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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Space: Exploration
Published Coral reefs: Battlegrounds for survival in a changing climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Coral reefs, those vibrant underwater cities, stand on the precipice of collapse. While rising ocean temperatures and coral bleaching grab headlines, a new essay reveals a hidden layer of complexity in this fight for survival: the often-overlooked roles of the reefs' smallest inhabitants.
Published Fresh wind blows from historical supernova
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A mysterious remnant from a rare type of supernova recorded in 1181 has been explained for the first time. Two white dwarf stars collided, creating a temporary 'guest star,' now labeled supernova (SN) 1181, which was recorded in historical documents in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. However, after the star dimmed, its location and structure remained a mystery until a team pinpointed its location in 2021. Now, through computer modeling and observational analysis, researchers have recreated the structure of the remnant white dwarf, a rare occurrence, explaining its double shock formation. They also discovered that high-speed stellar winds may have started blowing from its surface within just the past 20-30 years. This finding improves our understanding of the diversity of supernova explosions, and highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary research, combining history with modern astronomy to enable new discoveries about our galaxy.
Published Exploring the radiative effects of precipitation on Arctic amplification and energy budget
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source While, in theory, precipitation impacts the Earth's radiation budget, the radiative effects of precipitation (REP) are poorly understood and excluded from most climate models. Hence, a new study examined the role of REP in the global and regional energy budgets and hydrological cycles, finding that REP significantly contributes to temperature and precipitation variations at different geographical scales, especially in the Arctic warming. This highlights the relevance of including REP in climate modeling for improved accuracy.
Published Moon 'swirls' could be magnetized by unseen magmas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mysterious, light-colored swirls on Moon's surface could be rocks magnetized by magma activity underground, laboratory experiments confirm.
Published Retreating glaciers: Fungi enhance carbon storage in young Arctic soils
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Melting Arctic glaciers are in rapid recession, and microscopic pioneers colonize the new exposed landscapes. Researchers revealed that yeasts play an important role in soil formation in the Arctic.
Published Machine learning could aid efforts to answer long-standing astrophysical questions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Physicists have developed a computer program incorporating machine learning that could help identify blobs of plasma in outer space known as plasmoids. In a novel twist, the program has been trained using simulated data.
Published Climate change drives tree species towards colder, wetter regions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change is likely to drive tree species towards colder and wetter regions.
Published Study illuminates cues algae use to 'listen' to their environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows how a small group of single-celled algae are able to use chemical cues to communicate stress information. Understanding this ability, once thought unique to plants, helps illuminate the complex evolutionary history of plants and algae.
Published Organic material from Mars reveals the likely origin of life's building blocks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two samples from Mars together deliver clear evidence of the origin of Martian organic material. The study presents solid evidence for a prediction made over a decade ago that could be key to understanding how organic molecules, the foundation of life, were first formed here on Earth.
Published Ocean acidification turns fish off coral reefs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study of coral reefs in Papua New Guinea shows ocean acidification simplifies coral structure, making crucial habitat less appealing to certain fish species.
Published A new pulsar buried in a mountain of data
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have discovered the first millisecond pulsar in the stellar cluster Glimpse-CO1.
Published Shrinking glaciers: Microscopic fungi enhance soil carbon storage in new landscapes created by shrinking Arctic glaciers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Shrinking glaciers expose new land in the Arctic, creating unique ecosystems. Researchers studied how microbes colonize these barren landscapes. The study reveals a crucial role for specific fungal species in capturing and storing carbon in the newly formed soil. These findings suggest fungi are essential for future carbon storage in the Arctic as glaciers continue to recede.
Published Researchers identify unique survival strategies adopted by fish in the world's warmest waters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers have identified unexpected ways coral reef fish living in the warmest waters on earth, in the Arabian Gulf, have adapted to survive extreme temperatures.
Published Sixty-million-year-old grape seeds reveal how the death of the dinosaurs may have paved the way for grapes to spread
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists discovered the oldest fossil grapes in the Western Hemisphere, which help show how after the death of the dinosaurs, grapes spread across the world.
Published This desert moss has the potential to grow on Mars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising candidate for Mars colonization thanks to its extreme ability to tolerate harsh conditions lethal to most life forms. The moss is well known for its ability to tolerate drought conditions, but researchers now report that it can also survive freezing temperatures as low as 196 C, high levels of gamma radiation, and simulated Martian conditions involving these three stressors combined. In all cases, prior dehydration seemed to help the plants cope.
Published Tiny bright objects discovered at dawn of universe baffle scientists
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A recent discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed that luminous, very red objects previously detected in the early universe upend conventional thinking about the origins and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.
Published Ecologists reconstruct the history of biodiversity in the Indo-Australian archipelago and its rise as a hotspot
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Coral Triangle, also known as the Indo-Australian Archipelago, is renowned for having the greatest marine biodiversity on our planet. Despite its importance, the detailed evolutionary history of this biodiversity hotspot has remained largely a mystery. An international research team has now shed light on this history, reconstructing how biodiversity in the region has developed over the past 40 million years.
Published Drowning in waste: Pollution hotspots in aquatic environments
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study explores waste management systems and reveals that achieving zero waste leakage by 2030 is unlikely, potentially jeopardizing related Sustainable Development Goals. The authors emphasize the need for global cooperation, particularly across four regions, to responsibly manage waste disposal.
Published Climate change to shift tropical rains northward
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Atmospheric scientists predict that unchecked carbon emissions will force tropical rains to shift northward in the coming decades, which would profoundly impact agriculture and economies near the Earth's equator. The northward rain shift would be spurred by carbon emissions that influence the formation of the intertropical convergence zones that are essentially atmospheric engines that drive about a third of the world's precipitation.
Published Too many missing satellite galaxies found
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bringing us one step closer to solving the 'missing satellites problem,' researchers have discovered two new satellite galaxies.