science news 9.10.2019

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 in italics in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without italics if I have any.


astrobiology

Scientists identify molecule that could have helped cells thrive on early Earth
A new study, led by Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, PhD, of Scripps Research, and Sheref Mansy, PhD, of the University of Trento, offers an explanation for how "protocells" could have emerged on early Earth, eventually leading to the cells we know today. Their work, published in the journal SMALL, suggests that molecules called cyclophospholipids may have been the ingredient necessary for protocells to form important internal structures called vesicles, which likely kicked off the evolutionary process.


evolution

Meet the 'mold pigs,' a new group of invertebrates from 30 million years ago



Fossils preserved in Dominican amber reveal a new family, genus and species of microinvertebrate from the mid-Tertiary period, a discovery that shows unique lineages of the tiny creatures were living 30 million years ago.
Credit: Provided by George Poinar Jr.


ecology

When laying their eggs, tobacco hawkmoths avoid plants that smell of caterpillar feces
Love the tobacco hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) - they're so clever with chemistry. Also the cover star of my new book.

The deeper these octopuses live, the wartier their skin

Badger behavior inside the cull zone
A study led by researchers at international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and Imperial College London has found that culling drives badgers to roam 61% further afield -- helping to explain why the practice, intended to reduce bovine TB transmission, can sometimes exacerbate the problem instead



conservation

Study recommends special protection of emperor penguins


sustainability

A cool alternative to air conditioning

Buying less is better than buying 'green' -- for the planet and your happiness


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From the news media:

The Nobel Prize in physics was announced yesterday, split between the discovery of the first exoplanet (Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor) and cosmology (James Peebles). All of them feature in my astrobiology book, of course.

And the chemistry prize, announced today, is for lithium ion batteries.