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☆ YouTube helped solve an evolutionary mystery that's puzzled biologists for decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One of his videos provided the missing piece to link 400-year-old fossils with living euglenoids. And it helped them solve a scientific mystery that's confused biologists for decades. To find ancient evidence of euglenoids, van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues looked at microfossils — teensy fossils that are only a few millimeters in size. AdvertisementA chance viewing of a YouTube video helped van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues link the fossils and living euglenoids. The proof was in a pond (and on YouTube)There were two main problems with the cyst microfossils: what they were called and what they looked like.

Persons: Fabian Weston, —, who's, Euglenoids, Bas, de, de Schootbrugge, they've, van de Schootbrugge, van de Schootbrugge's, Paul Strother, Strother, Van de Schootbrugge, Wilson Taylor Organizations: Service, Utrecht University, YouTube, New South Wales, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Locations: New South, Vouliagmeni, Greece

☆ Asteroid that doomed the dinosaurs halted key process for life on Earth, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

This dust blocked the sun to an extent that plants were unable to photosynthesize, a biological process critical for life, for almost two years afterward. Pim KaskesAn unexpected killing mechanismTo reach their findings, scientists developed a new computer model to simulate the global climate after the asteroid strike. Fossilized fish found at the site have revealed that the asteroid struck off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula in springtime. The team determined that this fine dust could have remained in the atmosphere for up to 15 years after the asteroid strike. The researchers suggested the global climate may have cooled by as much as 15 degrees Celsius.

Persons: ”, Cem Berk Senel, Pim Kaskes, ” Senel, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Chiarenza Organizations: CNN, Royal Observatory of, …, University of Vigo Locations: Mexico, Royal Observatory of Belgium, “, North Dakota, Spain

☆ Extreme heat could make photosynthesis impossible for tropical trees and plants that may all die as a result, a new study found.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trees stop making food for themselves when they get too hot, a new study shows. AdvertisementAdvertisementFor a new Nature study, scientists across the country found that photosynthesis begins to fail in tropical trees at 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.7 degrees Celsius). NNehring/ Getty ImagesScientists already knew extreme heat makes leaves unable to photosynthesize, said Goldsmith, a co-author of the study. But "this study is really the first study to establish how close tropical forest canopies may be to these limits," he said. If all the trees in the tropical rainforests died off, that would release an estimated 228.7 petagrams of carbon into the atmosphere, according to a 2012 study.

Persons: It's, Gregory Goldsmith, Goldsmith, ScienceAlert, Justin Sullivan, Christopher Doughty, Doughty, Ignacio Palacios, it's Organizations: Service, Chapman University, Getty, Northern Arizona University Locations: —, Brazil , Puerto Rico, Panama, Australia, San Francisco

☆ India rolls out its first rover on the lunar surface after historic landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the lunar surface near the moon's south pole on Wednesday. The historic occasion marked the country as a global space power and only the fourth nation to achieve a lunar landing. Chandrayaan-3 has already returned several images and rolled out its Pragyan rover on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, Russia’s Luna 25 lander crashed into the moon, causing experts to question the country’s future lunar ambitions. ConsequencesEmperor penguins rely on sea ice to hatch and raise their chicks, but global warming is diminishing their habitat.

Persons: CNN —, Ray, Russia’s, Bonnie Prince Charlie, “, ”, Barbora Veselá, Apptronik, Sergio Pitamitz, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, International, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Ray Imaging, ISRO India, University of Dundee, Solar Orbiter, —, CNN Space, Science Locations: United States, Russia, Japan, Denmark, United Kingdom, Austin , Texas, Tennessee, Monterey , California

☆ Climate change: Parts of tropical rainforests could get too hot for photosynthesis, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Some leaves in tropical forests from South America to South East Asia are getting so hot they may no longer be able to photosynthesize, with big potential consequences for the world’s forests, according to a new study. They found that average forest canopy temperatures peaked at 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) but some exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). This level of warming is not expected under current climate policies, which are estimated to bring 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. While these figures may seem small, the risk is significant given how critical tropical trees are for life, the climate system and the planet. But, he added, there are more immediate concerns for tropical forests, including deforestation, wildfires and droughts.

Persons: photosynthesize, Christopher Doughty, ” Doughty, Martin Zwick, ”, Kevin Collins, Christopher Still, there’s, it’s, “, Chloe Brimicombe, ” Joshua Fisher Organizations: CNN, Northern Arizona University, Getty, Open University, Science Media, Oregon State University, University of Graz, Chapman University Locations: South America, South East Asia, Nature, Australia, Brazil, ecoinformatics, Mobuku, Uganda, ”, Austria

☆ Why did some birds survive when dinosaurs went extinct? Molting feathers could hold a clue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fossilized feathers of an extinct bird show it molted differently than modern birds. The prehistoric bird lost its feathers all at once, while many modern birds molt in waves. There doesn't seem to be a singular reason why modern birds' ancestors survived and the others went extinct, O'Connor said in a statement. But it was also born with a full set of flying feathers, a trait found in certain types of modern precocial birds. O'Connor thinks developing a better understanding of molting and how it evolved could have important implications for modern birds.

Persons: Jingmai O'Connor, enantiornithines, O'Connor, would've, enantiornithine, enantiornithine would've, Yu Chen, I'm Organizations: Service, Field Museum Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ The world's oceans are key to slowing the climate crisis, and this year is critical to guaranteeing their longevity
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But oceans are an important carbon sink — some more effective than rainforests. Leaders at Davos said the role of the ocean in combating climate change has been underestimated. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. Understanding 'blue carbon'Plants and trees that grow in coastal waters, such as mangroves, kelp, and seagrass, are all forms of "blue carbon," which means they absorb and store carbon. The Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at COP15 in Montreal in December 2022, was a big step forward for oceans.

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