I hear that yesterday was Thanksgiving in the US, which means that today there's very little science news in my inbox, which is just as well as I can use today's entry to rave about my favourite holiday of the year, namely
(Only including languages that I can read sufficiently to check I'm not promoting the wrong entry. Looks like I'll have to write the Galician entry myself.)
Below are some imaginative examples of promoting and observing this holiday which I discovered during the day. Let's do it all again next year.
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.
Bad news for Nemo
The beloved anemone fish popularized by the movies 'Finding Nemo' and 'Finding Dory' don't have the genetic capacity to adapt to rapid changes in their environment, according to a new study.
If high-quality anemones remain healthy, the clownfish population will persist. However, if the anemones and coral reefs they call home are impacted by climate warming, clownfish are in trouble.
Credit: Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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.
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.
This is a Hispaniolan solenodon.
Credit: Lucy Emery
ecology
How mantis shrimp make sense of the world A new study provides insight into how the small brains of mantis shrimp - fierce predators with keen vision that are among the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom - are able to make sense of a breathtaking amount of visual input.
The heat is on Climate change is reorganizing the life in our oceans in a big way: as waters warm, cold-loving species, from plankton to fish, leave the area and warm water species become more successful. So say an international group of scientists in the most comprehensive assessment of the effects of ocean warming on the distribution fish communities.
Forests face climate change tug of war Increased carbon dioxide allows plants to photosynthesize more and use less water. But warmer temperatures drive plants to use more water and photosynthesize less. So, which force, CO2 fertilization or heat stress, wins this climate tug of war? It depends on whether forests and trees are able to adapt to their new environment.
Forest farms could create market for ginseng, other herbs A transition from wild collection of herbs to forest farming needs to occur in Appalachia to make the opaque, unstable and unjust supply chain for forest medicinal plants such as ginseng sustainable, according to a team of researchers who have studied the market for more than a decade.
I am a great fan of the ZSL Edge of Existence website, which lists threatened species in major groups according to their EDGE (Evolutionary Distinctiveness / Global Endangerment) rating. I first discovered it when the reptiles list came out in early 2018. Later in the year, a piece of research analysing how fast mammalian diversity could evolve back after an extinction provided an excuse to have a closer look at the EDGE list of mammals.
Pangolins are hunted for meat as well as for their skin and scales, which are used in traditional medicine. They are therefore the most trafficked mammals, and the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) may be the most endangered among them. (Photo: Ms. Sarita Jnawali of NTNC – Central Zoo.)
The chemistry of life fundamentally depends on light - without photosynthesis there wouldn't be much worth reporting. In contrast, chemistry as a discipline from fundamental research through to industrial applications doesn't use light all that often. The most common way of making things react is to heat them, add a catalyst, or even put pressure on. The science of light-induced reactions, aka photochemistry has remained a poor relation.
I am picking up signals that this may be about to change for a variety of reasons. We now have a much better understanding of how photochemistry works in natural systems so we could borrow an idea or two there. Also, in the quest to make chemistry more sustainable and "green", using light instead of high temperatures and pressures may often be a better solution.
I wrote a feature about various recent developments in photochemistry which is out now:
In the same issue, page 38, you can find my review of the book
Modern thermodynamics for chemists and biochemists
Oh, and it appears that I forgot to blog about my previous feature in C&I, which appeared in issue 8 and was about developing new kinds of magnets depending less on rare earth elements.
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.
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.
Beauty in the biased eye of the beholder When looking at paintings, we don't assess each one on its own merits. Instead, we carry a bias, according to a new study in Psychology at University of Sydney.
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.
A remote control for everything small Special light beams can be used to manipulate molecules or small biological particles. However, these optical tweezers only work with objects in empty space. Any disturbing environment would deflect the light waves and destroy the effect. This is a problem, in particular with biological samples. Now, a special method was developed to calculate the perfect wave form to manipulate small particles in the presence of a disordered environment, even if they cannot be touched directly.
This is one of the pieces of rock art found at Babine Lake. It is representative of the rock art that was analyzed in the study.
Credit: University of Missouri
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.
evolution
Are hyoliths Palaeozoic lophophorates?
Today's new vocabulary: Hyoliths are extinct invertebrates with calcareous shells that were common constituents of the Cambrian fauna and formed a minor component of benthic faunas throughout the Palaeozoic until their demise in the end-Permian mass extinction. ... recent discoveries of a tentaculate feeding apparatus ('lophophore') and fleshy apical extensions from the shell ('pedicle'), have resulted in hyoliths being placed within the lophophorates
A disco clam shows off its red appendages and flashing tissue.
Credit: Lindsey Dougherty
nanoworld
Protein imaging at the speed of life A team of physicists from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have completed the first molecular movie of the ultrafast movement of proteins at the European XFEL facility. Their findings mark a new age of protein research that enables enzymes involved in disease to be observed in real time for meaningful durations in unprecedented clarity.
Living bridges Dense, humid broadleaf forests, monsoon-swollen rivers and deep ravines -- in the Indian state of Meghalaya wooden bridges easily decay or are washed away in floodwaters. Bridges made from steel and concrete are pushed to their limits here as well. But bridges made of living tree roots can survive here for centuries. Prof. Ferdinand Ludwig of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has investigated these special structures and proposes integrating this extraordinary building technique in modern architecture.
sustainability
Boosting wind farms, global winds reverse decades of slowing and pick up speed In a boon to wind farms, average daily wind speeds are picking up across much of the globe after about 30 years of gradual slowing. Research led by a team at Princeton University shows that wind speeds in northern mid-latitude regions have increased by roughly 7% since 2010.
How much energy do we really need? Two fundamental goals of humanity are to eradicate poverty and reduce climate change, and it is critical that the world knows whether achieving these goals will involve trade-offs. New IIASA research for the first time provides a basis to answer this question, including the tools needed to relate basic needs directly to resource use.
Back in July I took part in a guided bat-watching tour in Düsseldorf (run throughout the summer holidays by fledermaus.nrw), and learned so many things that I thought I really should do a feature about bats. Add to that the seasonal bat obsession in the run-up to Halloween and a few recent research papers, and the feature came to life. It is out today in Current Biology:
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.
(My laptop is broken, can I do the science news on an ancient MacBook? Let's find out)
Chemistry -- Five-fold boost in formaldehyde yield
I'm struggling to believe the "5-fold" - did the industry really make such a basic feedstock chemical with less than 20% yield until now? To me, the important bit here is that it can be made from carbon dioxide, of which we are producing too much right now ...
World's oldest glue used from prehistoric times till the days of the Gauls By studying artefacts that date back to the first 6 centuries AD through the lens of chemistry, archaeology, and textual analysis, french researchers have discovered birch tar was being used right up to late antiquity, if not longer. The artefacts in question -- found in a region where birch is scarce, thus raising the question of how it was procured -- are testimony to the strength of tradition among the Gauls.
Climate may have helped crumble one of the ancient world's most powerful civilizations New research suggests it was climate-related drought that built the foundation for the collapse of the Assyrian Empire (whose heartland was based in today's northern Iraq)--one of the most powerful civilizations in the ancient world. The Science Advances paper, led by Ashish Sinha at California State University, Dominguez Hills and coauthored by CIRES affiliate Adam Schneider, details how megadroughts in the 7th century BC triggered a decline in Assyria's way of life that contributed to its ultimate collapse.
The people responsible for this PR are definitely helping to crumble our civilisation and buiding the foundation for its collapse. One to keep as an example for writing workshops.
Can 'smart toilets' be the next health data wellspring? Wearable, smart technologies are transforming the ability to monitor and improve health, but a decidedly low-tech commodity -- the humble toilet -- may have potential to outperform them all.
Here they go closing the last gap in the complete 24/7 surveillance scheme.
I only recently discovered the Ayoub sisters, when somebody shared Ya Mariam El Bekr somewhere. Looking up their back catalogue, I was intrigued by their adaptation of Boney M's Rasputin even though I generally feel that I have heard too much of this band in the 70s/80s and am not that keen to revisit their work.
I did however enjoy the string duo version of Rasputin, and then watched the making of video, and then wondered where the tune actually comes from. Turns out half of it is an old Turkish folk song (there are also Arabic versions of it, so I don't really know which of the two is the original).
The Turkish song is called Kâtibim (sheet music here) and I really love the Turkish / Urdu mashup you can watch here (just ignore the blatant Coke advertising).
The Arabic version is called Ya Banat Iskandaria, and searching for this title I found a lovely version for flute, harp, percussion, here.
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PS I'm really excited about these discoveries, and I think this warrants a new tag, let's call it #folk mash, for unearthing folk influences behind famous pop / rock / classical music. (next up, probably: a very famous Led Zeppelin track)
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.
earth
Investigation of oceanic 'black carbon' uncovers mystery in global carbon cycle An unexpected finding published today in Nature Communications challenges a long-held assumption about the origin of oceanic black coal, and introduces a tantalizing new mystery: If oceanic black carbon is significantly different from the black carbon found in rivers, where did it come from?
An adult male ribbon seal lays on the ice.
Credit: NOAA Fisheries, Polar Ecosystems Program
conservation
Study finds sex bias in bird conservation plans After pairing up and raising chicks, males and females of some bird species spend their winter break apart. At the end of their journey to Central or South America, you might find mostly males in one habitat, and females in another. Yet conservation strategies have typically overlooked the habitats needed by females, putting already-declining species in even more peril.
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.
A new Mammal Review study shows that the few remaining patches of lowland rainforest host the highest levels of lemur abundance for several species.
Credit: Marco Campera
A solution to a hairy problem in forensic science In an effort to make hair comparison a more useful technique for investigating crimes, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new way to dissolve hair proteins without destroying them. Once in solution, the protein molecules from two hairs can be analyzed and compared, yielding objective, quantitative results.
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.
evolution
Jaw-some wombats may be great survivors Flexible jaws may help wombats better survive in a changing world by adapting to climate change's effect on vegetation and new diets in conservation sanctuaries. An international study, co-led by The University of Queensland's Dr Vera Weisbecker, has revealed that wombat jaws appear to change in relation to their diets.
Wombat skulls seem to be changing to match their diets.
Credit: The University of Queensland
conservation
To save biodiversity, scientists suggest 'mega-conservation' While the conservation of charismatic creatures like pandas, elephants and snow leopards are important in their own right, there may be no better ecological bang-for-our-buck than a sound, science-based effort to save widespread keystone systems. And the majestic aspens could be a perfect start for such an endeavor.
nanoworld
Scientists probe the limits of ice The smallest nanodroplet of water in which ice can form is only as big as 90 water molecules -- a tenth the size of the smallest virus. At those small scales, according to University of Utah chemistry professor and study co-author Valeria Molinero, the transition between ice and water gets a little frizzy.
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.
Study suggests these two species of large herbivores have complementary ecological functions, favoring seed dispersal and growth of adult trees.
Credit: Mauro Galetti
From cone snail venom to pain relief Conotoxins are bioactive peptides found in the venom that marine cone snails produce for prey capture and defense. They are used as pharmacological tools to study pain signalling and have the potential to become a new class of analgesics. Scientists from the University of Vienna and the University of Queensland in Australia are experts in the field of venom drug discovery and have now provided an overview on the status quo of conotoxin research.
We human tend to think that we are important residents of our planet, and indeed in the last 200 years we have been causing some fairly significant environmental damage to it, but if you look at the evolution of animals since some of them first crawled onto dry land, we are insignificant. The big evolutionary success story of the last 400 million years is insects. Although right now we may be in the process of putting an end to that.
I was really looking for something about plants, and found some new papers about the co-evolution of insects with plants, and from that grew a feature with various recipes for the success of insects, some involving plants and others not so much. Anyhow, I learned a few interesting things which you can read about here:
Six-legged success stories
Current Biology Volume 29, issue 21, pages R1105-R1108, November 4, 2019
Oh, and the strange-looking birds on the cover of the issue are the guineafowl from the paper by Damien Farine's group which I mentioned in my previous feature, Reading the hive mind.
The tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) has adapted to cope with the plant-produced insecticide nicotine, providing an example of a complex evolutionary relationship between plants and insects. (Photo: http://www.peakpx.com.)
... no not for xylophone, we've had that already, and I only have one (not counting silly toy versions). X is for xaphoon, and here's my xaphoon story:
In July 2002, I was heading to Paris for a microbiology conference, via Germany to deposit various kids with various grandparents. At the start of the journey, however, I put my back out moving luggage around on trains, and the extended travels over three days didn't help, so I arrived in Paris not being able to sit. Instead of attending the conference, I spent the first few days dividing my time between walking around (a bit) and lying flat on my back (a lot) on the nice slope along the side of the Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg).
Arriving at my lying down place one day I was puzzled to hear somebody playing a saxophone very loud and clear but not seeing any saxophone. Following my ears while wondering what was wrong with my eyes I found a guy who was selling this new invention, the pocket sax, aka Xaphoon, out of his bag and demonstrating it in the street. Another customer attracted by the sound tried it and also produced a very convincing sax sound from this recorder-size instrument. So I bought one - I think it cost me 25 euros, and nowadays Hobgoblin sells them for £109, so it was a good investment. Although in my hands it doesn't really sound like a saxophone. But then again, in my hands a saxophone doesn't sound like one either.
Looking up the Wikipedia entry, I found out it really was quite a new invention when I bought it. The instrument molded from ABS resin was only made from the spring of 2000. Previously, the inventor, Brian Wittman, had made bamboo xaphoons at his home in Hawaii.
I do like it but never really got the hang of playing it properly. I'm facing two problems, firstly I don't really like the pressure of a reed on my lower lip, which limits each practice session to five minutes, and secondly, while the right hand is straight recorder fingering (German system, so very simple), the left hand fingering is weird. Unlike a recorder, the xaphoon wants four fingers on the left hand put down for G, and lifting fingers off one at a time you then get A Bb (!) and C, and then the thumb comes off before the index finger for D and E. Which is probably to do with the fact that the thumb hole is located at the height where recorders have the first finger hole and vice versa. So very confusing if you're used to recorders.
Anyhow. As I haven't had much practice, this video is really just a demonstration of what the xaphoon sounds like when it is played badly. Enjoy.
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.
Important gene variants found in certain African populations
In the first decade of sequencing individual human genomes, researchers completely ignored the fact that most of human diversity is found within Africa, which severely limited the scientific value of those first 1000 genomes, as I reported in my African genomes feature back in 2011. Glad to see that people are now doing something about this.
Ground penetrating radar reveals why ancient Cambodian capital was moved to Angkor The largest water management feature in Khmer history was built in the 10th century as part of a short-lived ancient capital in northern Cambodia to store water but the system failed in its first year of operation, possibly leading to the return of the capital to Angkor.
I'm a chemist turned biochemist turned science writer, covering everything from nano to astro via bio. Also trying to make sense of my life in writing about family history. Playing wrong notes on a variety of instruments. Current craze: repairing violins and learning to play them too.
