Thursday, July 18, 2019

science news 18.7.2019

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.


chemistry

Improving the odds of synthetic chemistry success


nanoworld

A new spin on DNA
"... with DNA origami helicopters, researchers have captured the first recorded rotational steps of a molecular motor as it moved from one DNA base pair to another."
Can I have a DNA origami helicopter too?


evolution

Red algae steal genes from bacteria to cope with environmental stresses
not entirely new - I remember writing a news story about one such case a few years ago.


ecology

Predators' fear of humans ripples through wildlife communities, emboldening rodents
"Giving credence to the saying, 'While the cat's away, the mice will play,' a new study indicates that pumas and medium-sized carnivores lie low when they sense the presence of humans, which frees up the landscape for rodents to forage more brazenly."


conservation

Do marine protected areas work?
An old question but worth checking again ...



Modeling predicts blue whales' foraging behavior, aiding population management efforts

Endangered Bornean orangutans survive in managed forest, decline near oil palm plantations
See also my recent feature on orangutan conservation.



Two Malaysian orangutans.
Credit: WWF-Malaysia, Lee Shan Kee


cimate change

Artificial snowfall could save the West Antarctic ice sheet, but with high costs and risks



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


From the news media:

A new edition of the IUCN Red List is out now - and even more species are at risk of extinction.



No comments: