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Published 450-million-year-old organism finds new life in Softbotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used fossil evidence to engineer a soft robotic replica of pleurocystitids, a marine organism that existed nearly 450 million years ago and is believed to be one of the first echinoderms capable of movement using a muscular stem.
Published Studies of geologic faulting on icy moons aid exploration of extraterrestrial watery worlds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Earth and space scientists document and reveal the mechanisms behind strike-slip faulting on the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, and Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede.
Published Experiment shows biological interactions of microplastics in watery environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have learned over the years that when aquatic organisms such as zooplankton become exposed to microplastics, they eat poorly. Research now shows that their plastic-induced eating difficulties also limit the ability of zooplankton to control algal proliferation. When algae bloom out of control, this presents a problem because some species produce toxins. Also, algal blooms can be associated with pea-soupy, unattractive bodies of water and contribute to hypoxia, a low-oxygen condition that may lead to fish kills.
Published Want the secret to less painful belly flops? These researchers have the answer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers investigated belly flop mechanics and found surprising insights about air-to-water impacts that could be useful for marine engineering applications. They set up a belly flop-like water experiment using a blunt cylinder but added an important vibrating twist to it.
Published Video technology could transform how scientists monitor changes in species evolution and development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research combines microscope and video technology to analyze how different species develop, and how changes in the timings of any developments can be tracked. A detailed analysis of the Energy Proxy Traits (EPTs) that result from these processes has provided researchers with the first evidence that traditionally measured timings of developmental events are associated with far broader changes to the full set of an embryo's observable characteristics.
Published The fascinating relationship between mice and a plant that flowers once a century in terms of seed dispersal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered several factors that affect field mouse behavior using seeds from dwarf bamboo plants, a plant that flowers once in a century. Their findings not only suggest the previously underappreciated role of mice in the forest ecosystem, but also show that they store small sasa seeds for later use. These challenge a previously held model of mouse behavior.
Published New algae species rewrites understanding of reef systems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of marine scientists has identified and officially named four species of algae new to science, challenging previous taxonomical assumptions within the Porolithon genus. The discovery has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the ecological role of these algae in the coral reef ecosystem.
Published Two fins are better than one: Fish synchronize tail fins to save energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source They say two heads are better than one. But in the world of fish, it appears two fins are better than one. Researchers have produced a theoretical model that demonstrates the underlying mechanisms behind how fish will synchronize their fin movements to ride each other's vortices, thereby saving energy.
Published Mystery resolved: Black hole feeding and feedback at the center of an active galaxy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. An international research team has recently observed the Circinus galaxy, which is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, with high enough resolution to gain further insights into the gas flows to and from the black hole at its galactic nucleus.
Published Energy transition: A super-model to guide policy makers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How can we ensure that an energy policy will achieve its objectives? To find out, scientists and public authorities can rely on computer models of varying degrees of accuracy. However, these models have a number of limitations, including the fact that they are not very effective for generating projections on a regional scale. A team has now designed a super-model to simulate the spread of three green technologies.
Published Long-distance weaponry identified at the 31,000-year-old archaeological site of Maisières-Canal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The hunter-gatherers who settled on the banks of the Haine, a river in southern Belgium, 31,000 years ago were already using spearthrowers to hunt their game. The material found at the archaeological site of Maisières-Canal permits establishing the use of this hunting technique 10,000 years earlier than the oldest currently known preserved spearthrowers. This discovery is prompting archaeologists to reconsider the age of this important technological innovation.
Published Plants' ingenious defense against mutational damage
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How do plants deal with mutations in their 'power stations'? By exploiting randomness to create diversity, say researchers.
Published Brain implant may enable communication from thoughts alone
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of neuroscientists, neurosurgeons and engineers can translate a person's brain signals into what they're trying to say. The new technology might one day help people unable to talk due to neurological disorders regain the ability to communicate through a brain-computer interface.
Published We can save lives and millions with less nitrate in drinking water
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Denmark could save lives and more than $300 million a year by reducing the amount of nitrate in its drinking water. An ever-growing body of research concludes that the amount of nitrate in some Danish boreholes increases the risk of colorectal cancer.
Published Threatened sharks and rays caught off Cyprus
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sharks and rays from threatened species are being caught off northern Cyprus, according to a new study by scientists who are working with local authorities and fishers to protect the animals.
Published Food waste prevention in Europe can generate major footprint savings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New calculations show that the European countries have great potential for reducing the demand for global food resources and the associated GHG footprint. Researchers have estimated the climate footprint savings that may be obtained from reducing food loss and waste along Europe's food supply chain by 50 % by 2030.
Published Fossils tell tale of last primate to inhabit North America before humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Paleontologists have shed light on the long-standing saga of Ekgmowechashala, based on fossil teeth and jaws found in both Nebraska and China. Ekgmowechashala is the last primate found in the fossil record before humans.
Published Frogs were Florida's first-known vertebrates from the Caribbean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new fossil study shows that frogs from the genus Eleutherodactylus are geologically the oldest Caribbean vertebrates to be found in Florida. They made the journey 20 million years ago, when much of Florida was still underwater.
Published Electric vehicles are driven less than gas cars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source One of the largest studies to date finds the current generation of EV owners drive far fewer miles than owners of gas vehicles, translating to lower emissions savings from EVs.
Published Crust-forming algae are displacing corals in tropical waters worldwide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over the past few decades, algae have been slowly edging corals out of their native reefs across the globe by blocking sunlight, wearing the corals down physically, and producing harmful chemicals. But in recent years, a new type of algal threat has surfaced in tropical regions like the Caribbean -- one that spreads quickly and forms a crust on top of coral and sponges, suffocating the organisms underneath and preventing them from regrowing. Marine biologists report that peyssonnelioid alga crusts, or PACs, are expanding quickly across reefs worldwide, killing off corals and transforming entire ecosystems.