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ScienceDaily -- Alternative Medicine News - Science
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Cycle of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef now at 'catastrophic' levels | ScienceDaily
Marine scientists highlights the complex interplay between heat stress, disease onset and coral mortality. They found that 66 percent of the colonies were bleached by February 2024 and 80 per cent by April. By July, 44 percent of the bleached colonies had died, with some coral genera, such as Acropora, experiencing a staggering 95 percent mortality rate.
Extreme climate pushed thousands of lakes in West Greenland 'across a tipping point,' study finds | ScienceDaily
Following two months of record heat and precipitation in fall 2022, an estimated 7,500 lakes in West Greenland turned brown, began emitting carbon and decreased in water quality in less than a year. The spike in temperatures caused the precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. The heat also caused permafrost to thaw, releasing an abundance of carbon, iron, magnesium and other elements that the rain washed into the lakes. Researchers found a decrease in phytoplankton that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis within the lakes, and an increase in plankton that break down and release carbon. Instead of sequestering carbon dioxide in the summer, the lakes have become a source of it, with a 350% increase in the flux of this greenhouse gas from them.
Mussel bed surveyed before World War II still thriving | ScienceDaily
A mussel bed in Northern California is as healthy and biodiverse as it was about 80 years ago, when two young students surveyed it shortly before one was sent to fight in World War II. Resampling the site reveals a thriving mussel bed community that also shows the mark of climate change.
Protein shapes can help untangle life's ancient history | ScienceDaily
The three-dimensional shape of a protein can be used to resolve deep, ancient evolutionary relationships in the tree of life, according to a new study. It is the first time researchers use data from protein shapes and combine it with data from genomic sequences to improve the reliability of evolutionary trees, a critical resource used by the scientific community for understanding the history of life, monitor the spread of pathogens or create new treatments for disease. Crucially, the approach works even with the predicted structures of proteins that have never been experimentally determined. The findings open the door to using the massive amount of structural data being generated by tools like AlphaFold 2 and help open new windows into the ancient history of life on Earth.
Great Barrier Reef fish evidence suggests shifts in major global biodiversity patterns | ScienceDaily
Life on the Great Barrier Reef is undergoing big changes in the face of climate change and other human-caused pressures, a new study reveals. From food security to controlling seaweed and even making sand for beaches, reef fish are a hugely important part of marine ecosystems providing a range of benefits to humans and coral reef ecosystems. New research reveals significant transformations in fish communities on the Great Barrier Reef, the World's largest coral reef ecosystem.
New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems | ScienceDaily
An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period.
Don't write off logged tropical forests -- converting to oil palm plantations has even wider effects on ecosystems | ScienceDaily
A research team has carried out the most comprehensive assessment to date of how logging and conversion to oil palm plantations affect tropical forest ecosystems. The results demonstrate that logging and conversion have significantly different and cumulative environmental impacts.
The extreme teeth of sabre-toothed predators were 'optimal' for biting into prey | ScienceDaily
Sabre-toothed predators -- best know from the infamous Smilodon -- evolved multiple times across different mammal groups. A new study reveals why: these teeth were 'functionally optimal' and highly effective at puncturing prey.
An earful of gill: Evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear | ScienceDaily
A recent study has uncovered the surprising evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear, linking it to the gills of ancient fish and marine invertebrates. The research reveals that both structures are composed of elastic cartilage and shares gene control elements that hint at their connection. This finding sheds new light on the evolution of the mammalian ear, highlighting how structures can transform over time to serve new functions.
Ice patches on Beartooth Plateau reveal how ancient landscape differed from today's | ScienceDaily
Scientists say the frozen remnants of an ancient forest discovered 600 feet above the modern tree line on the Beartooth Plateau may portend possible changes for the alpine ecosystem if the climate continues to warm.
Hornwort genomes provide clues on how plants conquered the land | ScienceDaily
Over 450 million years ago, plants began the epic transition from water to dry land. Among the first pioneers were the ancestors of humble hornworts, a group of small, unassuming plants that have persisted to this day. New research reveals insights into the genetic blueprints of hornworts, uncovering fascinating details about plant evolution and the early days of life on land.
Fossil predator is the oldest known animal with 'saber teeth' | ScienceDaily
Scientists have discovered the oldest known animal with saber teeth: a predator that lived 270 million years ago. This animal, from before the age of the dinosaurs, was a dog-like creature that was related to the ancestors of mammals.
Oldest-known evolutionary 'arms race' | ScienceDaily
A new study presents what is believed to be the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean covering what is now South Australia between a small, shelled animal distantly related to brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell.
Paleobiologists unlock 500,000 years of fossil records: Climate change impacts and risks of marine carbon removal | ScienceDaily
Climate change impacts not only life on land but also the largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystem, home to unique and largely unexplored fauna. Deep-sea animals, which have adapted to stable and extreme environments, are particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature and food availability. This raises a crucial question: What environmental factors are most important for deep-sea ecosystems, and how might they be disrupted?
New study highlights the correlation between live corals and fishing yields | ScienceDaily
A new study examines the correlation between fish yield and live coral habitats. Researchers analyzed the yields of nine fisheries dependent on Australia's Great Barrier Reef from 2016 to 2020. Results show that substantial losses could occur if the restoration of coral reefs is not prioritized.
Chart of life extended by nearly 1.5 billion years | ScienceDaily
Fossilized skeletons and shells clearly show how evolution and extinction unfolded over the past half a billion years, but a new analysis extends the chart of life to nearly 2 billion years ago. The chart shows the relative ups and downs in species counts, telling scientists about the origin, diversification, and extinction of ancient life. With this new study, the chart of life now includes life forms from the Proterozoic Eon, 2,500 million to 539 million years ago. Proterozoic life was generally smaller and squishier -- like sea sponges that didn't develop mineral skeletons -- and left fewer traces to fossilize in the first place.
Unique motor control system of anglerfish's specialized 'fishing rod' discovered | ScienceDaily
Researchers have uncovered in anglerfish a specialized motor neuron population for the first dorsal fin used for 'fishing'. When the first dorsal fin evolved from a swimming and buoyancy aid to a hunting tool, the motor neurons shifted their position in the central nervous system. The findings have implications for understanding the potential of evolutionary processes of vertebrates, including humans.
Study sheds light on the origin of the genetic code | ScienceDaily
Nearly all living organisms use the same genetic code, a complicated mechanism by which genetic information is translated into proteins, the building blocks of life. A new study suggests conventional wisdom about how the code evolved is likely flawed.
Oldest modern human genomes sequenced | ScienceDaily
Few genomes have been sequenced from early modern humans, who first arrived in Europe when the region was already inhabited by Neanderthals. An international team has now sequenced the oldest modern human genomes to date. The genomes were recovered from seven individuals who lived between 42,000 and 49,000 years ago in Ranis, Germany and Zlaty kun, Czechia. These genomes belonged to individuals who were part of a small, closely related human group that first split off from the population that left Africa around 50,000 years ago and later settled the rest of the world. Although they separated early, the Neanderthal DNA in their genomes traces back to an admixture event common to all people outside Africa, that the researchers date to around 45,000-49,000 years ago, much later than previously thought.
What is a unit of nature? New framework shows the challenges involved with establishing a biodiversity credit market | ScienceDaily
Leading ecologists have devised a new framework to classify how biodiversity credit operators define what a unit of nature is. The new analysis demonstrates the challenges involved with devising a biodiversity credit market to fund nature recovery, and the risks of relying too heavily on 'offsetting.'
Surveys show full scale of massive die-off of common murres following the 'warm blob' in the Pacific Ocean | ScienceDaily
Colony surveys of common murres, an Alaskan seabird, show the full effects of the 2014-16 marine heat wave known as 'the blob.' Analysis of 13 colonies surveyed between 2008 and 2022 finds that colony size in the Gulf of Alaska dropped by half after the marine heat wave. In colonies along the eastern Bering Sea, west of the peninsula, the decline was even steeper, at 75% loss. No recovery has yet been seen, the authors write.
Biological diversity is not just the result of genes | ScienceDaily
How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of embryonic development, advanced microscopy, and cutting-edge computer modelling, a multi-disciplinary team demonstrates that the crocodile head scales emerge from the mechanics of growing tissues, rather than molecular genetics. The diversity of these head scales observed in different crocodilian species therefore arises from the evolution of mechanical parameters, such as the growth rate and stiffness of the skin. These results shed new light on the physical forces involved in the development and evolution of living forms.
New research unlocks jaw-dropping evolution of lizards and snakes | ScienceDaily
A groundbreaking study has shed light on how lizards and snakes -- the most diverse group of land vertebrates with nearly 12,000 species -- have evolved remarkably varied jaw shapes, driving their extraordinary ecological success.
Human disruption is driving 'winner' and 'loser' tree species shifts across Brazilian forests | ScienceDaily
Fast-growing and small-seeded tree species are dominating Brazilian forests in regions with high levels of deforestation and degradation, a new study shows. This has potential implications for the ecosystem services these forests provide, including the ability of these 'disturbed' forests to absorb and store carbon. This is because these 'winning' species grow fast but die young, as their stems and branches are far less dense than the slow growing tree species they replace. Wildlife species adapted to consuming and dispersing the large seeds of tree species that are being lost in human-modified landscapes may also be affected by these shifts.
Lifesaver for wild bees: The importance of quarries | ScienceDaily
A research team has investigated the importance of limestone quarries for wild bee conservation. Diverse landscapes with good connectivity between quarries and calcareous grasslands proved to be particularly valuable. Calcareous grasslands -- meaning grasslands on chalk or limestone soils -- are exceptionally rich in plant and animal species, making them valuable ecosystems. Quarries with a lot of shrub encroachment, on the other hand, had a lower species diversity. Endangered bee species were more common in large quarries.
After decades of plantation agriculture, coconut palms dominate over half of Pacific atoll forests | ScienceDaily
Coconut palms are king throughout the tropics, serving as the foundation for human lives and cultures across the Pacific Ocean for centuries. However, 200 years of planting by colonial interests transformed the palm from the revered 'Tree of Life' to a cash crop monoculture grown on Pacific atolls for a singular purpose -- production of coconut oil (copra) for export around the world.
Climate change could bring more severe bacterial infections, including in corals | ScienceDaily
Could the fungal apocalypse of The Last of Us have roots in reality? A new study shows that climate warming can potentially make bacterial and fungal infections deadlier for cold-blooded animals like corals, insects, and fish, raising questions about the broader risks warming temperatures pose to ecosystems and biodiversity -- and potentially humans.