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Categories: Geoscience: Geography, Offbeat: General
Published Scientists measure the distance to stars by their music
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of astronomers has used asteroseismology, or the study of stellar oscillations, to accurately measure the distance of stars from the Earth. Their research examined thousands of stars and checked the measurements taken during the Gaia mission to study the near Universe.
Published Understanding atmospheric flash droughts in the Caribbean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The word 'drought' typically conjures images of parched soil, dust-swept prairies, depleted reservoirs, and dry creek beds, all the result of weeks or seasons of persistently dry atmospheric conditions. In the sun-soaked islands in the Caribbean, however, drought conditions can occur much more rapidly, with warning signs appearing too late for mediation strategies to limit agriculture losses or prevent stresses on infrastructure systems that provide clean water to communities.
Published Coevolution helps Santa's reindeer feast after flight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study suggests that it's not Rudolph's red nose that helps reindeer find food during snowy Arctic winters, but instead a unique adaptation of their eyes to their favorite food. Reindeer may have developed their unique ability to see in the ultraviolet spectrum so they can more easily spot their primary food, the algae-fungus fusion known as lichens -- which absorb UV -- in the winter landscape. The findings help explain the long-standing scientific mystery as to why reindeer -- including Rudolph and his fellow airborne ungulates from the classic story -- can see in UV.
Published Positive tipping points must be triggered to solve climate crisis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Positive tipping points must be triggered if we are to avoid the severe consequences of damaging Earth system tipping points, researchers say.
Published Morocco earthquake had unusual deep slip, according to new modeling
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In their rapid characterization of the magnitude 6.8 Al Haouz earthquake in Morocco, researchers suggest that the earthquake ruptured roughly 25 kilometers deep beneath the surface.
Published Astronomers discover first population of binary stripped stars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have discovered a population of massive stars that have been stripped of their hydrogen envelopes by their companions in binary systems. The findings shed light on the hot helium stars that are believed to be the origins of hydrogen-poor core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers.
Published Reaching for the (invisible) stars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Supernovae -- stellar explosions as bright as an entire galaxy -- have fascinated us since time immemorial. Yet, there are more hydrogen-poor supernovae than astrophysicists can explain. Now, scientists may have found the missing precursor star population.
Published Drones capture new clues about how water shapes mountain ranges over time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Drones flying along miles of rivers in the steep, mountainous terrain of central Taiwan and mapping the rock properties have revealed new clues about how water helps shape mountains over geological time.
Published Can you change a chicken into a frog, a fish or a chameleon?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a theoretical framework that can reproduce and predict the patterns associated with gastrulation in a chicken embryo.
Published Seals stay warm and hydrated in the Arctic with larger, more convoluted nasal passages
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Arctic seals have evolved many adaptations to cope with their frosty environment -- one that you might not immediately think of is the bones in their nasal cavity. Arctic seals have more convoluted nasal passages than seal species that live in milder environments, and researchers report that these structures help the seals more efficiently retain heat and moisture as they breathe in and out.
Published AI study reveals individuality of tongue's surface
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 3D images of the human tongue have revealed that the surface of our tongues are unique to each of us, new findings suggest. The results offer an unprecedented insight into the biological make-up of our tongue's surface and how our sense of taste and touch differ from person to person.
Published Thinking about God inspires risk-taking for believers, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Does thinking about faith make religious people more likely to take leaps? A new study says yes, finding that participants were more likely to take risks when thinking about God as a benevolent protector. The study specifically looked at American Christians and 'morally neutral' risks.
Published Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Widespread caries and toothache -- but also some dental work and filing of front teeth. Viking Age teeth from Varnhem bear witness to surprisingly advanced dentistry.
Published Unexpected chemistry reveals cosmic star factories' secrets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two galaxies in the early universe, which contain extremely productive star factories, have been studied by a team of scientists. Using powerful telescopes to split the galaxies' light into individual colors, the scientists were amazed to discover light from many different molecules -- more than ever before at such distances. Studies like this could revolutionize our understanding of the lives of the most active galaxies when the universe was young, the researchers believe.
Published Tiniest free-floating brown dwarf
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Brown dwarfs are objects that straddle the dividing line between stars and planets. They form like stars, growing dense enough to collapse under their own gravity, but they never become dense and hot enough to begin fusing hydrogen and turn into a star. At the low end of the scale, some brown dwarfs are comparable with giant planets, weighing just a few times the mass of Jupiter.
Published Enzymes can't tell artificial DNA from the real thing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have come one step closer to unlocking the potential of synthetic DNA, which could help scientists develop never-before-seen proteins in the lab.
Published Cognitive strategies for augmenting the body with a wearable, robotic arm
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists show that breathing may be used to control a wearable extra robotic arm in healthy individuals, without hindering control of other parts of the body.
Published Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology, ancient DNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The high-altitude hero of the Himalayas, yak are among the few large animals that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. In the mountainous regions of Asia, yak and yak-cattle hybrids serve as vital sources of meat, milk, transportation and fuel. However, little is known about their history: when or where yak were domesticated. In a new study, researchers report archaeologically and genetically confirmed evidence for domestic yak, dating back 2,500 years, by far the oldest record.
Published Pacific Northwest snowpack endangered by increasing spring heatwaves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even in the precipitation-heavy Pacific Northwest, more frequent heatwaves are threatening a key source of water supply. A Washington State University study that intended to look at snow melting under a single, extreme event, the 2021 'heat dome,' instead revealed an alarming, longer-term rising trend of successive heatwaves melting snowpack earlier in the year. From temperature records spanning from 1940 to 2021, springtime heatwaves in the region have doubled in frequency, intensity or both since the mid-1990s. The findings have implications for many areas worldwide that are dependent on snow-capped mountains to provide summer water since heatwaves have been on the rise globally.
Published Highly resolved precipitation maps based on AI
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Strong precipitation may cause natural disasters, such as floodings or landslides. Global climate models are required to forecast the frequency of these extreme events, which is expected to change as a result of climate change. Researchers have now developed a first method based on artificial intelligence (AI), by means of which the precision of coarse precipitation fields generated by global climate models can be increased. The researchers succeeded in improving spatial resolution of precipitation fields from 32 to two kilometers and temporal resolution from one hour to ten minutes. This higher resolution is required to better forecast the more frequent occurrence of heavy local precipitation and the resulting natural disasters in future.