science news 19.7.2019

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

Drinking red wine on the red planet
"... a daily moderate dose of resveratrol significantly preserved muscle function and mitigated muscle atrophy in an animal model mimicking Mars' partial gravity. Novel model innovated by BIDMC researchers will help scientists fill in the blanks about the little understood physiological consequences of partial gravity."


nanoworld

A dynamic genetic code based on DNA shape
a biological role for DNA segments that switch between right and left-handed helical form.


evolution

How mammals' brains evolved to distinguish odors is nothing to sniff at
"Neuroscientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego have discovered that at least six types of mammals--from mice to cats--distinguish odors in roughly the same way, using circuitry in the brain that's evolutionarily preserved across species."



The image shows a section of the front part of the piriform cortex, an area of the brain involved in the sense of smell. The cortex layers are stained with florescent antibodies to better distinguish key differences. Layer 1 contains two separate sections; the layer closest to the black-colored surface (1a) is stained bright green, while the second part (1b) is stained orange. Layer 2 is stained white and contains a high density of neurons. Olfactory bulb neurons, important in smell processing, send signals to the branches of neurons in layer 1a. These neurons have cell bodies located in layer 2. Layer 2 neurons communicate with one another in layer 1b.
Credit: Salk Institute


ecology

Lionfish ear-bones reveal a more mobile invasion


insects

Simulation explores how insects glean compass direction from skylight


climate change

Strong storms also play big role in Antarctic ice shelf collapse


humans

Depressed by Facebook and the like
I like the headline, for once.


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plant-based milk replacements are gaining popularity in the UK, reports the Guardian.

I'm torn between switching to Oatly which comes in single use packaging and continuing to support the milkman delivering reusable bottles. Currently we tend to have a litre of oatly in the fridge as a backup for peak demands.
I always have to point out on these occasions, however, that almond milk cannot be a green solution, nearly all almonds come from industrialised farming in California, which has a huge environmental footprint, in terms of water use and what the growers do to the poor old bees pollinating their crops.