science news 26.11.2019

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.



evolution

Fossils reveal swimming patterns of long extinct cephalopod

16-million-year-old fossil shows springtails hitchhiking on winged termite

Unravelling the venomous bite of an endangered mammal
This is about solenodons (see also the endangered mammals feature now in the open archives), which look like this:



This is a Hispaniolan solenodon.
Credit: Lucy Emery


ecology

How mantis shrimp make sense of the world
A new study provides insight into how the small brains of mantis shrimp - fierce predators with keen vision that are among the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom - are able to make sense of a breathtaking amount of visual input.

Researchers report first recording of a blue whale's heart rate


nanoworld

Carbon soccer ball with extra proton probably most abundant form in space


climate change

The heat is on
Climate change is reorganizing the life in our oceans in a big way: as waters warm, cold-loving species, from plankton to fish, leave the area and warm water species become more successful. So say an international group of scientists in the most comprehensive assessment of the effects of ocean warming on the distribution fish communities.


Forests face climate change tug of war
Increased carbon dioxide allows plants to photosynthesize more and use less water. But warmer temperatures drive plants to use more water and photosynthesize less. So, which force, CO2 fertilization or heat stress, wins this climate tug of war? It depends on whether forests and trees are able to adapt to their new environment.



bio-inspired

Drag can lift birds to new heights, Stanford researchers find


sustainability

Forest farms could create market for ginseng, other herbs
A transition from wild collection of herbs to forest farming needs to occur in Appalachia to make the opaque, unstable and unjust supply chain for forest medicinal plants such as ginseng sustainable, according to a team of researchers who have studied the market for more than a decade.


humans

Babies in the womb may see more than we thought



---------------


From the news media:


A sample-return mission to Mars is being planned, reports the Guardian