Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford have shown that weathering of rocks in the Canadian Arctic will accelerate with rising temperatures, triggering a positive feedback loop that will release more and more CO2 to the atmosphere.
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Adaptability of Trees Persists After Millions of Years of Climate Change
Seven of the most common forest trees in Europe have been shown to be able to shelter their genetic diversity from major shifts in environmental conditions.
Seven new frog species discovered in Madagascar: Sounds like something from Star Trek
Researchers have discovered seven new species of tree frogs that make otherworldly calls in the rainforests of Madagascar. Their strange, high-pitched whistling calls sound more like sound effects from the sci-fi series Star Trek. As a result, the researchers have named the new species after seven of the series' most...
Tube sock-like skunk covers more ground than deer, impacted by winter weather, study finds
A study in the Cascade Range in Oregon of a tiny, elusive skunk found the animal can cover more ground than deer and is sensitive to climate change, particularly severe winter weather.
Bonobos may be more vulnerable than previously thought, suggests genetics study
Bonobos, endangered great apes that are among our closest relatives, might be more vulnerable than previously understood, finds a genetics study that reveals three distinct populations.
Traces of ancient immigration patterns to Japan found in 2000-year-old genome
A joint research group has demonstrated that the majority of immigration to the Japanese Archipelago in the Yayoi and Kofun periods (between 3000 BCE and 538 CE) came from the Korean Peninsula. The researchers analyzed the complete genome of a 'Yayoi' individual and found that, among the non-Japanese populations, the...
Let there be light: Bright future for solar panels, TV screens and more
From brighter TV screens to better medical diagnostics and more efficient solar panels, new research has discovered how to make more molecules stick to the surface of tiny nanocrystals, in a breakthrough that could lead to improvements in everyday technology.
Scientists have successfully bred corals to improve their heat tolerance
A new study has shown that selective breeding can lead to a modest rise in coral heat tolerance. The study documents the world s first effort to selectively breed adult corals for enhanced heat tolerance, i.e. the ability of adult corals to survive intense marine heatwaves. The breeding effort was...
How did the building blocks of life arrive on Earth?
Researchers have used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. The results suggest that without 'unmelted' asteroids, there may not have been enough of these compounds on Earth for life to emerge.
Dance, gibbon, dance!
Female crested gibbons display jerky, almost geometric patterns of movement. Researchers have studied these conspicuous movements, which are comparable to human dances. They describe the structure of the dances, their rhythm and the contexts in which the dances occur.