Thursday, March 28, 2019

science news 28.3.2019

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 (using quotation marks) in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without quotation marks, if I have any.


astrobiology

Rivers raged on Mars late into its history

Data flows from NASA's TESS Mission, leads to discovery of Saturn-sized planet



A "hot Saturn" passes in front of its host star in this illustration. Astronomers who study stars used "starquakes" to characterize the star, which provided critical information about the planet.
Credit: Illustration by Gabriel Perez Diaz, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias



environment

Wastewater reveals the levels of antibiotic resistance in a region

Cities under pressure
"Experts at Newcastle University, UK, highlight the challenge we face to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase cities' resilience to extreme weather and also give people quality space to live in."


ecology

Colder temperatures foster greater microbial diversity on amphibian skin

Mount Kilimanjaro: Ecosystems in global change
"Land use in tropical mountain regions leads to considerable changes of biodiversity and ecological functions. The intensity of such changes is greatly affected by the climate."

How light from street lamps and trees influence the activity of urban bats


bees

Codifying the universal language of honey bees

Adhesive formed from bee spit and flower oil could form basis of new glues


humans

Consider non-surgical brain stimulation for severe depression, say experts

Putting the science in science communication: Biology professor measures the impacts of science engagement programs for non-traditional public audiences


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from the news media:

Can we stop robots outsmarting humanity? asks a long read in the Guardian. Based on humanity's present form, I'd suggest robots just have to sit and wait a bit.







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