science news 12.12.2019

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

Water common -- yet scarce -- in exoplanets


evolution

Paleontology: Experiments in evolution
A new find from Patagonia sheds light on the evolution of large predatory dinosaurs. Features of the 8-m long specimen from the Middle Jurassic suggest that it records a phase of rapid diversification and evolutionary experimentation.


ecology

Study sheds light on 'overlooked' bee species
The UK's first citizen science project focusing on solitary, ground-nesting bees has revealed that they nest in a far broader range of habitats than previously thought.



Ivy bee (Colletes hederae)
Credit: Dr Thomas Ings, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

Tree cavities for wild honeybees

Why polar bears at sea have higher pollution levels than those staying on land

Local traditional knowledge can be as accurate as scientific transect monitoring

Azteca ant colonies move the same way leopards' spots form


conservation

Uncovering how endangered pangolins, or 'scaly anteaters,' digest food
kind of important for those animals rescued from trafficking.


biomaterials

Study of elephant, capybara, human hair finds that thicker hair isn't always stronger


food and drink

Plant researchers examine bread aroma: Modern and old wheat varieties taste equally good
Bread baked from modern wheat varieties are just as aromatic as that baked from old varieties. However, differences exist between the breads from different wheat varieties -- and those that were grown in different locations. These were the findings made by a team of German and Swiss researchers under the leadership of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.


climate change

Shrinking of Greenland's glaciers began accelerating in 2000, research finds
Satellite data has given scientists clues about how, when and why Greenland's glaciers are shrinking -- and shows a sharp increase in glacial retreat beginning about 2000, according to new research presented this week.

Mountain goats' air conditioning is failing, study says
this one is about disappearing glaciers, too.


humans

Researchers discover brain circuit linked to food impulsivity



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