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Categories: Ecology: Trees, Offbeat: General
Published Mountain forests are being lost at an accelerating rate, putting biodiversity at risk
(via sciencedaily.com) More than 85% of the world's bird, mammal, and amphibian species live in mountains, particularly in forest habitats, but researchers report that these forests are disappearing at an accelerating rate. Globally, we have lost 78.1 million hectares (7.1%) of mountain forest since 2000 -- an area larger than the size of Texas. Much of the loss occurred in tropical biodiversity hotspots, putting increasing pressure on threatened species.
Published 'Talking' concrete could help prevent traffic jams and cut carbon emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) An increasing number of U.S. interstates are set to try out an invention that could save millions of taxpayer dollars and significantly reduce traffic delays. The invention, a sensor that allows concrete to 'talk,' decreases construction time and how often concrete pavement needs repairs while also improving the road’s sustainability and cutting its carbon footprint. Embedded directly into a concrete pour, the sensor sends engineers more precise and consistent data about the concrete’s strength and need for repair than is possible with currently used tools and methods.
Published 'Terminator zones' on distant planets could harbor life
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new study, astronomers describe how extraterrestrial life has the potential to exist on distant exoplanets inside a special area called the 'terminator zone,' which is a ring on planets that have one side that always faces its star and one side that is always dark.
Published Evidence that Venus is volcanically active
(via sciencedaily.com) Venus appears to have volcanic activity, according to a new research paper that offers strong evidence to answer the lingering question about whether Earth's sister planet currently has eruptions and lava flows.
Published Characterizing abnormal neural networks in dogs with anxiety
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers report abnormalities in functional neural networks of dogs diagnosed with anxiety. The study shows that compared with healthy dogs, those with anxiety exhibit stronger connections between the amygdala and other regions of the anxiety network. The findings might also help reveal how functional connections between anxiety-related regions of the brain are altered in cases of human anxiety disorders.
Published Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral was historical first in using iron reinforcements in the 12th century
(via sciencedaily.com) The Notre-Dame de Paris is the first known cathedral of Gothic-style architecture to be initially constructed with extensive use of iron to bind stones together. The 2019 fire that significantly damaged the cathedral enabled analyses leading to this discovery.
Published Resilient bug-sized robots keep flying even after wing damage
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed resilient artificial muscles that can enable insect-scale aerial robots to effectively recover flight performance after suffering severe damage.
Published Remains of a modern glacier found near Mars' equator implies water ice possibly present at low latitudes on Mars even today
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists revealed the discovery of a relict glacier near Mars' equator. Located in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus at coordinates 7° 33' S, 93° 14' W, this finding is significant as it implies the presence of surface water ice on Mars in recent times, even near the equator. This discovery raises the possibility that ice may still exist at shallow depths in the area, which could have significant implications for future human exploration.
Published Neolithic ceramics reveal dairy processing from milk of multiple species
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has found evidence of cheesemaking, using milk from multiple animals in Late Neolithic Poland.
Published Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots
(via sciencedaily.com) The Walking Oligomeric Robotic Mobility System, or WORMS, is a reconfigurable, modular, multiagent robotics architecture for extreme lunar terrain mobility. The system could be used to assemble autonomous worm-like parts into larger biomimetic robots that could explore lava tubes, steep slopes, and the moon's permanently shadowed regions.
Published Humans are leaving behind a 'frozen signature' of microbes on Mount Everest
(via sciencedaily.com) Thanks to technological advances in microbial DNA analysis, researchers have discovered that mountaineers' boots aren't the only things leaving footprints on the world's tallest mountain. When someone sneezes on Everest, their germs can last for centuries.
Published Spatial patterns in distribution of galaxies
(via sciencedaily.com) In an unlikely pairing, a chemist and an astrophysicist applied the tools of statistical mechanics to find similarities in spatial patterns across length scales.
Published Dizzy apes provide clues on human need for mind altering experiences
(via sciencedaily.com) Great apes deliberately spin themselves in order make themselves dizzy -- findings which could provide clues about the role of altered mental states for origins of the human mind.
Published Experiment unlocks bizarre properties of strange metals
(via sciencedaily.com) Physicists are learning more about the bizarre behavior of 'strange metals,' which operate outside the normal rules of electricity.
Published To help dry forests, fire needs to be just the right intensity, and happen more than once
(via sciencedaily.com) Research into the ability of a wildfire to improve the health of a forest uncovered a Goldilocks effect -- unless a blaze falls in a narrow severity range, neither too hot nor too cold, it isn't very good at helping forest landscapes return to their historical, more fire-tolerant conditions.
Published A mixture of trees purifies urban air best
(via sciencedaily.com) Conifers are generally better than broad-leafed trees at purifying air from pollutants. A new study shows that the best trees for air purification depend on the type of pollutant involved.
Published Phone-based measurements provide fast, accurate information about the health of forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses computer vision techniques to accurately measure trees almost five times faster than traditional, manual methods.
Published Deforestation in the tropics linked to a reduction in rainfall
(via sciencedaily.com) Deforestation is resulting in reduced rainfall across large parts of the tropics, according to new research. People living in tropical forest communities have often complained that the climate gets hotter and drier once trees are cleared but until now, scientists have not been able to identify a clear link between the loss of tree cover and a decline in rainfall.
Published The counting of nine billion trees could help manage climate credits and nature restoration
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a method that has now mapped several billion trees and their carbon uptake in Africa's Sahel. In the future, the method could be used to monitor whether climate credit purchases have a positive effect on the number of trees and whether nature restoration is working.
Published Who are the first ancestors of present-day fish?
(via sciencedaily.com) What is the origin of the ancestors of present-day fish? What species evolved from them? A 50-year-old scientific controversy revolved around the question of which group, the 'bony-tongues' or the 'eels', was the oldest. A study has just put an end to the debate by showing through genomic analysis that these fishes are in fact one and the same group, given the rather peculiar name of 'Eloposteoglossocephala'. These results shed new light on the evolutionary history of fish.