In 2025, let’s make it game on – not game over – for our precious natural world

Jakub Maculewicz/Shutterstock Darcy Watchorn, Deakin University and Marissa Parrott, The University of MelbourneIt’s just past midnight in the cool, ancient forests of Tasmania. We’ve spent a long day and night surveying endangered Tasmanian devils. All around, small animals scurry through bushes. A devil calls in the darkness. Microbats swoop and swirl as a spotted-tailed quoll slips through the shadows. Working here is spine-tingling and electric. Weeks later, we’re in a moonlit forest in Victoria. It was logged a few years earlier and burnt by bushfire a few decades before that. The old trees are gone. So too are the quolls, bats and moths that once dwelled in their hollows. Invasive blackberry chokes what remains. The silence is deafening, and devastating. In our work as field biologists, we often desperately wish we saw a place before it was cleared, logged, burnt or overtaken by invasive species. Other times, we hold back tears as we read about the latest environmental catastrophe, overwhelmed by anger and frustration. Perhaps you know this feeling of grief? The new year is a chance to reflect on the past and consider future possibilities. Perhaps we’ll sign up to the gym, spend more time with family, or – perish the thought – finally get to the dentist. But let us also set a New Year’s resolution for nature. Let’s...

Read More........→January 17, 2025

Can music help plants grow? Study suggests sound boosts fungus

PARIS - Playing a monotonous sound stimulates the activity of a fungus that promotes plant growth, a study suggested on Wednesday, raising the potential that playing music could be good for crops and gardens.Whether or not blasting Mozart could help plants grow has long been a matter of scientific debate. The US TV show "MythBusters" even tested it out, finding that plants exposed to death metal and classical music grew a little better than those left in silence, but deeming the results inconclusive.However, with the plant world facing a raft of human-driven challenges -- including erosion, deforestation, pollution and a burgeoning extinction crisis -- the future of the world's biodiversity and crops are increasingly feared to be under threat.According to the new study in the journal Biology Letters, "the role of acoustic stimulation in fostering ecosystem recovery and sustainable food systems remains under-explored".Based on previous work that exposed E. coli bacteria to sound waves, the team of Australian researchers set out to assess the effect sound has on the growth rate and spore production of the fungus Trichoderma harzianum.This fungus is often used in organic farming for its ability to protect plants from pathogens, improve nutrients in the soil and promote growth.The researchers built little sound booths to house petri...

Read More........→November 26, 2024

Witness the Glory of the 2024 European Tree of the Year – Growing in Poland for 200 Years

credit – Marcin KopijIn this year’s edition of the European Tree of the Year contest, the leafy crown was bestowed upon a common beech in the botanical gardens of the University of Wroclaw.Thought to be 200 years old, The Heart of the Garden is the third Polish tree in a row to win, following up on the Oak Fabrykant with its outrageous 60-foot-long digit in 2023, and the 400-year-old Oak Dunin outside the Białowieża Primeval Forest, in 2022.“Its majestic appearance impresses us with its unusually shaped and thick trunk, widely spread branches, and purple-colored leaves that shine beautifully in the sun,” the contest organizers wrote.Known in the UK as a “copper beech” all beech trees seem to have the genetic potential to be purple, though exactly what causes it to happen is unknown. The naturally occurring mutation appears spontaneously, without human interference, and is most commonly seen in either saplings or old trees.The Heart of the Garden is certainly old, and what a wonderful confluence of character that it should have been grown as the centerpiece in the arboretum, and be 200 years old, and have a copper beech mutation.The Fagus genus took silver as well, with The Weeping Beech of Bayeux, in France. Popular for its immense weeping canopy and massive twisted branches probably related to whatever genetic mutation is responsible...

Read More........→April 01, 2024

Earthquake footage shows Turkey’s buildings collapsing like pancakes. An expert explains why

 Mustafa Karali / AP Mark Quigley, The University of MelbourneA pair of huge earthquakes have struck in Turkey, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and unknown numbers injured or displaced.The first quake, near Gaziantep close to the Syrian border, measured 7.8 in magnitude and was felt as far away as the UK. The second occurred nine hours later, on what appears to be an intersecting fault, registering a magnitude of 7.5.Adding to the devastation, some 3,450 buildings have collapsed, according to the Turkish government. Many of the modern buildings have failed in a “pancake mode” of structural collapse.Why did this happen? Was it simply the enormous magnitude and violence of the quake, or is the problem with the buildings?Thousands of years of earthquakesEarthquakes are common in Turkey, which sits in a very seismically active region where three tectonic plates constantly grind against one another beneath Earth’s surface. Historical records of earthquakes in the region go back at least 2,000 years, to a quake in 17 CE that levelled a dozen towns.The East Anatolian Fault zone that hosted these earthquakes is at the boundary between the Arabian and Anatolian tectonic plates, which move past each other at approximately 6 to 10 mm per year. The elastic strain that accumulates in this plate boundary zone is released by intermittent...

Read More........→February 08, 2023

Earth had enough oxygen before animals appeared

@https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmgill/7320173118/cc-by-sa-2.0 Washington: It's a known fact that oxygen is crucial for the existence of animals on Earth, but did you know that an increase in oxygen level did not apparently lead to the evolution of the first animals. A new research conducted by the University of Southern Denmark showed that 1.4 billion years ago there was enough oxygen for animals and yet over 800 million years went by before the first animals appeared on Earth. Animals evolved by about 600 million years ago, which was late in Earth's history. The late evolution of animals and the fact that oxygen is central for animal respiration, has led to the widely promoted idea that animal evolution corresponded with a late a rise in atmospheric oxygen concentrations. Researchers Emma Hammarlund and Don Canfield said that their study indicates that sufficient oxygen in itself does not seem to be enough for animals to rise. Their analyses revealed that a deep ocean 1.4 billion years ago contained at least 4 per cent of modern oxygen concentrations. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. — ANI. Source: http://www.tribuneindia.co...

Read More........→January 23, 2016

Volcanoes sparked 'Jurassic ice age'

Washington DC Around 170 million years ago, our world faced an ice-age and now, the scientists are trying to explore the causes behind it. The international team of experts, including researchers from the Camborne School of Mines, has found evidence of a large and abrupt cooling of the Earth's temperature during the Jurassic Period, which lasted millions of years. The scientists found that the cooling coincided with a large-scale volcanic event, called the North Sea Dome, which restricted the flow of ocean water and the associated heat that it carried from the equator towards the North Pole region. The team suggest that it is this volcanic event, preventing the ocean flow, rather than a change in CO2 in the atmosphere (which causes today's climate change), that led to an extended Ice age in a period more synonymous with very warm conditions. Geology expert Stephen Hesselbo said that they tend to think of the Jurassic as a warm 'greenhouse' world where high temperatures were governed by high atmospheric carbon dioxide contents, adding that this study suggests that re-organization of oceanic current patterns may also have triggered large scale climate changes. Hesselbo further noted that though the occurrence of cold periods during greenhouse times have been known for a while, their origins have remained mysterious. This work...

Read More........→December 13, 2015

New Understanding of How Shape and Form Develop In Nature

Morphogenesis: Credit: Stoyan Smoukov Researchers have developed a new method for generating complex shapes, and have found that the development of form in nature can be driven by the physical properties of materials themselves, in contrast with earlier findings. The results, reported in the journal Nature, could enable the construction of complex structures from simple components, with potential applications in pharmaceuticals, paints, cosmetics and household products such as shampoo. Using a simple set-up -- essentially droplets of oil in a soapy water solution which were slowly frozen -- the researchers found that recently-discovered 'plastic crystal' phases formed on the inside surfaces of the droplets cause them to shape-shift into a wide variety of forms, from octahedrons and hexagons to triangles and fibres. Previous efforts to create such complex shapes and structures have used top-down processing methods, which allow a high degree of control, but are not efficient in terms of the amount of material used or the expensive equipment necessary to make the shapes. The new method, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Sofia University in Bulgaria, uses a highly efficient, extremely simple bottom-up approach to create complex shapes. "There are many ways that non-biological things take shape," said...

Read More........→December 12, 2015

Himalayas were born 47 mn years ago

Sydney/Washington: An international team of scientists has discovered the first oceanic microplate in the Indian Ocean— identifying when the initial collision between India and Eurasia occurred leading to the birth of the Himalayas. The team of Australian and US scientists believe the collision occurred 47 million years ago when India and Eurasia initially smashed into each other. Although there are at least seven microplates known in the Pacific Ocean, this is the first ancient Indian Ocean microplate to be discovered. "The age of the largest continental collision on Earth has long been controversial. Knowing this age is particularly important for understanding the link between the growth of mountain belts and major climate change," said lead author Dr Kara Matthews from University of Sydney's school of geosciences. Radar beam images from an orbiting satellite have helped put together pieces of this plate tectonic jigsaw and pinpointed the age for the collision, whose precise date has divided scientists for decades. The new research shows that 50 million years ago, India was travelling northwards at speeds of some 15 cm a year — close to the plate tectonic speed limit. Soon after, it slammed into Eurasia crustal stresses along the mid-ocean ridge between India and Antarctica intensified to breaking point. The crustal stresses...

Read More........→November 17, 2015

Venus flytrap

. The Venus flytrap (also Venus's flytrap or Venus' flytrap), Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States. It catches its prey—chiefly insects and arachnids— with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap closes if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value. Dionaea is a monotypic genus closely related to the waterwheel plant and sundews, all of which belong to the family Droseraceae. Description: The Venus flytrap is a small plant whose structure can be described as a rosette of four to seven leaves, which arise from a short subterranean stem that is actually a bulb-like object. Each stem reaches a maximum size of about three to ten centimeters, depending on the time of year, longer leaves with robust traps are usually formed after flowering. Flytraps that have more than 7 leaves are colonies formed by rosettes that have divided beneath the ground. Illustration from Curtis's Botanical...

Read More........→September 11, 2014

The Legend of Man eating tree of Madagaskar

. In 1881 a magazine called the South Australian Register ran a story by a traveler called Carle Liche. He tells us that while travelling through Madagascar, he was horrified to watch the native Mdoko tribe sacrifice a woman to a man-eating tree. He stated that the , a young girls is forced to drink the liquid from the tree. Then she is compelled to get up into the middle of the tree. The leaves raise slowly and completely hide the girl. The tree's tendrils took the woman by the neck and strangled her, before apparently engulfing the body. As her screams fade, the leaves rise until she is visible no more. Upon returning to the site ten days later, Liche finds nothing but a grinning skull within the plants’ now-lowered leaves. The story of the Man-Eating Tree of Madagascar is one of the great tall tales of the colonial era. It first appeared in the South Australian Registar, apparently having been written by Liche himself. It was repeated in several books thereafter. In central America, reports of a similar tree called the Ya-Te-Veo appeared around 1887.In his 1924 book "Madagascar, land of the man-eating tree" former Michigan Governor Chase Osborn recounted Liche's tale, and mentioned that missionaries and locals in Madagascar all knew of the deadly tree. The tree, is described as similar to a colossal pineapple. It is about...

Read More........→September 11, 2014

Top 9 Most Dangerous Birds

When you think about birds, you probably think of small, cute animals flying through the air, swooping down to reach their nest. Maybe you think of those “pretty” song birds in the morning. I, personally find them annoying. In any case, the image of a bird generally doesn’t produce anything terrifying. However, not all birds are cute, and not all of them are nice, so to speak. There are hundreds of birds that could attack a human, and do a lot of damage. Here is a list of nine most dangerous bird. . Cassowary 1. Cassowaries Cassowaries, an endangered species, are large, flightless birds that live in the rainforests, woodlands and swamps of Australia. Cassowaries are unpredictable, aggressive and are known to kick up their large, clawed feet. Their kicks are capable of breaking bones, and their claws have been likened to daggers. . Ostrich 2. Ostriches:  Ostriches are suspicious, skittish and can be dangerous. They're the largest living bird (they can reach over 9 feet tall and 350 pounds) and they can outrun you (a steady 30 miles an hour for 10 miles straight). Like the cassowary, they have strong legs (their kick can kill a hyena) and sharp claws. .. Canada-Goose 3. Canada Geese: Canada geese are very aggressive and, particularly if you (purposely or inadvertently) come...

Read More........→May 01, 2014

Tendulkar bats for green energy

Gurgaon, July 26, (IANS) Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar Friday advised his fans not to waste natural resources and double up efforts to save the environment. Tendulkar was in the city to launch Toshiba's environment conservation initiative 'Bat for the Planet'. "We should save our natural resources by taking small steps on our behalf because the change cannot happen overnight. As we keep ourselves healthy, we should keep our earth healthy. In the dressing room after a good performance on the field, we are asked to double up the good performance likewise we should double up our efforts to save environment," Tendulkar said. The master blaster distributed prizes to the winners of a painting competition, which had a theme based on various environmental issues, for children from 40 different schools. "The kids are very creative and aware of the energy problem. We will raise money for under privileged children by auctioning the painting," Tendulkar said. Source: News Track India, Image: flickr.co...

Read More........→October 25, 2013

Gold Grows In Trees In Australia, Leaves Rich In Little Gold Nuggest

Eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia are drawing up gold particles from the earth via their root system and depositing it their leaves and branches. Scientists from CSIRO made the discovery and have published their findings in the journal Nature Communications. "The eucalypt acts as a hydraulic pump – its roots extend tens of metres into the ground and draw up water containing the gold. As the gold is likely to be toxic to the plant, it’s moved to the leaves and branches where it can be released or shed to the ground," CSIRO geochemist Dr Mel Lintern said. The discovery is unlikely to start an old-time gold rush – the "nuggets" are about one-fifth the diameter of a human hair. However, it could provide a golden opportunity for mineral exploration, as the leaves or soil underneath the trees could indicate gold ore deposits buried up to tens of metres underground and under sediments that are up to 60 million years old. "The leaves could be used in combination with other tools as a more cost effective and environmentally friendly exploration technique," Dr Lintern said. "By sampling and analysing vegetation for traces of minerals, we may get an idea of what’s happening below the surface without the need to drill. It’s a more targeted way of searching for minerals that reduces costs and impact on...

Read More........→October 25, 2013

Arctic Current Flowed Under Deep Freeze Of Last Ice Age, Study Says

During the last ice age, when thick  ice  covered  the  Arctic,  many  scientists  assumed  that  the  deep currents below that feed the North Atlantic Ocean and help drive global ocean currents slowed or even stopped. But in a new study in Nature, researchers show that the deep Arctic Ocean has been churning briskly for the last 35,000 years, through the chill of the last ice age and warmth of modern times, suggesting that at least one arm of the system of global ocean currents that move heat around the planet has behaved similarly under vastly Credit: National Snow & Ice Data Center different climates. Arctic sea ice formation feeds global ocean circulation. New evidence suggests that this dynamic process persisted through the last ice age. "The Arctic Ocean must have been flushed at approximately the same rate it is today regardless of how different things were at the surface," said study co-author Jerry McManus, a geochemist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Researchers reconstructed Arctic circulation through deep time by measuring radioactive trace elements buried in sediments on the Arctic seafloor. Uranium eroded from the continents and delivered to the ocean by rivers, decays into sister elements thorium and protactinium. Thorium...

Read More........→June 03, 2013

Earth's Giant Hole

. National Geographic Channel Presents: Earth's Giant Hole, Summary: Professor Darryl Granger, explores China's tiankengs -- giant natural holes, hundreds of metres deep, which have developed in unusual environmental conditions, Press Below Image Button To watch...

Read More........→February 11, 2013