science news 13.12.2019

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

For the first time: Mapping the winds of mars' upper atmosphere with MAVEN


evolution

When flowers reached Australia

Genetic 'clock' predicts lifespan in vertebrates


ecology

The mathematics of prey detection in spider orb-webs

Tiny insects become 'visible' to bats when they swarm

The limits of ocean heavyweights: Prey curb whales' gigantic size


conservation

Carolina parakeet extinction was driven by human causes, DNA sequencing reveals



This is the image of the Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) specimen.
Credit: Marc Durà


biomedical

Researchers design polymer that can kill drug-resistant bacteria

For controlling tsetse flies, fabric color matters


humans

Scandinavians' little linguistic hat trick
Moving a word to the beginning of a sentence is a useful trick to draw attention to the most important topic you want to relay. The researchers of a new study have found that the Scandinavian languages are unique in their use of this technique.


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From the news media:

A 2004 reintroduction of harvest mice in Northumberland was successful after all, reports the Guardian.