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You are here: Home / Archives for Barbara Mast

Male Dolphins Give Gifts to Attract Mates (Study)

November 23, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

male dolphins swimming in water
male dolphins swimming in water

Male dolphins seem to be using gifts to attract the attention of their might-be partners.

Just like humans, animals employ interesting methods to attract mates. Most male animals either elaborate nests, fight with other males or even make different sounds, among others. Usually, such methods are believed to showcase the animal’s strength, which seemingly attracts females.

However, when it comes to dolphins, they tend to let aside the strength and apparently, focus more on romanticism.

Male Dolphins and Their Sweet Gifts

A new study shows that male dolphins use gifts as a method of attracting potential mates. They also have an interesting and complex ritual which includes jumping into the air and singing. While the singing and jumping part is somewhat common and even normal in the animal kingdom, it is very rare for animals to offer gifts to attract partners.

The study team captured footage of male humpback dolphins in Western Australia and then analyzed this behavior. Observations on the dolphins in that area revealed their unusual method of attraction. A male dolphin first came with a marine sponge which then got pushed towards a female. This showed that male dolphins offered large marine sponges to female ones to impress them.

Dolphins are intelligent creatures, and this research also shows that they have a high level of social complexity. Researchers pointed out that giving gifts is very rare occurrence among non-human mammals.

Another interesting finding is that male dolphins have wingmen that help them attract mates. Large male dolphins worked together to attract sexual partners. This is yet another piece of evidence which shows that dolphins have a more complex than believed method of attracting partners.

A study paper with the results was published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research team mentioned that it wants and plans to continue its study of male dolphins. Specialists want to do so to find out more about the fascinating and complex life of dolphins and their mating rituals.

Image Source: MaxPixel

Filed Under: Nature

The Greater Bamboo Lemur Is Running Out Of Food, Claims New Study (Study)

October 29, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

greater bamboo lemur in a bamboo eating
greater bamboo lemur in a bamboo eating

A new study points out a new potential threat to the greater bamboo lemur.

One of the rarest mammals in the world, the greater bamboo lemur may soon be facing another threat that could further reduce its already critically low numbers.

According to a new study, the species may soon have to deal with a reduction in their food sources, which is especially relevant as they only eat a particular type of bamboo.

The Greater Bamboo Lemur to Face a World Without Enough Bamboo?

This species of lemurs is native to southeastern Madagascar and was noted to be naturally synchronized to its primary food source. The species consumes one particular type of bamboo, and from this, it usually eats its tender shoots.

However, in between August and November or during the dry season, the lemurs start consuming the culm of the bamboo. This is its woody trunk that although more readily available, is also less nutritious.

Patricia Wright, a study co-author and Stony Brook University primatologist considers this a very useful adaptation to the environment. In the area, bamboo is both abundant, resilient, and also grows fast. It can also quickly adapt to the changing climate and weather patterns.

However, the greater bamboo lemurs don’t seem to be as quick to adapt as their food source. Based on observation and climatic trends, scientists believe that the dry season will stretch out and become longer.

Because of this, the greater bamboo lemur will likely have to start consuming more culm, which besides being ‘unappetizing’ for them, is also less nutritious.

Although the species’ teeth are adapted and used to grind down on the culm, specialists believe that they wouldn’t last too long if faced with only such a food source. They think that the teeth could start deteriorating even as fast as in just after a season or two, as the culm starts wearing away at them.

Salvation Still in Sight?

The study team claims that although the situation could become dire, there are still some possible solutions. One of them would be a growth in the population, which currently numbers around 600 to 700 wild lemurs.

The researchers are also looking to plant more bamboo and create a sort of ‘bamboo corridors’. These could start offering both food and protection. At the same time, some of the newly cultivated bamboos could be used by the local human population, and the harvest, in itself, might benefit from irrigation.

A study paper that details the findings and presents some of the future plans is available in the journal Current Biology.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Nature

Ancient Stone Structures Unearthed By Google Earth

October 25, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

ancient stone structures buried in earth
ancient stone structures buried in earth

A research team discovered ancient stone structures that they are calling “Gates” in the desert.

An Australian scientist browsing Google Earth imagery detected and helped unearth around 400 years old ancient stone structures known as “Gates” in the Saudi Arabia desert. These are believed to be in between 2,000 to 9,000 years old. Presently, the exact function or role of these gate-like structures is still unknown.

Ancient Stone Structures, Another Mystery, No Explanation Yet

David Kennedy is the Australian researcher to have discovered the ancient stone structures after spending decades studying the area. Together with his team, he recorded thousands of archeological sites in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The Gates were unearthed through a chance discovery, namely, by taking a look at the satellite Google Earth imagery.

The satellite images revealed that an ancient volcano’s lava fields, situated in an inhospitable and desolate area, was also the home of man-made “Gates”. These ancient stone structures are believed to be in between 2,000 to 9,000 years old.

“I refer to them as Gates because when you view them from above they look like a simple field gate lying flat, two upright posts on the sides, connected by one or more long bars,” explained the researcher.

However, Kennedy points out that their aspect gives no clue as to their actual purpose. The researchers are unsure what these structures might have been used for. They point out that it is quite unlikely that people could have lived there. The stone structures also don’t seem to have been used as a resting place for dead bodies, or even as animal traps.

So specialists admit that the exact purpose of these Gates is still a mystery.

The ancient stone structures can’t also be visibly seen when looking at them from the ground level. They “stand out beautifully”, say the researchers, when viewed from a few hundred feet higher or in the satellite imagery.

A mystery in themselves, the “Gates” are not helping paint a clearer picture of the people that must have built them either. Not much is known about this population besides the fact that they are possibly the ancestors of the modern-day Bedouins.

A paper presenting the discovery of the stone gates will be released in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Science

New Research Method Might Ease The Search For Exoplanets

October 22, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

exoplanet in front of a star discovered through new research method
exoplanet in front of a star discovered through new research method

Scientists believe to have found a more precise and new research method for finding exoplanets.

The latest study paper from NASA presents its scientists’ discovery of a new research method that might help ease the search for exoplanets. This redefinition of the search parameters targets the gathering of more exact atmospheric conditions of the respective planet.

“Using a model that more realistically simulates atmospheric conditions, we discovered a new process that controls the habitability of exoplanets and will guide us in identifying candidates for further study,” said Yuka Fujii, the lead author of the new research paper.

New Research Method Could Improve Our Chances of Finding Habitable Planets

Presently, NASA models use atmospheric conditions for a one-dimensional study. Also, they only study exoplanets in the vertical direction.

This newly introduced model calculates the atmospheric conditions in three dimensions. The study team used the new research method to simulate the atmosphere’s circulation on an exoplanet. Thanks to this, they were able to observe swirling clouds and their intricate details.

A planet’s atmospheric conditions are essential when trying to determine its ability to retain surface liquid water. This latter is one of the keys to life, so establishing its presence or absence on a planet is very important.

A too-warm planet will see all its water evaporating into its stratosphere. It would also be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen by the star’s UV light. This phenomenon is named the moist greenhouse effects and was established to be star-dependent.

One of the study co-authors explains that knowing the star’s temperature can help estimate whether an exoplanet close to it might be located in the moist greenhouse effect area.

This new research method will be pushing the current technology as it will look to the swirling patterns of the clouds and try to find small amounts of water vapor. If higher amounts of these are detected, then the exoplanet has higher chances of being in a moist greenhouse state.

Detailed study findings are presented in a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Science

Stress Seems To Be Just As Bad For The Health As Junk Food

October 19, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

woman with high stress levels with a hand on her forehead
woman with high stress levels with a hand on her forehead

Stress seems to have the same effects on women as consuming a junk food,

A new study conducted by Brigham Young University (BYU) scientists determined that stress may have similar effects to the consumption of junk food. Namely, the research team analyzed the microbiota of mice as they were being exposed either to stress, or fed with junk food.

Stress and Junk Food, Both Just as Bad for the Body and Health

Laura Bridgewater, a microbiology and molecular biology professor at BYU led this latest research. Together with her colleagues, she took a large of both female and male 8 weeks old mice and divided them into two groups.

One of the female and male mice groups were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. After this, all of the rodents, including the control group, were exposed to mild levels of stress for 18 days.

As part of their study, the research team was especially interested to see the microbiota of the mice, and the differences, if any, after the tests. To do so, they extracted microbial DNA both before and after the stress-test and compared the results. Also, the team measured the mice’s anxiety levels.

They were able to do so by registering where and how much the rodents traveled in an open field.

According to a statement from the team, the results revealed “fascinating differences” between genders. For example, male mice that had been fed a high-fat diet presented higher anxiety levels than female ones with the same dietary regime.

Also, research revealed that stress can lead to changes in the mice’s microbiota that resemble its activity when on a high-fat diet. However, this was only noted to happen in female mice.

“Stress can be harmful in a lot of ways, but this research is novel in that it ties stress to female-specific changes in the gut microbiota,” states the study lead.

The researchers point out that even though this test was conducted on animals, it nonetheless has “significant” implications on how people respond as well.

Detailed study findings are available in a paper in the journal Scientific Reports.

Image Source: FreeGreatPicture

Filed Under: Health

The Last Common Ancestor Of Apes And Humans Was Gibbon-Sized?

October 14, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

gibbons on a fence
gibbons on a fence

Scientists claim that the last common ancestor of humans and apes was gibbon-sized.

From the point of view of taxonomy, humans are part of the Hominidae family, which includes, among others, orangutans, apes, and chimpanzees. This family also includes the Hylobatidae, which numbers several species of gibbons.

Seeing as both humans and apes are part of the same taxonomical family, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to reason that these two now very different species had common ancestors.

Now, a new study claims to have determined their last common ancestor and what this must have been like.

Why Size Matters

Previous research determined that “hominoids” must have truly begun emerging and diversifying sometime during the Miocene period or some 23 million to 5 million years ago. The insufficient number of fossil records from that era has made it difficult to determine the last few ancestors common to both apes and humans.

But in trying to paint a clearer picture, Stony Brook University researchers conducted a new study. They started comparing currently available data on the body size of fossil records to those of modern primates.

The team used a wide range of fossil samples dating back to the Miocene and discovered in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Based on these calculations, the researchers concluded that the last common ancestor of hominids was likely no bigger than a gibbon. This was likely small and probably weighed some 12 pounds.

The results of this latest study contradict previous models which suggested that this last ancestor was chimpanzee-like or alike. Size is an important aspect when trying to establish the evolution of our lineage.

“Body size directly affects how an animal relates to its environment, and no trait has a wider range of biological implications,” states the study lead, Mark Grabowski.

“There appears to be a decrease in overall body size within our lineage, rather than size simply staying the same or getting bigger with time, which goes against how we generally think about evolution,” he continued.

Detailed study finds are available in a paper in the journal Nature Communications.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Science

A Smartphone-Controlled Smart Bandage May Help Wounds Heal Faster

October 9, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

smart bandage in the form of a cross
smart bandage in the form of a cross

Researchers are working on a smart bandage that can be controlled from the smartphone.

A team of scientists has been working on the prototype of a smart bandage that, with some help from its smartphone controls, might help chronic wounds heal faster. It would do so thanks to its medically coated fibers.

The Smart Bandage and What its Made of

This smart bandage prototype is about the size of a postage stamp. It includes electrically conductive fibers which are coated in a gel that can deliver specific medications, for example, antibiotics. It could also carry painkiller, or tissue-regenerating growth factors, among others.

The prototype and probably the end product as well as being controlled by a wireless device, for example, a smartphone. This can send voltage to one of the bandage’s particular fibers. Then, it hits its gel, which then releases the medicine or painkiller over the wounded area.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists are the developers of this smart bandage prototype. According to them, their invention could, at least initially, be used in treating chronic skin wounds caused by diabetes.

The research team also states that their creation might help deliver more than one medication through a single bandage. It would also be able to offer an exact control over the drug and its delivery schedule. This way, the bandage is also very adaptable and would function based on the type of wound.

“This is the first bandage that is capable of dose-dependent drug release. You can release multiple drugs with different release profiles. That’s a big advantage in comparison with other systems.”

This is according to Ali Tamayol, a University of Nebraska assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering.

The team points out that its invention is still in prototype mode and that it will take years before it becomes available on the market.

Before it does so, it will also need to pass through animal and human trials. Detailed study findings of the current results are available in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

Image Source: Pexels 

Filed Under: Health

Green And Black Tea Could Have An Effect On Weight Loss

October 5, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

five hanging teabags with green tea black tea and herbal tea on black background
five hanging teabags with green tea black tea and herbal tea on black background

A new study found black tea to be just as effective as green tea in promoting weight loss.

According to a new study, drinking either green or black tea might help influence weight loss as these two beverages could help cut down on excessive fats. They can do so as they contribute to the growth of metabolism-boosting microflora.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers are behind this new study. This latest research strengthens the results of previous research that noted the beneficial effects of green tea. Thanks to specific chemicals in its componence, polyphenols, this can both absorb and alter the liver’s energy metabolism.

Green and Black Tea, Useful and Safe Weight Loss Beverages?

According to the study results, black tea has a similar influence on the weight thanks to the same chemicals. The researchers noted that the polyphenols contained in this type of tea are too big to be absorbed by the small intestine.

As such, these seem capable of stimulating the growth of the gut bacterium. At the same time, the polyphenols in black tea play a role in the formation of short-chain fatty acids, which are a type of bacterial metabolites. These play a role in the energy metabolism process of the liver.

“Black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut microbiome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss,” states Susanne Henning, one of the researchers.

The team based its results on their observation of mouse models. These were divided into four groups, with each being fed with different diets.

While one group received a high-sugar and low-fat diet, the remaining got high-sugar, high-fat foods. Two of these three groups also got either a green or a black tea extract, as part of their diet.

Four weeks later, the scientists measured the weight of all the mice in the four groups. They also analyzed samples taken from their liver and intestines. These latter were studied to measure the mice’s bacteria content.

This analysis showed that the mice that also consumed the tea extracts had fewer bacteria associated with obesity in their organism. They also had more bacteria linked to a lean body mass.

According to the researchers, their study showed that black tea is just as effective as green tea in promoting and helping with weight loss.

A paper with the detailed study results is available in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Image Source: Pixabay 

Filed Under: Health

Bed Bugs Travel Around In Dirty Laundry, Suggests Study

September 29, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

bright laundry with bed bugs in a laundry basket on red surface against blue background
bright laundry with bed bugs in a laundry basket on red surface against blue background

New study deems dirty laundry as being the preferred traveling choice of bed bugs.

Bed bugs are an irritating pest that feeds on blood and which can cause personal as well as public health issues. Much is already well known on how to find and prevent these pests, but little is known about how they act when there is no human host to feed on.

A new study conducted by researchers part of the University of Sheffield sought to find out what these pests do in the absence of a human being that can “offer” it transportation and food.

Bed Bugs Love Dirty Laundry

For this study, which was released in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers prepared two identical rooms in which four bags were set up in the presence of bed bugs. Two of these bags contained dirty clothes while the other ones carried clean garments.

For each of the following tests, the scientists also increased the concentration of CO2 in the environment, to simulate human breathing. While the CO2 concentration didn’t affect the results of the study, the authors did note that the bugs were far more likely to cling to clothing that was less than stark.

The authors believe that the bugs were attracted to the human odor carried by the clothing, an idea that is already supported by previous research.

While the study was conducted in experimental rooms and not in real life, the results suggest that these bugs might travel from country to country by hitching a ride in dirty clothes.

Since bed bugs are such a public health issue and can be difficult to get rid of, it’s important to assure that they don’t travel along with the dirty laundry in luggage. Also, as bugs find it difficult to climb metal, dirty laundry can be kept in metal racks or containers when stored in a location that might contain pests.

If such a solution is unavailable, a plastic bag should provide sufficient protection from these nuisances.

Image Source: Flickr

Filed Under: Health

The Biggest Chance Of Endangered Plants Are Botanical Gardens

September 27, 2017 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

glass greenhouse in a botanical gardens
glass greenhouse in a botanical gardens

Researchers believe that botanical gardens are the best survival chance of endangered plants.

According to a study recently published in the journal Nature Plants, the best hope for the continued survival of endangered plants lies within botanical gardens.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Great Britain, found that the world’s botanic gardens, when put together, house 105,634 plant species. This amounts for abound 30 percent of the known plant species in the world. Those species represent 90 percent of all the currently known plant families and 41 percent of the threatened plant ones.

Scientists Determine That Botanical Gardens Protect Endangered Plants

During the survey, the researchers analyzed datasets that the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) had previously compiled. They then cross-referenced the list of the 350,699 known plant species with records from 1,116 botanic gardens. These represent about a third of the world’s botanic gardens.

The news, unfortunately, is not all good. Sixty percent of the plants collected came from temperate climates, while only 25 percent were from tropical regions. This was noted despite the fact that most plant species are from the tropics. The reason for that is seemingly simple. Most gardens are in temperate climates, and tropical plants do not grow well in such areas.

Also, while the gardens collectively house nearly half of the world’s endangered plant species, which make up about a fifth of plant species, only ten percent of their space goes to doing so. Botanical gardens have also done a poor job of collecting and documenting non-vascular plants.

These are plants like mosses and liverworts. They lack roots and stems and represent the oldest and most primitive plant lineages. Only about five percent of the existing non-vascular plants have been collected in botanic gardens.

The study team argues that botanical gardens represent the best hope of survival for threatened plant species. The gardens do, however, need to better coordinate and organize their efforts to increase the diversity of the plants being protected.

They especially need to add more tropical plants and non-vascular plants to their collections. Dr. Samuel Brockington, a researcher and curator at Cambridge University firmly believes that no plant species needs to go extinct, and they won’t, providing that their representatives are protected in a botanic garden.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Nature

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