Beating back the desert in Burkina Faso, field by field
Rim, Burkina Faso (AFP) Jan 9, 2015 -
In Burkina Faso, what was once stony semi-wasteland is now covered in verdant crop fields, rescued from relentless desertification.
Using simple agricultural techniques largely spread by word-of-mouth, this tiny West African state has rejuvenated vast stretches of scrubby soil over the past 30 years, proving they are not doomed and giving hope to other vulnerable areas in the region.
One ...
more
Mapping snake venom variety reveals unexpected evolutionary pattern
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 11, 2015 -
Venom from an eastern diamondback rattlesnake in the Everglades is distinct from the cocktail of toxins delivered by the same species in the Florida panhandle area, some 500 miles away. But no matter where you go in the Southeastern United States, the venom of the eastern coral snake is always the same.
The results of a large-scale survey of venom variation in the two snake species, publis ...
more
Ancient maize followed two paths into the Southwest
Davis CA (SPX) Jan 11, 2015 -
After it was first domesticated from the wild teosinte grass in southern Mexico, maize, or corn, took both a high road and a coastal low road as it moved into what is now the U.S. Southwest, reports an international research team that includes a UC Davis plant scientist and maize expert.
The study, based on DNA analysis of corn cobs dating back over 4,000 years, provides the most comprehen ...
more
Algae blooms create their own favorable conditions
Hanover NH (SPX) Jan 11, 2015 -
Fertilizers are known to promote the growth of toxic cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater and oceans worldwide, but a new multi-institution study shows the aquatic microbes themselves can drive nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in a combined one-two punch in lakes.
The findings suggest cyanobacteria - sometimes known as pond scum or blue-green algae - that get a toe-hold in low-to-moderate ...
more
Fossils reveal past, and possible future, of polar ice
Gainesville FL (SPX) Jan 11, 2015 -
The balmy islands of Seychelles couldn't feel farther from Antarctica, but their fossil corals could reveal much about the fate of polar ice sheets.
About 125,000 years ago, the average global temperature was only slightly warmer, but sea levels rose high enough to submerge the locations of many of today's coastal cities. Understanding what caused seas to rise then could shed light on how ...
more
Hunting bats rely on 'bag of chips effect'
Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) Jan 11, 2015 -
When bats hunt in groups at night, they rely on the sounds of their fellow bats to tip them off on the best places to a grab a good meal. Researchers reporting their findings in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 8 are calling this behavior the "bag of chips effect."
"When you sit in a dark cinema theater and someone opens a bag of chips, everyone in the theater knows that s ...
more
Flexible, biocompatible implant slips into the spinal cord
Lausanne, France (SPX) Jan 11, 2015 -
EPFL scientists have managed to get rats walking on their own again using a combination of electrical and chemical stimulation. But applying this method to humans would require multifunctional implants that could be installed for long periods of time on the spinal cord without causing any tissue damage.
This is precisely what the teams of professors Stephanie Lacour and Gregoire Courtine h ...
more
