Climate-cooling arctic lakes soak up greenhouse gases
Fairbanks AL (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
New University of Alaska Fairbanks research indicates that arctic thermokarst lakes stabilize climate change by storing more greenhouse gases than they emit into the atmosphere.
Countering a widely-held view that thawing permafrost accelerates atmospheric warming, a study published this week in the scientific journal Nature suggests arctic thermokarst lakes are 'net climate coolers' when o ...
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Borneo deforested 30 percent over past 40 years
Bogor, Indonesia (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
Forest cover in Borneo may have declined by up to 30% over the past 40 years, according to a study published July 16, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by David Gaveau from the Center for International Forestry Research, Indonesia, and colleagues.
The native forests of Borneo have been increasingly impacted by logging, fire, and conversion to plantations since the early 1970s. Borne ...
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Whale shark fringe migration
Ponta Delgada, Portugal (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
At the fringe of the whale shark range, the volcanic Azore islands may play an increasing role for the north Atlantic population as sea surface temperatures rise, according to a study published July 16, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Pedro Afonso from University of the Azores and colleagues.
Whale sharks prefer tropical waters in the range of 26-30+ C, but studies have shown ...
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Walking on all fours is not backward evolution
Austin TX (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
Contradicting earlier claims, "The Family That Walks on All Fours," a group of quadrupedal humans made famous by a 2006 BBC documentary, have simply adapted to their inability to walk upright and do not represent an example of backward evolution, according to new research by Liza Shapiro, an anthropologist at The University of Texas at Austin.
Five siblings in the family, who live in a rem ...
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New study links dredging to diseased corals
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
In a world-first study researchers say dredging activity near coral reefs can increase the frequency of diseases affecting corals. "At dredging sites, we found more than twice as much coral disease than at our control sites," says the lead author of the study, Joe Pollock, a PhD candidate from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University (JCU) and the ...
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Organismal biologists needed to interpret new trees of life
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
Rapidly accumulating data on the molecular sequences of animal genes are overturning some standard zoological narratives about how major animal groups evolved.
The turmoil means that biologists should adopt guidelines to ensure that their evolutionary scenarios remain consistent with new information-which a surprising number of scenarios are not, according to a critical overview article to ...
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Are Ants the Answer to CO2 Sequestration?
Boulder CO (SPX) Jul 18, 2014 -
A 25-year-long study published in GEOLOGY provides the first quantitative measurement of in situ calcium-magnesium silicate mineral dissolution by ants, termites, tree roots, and bare ground. This study reveals that ants are one of the most powerful biological agents of mineral decay yet observed.
It may be that an understanding of the geobiology of ant-mineral interactions might offer a l ...
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