science news 21.3.2019

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.


earth

Changes in ocean 'conveyor belt' foretold abrupt climate changes by four centuries
"In the Atlantic Ocean, a giant 'conveyor belt' carries warm waters from the tropics into the North Atlantic, where they cool and sink and then return southwards in the deep ocean. This circulation pattern is an important player in the global climate. Evidence increasingly suggests that this system is slowing down, and some scientists fear it could have major effects. A new study published in Nature Communications provides insight into how quickly such changes could take effect if the system continues weakening."

Predicted deforestation in Brazil could lead to local temperature increase up to 1.45 C
by 2050


evolution

New Cretaceous fossil sheds light on avian reproduction
"... the first fossil bird ever found with an egg preserved inside its body."



Photograph of the holotype of Avimaia schweitzerae.
Credit: Barbara Marrs


ecology

The recent spread of coyotes across North America did not doom deer populations

New short-tailed whip scorpion species discovered in Amazon
... and their "mating march"


nanoworld

Computer scientists create reprogrammable molecular (DNA) computing system

UIC researchers find hidden proteins in bacteria
hidden protein genes more like, thanks to multiple translation start codons on the same stretch of the genome.

Princeton scientists discover chiral crystals exhibiting exotic quantum effects

Fish-inspired material changes color using nanocolumns



humans

Complex societies gave birth to big gods, not the other way around

US indoor climate most similar to northeast African outdoors
"Americans are most comfortable when their indoor climate is like the northeast African outdoors -- warm and relatively dry."

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from the news media:

rewilding plans in Scotland (The Guardian)

science news 20.3.2019

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

SwRI-led team identifies water-bearing minerals on asteroid Bennu



This mosaic image of the asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 PolyCam images collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from 15 miles away. An SwRI-led team is looking at the spectral data from the surface to better understand the composition of the asteroid.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA/GSFC/University of Arizona


nanoworld

Starving bacteria can eject their flagella to save energy and stay alive
Not sure I believe that energy saving is the reason for the loss of flagella - it will be horrendously expensive for the bacteria to replace the flagella later. Also, survival of the individual isn't necessarily a big issue in bacteria.

... and speaking of flagella:

Mathematicians reveal secret to human sperm's swimming prowess


ecology

Across North America and the Atlantic, an enormous migration journey for a tiny songbird
"Blackpoll warblers that breed in western North America may migrate up to 12,400 miles roundtrip each year, some crossing the entire North American continent before making a nonstop trans-ocean flight of up to four days to South America. Now a new study led by first author Bill DeLuca at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and project lead Ryan Norris at the University of Guelph, Ontario offers details of the feat."


conservation

When development and conservation clash in the Serengeti


food and drink


New report discusses role of polyphenols, found in coffee, in reducing CVD risk

Many pet owners keen to have vegan pets, University of Guelph study finds
I think 'vegan pet' is a bit of an oxymoron, as it is against the vegan spirit for a human to keep an animal for their own emotional needs, am I wrong?


humans

First Anatolian farmers were local hunter-gatherers that adopted agriculture

Deep brain stimulation provides sustained relief for severe depression

science news 19.3.2019

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.




evolution

Mammals' unique arms started evolving before the dinosaurs existed

Alligator study supports convergent evolution of spatial hearing



American alligator (A. mississippiensis), hiding. At Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. The ears of Alligators are hidden under skin flaps right behind the eyes. Alligators use sounds for communication and to locate prey. The neural mechanisms underlying sound localization are an evolutionary stable feature across archosaurs, which include birds, the closest living relatives to crocodilians.
Credit: Ruth Elsey, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries


ecology

Microbes can grow on nitric oxide


humans

Evidence for ancient magnetic sense in humans
Now that would be surprising and interesting.

Research into aphasia reveals new interactions between language and thought

a billion-year history

The press releases on which I filter-feed on a daily basis are always a mixed bag. They include the good, the bad and the ugly along with a few hilarious ones, and if a major genomics study involved ten separate organisations, I may well receive ten separate press releases about the same paper.

An example of a good story that caught my attention immediately, with the headline alone, arrived in February from Virginia Tech. The winning headline was:

Researchers investigate a billion years of coexistence between plants and fungi

A billion years is a very long time, even in evolutionary biology, and if you look closer it means that the cooperation between the lineages of plants and fungi is older than the spread of either lineage on dry land. So did they help each other conquer land? Did their cooperation which is still happening in many shapes and sizes today make life on the continents possible? These questions are discussed in my feature, which is out in today's issue of Current Biology:


The success story of plants and fungi

Current Biology Volume 29, issue 6, pages R183-R185, March 18, 2019

FREE access to full text and PDF download



Root samples labelled with a fluorescent dye to determine the fungal colonisation rates and mycorrhizal structures. (Photo: © Ming Wang, MPI for Chemical Ecology.

science news 15.3.2019

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.


earth

Sources and sinks
"For the entire history of our species, humans have lived on a planet capped by a chunk of ice at each pole. But Earth has been ice-free for about 75 percent of the time since complex life first appeared. This variation in background climate, between partly glaciated and ice-free, has puzzled geologists for decades."


nanoworld

From mirror-image biology to enhanced therapeutic proteins
"Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have succeeded in reconstructing biomolecules in their mirror-image form. The researchers' goal is to create a mirror-image artificial protein synthesis system. Their aim is to produce mirror-image therapeutic proteins, such as antibodies, which would be protected from biological breakdown in the body and do not provoke any immune response."
I don't believe that therapeutic proteins made of D amino acids would not trigger an immune response. They would be recognised by different antibodies compared to the L version, but still be marked as foreign.

Can an antifreeze protein also promote ice formation?
"Antifreeze is life's means of surviving in cold winters: Natural antifreeze proteins help fish, insects, plants and even bacteria live through low temperatures that should turn their liquid parts to deadly shards of ice. Strangely enough, in very cold conditions, the same proteins can also promote the growth of ice crystals."
I'm not terribly surpised by this as we've known about ice nucleation proteins for decades, and the two functions are similar in a way.


evolution

Researchers uncover new clues to surviving extinction


ecology

Narwhals spend at least half time diving for food, can fast for several days after meal

Sea otters' tool use leaves behind distinctive archaeological evidence



Wild sea otter at Bennett Slough Culverts opening mussels using emergent anvil stone.
Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jessica Fujii. Haslam et al. 2019. Wild sea otter mussel pounding leaves archaeological traces. Scientific Reports.



behaviour

Wild African ape reactions to novel camera traps
They'll set up their own instagram accounts in no time, but - see also the following:

New study shows human impact erodes chimpanzee behavioral diversity

Wolves lead, dogs follow -- And both cooperate with humans


food and drink

Scientists crack genome of superfood seaweed, ito-mozuku
Looks revolting to me, so I'm not sharing the photo that came with the PR.


humans

Ancient DNA research shines spotlight on Iberia
There's another PR on the same Science paper, also discussing a Curr Biol paper on Iberian genomes:
Unique diversity of the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula revealed by dual studies

Poor pitch singing could be a matter of the tune in your head


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From the news media:

Rebecca Solnit on the climate strike happening today.

science news 14.3.2019

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.


ecology

What do gardens bring to urban ecosystems?

Hungry moose more tolerant of wolves' presence


A GPS-collared moose in western Wyoming moves into its desired habitat. New University of Wyoming research has documented interactions between moose and wolves in the region.
Credit: Mark Gocke


conservation

Measuring the success of East African protected areas

Tunas, sharks and ships at sea
"Researchers combine maps of marine predator habitats with satellite tracks of fishing fleets to identify regions where they overlap -- a step toward more effective wildlife management on the high seas."
See also my feature on satellite methods in marine conservation, now on open access.


humans

Thanks to pig remains, scientists uncover extensive human mobility to sites near Stonehenge

science news 13.3.2019

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.


earth

Scientists go to extremes to reveal make-up of Earth's core


ecology

Desert plants provided by homeowners offer habitat for desert bird species

New species of frog sheds light on major biodiversity hotspot in southern India

New study explores impacts of marine and freshwater predators on ecosystems and society

Little owls on the move
"New study on an owl's re-colonization of northern Switzerland."



A natural resettlement of little owls in northern Switzerland is generally possible.
Credit: Ralph Martin


environment

Air pollution causes 800,000 extra deaths a year in Europe and 8.8 million worldwide


humans

From Stone Age chips to microchips: How tiny tools may have made us human

Experiences of nature boost children's learning

The world's adolescents -- large unmet needs and growing inequalities
"The first detailed global study of adolescent health reveals: growing inequality with a large disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, obesity rates have doubled, with countries in the Pacific region having among the highest prevalence, anemia remains unchecked, India bearing heavy burden, investments in health, education, legal systems have not kept pace with needs, and gender inequity is a powerful driver of poor adolescent health."

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From the news media:

long read about ethology and politics from Frans de Waal

re-ge-ne-rate!

Open Archive Day

Last year's feature on regeneration and the axolotl is now in the open archives:



Regeneration lessons from the axolotl

science news 6.3.2019

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.


evolution

Dingoes should remain a distinct species in Australia
looks like they don't descend from feral dogs after all ...


ecology

Rethinking old-growth forests using lichens as an indicator of conservation value



Sphaerophorus globosus (coral lichen), a readily identifiable lichen, on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador. This lichen has been demonstrated to usefully discriminate between old-growth and second-growth forests in Nova Scotia, Canada).
Credit: Troy McMullin

Capturing bacteria that eat and breathe electricity


food & drink

Modern beer yeast emerged from mix of European grape wine, Asian rice wine yeast

Source of citrus' sour taste is identified


humans


Analysis of billions of Wikipedia searches reveals biodiversity secrets
and seasonal patterns etc. - loving this!



A silver lining like no other
New technology from the University of South Australia is revolutionizing safe vaccination practices through antibacterial, silver-loaded dissolvable microneedle patches, which not only sterilize the injection site to inhibit the growth of bacteria, but also physically dissolve after administration.


The grassroots revolution making it normal for children to 'play out' again


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From the news media

Machines reading our emotions, in the Guardian

science news 5.3.2019

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

The case of the over-tilting exoplanets


climate & environment

Forecasting mosquitoes' global spread
New prediction models factoring in climate, urbanization and human travel and migration offer insight into the recent spread of two key disease-spreading mosquitoes -- Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The models forecast that by 2050, 49 percent of the world's population will live in places where these species are established if greenhouse gas emissions continue at current rates.

Turning algae into fuel
A team of University of Utah chemical engineers have developed a new kind of jet mixer for creating biomass from algae that extracts the lipids from the watery plants with much less energy than the older extraction method. This key discovery now puts this form of energy closer to becoming a viable, cost-effective alternative fuel

Human 'footprint' on Antarctica measured for first time
The full extent of the human 'footprint' on Antarctica has been revealed for the first time by new IMAS-led research which used satellite images to measure stations, huts, runways, waste sites and tourist camps at 158 locations. The study, which also included researchers from the Australian Antarctic Division and University of Wollongong, found that more than half of all large ice-free coastal areas of Antarctica have now been disturbed by human activity.


Due to humans, extinction risk for 1,700 animal species to increase by 2070
sounds like a conservative estimate to me ...


evolution

Ancient mammal remains digested by crocodiles reveal three new species



Cuban hutia Capromys pilorides, closest living relative to the newly described mammals.
Credit: Nancy Albury



nanoworld

Exploring charge flow through proteins

Swimming microbes steer themselves into mathematical order


humans

When it comes to hearing words, it's a division of labor between our brain's two hemispheres

rising waters

There has been a deluge of papers on the shrinking continental ice caps in the last couple of months, warning of the imminent more literal deluge which will threaten major coastal cities and indeed countries within decades.

I've tried to compile all these rather scary developments from both polar regions and even the high mountain glaciers in my latest feature which is out now in today's issue of Current Biology:

Shrinking ice caps, rising oceans

Current Biology Volume 29, issue 5, pages R137-R140, March 4, 2019

FREE access to full text and PDF download




Studies of the Antarctic ice sheet increasingly detect the accelerating disappearance of ice. (Photo: Commander John Bortniak, NOAA Corps.)

echo of my heart

All our instruments series, episode 8

Here comes an instrument I am really quite fond of, my Hohner Echo harp in G and C (you just flip it around to change the key). Not sure when or how I got it but I must have had it for at least 40 years. Recently I checked the web and found that Hohner are still selling the same model, and even the cardboard box looks the same.



I now carry this in my bag as an emergency musical instrument (you never know, there might be rodents to catch or people to scare away), so I had it with me when on my recent travel I climbed on top of one of the many Bismarck towers in Germany, and recorded my video right there (but the internet connection in the sticks was rubbish, so I couldn't upload it and had to skip a week in this series). I am, again, making a mess of Fisterra, need to practice this for our sessions, which no longer have a regular melodeon playern, and the tune wants some metal reeds. Anyhow, here goes: