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Categories: Geoscience: Geography, Offbeat: General

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Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Effectiveness of GBGI infrastructure in mitigating urban heat, proposing nine-stage framework for development of a sustainable city      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Primarily due to the impact of urbanisation and global warming, urban heatwaves have become a challenging issue worldwide, with Hong Kong persistently experiencing record-breaking high-temperature days. Mitigating urban heat through green and blue infrastructures is essential for creating a sustainable environment. Researchers have conducted a study on the effectiveness of green interventions in cooling urban heat across various regions that can assist policymakers in prioritizing effective interventions to develop sustainable cities.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Potentially habitable 'exo-Venus' with Earth-like temperature discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have made the rare and tantalizing discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet 40 light-years away that may be just a little warmer than our own world. The potentially-habitable planet, named Gliese 12 b, orbits its host star every 12.8 days, is comparable in size to Venus -- so slightly smaller than Earth -- and has an estimated surface temperature of 42 C (107 F), which is lower than most of the 5,000-odd exoplanets confirmed so far. That is assuming it has no atmosphere, however, which is the crucial next step to establishing if it is habitable.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Foraging ants navigate more efficiently when given energy-drink-like doses of caffeine      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ants who receive a caffeine-laced sugary reward become more efficient at navigating back to the reward's location compared to ants that only receive sugar. Caffeinated ants move toward the reward via a more direct path but do not increase their speed, suggesting that caffeine improved their ability to learn. The study was conducted on Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), a globally invasive species, and the researchers say that incorporating caffeine into ant baits could aid efforts to control the ants by improving bait uptake.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Sexual parasitism helped anglerfish invade the deep sea during a time of global warming      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfishes are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate. Now, researchers show that sexual parasitism arose during a time of major global warming and rapid transition for anglerfishes from the ocean floor to the deep, open sea.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Beach erosion will make Southern California coastal living five times more expensive by 2050, study predicts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Southern California's iconic sandy coastlines are vanishing at an alarming rate, and it's a warning sign for coastal communities worldwide, new research suggests.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Developmental Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

New AI accurately predicts fly behavior      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers trained an AI model to accurately predict male fruit flies' courtship behavior in response to any sight of a female. This breakthrough offers new insight into how the brain processes visual data and may someday pave the way for artificial vision technology.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing
Published

Strings that can vibrate forever (kind of)      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have engineered string-like resonators capable of vibrating longer at ambient temperature than any previously known solid-state object -- approaching what is currently only achievable near absolute zero temperatures. Their study pushes the edge of nanotechnology and machine learning to make some of the world's most sensitive mechanical sensors.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Extreme temperatures may increase risk of stroke mortality, especially in low-income countries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Extreme heat and extreme cold are both associated with increased risks of death from ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, according to a new study. The researchers found that the link between extreme temperatures and stroke mortality was stronger in low-income countries than in high-income countries.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

'Fossilizing' cracks in infrastructure creates sealing that can even survive earthquakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, a team of researchers used research on fossilizing techniques to create a new method for sealing cracks and fractures in rocks and bedrock using a 'concretion-forming resin'. This innovative technique has applications in a wide range of industries, from tunnel construction to long-term underground storage of hazardous materials.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Cuddled cows who work as therapy animals showed a strong preference for women compared to men, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals that cows who are cuddled as therapy animals showed a strong preference for interactions with women when compared to men. In turn, the research, which opens a new era on whether some therapies may be initially stronger based upon gender and not procedure, highlighted that the women also reported greater attachment behaviors towards the steers.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New insights into the degradation dynamics of organic material in the seafloor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many processes in the deep sea are not yet well understood, and the role of microbial communities in particular is often a big unknown. This includes, for example, how organic material that sinks from the water surface to the ocean floor is metabolised -- an important building block for a better understanding of the global carbon cycle.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Study finds widespread 'cell cannibalism,' related phenomena across tree of life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers describe cell-in-cell phenomena in which one cell engulfs and sometimes consumes another. The study shows that cases of this behavior, including cell cannibalism, are widespread across the tree of life. The findings challenge the common perception that cell-in-cell events are largely restricted to cancer cells. Rather, these events appear to be common across diverse organisms, from single-celled amoebas to complex multicellular animals.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Conservation of nature's strongholds needed to halt biodiversity loss      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To achieve global biodiversity targets, conservationists and governments must prioritize the establishment and effective management of large, interconnected protected areas with high ecological integrity, researchers argue in a new essay.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Alaska's rusting waters: Pristine rivers and streams turning orange      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Dozens of Alaska's rivers and streams are turning orange. The staining could be the result of minerals exposed by thawing permafrost and climate change, finds a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Detecting odors on the edge: Researchers decipher how insects smell more with less      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While humans feature a sophisticated sense of smell, insects have a much more basic olfactory system. Yet they depend upon smell to survive. Scientists have figured out how fruit flies use a simple but efficient system to recognize odors, and the answer lies at the edges of their antennae.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Complete stellar collapse: Unusual star system proves that stars can die quietly      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

University of Copenhagen astrophysicists help explain a mysterious phenomenon, whereby stars suddenly vanish from the night sky. Their study of an unusual binary star system has resulted in convincing evidence that massive stars can completely collapse and become black holes without a supernova explosion.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

3D printing robot creates extreme shock-absorbing shape, with help of AI      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

See how an autonomous robot created a shock-absorbing shape no human ever could -- and what it means for designing safer helmets, packaging, car bumpers, and more.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Researchers discover hidden step in dinosaur feather evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists discover 'zoned development' in dinosaur skin, with zones of reptile-style scales and zones of bird-like skin with feathers. A new dinosaur skin fossil has been found to be composed of silica -- the same as glass.