Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Bird brains left other dinosaurs behind      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Research on a newly discovered bird fossil found that a unique brain shape may be why the ancestors of living birds survived the mass extinction that claimed all other known dinosaurs.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

Unravelling the knotty problem of the Sun's activity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new approach to analysing the development of magnetic tangles on the Sun has led to a breakthrough in a longstanding debate about how solar energy is injected into the solar atmosphere before being released into space, causing space weather events. The first direct evidence that field lines become knotted before they emerge at the visible surface of the Sun has implications for our ability to predict the behavior of active regions and the nature of the solar interior.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly but their flying abilities may have been different from adult pterosaurs, according to a new study. Researchers found that hatchling humerus bones were stronger than those of many adult pterosaurs, indicating that they would have been strong enough for flight.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Rapidly diversifying birds in Southeast Asia offer new insights into evolution      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New findings from zoologists working with birds in Southeast Asia are shining fresh light on the connections between animal behaviour, geology, and evolution - underlining that species can diversify surprisingly quickly under certain conditions. Sulawesi Babblers (Pellorneum celebense), shy birds that live in the undergrowth on Indonesian islands, have begun to diverge quite significantly despite being separated geographically for mere tens of thousands of years.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

Lightning impacts edge of space in ways not previously observed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of researchers working with data collected by an Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) have examined the simultaneous impacts of thunderstorms and solar flares on the ionospheric D-region (often referred to as the edge of space).

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

Boundary of heliosphere mapped      (via sciencedaily.com) 

For the first time, the boundary of the heliosphere has been mapped, giving scientists a better understanding of how solar and interstellar winds interact.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

'Surfing' particles: Physicists solve a mystery surrounding aurora borealis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The spectacularly colorful aurora borealis -- or northern lights -- that fills the sky in high-latitude regions has fascinated people for thousands of years. Now, a team of scientists has resolved one of the final mysteries surrounding its origin.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Ancient chickens lived significantly longer than modern fowl because they were seen as sacred, not food      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Ancient chickens lived significantly longer than their modern equivalents because they were seen as sacred -- not food -- archaeologists have found.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

Which way does the solar wind blow?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

High performance computers are central to the quest to understand the sun's behavior and its role in space weather events. Scientists are using the Frontera supercomputer to improve the state-of-the-art in space weather forecasting. Researchers described the role of backstreaming pickup ions in the acceleration of charged particles in the universe, which play an important role in space weather.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Understanding of invisible but mighty particles in Earth's radiation belts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Tiny charged electrons and protons which can damage satellites and alter the ozone have revealed some of their mysteries to scientists.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Species losses on isolated Panamanian island show importance of habitat connectivity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Free from human disturbance for a century, an inland island in Central America has nevertheless lost more than 25% of its native bird species since its creation as part of the Panama Canal's construction, and scientists say the losses continue.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

What can a dinosaur's inner ear tell us? Just listen      (via sciencedaily.com) 

If paleontologists had a wish list, it would almost certainly include insights into two particular phenomena: how dinosaurs interacted with each other and how they began to fly.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Airports could generate enough solar energy to power a city      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research shows placing solar panels on the roofs of Australian airport buildings could be an efficient step towards net zero emissions.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: The Solar System
Published

New study ties solar variability to the onset of decadal La Nina events      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study shows a correlation between the end of solar cycles and a switch from El Nino to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean, suggesting that solar variability can drive seasonal weather variability on Earth.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Endangered songbird challenging assumptions about evolution      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research looked at a newly discovered, endangered songbird located only in South America -- the Iberá Seedeater -- and found that this bird followed a very rare evolutionary path to come into existence at a much faster pace than the grand majority of species.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Mummified parrots point to trade in the ancient Atacama desert      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Ancient Egyptians mummified cats, dogs, ibises and other animals, but closer to home in the South American Atacama desert, parrot mummies reveal that between 1100 and 1450 CE, trade from other areas brought parrots and macaws to oasis communities, according to an international and interdisciplinary team.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Warriors' down bedding could ease journey to realm of the dead      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Feathers, an owl head and oars suggest the people in this Iron Age grave were prepared for a long journey.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

The case of the cloudy filters: Solving the mystery of the degrading sunlight detectors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sun-facing satellites monitor the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) light to give us advance warning of solar storms. But over the course of just a year or two, the metal filters in the detectors mysteriously lose their ability to transmit UV light. Now, scientists have found the first evidence indicating that carbonization is not the problem.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Giant fossil's 'bird-brain'      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The largest flightless bird ever to live weighed in up to 600kg and had a whopping head about half a meter long - but its brain was squeezed for space. Dromornis stirtoni, the largest of the 'mihirungs' (an Aboriginal word for 'giant bird'), stood up to 3m and had a cranium wider and higher than it was long due to a powerful big beak, leading Australian palaeontologists to look inside its brain space to see how it worked.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Extinct Caribbean bird's closest relatives hail from Africa, South Pacific      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a genetic surprise, ancient DNA shows the closest family members of an extinct bird known as the Haitian cave-rail are not in the Americas, but Africa and the South Pacific, uncovering an unexpected link between Caribbean bird life and the Old World.