Wednesday, April 03, 2019

science news 3.4.2019

Today's selection of science news. 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. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.


astrobiology

Prebiotic chemistry: Stable majorities
How could prebiotic information-bearing DNA sequences survive in the face of competition from a vast excess of shorter molecules with random sequences? Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich scientists now show that a relatively simple mechanism could have done the trick.


evolution

Which came first, the lizard or the egg?
In a world first, Sydney biologists have observed a three-toed skink lay eggs and give birth to a live baby from the same pregnancy, opening a useful pathway to study the evolution of pregnancy.


climate change

A slippery slope: How climate change is reshaping the Arctic landscape


botany

Saffron comes from Attica -- origin of the saffron crocus traced back to Greece


ecology

Sea snakes make record-setting deep dives

Scientists measure extent of recovery for critically endangered black abalone

New species of wood-munching (and phallic-looking) clams found at the bottom of the ocean

Should I stay or should I go?
Researchers investigate the dispersal patterns of the endangered golden lion tamarin, to help maintain the viability of the species. They found that while both female and male tamarins do leave their natal group but males immigrate into other groups, whereas females form entirely new ones.


A golden lion tamarin with their offspring.
Credit: Kyoto University/Andreia Martins


light and life

Blue light could treat superbug infections


humans

Food for thought: Why did we ever start farming?
See also my feature on the evolution of agriculture, now in the open archives.

How the brain finds meaning in metaphor


No comments: