Wednesday, November 30, 2022

envirobites

environmental science research for everyone

Welcome to envirobites

We want to make cutting edge research in the environmental sciences accessible to all by highlighting recent studies and explaining how these advances shape the understanding of our world.

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Abracadabra, patas de cabra: El tiburón fantasma de las profundidades desarrolló un sexto sentido

Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments , , ,

Las burbujas que surgen de las profundidades del mar son señal de problemas: un enfrentamiento entre un depredador y su presa. Las profundidades marinas, un hábitat relativamente inexplorado y misterioso, albergan criaturas que se han adaptado a la oscuridad y el silencio del fondo del océano durante cientos de millones de años. Pasar tanto tiempo en estas duras condiciones ha obligado al tiburón fantasma a desarrollar un sexto sentido: la capacidad de detectar cambios en el campo electromagnético. Los científicos están empezando a descubrir esta historia fantasmal, pero gran parte de ella sigue siendo un misterio.

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Climate 

SCUBA Diving and Climate Change: How Dive Computers Can Be Used To Better Understand Changing Ocean Temperatures

Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments , , , , , ,

Dive computers are devices used to measure the elapsed time and depth during underwater diving in order to prevent accidents from rising through the water too quickly. Modern-day dive computers record water temperatures and GPS coordinates, and some even send out text messages—this is why citizen scientists with dive computers are being contacted to contribute to the larger pool of climate information. These devices could be used to more accurately study changes in ocean temperature. In the end, divers are the ones in the water day in and day out, so why not use their experience as a resource of information to fight climate change?

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Animal behavior Ecosystems Remote Environments 

Bubble, Bubble, Toil, and Trouble: Deep-sea ghost shark evolved a sixth sense

Brandi Pessman 0 Comments , , ,

Rising from the depths of the sea, bubbles signal trouble: a confrontation between a predator and its prey. A relatively unexplored and mysterious place, the deep-sea hosts creatures that have adapted to the darkness and silence of the ocean’s floor for hundreds of millions of years. Spending so much time in these harsh conditions has forced the ghost shark to develop a sixth sense – the ability to detect changes in the electromagnetic field. Scientists are starting to uncover this ghostly tale, but much of this story remains a mystery.

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Environmental Science 

A Tale of Two Fungi: Wheat Rust and Its Parasite

Maria Marlin 0 Comments , , , , , ,

Wheat is crucial to the global food supply. However, pathogenic fungi, such as rusts, can destroy wheat crops by depleting nutrients. In order to reduce damage caused by rusts, biological control measures are under investigation. Here, we see evidence that another fungus can actually prey on the rust fungus, reducing the rust’s ability to cause disease in wheat.

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