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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published 525-million-year-old fossil defies textbook explanation for brain evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) According to a new study, fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods, the most species-rich group in the animal kingdom. Combining detailed anatomical studies of the fossilized nervous system with analyses of gene expression patterns in living descendants, they conclude that a shared blueprint of brain organization has been maintained from the Cambrian until today.
Published Less intensively managed grasslands have higher plant diversity and better soil health
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have shown -- for the first time -- that less intensively managed British grazed grasslands have on average 50% more plant species and better soil health than intensively managed grassland. The new study could help farmers increase both biodiversity and soil health, including the amount of carbon in the soil of the British countryside.
Published Ancient Roman coins reveal long-lost emperor
(via sciencedaily.com) A gold coin long dismissed as a forgery appears to be authentic and depicts a long-lost Roman emperor named Sponsian, according to a new study.
Published 1,700-year-old spider monkey remains discovered in Teotihuacán, Mexico
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The complete skeletal remains of a spider monkey -- seen as an exotic curiosity in pre-Hispanic Mexico -- grants researchers new evidence regarding social-political ties between two ancient powerhouses: Teotihuacán and Maya Indigenous rulers. The remains of other animals were also discovered, as well as thousands of Maya-style mural fragments and over 14,000 ceramic sherds from a grand feast. These pieces are more than 1,700 years old.
Published Corals saving corals
(via sciencedaily.com) Corals resistant to disease can rescue more vulnerable corals, UC Davis found. Raising corals with diverse genotypes builds resilience amid disease and climate changes in reefs.
Published Arctic carbon conveyor belt discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Every year, the cross-shelf transport of carbon-rich particles from the Barents and Kara Seas could bind up to 3.6 million metric tons of CO2 in the Arctic deep sea for millennia. In this region alone, a previously unknown transport route uses the biological carbon pump and ocean currents to absorb atmospheric CO2 on the scale of Iceland's total annual emissions, as researchers report.
Published Crown-of-thorns seastar from Red Sea is endemic species
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have identified coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars in the Red Sea as distinct species that occurs only in this location.
Published Deadly coral disease in Florida, Caribbean may be transported in ship hulls, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study suggests that ships may be spreading a deadly coral disease across Florida and the Caribbean. The findings could help establish testing and treatment methods to mitigate the risk of further disease spread.
Published Arctic vegetation has a major impact on warming
(via sciencedaily.com) An international team of research scientists has documented the central role of vegetation for Arctic warming. The new results allow us to make more precise climate predictions, with the researchers pointing out that current models remain flawed.
Published Exploring the possibility of extraterrestrial life living in caves
(via sciencedaily.com) For millennia, caves have served as shelters for prehistoric humans. Caves have also intrigued scholars from early Chinese naturalists to Charles Darwin. A cave ecologist has been in and out of these subterranean ecosystems, examining the unique life forms -- and unique living conditions -- that exist in Earth's many caves. But what does that suggest about caves on other planetary bodies? In two connected studies, engineers, astrophysicists, astrobiologists and astronauts lay out the research that needs to be done to get us closer to answering the old-age question about life beyond Earth.
Published Ray of hope? One place where reef manta rays are thriving
(via sciencedaily.com) Over a decade, manta ray populations increased significantly in Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia, highlighting the importance of long-term conservation and management measures such as well-enforced Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and fisheries regulations, says a researcher.
Published Footprints claimed as evidence of ice age humans in North America need better dating, new research shows
(via sciencedaily.com) The preserved footprints found in New Mexico's Lake Otero Basin would upend scientific understanding of how, and when, humans first arrived in North America, if they are accurately dated. A new study brings the age claim into question.
Published Welsh 'weird wonder' fossils add piece to puzzle of arthropod evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source International team of researchers describe new fossil species discovered in fossil deposit near Llandrindod Wells in mid-Wales. The fossil, Mierridduryn bonniae, shares many features with Cambrian 'weird wonder' Opabinia, but is 40 million years younger. Robust phylogenetic analyses suggest that Mierridduryn is either the third opabiniid ever discovered, or is a distinct group that is key for understanding the evolution of the arthropod head.
Published Prehistoric predator? Artificial intelligence says no
(via sciencedaily.com) Artificial intelligence has revealed that prehistoric footprints thought to be made by a vicious dinosaur predator were in fact from a timid herbivore.
Published Desert dust collected from glacier ice helps document climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers are using dust trapped in glacier ice in Tibet to document past changes in Earth's intricate climate system -- and maybe one day help predict future changes.
Published Researchers produce first-ever 'family tree' for aquarium-bred corals
(via sciencedaily.com) The first-ever family tree for aquarium-bred corals provides insights for maximizing genetic diversity and adaptability in corals bred for conservation.
Published Scientists say sea-level changes formed Australia's K'Gari Sand Island, Great Barrier Reef
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers report evidence the formation of K'gari and the Great Barrier Reef are linked to a change in the magnitude of sea-level rise and fall due to major climate feedback changes during the Middle Pleistocene Transition.
Published Oldest evidence of the controlled use of fire to cook food, researchers report
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The remains of a huge carp fish mark the earliest signs of cooking by prehistoric human to 780,000 years ago, predating the available data by some 600,000 years, according to researchers.
Published Half of replanted tropical trees don't survive
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source On average, about half of trees planted in tropical and sub-tropical forest restoration efforts do not survive more than five years, but there is enormous variation in outcomes, new research has found.
Published New pterosaur species found in sub-Saharan Africa
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With wings spanning nearly 16 feet, a new species of pterosaurs has been identified from the Atlantic coast of Angola.