science news 14.2.2020

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

A close-up of Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth reveals how planetary building blocks were constructed


ecology

Nitrogen-fixing trees help tropical forests grow faster and store more carbon

When frogs die off, snake diversity plummets



Frogs and their eggs are an important source of nutrition for many snakes. This tiny blunt-headed tree snake (Imantodes) snags a meal from of frog eggs in the Panamanian forest.
Credit: Karen Warkentin


conservation

Caribbean sharks in need of large marine protected areas

I spy with my digital eye ... a tiger's breathing, a lion's pulse
A pilot study undertaken by researchers from the University of South Australia at Adelaide Zoo, has developed a new way to undertake basic health checks of exotic wildlife using a digital camera, saving them the stress of an anaesthetic.


biomedical

Remdesivir prevents MERS coronavirus disease in monkeys


humans

Smelling your lover's shirt could improve your sleep
Have some seasonal science for Valentine's Day

Shale drilling activity linked to increased sexually transmitted infections in Texas, Yale study
Some people appear to be fracking around a bit.

Can bilingualism protect the brain even with early stages of dementia?



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From the news media:

20 deg C in Antarctica, reports the Guardian.