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Categories: Biology: Marine, Paleontology: Fossils

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Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science
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Vegetarian diet of corals explains age-old mystery dating back to Darwin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has revealed why coral reefs can thrive in seemingly nutrient poor water, a phenomenon that has fascinated scientists since Charles Darwin.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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This fish doesn't just see with its eyes -- it also sees with its skin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Without a mirror, it can be hard to tell if you're blushing, or have spinach in your teeth. But one color-changing fish has evolved a clever way to keep watch on the parts of itself that lie outside its field of view -- by sensing light with its skin.

Archaeology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
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Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, a group of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick. The analysis provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies on clay material from other sites and time periods.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Molecular Paleontology: Fossils
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Ancient metal cauldrons give us clues about what people ate in the Bronze Age      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have long been drawing conclusions about how ancient tools were used by the people who crafted them based on written records and context clues. But with dietary practices, they have had to make assumptions about what was eaten and how it was prepared. A new study analyzed protein residues from ancient cooking cauldrons and found that the people of Caucasus ate deer, sheep, goats, and members of the cow family during the Maykop period (3700--2900 BCE).

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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The modern sea spider had started to diversify by the Jurassic, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An extremely rare collection of 160-million-year-old sea spider fossils from Southern France are closely related to living species, unlike older fossils of their kind.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
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Unveiling Japan's ancient practice of cranial modification: The case of the Hirota people in Tanegashima      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cranial modification is a form of body alteration where the head is pressed or bound to permanently deform the skull. The practice has been reported across various cultures throughout history. Researchers report that the Hirota people -- who lived on the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima between the 3rd to 7th century CE -- also conducted cranial modification, with indication that both males and females performed the practice.

Archaeology: General Biology: Marine
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Sea sequin 'bling' links Indonesian islands' ancient communities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microscopic analysis has revealed that trends in body ornamentation were shared across Indonesian islands.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Scientists explore dinosaur 'Coliseum' in Denali National Park      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered and documented the largest known single dinosaur track site in Alaska. The site, located in Denali National Park and Preserve, has been dubbed 'The Coliseum' by researchers.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Evolving elegance: Scientists connect beauty and safeguarding in ammonoid shells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With 350 million years of evolution culminating in almost two centuries of scientific discourse, a new hypothesis emerges. Researchers propose a new explanation for why ammonoids evolved a highly elaborate, fractal-like geometry within their shells. Their analysis shows that the increasing complexity of shell structures provided a distinct advantage by offering improved protection against predators.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
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Microplastics found embedded in tissues of whales and dolphins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microscopic plastic particles have been found in the fats and lungs of two-thirds of the marine mammals in a graduate student's study of ocean microplastics. The presence of polymer particles and fibers in these animals suggests that microplastics can travel out of the digestive tract and lodge in the tissues.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life
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Gray whales feeding along the Pacific Northwest coast are smaller than their counterparts who travel farther to forage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Gray whales that spend their summers feeding off the coast of Oregon are shorter than their counterparts who travel north to the Arctic for food, new research shows.

Archaeology: General Ecology: Research Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Fossil feces infested with parasites from over 200 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fossilized feces preserve evidence of ancient parasites that infected an aquatic predator over 200 million years ago, according to a new study.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
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Top fish predators could suffer wide loss of suitable habitat by 2100 due to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study of 12 species of highly migratory fish predators -- including sharks, tuna, and billfish such as marlin and swordfish -- finds that most of them will encounter widespread losses of suitable habitat and redistribution from current habitats in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA) and the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) by 2100. These areas are among the fastest warming ocean regions and are projected to increase between 1-6°C (+1-10°F) by the end of the century, a sign of climate-driven changes in marine ecosystems.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life
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Protected sex: Grouper mating calls in marine managed areas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Groupers produce distinct sounds associated with courtship, territoriality or reproduction. An autonomous mobile wave glider and passive acoustics were deployed to survey two marine protected areas on the western shelf of Puerto Rico to locate spawning aggregations of two commercially important species -- the Nassau and red hind groupers. Findings show these sites are critical habitat for both species and multiple previously unknown grouper species, which highlight the importance of expanding existing seasonal regulations.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
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Land-sea relationship is major driver of coral reef health outcomes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research indicates that mitigating both local land and sea-based human impacts, especially in terms of pollutants and over-fishing, provides coral reef ecosystems with the best opportunity to persist under climate change. Along some highly populated areas on the shorelines of Hawai'i, wastewater pollution and urban runoff combine with fishing pressures to put immense stress on coral reefs.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Marine protected areas overwhelmingly manage with climate change in mind      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientific findings don't always translate neatly into actions, especially in conservation and resource management. The disconnect can leave academics and practitioners disheartened and a bit frustrated.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
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Pause in recent coral recovery on much of Great Barrier Reef      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In-water monitoring shows hard coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef remains at similar levels to that recorded in 2022, with small decreases in the Northern, Central and Southern regions. AIMS' Annual Summary Report on Coral Reef Condition for 2022/23 found that while some reefs continued to recover, their increased hard coral cover was offset by coral loss on other reefs. Most reefs underwent little change in coral cover.

Anthropology: General Paleontology: Fossils
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Ancient DNA reveals an early African origin of Cattle in the Americas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using ancient DNA, researchers have determined cattle were imported from Africa to the Americas much earlier in the process of European colonization than documented. The first records of African cattle in the Americas date back to the 1800s, leading some historians to conclude that early colonists relied entirely on a small stock of European cattle initially shipped to the Caribbean Islands. DNA from archaeological specimens pushes the introduction of African cattle back by more than 100 years.