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Categories: Ecology: Nature, Space: Astrophysics
Published Scientists develop novel method to estimate biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have employed novel statistical methods to reveal the extent of biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries. The study paints the most accurate picture to date of the ecological impact of deforestation and urban development in the tropical city-state. From a comprehensive dataset, the study estimated that Singapore has lost 37 per cent of its species.
Published Cosmic building blocks of life discovered through the electron microscope
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Meteorites are fragments of asteroids which find their way to Earth as shooting stars and provide information on the origins of our solar system. A team of researchers has examined the so-called Winchcombe meteorite and demonstrated the existence in it of nitrogen compounds such as amino acids and heterocyclic hydrocarbons -- without applying any chemical treatment and by using a new type of detector design.
Published Astronomers unravel mysteries of planet formation and evolution in distant planetary system
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source TOI-1136, a dwarf star located more than 270 light years from Earth, is host to six confirmed exoplanets and a seventh as yet unconfirmed candidate. The system has provided a rich source of information on planet formation and evolution in a young solar system. Researchers used a variety of tools to compile radial velocity and transit timing variation readings to derive highly precise measurements of the exoplants' masses, orbital information and atmospheres.
Published Use it or lose it: How seagrasses conquered the sea
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Seagrasses provide the foundation of one of the most highly biodiverse, yet vulnerable, coastal marine ecosystems globally. They arose in three independent lineages from their freshwater ancestors some 100 million years ago and are the only fully submerged, marine flowering plants. Moving to such a radically different environment is a rare evolutionary event and definitely not easy. How did they do it? New reference quality genomes provide important clues with relevance to their conservation and biotechnological application.
Published Stars travel more slowly at Milky Way's edge
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Physicists discovered stars near the edge of the Milky Way travel more slowly than those closer to its center -- a surprise suggesting our galaxy's gravitational core may have less dark matter than previously thought.
Published 'Old smokers' and 'squalling newborns' among hidden stars spotted for first time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 'Hidden' stars including a new type of elderly giant nicknamed an 'old smoker' have been spotted for the first time by astronomers. The mystery objects exist at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy and can sit quietly for decades -- fading almost to invisibility -- before suddenly puffing out clouds of smoke, according to a new study.
Published Faint features in galaxy NGC 5728 revealed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study describes the best method to improve images obtained by the James Webb Science Telescope (JWST) using a mathematical approach called deconvolution.
Published Astrophysical jet caught in a 'speed trap'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The microquasar SS 433 stands out as one of the most intriguing objects within our Milky Way. A pair of oppositely directed beams of plasma ('jets') spirals away perpendicularly from the binary systems disk's surface at just over a quarter of the speed of light. The H.E.S.S. observatory in Namibia has now succeeded in detecting very high energy gamma rays from the jets of SS 433, and identifying the exact location within the jets of one of the galaxy's most effective particle accelerators.
Published Diverse forests are best at standing up to storms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source European forests with a greater diversity of tree species are more resilient to storms, according to new research.
Published Sparrows uniquely adapted to Bay Area marshes are losing their uniqueness
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How does loss of habitat affect the animals still living there? A genetic study of saltwater-adapted Savannah sparrows around the San Francisco Bay Area shows that the 90% loss of tidal marsh habitat has led to more interbreeding with freshwater-adapted Savannah sparrows, diminishing their genetic adaptation to saltwater, such as enlarged kidneys and larger beak. This could lessen their ability to live in a saltwater habitat.
Published Microplastics may be accumulating rapidly in endangered Galápagos penguins' food web
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Model predictions showed a rapid increase in microplastic accumulation and contamination across the penguins' prey organisms resulting in Galapagos penguin showing the highest level of microplastics per biomass, followed by barracuda, anchovy, sardine, herring, and predatory zooplankton.
Published The complexity of forests cannot be explained by simple mathematical rules, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The way trees grow together do not resemble how branches grow on a single tree, scientists have discovered.
Published World's largest database of weeds lets scientists peer into the past, and future, of global agriculture
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new database of weeds that can help scientists understand how traditional agricultural systems were managed throughout history, could also provide insights into how global trends like the climate crisis could affect the resilience of our modern day food systems.
Published Study offers rare long-term analysis of techniques for creating standing dead trees for wildlife habitat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ecologists have long known that standing dead trees, commonly referred to as snags, are an important habitat element for forest dwellers and act as a driver of biodiversity. They're so important that in some managed forests, snag creation is part of the conservation tool kit -- i.e., crews sometimes convert a percentage of live trees into dead ones through techniques ranging from sawing off their tops to wounding their trunks to injecting them with disease-causing fungi.
Published When conditions cool down, a bacterial prey species becomes the predator
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a new study, two species of bacteria grown in a lab reversed their predator-prey relationship after one species was grown at a lower temperature.
Published Three-year population study supports fight to save Cameroon's Kordofan giraffe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Crucial new data about the numbers of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe living within Cameroon's B nou National Park has been released, supporting conservation efforts to save the subspecies from extinction.
Published Blue tit population booms with moths on the menu
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that years when moth numbers were up resulted in increased population growth for the blue tit.
Published A new perspective on the temperature inside tropical forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New worldwide maps of temperatures inside tropical forests show that global warming affect different way in different parts of the forests. Undergrowth level temperature of the tropical forests can be even 4 degrees less than average temperature of the area.
Published Complex green organisms emerged a billion years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Of all the organisms that photosynthesize, land plants have the most complex form. How did this morphology emerge? A team of scientists has taken a deep dive into the evolutionary history of morphological complexity in streptophytes, which include land plants and many green algae. Their research allowed them to go back in time to investigate lineages that emerged long before land plants existed.
Published Planetary Commons: Fostering global cooperation to safeguard critical Earth system functions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tipping elements of the Earth system should be considered global commons, researchers argue. Global commons cannot -- as they currently do -- only include the parts of the planet outside of national borders, like the high seas or Antarctica. They must also include all the environmental systems that regulate the functioning and state of the planet, namely all systems on Earth we all depend on, irrespective on where in the world we live. This calls for a new level of transnational cooperation, leading experts in legal, social and Earth system sciences say. To limit risks for human societies and secure critical Earth system functions they propose a new framework of planetary commons to guide governance of the planet.