7 clever behaviors of octopuses
Do you ever wonder if octopuses will one day take over as the planet’s most intelligent species? (And let’s get something out of the way: yes, octopuses is the correct plural.) No one could blame you if you believed in…
Computer scientists predict lightning and thunder with the help of artificial intelligence
(Saarland University) Together with Germany’s National Meteorological Service, the Deutscher Wetterdienst, computer science professor Jens Dittrich and his doctoral student Christian Schön from Saarland University are working on a system that is supposed to predict local thunderstorms more precisely than before.
How octopus arms make decisions
Researchers studying the behavior and neuroscience of octopuses have long suspected that the animals’ arms may have minds of their own. A new model is the first attempt at a comprehensive representation of information flow between the octopus’s suckers, arms and brain, based on previous research in octopus neuroscience and behavior, and new video observations conducted in the lab.
Greenland Ice-Loss Predictions Are Clouded By Clouds
Predicting where, how and how quickly Greenland’s ice will melt is difficult. Projections by the best models are cloudy, and new research suggests clouds are doing the clouding. Currently, models of Greenland’s melting ice sheet put the greatest emphasis on…
Thunderbolt of lightning, gamma rays exciting
(University of Tokyo) University of Tokyo graduate student Yuuki Wada with colleagues from Japan discover a connection between lightning strikes and two kinds of gamma-ray phenomena in thunderclouds. The research suggests that in certain conditions, weak gamma-ray glows from thunderclouds may precede lightning bolts and their accompanying gamma-ray flashes.
Researchers model how octopus arms make decisions (+ video)
(American Geophysical Union) Researchers studying the behavior and neuroscience of octopuses have long suspected that the animals’ arms may have minds of their own. A new model being presented at the 2019 Astrobiology Science Conference, co-hosted by AGU and NASA, is the first attempt at a comprehensive representation of information flow between the octopus’s suckers, arms and brain, based on previous research in octopus neuroscience and behavior, and new video observations conducted in the lab.
Monarch butterflies bred in captivity may lose the ability to migrate, study finds
Monarch butterflies purchased from a commercial breeder did not fly in a southward direction, even in offspring raised outdoors, in a new study.
Habitat loss linked to global emergence of infectious diseases
New research may provide the foundation for new scientific studies looking into the association of habitat loss and the global emergence of infectious diseases.
Table salt compound spotted on Jupiterâs moon Europa
Europa has an ocean, hidden beneath its icy crust. The discovery of sodium chloride – aka table salt – on the moon’s surface might be strong evidence that Europa’s ocean is very similar to Earth’s.
Be prepared: Prioritising invasive species for strategic prevention (Durban, South Africa)
(Pensoft Publishers) Alien species management in cities can be a difficult and costly endeavour. In their study, published in the open-access journal Neobiota, scientists present a new tool developed to identify non-native species likely to become the next big invader. By using this approach, species considered of particular risk are to be taken measure of well before they have established. The prioritisation tool could be customised to answer the specific needs of different cities around the world.
Recent Comments