141 articles from MONDAY 5.7.2021

Male dragonflies lose their 'bling' in hotter climates

A new study finds that dragonfly males have consistently evolved less breeding coloration in regions with hotter climates. The research reveals that mating-related traits can be just as important to how organisms adapt to their climates as survival-related traits.

Sculpted by starlight: A meteorite witness to the solar system's birth

In 2011, scientists confirmed a suspicion: There was a split in the local cosmos. Samples of the solar wind brought back to Earth by the Genesis mission definitively determined oxygen isotopes in the sun differ from those found on Earth, the moon and the other planets and satellites in the solar system.

Constructed wetlands are best protection for agricultural runoff into waterways

A new paper from a lead author based at the University of Kansas finds wetlands constructed along waterways are the most cost-effective way to reduce nitrate and sediment loads in large streams and rivers. Rather than focusing on individual farms, the research suggests conservation efforts using wetlands should be implemented at the watershed scale.

Male dragonflies lose their 'bling' in hotter climates

A study published the week of July 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences led by Michael Moore at Washington University in St. Louis finds that dragonfly males have consistently evolved less breeding coloration in regions with hotter climates.

How fish got their spines

In the movie "A Fish Called Wanda," the villain Otto effortlessly gobbles up all the occupants of Ken`s fish tank. Reality, however, is more daunting. At least one unfortunate fan who re-enacted this scene was hospitalized with a fish stuck in the throat. This was also was a painful lesson in ichthyology (the scientific study of fishes)—namely that the defense of some fishes consists of...

Chris Whitty suggests guidelines for use of masks after 19 July

England’s medical chief gives three situations in which it would be important to wear face covering Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageProf Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has set out three simple personal guidelines for when to continue wearing face masks after the Covid restrictions have been lifted.Boris Johnson and Whitty were asked at Monday’s...

Global BECCS potential is largely constrained by sustainable irrigation

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), a negative emission technology, has been considered inevitable to achieve the 2°C or 1.5°C climate goal. Although numerous studies have been conducted, the effect of irrigation remains largely unexplored when taking water use sustainability into consideration. A new study finds that although unlimited irrigation could increase the global BECCS...

Underground microbial solutions to aboveground plant problems

Land plants—those that live primarily in terrestrial habitats and form vegetation—are anchored to the ground through their roots, and their performance depends on both the underground soil conditions and the aboveground climate. Plants use sunlight to grow through the process of photosynthesis where light energy is converted to chemical energy in chloroplasts, the powerhouses of plant cells....

Climate crisis causing male dragonflies to lose wing ‘bling’, study finds

Black patterns used to attract mates can cause the insects to overheat in hotter climatesMale dragonflies are losing the “bling” wing decorations that they use to entice the females as climates get hotter, according to new research.The results have led to the scientists calling for more work on whether this disparate evolution might lead to females no longer recognising males of their own...

Global BECCS potential is largely constrained by sustainable irrigation

A new collaborative study led by researchers from the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Ritsumeikan University, and Kyoto University found that although unlimited irrigation could increase global BECCS potential (via the increase of bioenergy production) by 60-71% by the end of this century, sustainably constrained irrigation would...

Researchers discover unusual competition between charge density wave and superconductivity

A research team led by Prof. Chen Xianhui from University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) found an unusual competition between charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity in CsV3Sb5, a layered kagome metal, which provides key experimental evidence for understanding novel CDW and superconductivity. The result was published in Nature Communications and...

Tony Black obituary

My friend Tony Black, who has died at 89 of pneumonia and emphysema, was my predecessor as chief psychologist at Broadmoor, the high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.The son of Walter, a civil servant, and Rose (nee Foster), a former nurse, Tony was born between the wars in Sanderstead, Surrey, into a secure, loving family. Early experiences of growing up with a mentally and physically...