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Categories: Environmental: Biodiversity, Geoscience: Earth Science
Published Scientists develop novel method to estimate biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have employed novel statistical methods to reveal the extent of biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries. The study paints the most accurate picture to date of the ecological impact of deforestation and urban development in the tropical city-state. From a comprehensive dataset, the study estimated that Singapore has lost 37 per cent of its species.
Published Use it or lose it: How seagrasses conquered the sea
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Seagrasses provide the foundation of one of the most highly biodiverse, yet vulnerable, coastal marine ecosystems globally. They arose in three independent lineages from their freshwater ancestors some 100 million years ago and are the only fully submerged, marine flowering plants. Moving to such a radically different environment is a rare evolutionary event and definitely not easy. How did they do it? New reference quality genomes provide important clues with relevance to their conservation and biotechnological application.
Published Achieving sustainable urban growth on a global scale
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international group of leading scientists call for an urgent change in the governance of urban expansion as the world's cities continue to grow at unprecedented rates.
Published Unexpected biodiversity on the ocean floor
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hydrothermal vents and manganese nodule fields in the deep oceans contain more biodiversity than expected.
Published Global warming has a bigger effect on compact, fast-moving typhoons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A group has found that larger, slow-moving typhoons are more likely to be resilient to the effects of global warming. However, more compact, fast-moving storms are more likely to be sensitive. These findings suggest an improved method for projecting the strength of typhoons under global warming conditions.
Published Simple steps can cut snakebite deaths
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have called for simple, effective steps to cut the number of people bitten by venomous snakes.
Published War in Ukraine severely limits ability to track Arctic climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists no longer have direct access to data from Russian Arctic research stations. Without this data, our view of climate changes in the region is increasingly biased, new research shows.
Published Chemists use the blockchain to simulate over 4 billion chemical reactions essential to the origins of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cryptocurrency is usually 'mined' through the blockchain by asking a computer to perform a complicated mathematical problem in exchange for tokens of cryptocurrency. But now a team of chemists have repurposed this process, asking computers to instead generate the largest network ever created of chemical reactions which may have given rise to prebiotic molecules on early Earth.
Published Global groundwater depletion is accelerating, but is not inevitable
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Groundwater is rapidly declining across the globe, often at accelerating rates. Researchers now present the largest assessment of groundwater levels around the world, spanning nearly 1,700 aquifers. In addition to raising the alarm over declining water resources, the work offers instructive examples of where things are going well, and how groundwater depletion can be solved. The study is a boon for scientists, policy makers and resource managers working to understand global groundwater dynamics.
Published Study offers rare long-term analysis of techniques for creating standing dead trees for wildlife habitat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ecologists have long known that standing dead trees, commonly referred to as snags, are an important habitat element for forest dwellers and act as a driver of biodiversity. They're so important that in some managed forests, snag creation is part of the conservation tool kit -- i.e., crews sometimes convert a percentage of live trees into dead ones through techniques ranging from sawing off their tops to wounding their trunks to injecting them with disease-causing fungi.
Published Records of cometary dust hitting the asteroid Ryugu
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Hayabusa2 mission that collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu has provided a treasure trove of insights into our solar system. After analyzing samples further, a team of researchers have unearthed evidence that cometary organic matter was transported from space to the near-Earth region.
Published A new perspective on the temperature inside tropical forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New worldwide maps of temperatures inside tropical forests show that global warming affect different way in different parts of the forests. Undergrowth level temperature of the tropical forests can be even 4 degrees less than average temperature of the area.
Published Complex green organisms emerged a billion years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Of all the organisms that photosynthesize, land plants have the most complex form. How did this morphology emerge? A team of scientists has taken a deep dive into the evolutionary history of morphological complexity in streptophytes, which include land plants and many green algae. Their research allowed them to go back in time to investigate lineages that emerged long before land plants existed.
Published Planetary Commons: Fostering global cooperation to safeguard critical Earth system functions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tipping elements of the Earth system should be considered global commons, researchers argue. Global commons cannot -- as they currently do -- only include the parts of the planet outside of national borders, like the high seas or Antarctica. They must also include all the environmental systems that regulate the functioning and state of the planet, namely all systems on Earth we all depend on, irrespective on where in the world we live. This calls for a new level of transnational cooperation, leading experts in legal, social and Earth system sciences say. To limit risks for human societies and secure critical Earth system functions they propose a new framework of planetary commons to guide governance of the planet.
Published Wolves and elk are (mostly) welcome back in Poland and Germany's Oder Delta region, survey shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An online survey conducted in Germany and Poland shows that large parts of the participants support the return of large carnivores and herbivores, such as wolves and elk, to the Oder Delta region. Presented with different rewilding scenarios, the majority of survey participants showed a preference for land management that leads to the comeback of nature to the most natural state possible. Locals, on the other hand, showed some reservations.
Published Ice age could help predict oceans' response to global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new way to measure the ocean oxygen level and its connections with carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere during the last ice age could help explain the role oceans played in past glacial melting cycles and improve predictions of how ocean carbon cycles will respond to global warming.
Published Scientists, farmers and managers work together to avoid the decline of the little bustard, an endangered steppe bird
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The collaboration between scientists, farmers and managers is crucial to improve the protection of the little bustard, an endangered steppe-land bird in Spain due to human activity. The reduction of natural habitats, the increase in irrigation and the urbanization of the land have led to having less surface areas that guarantee the survival of this vulnerable species.
Published Researchers pump brakes on 'blue acceleration' harming the world ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Protecting the world ocean against accelerating damage from human activities could be cheaper and take up less space than previously thought, new research has found.
Published Next-generation batteries could go organic, cobalt-free for long-lasting power
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the switch to 'greener' energy sources, the demand for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is surging. However, their cathodes typically contain cobalt -- a metal whose extraction has high environmental and societal costs. Now, researchers in report evaluating an earth-abundant, carbon-based cathode material that could replace cobalt and other scarce and toxic metals without sacrificing lithium-ion battery performance.
Published The heat is on: Scientists discover southern Africa's temps will rise past the rhinos' tolerance
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Southern Africa contains the vast majority of the world's remaining populations of both black and white rhinoceroses (80% and 92%, respectively). The region's climate is changing rapidly as a result global warming. Traditional conservation efforts aimed at protecting rhinos have focused on poaching, but until now, there has been no analysis of the impact that climate change may have on the animals. A research team has recently reported that, though the area will be affected by both higher temperatures and changing precipitation, the rhinos are more sensitive to rising temperatures, which will quickly increase above the animals' acceptable maximum threshold.