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Life Sciences - Earth Sciences - 25.05.2023

Mapping the genetic history of French Canadians through space and time
First study to incorporate genealogical records to provide an accurate map of genetic relatedness Though we all share common ancestors ranging from a few generations to hundreds of thousands of years, genealogies that relate all of us are often forgotten over time. A new McGill University-led study is now providing insight into the complex relationship between human migration and genetic variation, using a unique genealogical dataset of over five million records spanning 400 years to unravel the genetic structure of French Canadian populations.

Earth Sciences - Life Sciences - 25.05.2023

River erosion can shape fish evolution
The new findings could explain biodiversity hotspots in tectonically quiet regions. If we could rewind the tape of species evolution around the world and play it forward over hundreds of millions of years to the present day, we would see biodiversity clustering around regions of tectonic turmoil. Tectonically active regions such as the Himalayan and Andean mountains are especially rich in flora and fauna due to their shifting landscapes, which act to divide and diversify species over time.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 25.05.2023

River erosion drives fish biodiversity in the Appalachians
A new study provides evidence that river water eroding layers of metamorphic rock is a driver of freshwater fish biodiversity in the Appalachian Mountains. The gradual erosion of layers of rock by rivers flowing through the Appalachian Mountains generates biodiversity of freshwater fish species, suggests a new Yale-led study that offers insight into the causes of species richness in the ancient mountain range.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 18.05.2023

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures View of Mars’ Belva Crater
The six-wheeled scientist encountered the crater during its latest science campaign in search of rock samples that could be brought to Earth for deeper investigation. The Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover recently collected 152 images while looking deep into Belva Crater, a large impact crater within the far larger Jezero Crater.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 17.05.2023

’That we have enough time is a misconception’
Four Utrecht researchers, each with slightly different areas of expertise and at different stages in their careers. But with one urgent shared concern: climate is changing, ice sheets are melting and sea levels are rising. This concern is crystal clear. But the complex research behind it is far from simple for most people.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 17.05.2023

Found: a likely volcano-covered terrestrial world outside the Solar System
Astronomers from Université de Montréal have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet around a nearby small red dwarf star that appears to be carpeted with volcanoes. Björn Benneke, a Professor at the Université de Montréal and member of the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, whose team led this discovery.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 16.05.2023

’Warm Ice Age’ Changed Climate Cycles
Approximately 700,000 years ago, a "warm ice age" permanently changed the climate cycles on Earth. Contemporaneous with this exceptionally warm and moist period, the polar glaciers greatly expanded. A European research team including Earth scientists from Heidelberg University used recently acquired geological data in combination with computer simulations to identify this seemingly paradoxical connection.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 16.05.2023

Martian crust like heavy armour
A strong quake in the last year of the NASA Mars InSight mission, enabled researchers at ETH Zurich to determine the global thickness and density of the planet's crust. On average, the Martian crust much thicker than the Earth's or the Moon's crust and the planet's main source of heat is radioactive.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 15.05.2023

Climate change: advantage to insect pests
Bad news for Swiss agriculture: several species of insect pests would find an advantage if the climate continues to warm up.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 15.05.2023

Lower Methane Emissions in Los Angeles Region
Researchers found that emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas dropped for several years near the nation's second-largest metropolitan area. Two recent studies by researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used contrasting approaches to measure drops in human-caused emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane in recent years in the Los Angeles region.

Earth Sciences - History / Archeology - 15.05.2023

South Africa’s desert-like interior may have been more inviting to our human ancestors
Study expands range of livable regions in interior South Africa nearly 200,000 years ago Study: Paleolakes and socioecological implications of glacial "greening” of the South African interior (available upon request) Lining the Cape of South Africa and its southern coast are long chains of caves that nearly 200,000 years ago were surrounded by a lush landscape and plentiful food.

Earth Sciences - 04.05.2023

How seaweed has been misleading scientists about reef health
Science, Health & Technology Erik Rolfsen For decades, scientists have looked to seaweed as an indicator of the health of coral reefs lying underneath. But what if the seaweed was misleading them? New UBC research reveals it was, and scientists need new ways to determine whether human activity is harming a particular reef.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 04.05.2023

New Study of Uranus’ Large Moons Shows 4 May Hold Water
The work is based on new modeling and explores how oceans could exist in unlikely places in our solar system. Re-analysis of data from NASA's Voyager spacecraft, along with new computer modeling, has led NASA scientists to conclude that four of Uranus' largest moons likely contain an ocean layer between their cores and icy crusts.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 03.05.2023

The Mysterious Origins of Martian Meteorites
In August 1865, a 10-pound rock fell from space to Earth, landing with a bang in the remote village of Sherghati, India. After being recovered by witnesses to the event, the stone passed into the possession of a local British magistrate who endeavored to identify the source of the strange object. After more than a century of studying the meteorite fragments-so-called shergottites-researchers in the 1980s finally determined its alien origins: our neighboring planet, Mars.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 02.05.2023

Progressive climate change: Mediterranean forests threatened with desertification
Heidelberg geoscientists study natural climate fluctuations of the past 500,000 years With the aim of predicting the consequences of man-made climate change for Mediterranean ecosystems, geoscientists at Heidelberg University have studied natural climate and vegetation fluctuations over the past 500,000 years.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 02.05.2023

Progressive Climate Change: Desertification Threatens Mediterranean Forests
Heidelberg Earth scientists study natural climate fluctuations of the past 500,000 years With a view towards predicting the consequences of human-made climate change for Mediterranean ecosystems, Earth scientists from Heidelberg University have studied natural climate and vegetation fluctuations of the past 500,000 years.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 27.04.2023

Flying drones in Kyrgyzstan
SLF-scientists Joel Caduff and Yves Bühler trained scientists and practitioners in drone-based snow depth mapping in the Kyrgyz mountains. After packing a lot of equipment including ski touring sets and an eBee-X drone, we boarded the plane to Istanbul on March 29 and then to Biskek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 27.04.2023

Twilight zone at risk from climate change
Life in the ocean's "twilight zone" could decline dramatically due to climate change, new research suggests. The twilight zone (200m to 1,000m deep) gets very little light but is home to a wide variety of organisms and billions of tonnes of organic matter. The new study warns that climate change could cause a 20-40% reduction in twilight zone life by the end of the century.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 27.04.2023

Ocean’s twilight zone at risk from climate change
Life in the ocean's "twilight zone" could decline dramatically due to climate change, suggests a new study involving UCL researchers. The twilight zone (200m to 1,000m deep) gets very little light but is home to a wide variety of organisms and billions of tonnes of organic matter. The new study, published in the journal Nature Communications , warns that climate change could cause a 20-40% reduction in twilight zone life by the end of the century.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 14.04.2023

Icy Moonquakes: Surface Shaking Could Trigger Landslides
A new NASA study offers an explanation of how quakes could be the source of the mysteriously smooth terrain on moons circling Jupiter and Saturn. Many of the ice-encrusted moons orbiting the giant planets in the far reaches of our solar system are known to be geologically active. Jupiter and Saturn have such strong gravity that they stretch and pull the bodies orbiting them, causing moonquakes that can crack the moons' crusts and surfaces.