science news 17.1.2019

Today's round-up of science stories. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about.


astrobiology

New study finds evidence of changing seasons, rain on Titan's north pole


bio-inspired

Feathers: better than Velcro?
"The structures zipping together the barbs in bird feathers could provide a model for new adhesives and new aerospace materials, according to a study by an international team of researchers publishing in the Jan. 16 issue of Science Advances. Researchers 3D printed models of the structures to better understand their properties."

Vampire bat venom could hold key to new medical treatments
"Vampire bats could hold the key to new treatments for a range of serious medical problems, but researchers have hit a snag accessing the specimens needed to advance their work. An international team led by The University of Queensland has found a new class of blood pressure-regulating peptides in the venom of the common vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata)."


chemistry

Ammonia by phosphorus catalysis
"More than 100 years after the introduction of the Haber-Bosch process, scientists continue to search for alternative ammonia production routes that are less energy demanding. Chinese scientists have now discovered that black phosphorus is an excellent catalyst for the electroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia. According to their study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, layered black phosphorus nanosheets are a highly selective and efficient catalyst in this process."
See also my recent feature on the quest for new approaches to industrial ammonia synthesis, especially in Asia.


climate change

Water, not temperature, limits global forest growth as climate warms

The pace at which the world's permafrost soils are warming

Record-breaking ocean temperatures point to trends of global warming



conservation

Urbanization may hold key to tiger survival

Marine mammals and sea turtles recovering after Endangered Species Act protection

Ocean giant gets a health check: Combination blood, tissue test reveals whale shark diets
"Whale sharks, the world's largest fish, likely endure periods of starvation and may eat more plants than previously thought, according to the first results of a new health check developed at the University of Tokyo. Ocean scientists now have a powerful, simple tool to discover the diets, migrations, and conservation needs of this endangered species."



Caption: Whale sharks, like this individual at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, are the world's largest species of fish, growing to 10 to 12 meters in length. Despite their large size and threatened status, whale shark ecology remains mysterious. A University of Tokyo research team led by Alex Wyatt, a project researcher at the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, created a blood test and tissue isotope analysis health check to better understand the animals.
Credit: Image by K. Sato, Okinawa Churashima Foundation Research Center CC-BY-NC-ND.


humans

Artificial intelligence applied to the genome identifies an unknown human ancestor
New insights on the Neanderthal / Denisovan / modern human love triangle

Dental study of juvenile archaic Homo< fossil gives clues about human development

Mechanism helps explain the ear's exquisite sensitivity