionary adaption in trout of Wyoming's Wind River Mountains
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists found that trout from lakes stocked decades ago in the Wind River Mountains have higher numbers of gill rakers, which are bony or cartilage structures in the gullets of fish that act as sieves to retain zooplankton and nourish the trout. The difference is likely a result of the trout adapting to the food sources of the once-fishless high-mountain lakes -- a change that has taken place in a relatively short period of time and at a rate that is generally consistent with the historic timing of stocking for each of the lakes.
Published Elusive pygmy right whale is a homebody
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The smallest member of the filter-feeding family is one of the only whale species not to embark on seasonal migrations, new research finds.
Published Billions in conservation spending fail to improve wild fish stocks in Columbia Basin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Four decades of conservation spending totaling more than $9 billion in inflation-adjusted tax dollars has failed to improve stocks of wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.
Published New research highlights risks of selective adaptation in extreme coral habitats
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Resilient corals, often referred to as 'super corals', have recently been seen as potential saviours in the face of climate change and its detrimental effects on coral reefs. Now, a team of scientists is working to better understand these corals in order to develop strategies to protect fragile ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef.
Published Dune restoration could increase the resilience of Southern California's urban beaches to sea level rise
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over the last several years, the residents of Santa Monica, a coastal city on the edge of Los Angeles, saw something neither they, their parents, or perhaps even their grandparents had ever seen before: a three-foot-tall dune system rising gently from the flat, groomed expanse of one of the world's most famous urban beaches. It's a six year alliance between sand, wind and vegetation, and, according to researchers, it's one way to enlist nature to help protect the coast from the impacts of climate change.
Published Arctic terns may navigate climate dangers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Arctic terns -- which fly on the longest migrations of any animal on Earth -- may be able to navigate the dangers posed by climate change, new research suggests.
Published Scientists discover new isopod species in the Florida Keys
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a new species of marine cryptofauna in the Florida Keys. Cryptofauna are the tiny, hidden, organisms that make up the majority of biodiversity in the ocean. The tiny crustaceans are the first new gnathiid isopod to be discovered from the Floridian ecoregion in 100 years and are named after singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.
Published Newly discovered Jurassic fossils in Texas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have filled a major gap in the state's fossil record -- describing the first known Jurassic vertebrate fossils in Texas. The weathered bone fragments are from the limbs and backbone of a plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile.
Published New research finds that more than 90% of global aquaculture faces substantial risk from environmental change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Many of the world's largest aquatic food producers are highly vulnerable to human-induced environmental change, with some of the highest-risk countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa demonstrating the lowest capacity for adaptation, a landmark study has shown.
Published Gray whales off Oregon Coast consume millions of microparticles per day
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers estimate that gray whales feeding off the Oregon Coast consume up to 21 million microparticles per day, a finding informed in part by feces from the whales.
Published Megalodon was no cold-blooded killer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How the megalodon, a shark that went extinct 3.6 million years ago, stayed warm was a matter of speculation among scientists. Using an analysis of tooth fossils from the megalodon and other sharks of the same period, a study suggests the animal was able to maintain a body temperature well above the temperature of the water in which it lived. The finding could help explain why the megalodon went extinct during the Pliocene Epoch.
Published How coral reefs can survive climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Similar to the expeditions of a hundred or two hundred years ago, the Tara Pacific expedition lasted over two years. The goal: to research the conditions for life and survival of corals. The ship crossed the entire Pacific Ocean, assembling the largest genetic inventory conducted in any marine system to date. The team's 70 scientists from eight countries took around 58,000 samples from the hundred coral reefs studied.
Published 'We're all Asgardians': New clues about the origin of complex life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source According to a new study, eukaryotes -- complex life forms with nuclei in their cells, including all the world's plants, animals, insects and fungi -- trace their roots to a common Asgard archaean ancestor. That means eukaryotes are, in the parlance of evolutionary biologists, a 'well-nested clade' within Asgard archaea, similar to how birds are one of several groups within a larger group called dinosaurs, sharing a common ancestor.
Published Are viruses keeping sea lice at bay in wild salmon?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source More than 30 previously unknown RNA viruses in sea lice have been identified. Sea lice are parasitic copepods (small crustaceans) found in many fresh and saltwater habitats, and have been implicated in the decline of wild salmon populations. The research sheds greater light on the types of viruses being carried by sea lice, and how the viruses and host are interacting.
Published Glass sponge genome furnishes insights into evolution of biomineralization
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The genome of a glass sponge species suggests that silica skeletons evolved independently in several groups of sponges.
Published Caribbean seagrasses provide services worth $255B annually, including vast carbon storage, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Caribbean seagrasses provide about $255 billion in services to society annually, including $88.3 billion in carbon storage, according to a new study. The study has put a dollar value on the many services -- from storm protection to fish habitat to carbon storage -- provided by seagrasses across the Caribbean, which holds up to half the world's seagrass meadows by surface area and contains about one-third of the carbon stored in seagrasses worldwide.