Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Humans are leaving behind a 'frozen signature' of microbes on Mount Everest      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Thanks to technological advances in microbial DNA analysis, researchers have discovered that mountaineers' boots aren't the only things leaving footprints on the world's tallest mountain. When someone sneezes on Everest, their germs can last for centuries.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Dizzy apes provide clues on human need for mind altering experiences      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Great apes deliberately spin themselves in order make themselves dizzy -- findings which could provide clues about the role of altered mental states for origins of the human mind.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Remarkable squirting mussels captured on film      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have observed a highly unusual behavior in the endangered freshwater mussel, Unio crassus. The jets disturb the river surface and attract fish. Mussel larvae in the jets can then attach to the gills of the fish and complete their metamorphosis into adults.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Island-inhabiting giants, dwarfs more vulnerable to extinction      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Island-dwelling mammal species often expand or contract in size, becoming giant or dwarf versions of their mainland counterparts. A new Science study from a global team shows that those giants and dwarfs have faced extreme risk of extinction -- an existential threat exacerbated by the arrival of humans.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

What 'Chornobyl dogs' can tell us about survival in contaminated environments      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In the first step toward understanding how dogs -- and perhaps humans -- might adapt to intense environmental pressures such as exposure to radiation, heavy metals, or toxic chemicals, researchers found that two groups of dogs living within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone showed significant genetic differences between them. The results indicate that these are two distinct populations that rarely interbreed. While earlier studies focused on the effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster on various species of wildlife, this is the first investigation into the genetic structure of stray dogs living near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Bumblebees learn new 'trends' in their behavior by watching and learning      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has shown that bumblebees pick up new 'trends' in their behavior by watching and learning from other bees, and that one form of a behavior can spread rapidly through a colony even when a different version gets discovered.

Environmental: Ecosystems Mathematics: Statistics Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Can artificial intelligence help find life on Mars or icy worlds?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have mapped the sparse life hidden away in salt domes, rocks and crystals at Salar de Pajonales at the boundary of the Chilean Atacama Desert and Altiplano. Then they trained a machine learning model to recognize the patterns and rules associated with their distributions so it could learn to predict and find those same distributions in data on which it was not trained. In this case, by combining statistical ecology with AI/ML, the scientists could locate and detect biosignatures up to 87.5 percent of the time and decrease the area needed for search by up to 97 percent.

Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Edible electronics: How a seaweed second skin could transform health and fitness sensor tech      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have developed biodegradable algae-based hydrogels for strain sensing devices -- such as those used in health monitors worn by runners and hospital patients to track heart rate -- using natural elements like rock salt, water and seaweed, combined with graphene. As well as being more environmentally friendly than polymer-based hydrogels, commonly used in health sensor technology, the graphene algae sensors perform strongly in terms of sensitivity.

Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Super-fast insect urination powered by the physics of superpropulsion      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Tiny insects known as sharpshooters excrete by catapulting urine drops at incredible accelerations. By using computational fluid dynamics and biophysical experiments, the researchers studied the fluidic, energetic, and biomechanical principles of excretion, revealing how an insect smaller than the tip of a pinky finger performs a feat of physics and bioengineering -- superpropulsion.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Nanotechnology Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Plants and Animals Physics: Optics
Published

Tiny new climbing robot was inspired by geckos and inchworms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A tiny robot that could one day help doctors perform surgery was inspired by the incredible gripping ability of geckos and the efficient locomotion of inchworms.

Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: General
Published

Dinosaur claws used for digging and display      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Dinosaur claws had many functions, but now a team has shown some predatory dinosaurs used their claws for digging or even for display.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

The rediscovery of an ethereal fairy lantern brightly illuminates their mysterious past      (via sciencedaily.com) 

After more than 30 years, botanists have rediscovered Thismia kobensis, a type of mysterious-looking rare plant commonly referred to as 'fairy lanterns'. Thismia kobensis was presumed extinct and the surprise rediscovery of this Japanese variety has illuminated hidden aspects of fairy lanterns that have puzzled and fascinated botanists for centuries.

Engineering: Robotics Research Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Reaching like an octopus: A biology-inspired model opens the door to soft robot control      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Octopus arms coordinate nearly infinite degrees of freedom to perform complex movements such as reaching, grasping, fetching, crawling, and swimming. How these animals achieve such a wide range of activities remains a source of mystery, amazement, and inspiration. Part of the challenge comes from the intricate organization and biomechanics of the internal muscles.

Ecology: Extinction Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: General
Published

Evolution of dinosaur body size through different developmental mechanisms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The meat-eating dinosaurs known as theropods that roamed the ancient Earth ranged in size from the bus-sized T. rex to the smaller, dog-sized Velociraptor. Scientists puzzling over how such wildly different dinosaur sizes evolved recently found -- to their surprise -- that smaller and larger theropod dinosaurs like these didn't necessarily get that way merely by growing slower or faster.

Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals Offbeat: Space Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Meteorite crater discovered in French winery      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Countless meteorites have struck Earth in the past and shaped the history of our planet. It is assumed, for example, that meteorites brought with them a large part of its water. The extinction of the dinosaurs might also have been triggered by the impact of a very large meteorite. It turns out that the marketing 'gag' of the 'Domaine du Météore' winery is acutally a real impact crater. Meteorite craters which are still visible today are rare because most traces of the celestial bodies have long since disappeared again.

Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Sheep can benefit urban lawn landscapes and people      (via sciencedaily.com) 

About 25 woolly sheep who seasonally -- for the past two years -- leave barns to nibble on lawns at various central campus locations, are doing much more than mowing, fertilizing and improving the ecosystem. The sheep also are improving people's mental health.

Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Researchers map mosquito cells that may help the insects choose tastiest humans      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a bid to understand why mosquitoes may be more attracted to one human than another, researchers say they have mapped specialized receptors on the insects' nerve cells that are able to fine-tune their ability to detect particularly 'welcoming' odors in human skin.

Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Noble false widow spider found preying on pygmy shrew      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have published the first record of a noble false widow spider feeding on a pygmy shrew, a species of tiny mammal protected in Ireland. The pygmy shrew -- a protected mammal -- was captured on spider's web on a bedroom window, then paralyzed and hoisted to its doom by the invasive spider.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Research Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Geckos know their own odor      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Geckos can use their tongue to differentiate their own odor from that of other members of their species, as researchers have shown in a new experimental study. The findings show that geckos are able to communicate socially, meaning that they are more intelligent than was previously assumed.