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Categories: Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Everybody needs good neighbors: Resident quolls help newcomers settle in at Mulligans Flat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source GPS tracking collars have revealed how newly reintroduced eastern quolls are settling in at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary in Canberra, with quolls who were born at the sanctuary accepting their new neighbors with open paws.
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 Creating supranormal hearing in mice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has produced supranormal hearing in mice, while also supporting a hypothesis on the cause of hidden hearing loss in people.
Published Last surviving woolly mammoths were inbred but not doomed to extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The last population of woolly mammoths was isolated on Wrangel Island off the coast of Siberia 10,000 years ago, when sea levels rose and cut the mountainous island off from the mainland. A new genomic analysis reveals that the isolated mammoths, who lived on the island for the subsequent 6,000 years, originated from at most 8 individuals but grew to 200--300 individuals within 20 generations. The researchers report that the Wrangel Island mammoths' genomes showed signs of inbreeding and low genetic diversity but not to the extent that it can explain their ultimate (and mysterious) extinction.
Published Prehistoric 'Pompeii' discovered: Most pristine trilobite fossils ever found shake up scientific understanding of the long extinct group
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have described some of the best-preserved three-dimensional trilobite fossils ever discovered. The fossils, which are more than 500 million years old, were collected in the High Atlas of Morocco and are being referred to by scientists as 'Pompeii' trilobites due to their remarkable preservation in ash.
Published Under pressure: How comb jellies have adapted to life at the bottom of the ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have studied the cell membranes of ctenophores ('comb jellies') and found they had unique lipid structures that allow them to live under intense pressure.
Published Researchers find genetic stability in a long-term Panamanian hybrid zone of manakin birds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source We often think of species as separate and distinct, but sometimes they can interbreed and create hybrids. When this happens consistently in a specific area, it forms what's known as a hybrid zone. These zones can be highly dynamic or remarkably stable, and studying them can reveal key insights into how species boundaries evolve -- or sometimes blur. Researchers now describe a hybrid zone between two manakin species in Panama that has overall remained relatively stable over the past 30 years.
Published From takeoff to flight, the wiring of a fly's nervous system is mapped
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Although a fly's motor neurons are few, it performs remarkable aerial and terrestrial feats. A wiring diagram recently created of the motor circuits in the central nervous system of the fruit fly is providing detailed information on how the nerve coordination of leg movements differs from that controlling the wings. Such studies reveal the unexpected complexity of the fly's tiny motor system. They also advance the understanding of how the central nervous system in animals coordinates individual muscles to carry out a variety of behaviors.
Published Frog 'saunas' a lifeline for endangered frog populations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New biologist-designed shelters will help endangered frogs survive the devastating impacts of a deadly fungal disease by regulating their body temperature to fight off infections.
Published Non-stop flight: 4,200 km transatlantic flight of the Painted Lady butterfly mapped
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In October 2013 a researcher made a surprising discovery of Painted Lady Butterflies on the Atlantic beaches of French Guiana -- a species not typically found in South America. This unusual sighting prompted an international study to investigate the origin of these butterflies.
Published New study finds dinosaur fossils did not inspire the mythological griffin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For centuries, scientists thought they knew where the griffin legend came from. A new study takes a closer look at the data and folklore's influence on science.
Published Wild chimpanzees seek out medicinal plants to treat illness and injuries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chimpanzees appear to consume plants with medicinal properties to treat their ailments, according to a new study.
Published Newly discovered dinosaur boasts big, blade-like horns
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new dinosaur has been identified and named. The dinosaur's name, Lokiceratops rangiformis, translates roughly to 'Loki's horned face that looks like a caribou.'
Published First conclusive evidence that a terrestrial leech species can jump
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study presents video evidence that at least one species of terrestrial leech can jump, behavior that scientists have debated for more than a century.
Published Fishy parenting? Punishing offspring encourages cooperation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists discovered that Neolamprologus savoryi fish use punishment to encourage offspring to cooperate in brood care, revealing advanced cognitive abilities previously thought unique to higher vertebrates. This study highlights that punishment for promoting cooperation exists beyond human societies, prompting a reevaluation of animal intelligence.
Published The world's oldest wine discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A white wine over 2,000 years old, of Andalusian origin, is the oldest wine ever discovered.
Published Where to put head and tail?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Formation of the body axes is a critical part of embryonic development. They guarantee that all body parts end up where they belong and that no ears grow on our backs. The head-tail axis, for example, determines the orientation of the two ends of the body. It was previously assumed that this axis is largely determined by the interplay between the Nodal and BMP signals. However, there appears to be another player in this system, as researchers have now discovered by using an embryo-like model system they developed. In the absence of BMP, the signalling molecule beta-catenin takes on the role of the Nodal antagonist. This new mechanism could be a flexible solution for axis formation in embryos with different shapes.
Published Wear it, then recycle: Designers make dissolvable textiles from gelatin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers hope their DIY machine will help designers around the world experiment with making their own, sustainable fashion and other textiles from a range of natural ingredients -- maybe even the chitin in crab shells or agar-agar from algae.
Published Ancient polar sea reptile fossil is oldest ever found in Southern Hemisphere
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists has identified the oldest fossil of a sea-going reptile from the Southern Hemisphere -- a nothosaur vertebra found on New Zealand's South Island. 246 million years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, New Zealand was located on the southern polar coast of a vast super-ocean called Panthalassa. 'The nothosaur found in New Zealand is over 40 million years older than the previously oldest known sauropterygian fossils from the Southern Hemisphere.