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Categories: Ecology: Nature, Physics: Quantum Computing
Published An elegant new orchid hiding in plain sight
(via sciencedaily.com) It is extremely rare for a new plant species to be discovered in Japan, a nation where flora has been extensively studied and documented. Nevertheless, botanists recently uncovered a stunning new species of orchid whose rosy pink petals bear a striking resemblance to glasswork. Interestingly, it can be found in familiar environments such as lawns and parks, and even in private gardens and on balconies. This research suggests that other new species may be hiding in common places.
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 New study counts the environmental cost of managing Japanese knotweed
(via sciencedaily.com) New research has looked at the long-term environmental impact of different methods to control Japanese knotweed. Different ways of trying to control the invasive species have developed over the years but now, as sustainability becomes increasingly important, understanding the effect of these management methods is vital.This new study examines at the entire life cycle and long-term impacts of different management approaches.
Published How can we tackle the biggest challenges? Ask a plant
(via sciencedaily.com) Without plants, we'd have no air to breathe or food to eat, yet plant science lingers in the shadowy wings while other fields take center stage. With the goal of shining the spotlight on plants, a new study presents the field's top 100 most pressing questions for research to address the greatest challenges facing humanity.
Published New study provides first comprehensive look at oxygen loss on coral reefs
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study is providing an unprecedented examination of oxygen loss on coral reefs around the globe under ocean warming. The study captures the current state of hypoxia -- or low oxygen levels -- at 32 different sites, and reveals that hypoxia is already pervasive on many reefs.
Published How fishermen benefit from reversing evolution of cod
(via sciencedaily.com) Intense fishing and over-exploitation have led to evolutionary changes in fish stocks like cod, reducing both their productivity and value on the market. These changes can be reversed by more sustainable and far-sighted fisheries management. A new study shows that reversal of evolutionary change would only slightly reduce the profit of fishing, but would help regain and conserve natural genetic diversity.
Published Breakthrough in the understanding of quantum turbulence
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have shown how energy disappears in quantum turbulence, paving the way for a better understanding of turbulence in scales ranging from the microscopic to the planetary. The team's findings demonstrate a new understanding of how wave-like motion transfers energy from macroscopic to microscopic length scales, and their results confirm a theoretical prediction about how the energy is dissipated at small scales. In the future, an improved understanding of turbulence beginning on the quantum level could allow for improved engineering in domains where the flow and behavior of fluids and gases like water and air is a key question. Understanding that in classical fluids will help scientists do things like improve the aerodynamics of vehicles, predict the weather with better accuracy, or control water flow in pipes. There is a huge number of potential real-world uses for understanding macroscopic turbulence.
Published Humans are altering the diet of Tasmanian devils, which may accelerate their decline
(via sciencedaily.com) New research shows how human-modified landscapes affect the diets of these marsupial scavengers.
Published Modelling superfast processes in organic solar cell material
(via sciencedaily.com) In organic solar cells, carbon-based polymers convert light into charges that are passed to an acceptor. Scientists have now calculated how this happens by combining molecular dynamics simulations with quantum calculations and have provided theoretical insights to interpret experimental data.
Published Bigger flowers, greater rewards: Plants adapt to climate disruptions to lure pollinators
(via sciencedaily.com) There's been a well-documented shift toward earlier springtime flowering in many plants as the world warms. The trend alarms biologists because it has the potential to disrupt carefully choreographed interactions between plants and the creatures -- butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others -- that pollinate them.
Published Genetics as conservation tool for endangered chimpanzees
(via sciencedaily.com) The western chimpanzees of Guinea are threatened by mining activities. Using a novel genetic approach, researchers have collected information on population size and community structure of the endangered species. These data provide an important baseline to assess the impact of mining.
Published Recovering tropical forests offset just one quarter of carbon emissions from new tropical deforestation and forest degradation
(via sciencedaily.com) A pioneering global study has found deforestation and forests lost or damaged due to human and environmental change, such as fire and logging, are fast outstripping current rates of forest regrowth.
Published Thousands of native plants are unphotographed, and citizen scientists can help fill the gaps
(via sciencedaily.com) New research finds almost 4000 Australian plant species have not been photographed before in the wild, which may lead to their extinction.
Published Swan populations grow 30 times faster in nature reserves
(via sciencedaily.com) Populations of whooper swans grow 30 times faster inside nature reserves, new research shows.
Published Researchers find decaying biomass in Arctic rivers fuels more carbon export than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study found that plants and small organisms in Arctic rivers could be responsible for more than half the particulate organic matter flowing to the Arctic Ocean. That's a significantly greater proportion than previously estimated, and it has implications for how much carbon gets sequestered in the ocean and how much moves into the atmosphere.
Published Magnetism fosters unusual electronic order in quantum material
(via sciencedaily.com) Physicists have published an array of experimental evidence showing that the ordered magnetic arrangement of electrons in crystals of iron-germanium plays an integral role in bringing about an ordered electronic arrangement called a charge density wave that the team discovered in the material last year.
Published Study shows how biodiversity of coral reefs around the world changes with depth
(via sciencedaily.com) Dramatic differences between shallow and mesophotic reefs stress the importance of studying--and conserving--these vital ecosystems along their entire depth gradient.
Published Minke whales are as small as a lunge-feeding baleen whale can be
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study of Antarctic minke whales reveals a minimum size limit for whales employing the highly efficient 'lunge-feeding' strategy that enabled the blue whale to become the largest animal on Earth.
Published Changing landscapes alter disease-scapes
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has?highlighted?how and when?changes to the environment result in?animal-borne disease?thresholds?being breeched, allowing for?a?better understanding and?increased?capacity to?predict?the?risk of?transmissions.
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.