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Categories: Biology: Botany, Space: General

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Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

Survival of the newest: the mammals that survive mass extinctions aren't as 'boring' as scientists thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For decades, scientists have assumed that mammals and their relatives that survived challenging times (like those during mass extinctions) made it because they were generalists that were able to eat just about anything and adapt to whatever life threw at them. A new study into the mammal family tree through multiple mass extinctions revealed that the species that survived aren't as generic as scientists had thought: instead, having new and different traits can be the key to succeeding in the aftermath of a catastrophe.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany
Published

Understanding greenhouse gases in oil palm plantations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The rapid spread of oil palm plantations and associated high use of fertilizer raises concerns about the emission of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. A new study shows that oil palms’ photosynthesis and their response to meteorological and soil conditions play an important but still widely unexplored role in the amount of nitrous oxide produced by oil palm plantations.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water
Published

Meadow Spittlebug's record-breaking diet also makes it top disease carrier for plants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research fueled in part by citizen scientists reveals that the meadow spittlebug—known for the foamy, spit-like urine released by its nymphs—can feed on at least 1,300 species of host plants, more than twice the number of any other insect.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General Space: Cosmology Space: General
Published

New 'Assembly Theory' unifies physics and biology to explain evolution and complexity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers has developed a new theoretical framework that bridges physics and biology to provide a unified approach for understanding how complexity and evolution emerge in nature. This new work on 'Assembly Theory' represents a major advance in our fundamental comprehension of biological evolution and how it is governed by the physical laws of the universe.

Biology: Botany Computer Science: General Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

AI drones to help farmers optimize vegetable yields      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For reasons of food security and economic incentive, farmers continuously seek to maximize their marketable crop yields. As plants grow inconsistently, at the time of harvesting, there will inevitably be variations in quality and size of individual crops. Finding the optimal time to harvest is therefore a priority for farmers. A new approach making heavy use of drones and artificial intelligence demonstrably improves this estimation by carefully and accurately analyzing individual crops to assess their likely growth characteristics.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature
Published

Honeybees are more selective in their choices for nutrition than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research group examined which plants honeybees favor when collecting nectar and pollen. The choices honeybees make have an impact on their health and also on humans, as honeybees pollinate important crop plants.

Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

A prehistoric cosmic airburst preceded the advent of agriculture in the Levant      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Agriculture in Syria started with a bang 12,800 years ago as a fragmented comet slammed into the Earth’s atmosphere. The explosion and subsequent environmental changes forced hunter-gatherers in the prehistoric settlement of Abu Hureyra to adopt agricultural practices to boost their chances for survival.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Carbon-capture tree plantations threaten tropical biodiversity for little gain, ecologists say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The increasingly urgent climate crisis has led to a boom in commercial tree plantations in an attempt to offset excess carbon emissions. However, authors argue that these carbon-offset plantations might come with costs for biodiversity and other ecosystem functions. Instead, the authors say we should prioritize conserving and restoring intact ecosystems.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Large mound structures on Kuiper belt object Arrokoth may have common origin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study posits that the large, approximately 5-kilometer-long mounds that dominate the appearance of the larger lobe of the pristine Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin. The study suggests that these “building blocks” could guide further work on planetesimal formational models.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Study quantifies satellite brightness, challenges ground-based astronomy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The ability to have access to the Internet or use a mobile phone anywhere in the world is taken more and more for granted, but the brightness of Internet and telecommunications satellites that enable global communications networks could pose problems for ground-based astronomy. Scientists confirm that recently deployed satellites are as bright as stars seen by the unaided eye.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Bursts of star formation explain mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) first images of the universe’s earliest galaxies, the young galaxies appear too bright, too massive and too mature to have formed so soon after the Big Bang. Using new simulations, a team of astrophysicists now has discovered that these galaxies likely are not so massive after all. Although a galaxy’s brightness is typically determined by its mass, the new findings suggest that less massive galaxies can glow just as brightly from irregular, brilliant bursts of star formation.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

How new plant cell walls change their mechanical properties after cell division      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists reveal new plant cell walls can have significantly different mechanical properties compared to surrounding parental cell walls, enabling cells to change their local shape and influence the growth of plant organs.

Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Colliding neutron stars provide a new way to measure the expansion of the Universe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In recent years, astronomy has seen itself in a bit of crisis: Although we know that the Universe expands, and although we know approximately how fast, the two primary ways to measure this expansion do not agree. Now astrophysicists suggest a novel method which may help resolve this tension.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees
Published

Timing plant evolution with a fast-ticking epigenetic clock      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics, the study of inheritance of traits that occur without changing the DNA sequence, have shown that chronological age in mammals correlates with epigenetic changes that accumulate during the lifetime of an individual. In humans, this observation has led to the development of epigenetic clocks, which are now extensively used as biomarkers of aging. While these clocks work accurately from birth until death, they are set back to zero in each new generation. Now, an international team shows that epigenetic clocks not only exist in plants, but that these clocks keep ticking accurately over many generations.

Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General
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Ethical guidelines needed before human research in commercial spaceflight is ready for liftoff      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Before human research is conducted during commercial spaceflights, it should be 'ethically cleared to launch,' according to a global team of scientists, health policy experts and commercial spaceflight professionals.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Space: General
Published

Novel bacterial proteins from seafloor shine light on climate and astrobiology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unveiled a remarkable discovery: the identification of novel bacterial proteins that play a vital role in the formation and stability of methane clathrates, which trap gigatons of greenhouse gas beneath the seafloor. These newfound proteins not only suppress methane clathrate growth as effectively as toxic chemicals used in drilling but also prove to be eco-friendly and scalable. This innovative breakthrough not only promises to enhance environmental safety in natural gas transportation but also sheds light on the potential for similar biomolecules to support life beyond Earth.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees
Published

New research reveals dynamic factors shaping biodiversity at small scales      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers studying arboreal ants in a Florida forest explore the fundamental question of how resource availability and competition shape biodiversity.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Extreme weight loss: Star sheds unexpected amounts of mass just before going supernova      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly discovered nearby supernova whose star ejected up to a full solar mass of material in the year prior to its explosion is challenging the standard theory of stellar evolution. The new observations are giving astronomers new insight into what happens in the final year prior to a star's death and explosion.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General
Published

Down goes antimatter! Gravity's effect on matter's elusive twin is revealed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For the first time, in a unique laboratory experiment at CERN, researchers have observed individual atoms of antihydrogen fall under the effects of gravity. In confirming antimatter and regular matter are gravitationally attracted, the finding rules out gravitational repulsion as the reason why antimatter is largely missing from the observable universe.