Tag Archives: unusual

The Bat with Unusual Nostrils: A Chirping Hammered Wonder

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Described as a hammerhead bat by the French, this creature’s visage could fit right in with the gargoyles of Notre Dame Cathedral. Jolly Reid‘s phrase, “pretty ugly,” denotes beauty that challenges conventional norms.

A bizarre amalgamation of Yoda’s ears, the face of a desert orchid racehorse, and a hammerhead bat’s facial features akin to a sea creature’s nostrils characterizes this peculiar animal. Yet, this oddly proportioned being is an evolutionary marvel.

Inhabiting the lowland rainforests of West and Central Africa, it primarily feeds on fruit and flies during the night.

This bat is unique in its use of a lek mating system among bat species. In this competitive display, males strive to impress females, exhibiting an X factor.

During the dry season, twice a year, 150 males assemble, hanging from trees along the river as they flap their foot-long wings and honk, creating a peculiar low-frequency noise escalating to a rapid staccato rhythm of up to 120 “beats” per minute.

Male bats “sing” for hours, vying for female attention, with the most melodious suitor earning the chance to mate, akin to an X factor scenario.

Females are selective, with 6 percent of males involved in 79% of mating interactions. To excel in their melodious endeavors, males have developed specialized adaptations, like a large larynx and resonance chamber further amplifying their calls.

Image credit: Dr. Sarah Olson

Females of this bat species do not engage in singing rituals for mating purposes, resulting in significant physical differences, such as a smaller body and fox-like facial features.

Being one of the most sexually dimorphic bat species globally, hammerhead bats follow a true lek mating system, where females solely care for offspring, giving birth after a six-month gestation period.

With a mix of solitary and social behavior, these bats wrap their wings around their noses while sleeping, offering a unique sight. Fortunately, they are currently categorized as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

However, threats like crop theft by farmers and bushmeat consumption in regions like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo pose risks to their population.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Unusual Fish with Mouth that Extends to Resemble a Trunk

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A hinged mouth that extends its proboscis to feed at the bottom of the aquarium.

Alison Evans

Found only in rivers and forest ponds in West Africa, this fish has a protruding trunk-like snout that allows it to suck in food or breathe air like a snorkel.

hinge(Fractolemus ansorgii) has what biologists call an expandable proboscis, a tubular structure that can be folded onto the head and extended upward or downward. The lips of the proboscis are lined with tooth-like structures made of keratin, which the fish uses to scrape up algae and other debris.

Alison Evans Researchers at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., used dissection, videography, and CT scans to uncover the jaw's complex structure.

Unlike all other fishes, where the jaw joint is located at the back of the mouth, the hinge mouse's jaw joint is located at the front of the head. The lower jaw is tipped back and pointed toward the throat. The upper jaw is connected to the lower jaw by ligaments and is part of the proboscis. “You can think of the upper jaw more or less hanging onto the skin of the proboscis,” Evans says. This is why the structure can extend far from the head.

Hingemouths offer “a novel mechanical solution to a ubiquitous challenge faced by all fish: how to acquire food in viscous fluid media,” Evans says.

She also observed the fish swimming up to the surface and using its proboscis “like a snorkel” to suck in air. This can be a useful feature in forest pools where oxygen levels can be low.

Scientists aren't sure how hinges evolved because fossil evidence is scant. “The family, fractoremus“The family Quneridae is thought to have originated in the mid-Cretaceous period, but no intermediate forms have yet been found in the fossil record,” says Evans.

“The most important thing for me is that scientists remain curious about the world’s little weirdos,” she says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The US moon probe landing today carries five incredibly unusual objects

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Intuitive Machines is preparing to create history as the first private company to land on the moon following last week’s launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Nova-C lander named Odysseus (affectionately nicknamed “Odie”) is scheduled to touch down at 5:30pm ET (10:30pm GMT) and everything is proceeding as planned. This will be the first instance of an American-led mission reaching the moon since the end of the Apollo program over 50 years ago.

The mission is part of NASA’s Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) initiative, aiming to return humans to the moon by the end of this decade, led by a private company.

Since NASA’s Apollo 11 landed in 1969, several countries including the former Soviet Union, China, India, and Japan have successfully placed equipment on the moon.

Today’s “space race” is different not only because more countries are involved but also due to the private sector having a central role on the forefront. It is now possible for an individual or company with sufficient funds to place something on the moon.

The mission includes all of NASA’s key experiments, with a total of six experiments collecting data critical to NASA’s crewed Artemis missions later this decade. This leaves room for additional unique additions.

1. Puffer jacket

Columbia Sportswear has developed a lining for the Omni-Heat Infinity Jacket, designed to keep explorers warm in harsh environments, to be used on the Odie during the mission to protect the lander’s equipment from extreme temperatures.

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

2. Photos for the gram

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus challenged students back in 2019 to capture photos of the landing from a third-person perspective, leading to the creation of the EagleCam which is poised to capture snapshots of the lunar landing.

The EagleCam is the first third-person photo camera for a landing and also serves as the first moon landing project built by a college student, it also uses WiFi on the moon.

3. Miniature satellite

Renowned American artist Jeff Koons has created 125 stainless steel sculptures depicting the moon as seen from Earth, along with an array of scientific equipment to be placed on the moon.

4. (Almost) All Human Knowledge

The Arch Mission Foundation is sending a permanent archive of human information along with the lander, ensuring that human knowledge is safely stored for posterity.

According to Intuitive Machines, the repository includes archives like the Rosetta Project, Long Now Foundation content, Project Gutenberg content, and other cultural archive datasets, and an English version of Wikipedia.

5. A very stylish file cabinet

Lone Star Data Holdings has secured a location for the Independence data center within the IM-1 mission, allowing the safe storage and transmission of documents on the moon.

When can we see the moon landing?

Coverage of the Intuitive Machine’s moon landing can be followed live through NASA’s web services from 4pm ET (9pm GMT). Live videos and comments can be accessed through NASA TV, NASA+ streaming service, or the NASA app.

About our experts

Science writer and journalist Joel Renstrom and computer scientist and author Peter Bentley provided insights for this story.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Unusual rainfall leads to temporary lake formation in extremely arid Death Valley

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View from a kayak on Death Valley Temporary Lake, February 9, 2024

Michael Kohler/NPS

Heavy rain has fallen in California in recent weeks, resulting in the remarkable formation of a rare temporary lake in Death Valley, the driest place in the United States.

Record levels of rain have flooded California over the past month. Numerous atmospheric river storms (narrow bands of highly concentrated moisture in the air) worsen wet conditions, putting up to 37 million people at risk of flooding.

Heavy rainfall also hit Death Valley National Park along the California-Nevada border. In fact, it rained so much that the park's Badwater Basin, normally a dry salt flat, temporarily turned into a shallow lake.

At 86 meters below sea level, the basin is the lowest point in North America and was home to an ancient body of water that researchers named Lake Manly tens of thousands of years ago.

Over the past few decades, the lake has been backfilled several times. In August 2023, rains associated with Hurricane Hillary formed a lake 11.3 kilometers long and 0.6 meters deep, which shrank in the following months. Well, it has been replenished once again. The current maximum length of the lake is nearly 10 kilometers and the depth is approximately 0.3 meters.

Last year, Death Valley National Park Closed for several weeks after Hurricane Hillary This is because flooding damaged the road network and limited opportunities for visitors to explore the temporary lake. This time, the park opened and the re-emergence of Lake Manly attracted tourists, including swimmers and kayakers.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unusual Occurrences Unfolding in Italy’s Subterranean Volcano

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The Flegraean Fields (also known as Campi Flegrei in Italian) are active volcanic fields near Naples, Italy. Unlike nearby Mount Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei does not have a single volcano. It is rather a volcanic system, with several centers located within sunken areas called calderas (essentially deep sinkholes or cauldrons).

Campi Flegrei is surrounded by suburbs and densely populated areas near the city of Pozzuoli. After a period of relative quiet and peace for the past 40 years, things began to change in September 2023.

Earthquakes began to be felt in Campi Flegrei in September 2023. Since then, more than 1,100 earthquakes have been recorded, some reaching 4.2 on the Richter scale. This caused the height of the ground to change. It is a process known as “Gradual earthquake“. The region has been affected by this phenomenon before, most recently from 1968 to 1972 and then again from 1982 to 1984.

Gradual earthquakes can cause the Earth’s surface to rise or fall when magma chambers buried 3 to 4 kilometers deep fill and empty in cycles of uplift and subsidence. This process causes the earthquakes felt by residents here.

However, the people who live here do not care about it, thinking that it is the “breath of the volcano” that lies beneath their eyes. Still, volcanologists have been studying calderas to predict what will happen in the future to avoid potential disasters.

Pisciarelli fumarole

Gases and steam are released from the Pisciarelli fumarole in Pozzuoli, Naples.Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato

fumaroles such as Pisciarelli fumarole, a vent on the earth’s surface that releases steam and hot volcanic gases such as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. These can occur as holes, cracks, and fissures near active volcanoes or in areas where magma has risen into the Earth’s crust without erupting.

temple of serapis

The Temple of Serapis, a Roman market building in the Italian city of Pozzuoli, is surrounded by more modern buildings. Photo credit: Luigi Avantaggiato

The Temple of Serapis in Pozzuoli (which was a market building rather than a temple) is considered an emblematic monument of the Campi Flegrei region. It is a symbol of volcanic gradual earthquakes in this region. The ground beneath the surface is either rising or sinking, so it can be completely dry or half submerged in seawater.

The study of slow earthquakes over the past centuries has been made possible thanks to observations such as those made on the ruins of this Roman building. For example, by studying holes drilled into ancient columns by marine molluscs over centuries, scientists can study changes in sea levels at this site.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Gemini South Telescope zeroes in on unusual lenticular galaxy NGC 4753

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NGC 4753’s remarkable and complex network of dust lanes winding around its galactic core defines its “peculiar” classification, and was probably the result of the galaxy’s merger with a nearby dwarf galaxy about 1.3 billion years ago. It is thought that there is.

This image from the Gemini South Telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, shows NGC 4753, a lenticular galaxy about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Image credits: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. Miller, International Gemini Observatory and NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Rodriguez, International Gemini Observatory and NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab.

NGC4753 is a lenticular galaxy located approximately 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.

This galaxy, also known as LEDA 43671, UGC 8009, and IRAS 12498-0055, discovered It was proposed by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on February 22, 1784.

NGC 4753 is a member of the NGC 4753 group of galaxies in the Virgo II cloud, a series of at least 100 galaxy clusters and individual galaxies that extend away from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.

“There is an astonishing number of galaxies in the observable universe, with recent estimates putting the number between 100 billion and 2 trillion,” Gemini astronomers said in a statement.

“And just like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. However, they can be divided into four broad classes based on their appearance and physical characteristics: elliptical, lenticular, irregular, and spiral. , with many subclasses in between.”

“However, galaxies are dynamic objects that evolve over time while interacting with their surrounding environment, meaning that an individual galaxy can fall into multiple classifications over its lifetime. ”

In 1992, Indiana University astronomer Tom Steiman-Cameron and colleagues published A detailed study of NGC 4753 reveals that its complex shape is likely the result of a merger with a small companion galaxy.

“Galaxies that swallow other galaxies often look like train wrecks, but this is a train wreck galaxy,” said Dr. Steiman-Cameron.

Galactic mergers occur when two or more galaxies collide, mixing their material and significantly changing the shape and behavior of each galaxy involved.

In the case of NGC 4753, the once-standard lenticular galaxy is thought to have merged with a nearby gas-rich dwarf galaxy about 1.3 billion years ago.

The dwarf galaxy’s gas, combined with the burst of star formation caused by this galactic collision, injected large amounts of dust into the system.

The galaxy’s gravitational inward spiral spread out the accumulated dust into a disk. And this is where the story gets interesting.

Astronomers have discovered that a phenomenon known as differential precession is responsible for NGC 4753’s tangled dust lanes.

Precession occurs when a rotating object changes its axis of rotation, like a spinning top that loses momentum and wobbles. And differential means that the speed of precession is different depending on the radius.

For a dusty accretion disk orbiting around a galactic nucleus, the rate of precession is faster toward the center and slower near the edges.

This fluctuating wobble-like motion is due to the angle at which NGC 4753 and its former dwarf companion collided, and is responsible for the strongly twisted dust lanes that we see today wrapping around the galaxy’s luminescent core. It becomes.

“For a long time, no one knew what to make of this strange galaxy,” said Dr. Steiman-Cameron.

“But by starting with the idea that the accreted material fills the disk and analyzing the three-dimensional geometry, the mystery was solved.”

“Thirty years later, we are now incredibly excited to be able to see this highly detailed image with the Gemini South Telescope.”

Source: www.sci.news

The Unusual Mating Strategy of Monkfish May Have Contributed to Their Evolutionary Success

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A type of deep-sea angler fish called the black sea devil

Doug Perine / Alamy

The unique sexual strategy of deep-sea anglerfish may have helped their ancestors move into entirely new habitats, allowing for the incredible diversity of species that thrive today.

chase brownstein Researchers at Yale University have reconstructed the evolution of more than 160 species of deep-sea anglerfish (keratioids). Known for their large jaws and bioluminescent lures, serratioids are a subgroup of the larger order of the anglerfish family, which also includes monkfish and other bizarre benthic creatures such as monkfish, sea toads, and batfish. Using genetic sequencing, the researchers discovered that the ancestors of keratioids walked on pectoral fins at the bottom of the deep ocean. But 55 million years ago, some creatures began swimming in the ocean's vast deep-pelagic, or “midnight,” zone. There, over a period of just 5 million years, they became more genetically diverse than their ocean-floor relatives.

He said this is strange because the ocean floor and coral reefs typically have a greater variety of species. elizabeth miller At the University of California, Irvine. Environments with many topographical features lend themselves to the specialization of organisms. But with constant temperatures and vast expanses of waterless ocean, “the deep pelagic zone is truly the most homogeneous habitat on Earth,” she says.

Miller and her colleagues Monkfish species family tree Although her team and Brownstein's team used different methods, their studies are largely consistent regarding the timeline and scale of deep-sea monkfish diversification.

Brownstein's team found that this surprising diversification may be due to the serratioids' parasite-like reproductive strategy. That is, the small male uses his jaws to attach to the much larger female until he is ready to mate. In some species, the two can even permanently fuse together, such as sharing a circulatory system. This unique mating technique could theoretically benefit deep-sea monkfish, as they are very unlikely to encounter other members of their species during their lifetime.

Brownstein's analysis shows that the traits necessary for this parasitism, such as the difference in body size between males and females and the weakness of their immune systems that prevent them from attacking attached males, are the result of the evolution of monkfish diving into the deep sea. It turns out that it has existed for a long time.

“Most of this complex trait existed before the serratioids entered the deep ocean,” he says. “Basically, it's not the gas inside the engine, [of diversity]Sexual parasitism was like a preparation to press the gas pedal. ”

Miller said it's “possible” that a parasitic lifestyle helped the anglerfish invade deep-sea habitats, but it’s unclear how the fish subsequently achieved so much diversification. It remains as it is.

Answering this question will be a daunting task, especially since it is difficult to recover intact monkfish samples from the deep ocean.but cory evans Rice University in Texas says having two matching comprehensive family trees will help other researchers investigate.

“I think monkfish enthusiasts will be reading a lot of these two papers over the next six months,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unusual ‘Sad Trombone’ Effect Detected in Radio Burst from Space

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allen telescope array

Seth Szostak/SETI Institute

Short, powerful bursts of radio waves from space are becoming increasingly bizarre. Astronomers discovered 35 of these bursts from a single object with a pattern unlike anything seen before.

sophia sheikh Researchers at California's SETI Institute and colleagues observed the object, a fast radio burst (FRB) called FRB 20220912A, during 541 hours of observation with the Allen Telescope Array in California. In each of this burst from his Fed, they discovered a phenomenon called “sad trombone”…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Unusual extremophiles hiding in your kitchen

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“May I ask what this is for?” The pharmacy assistant looks at me quizzically. I just requested some coronavirus tests, a urine sample pot, and a sterile scalpel blade. Oh, and latex gloves, please. “We want to see if there’s an extreme life form hiding inside your dishwasher,” I explain. “I see,” she said carefully, and hurried off to consult her colleague.

I admit it’s an unusual shopping list. To explain that, we have to rewind to June, when we found research on bacteria that can survive in environments that humans would consider extreme conditions, such as high temperatures, corrosive liquids, or powerful radiation. Typically, scientists head to exotic locations to find these microbes, such as the scorching hot volcanic springs of Yellowstone National Park or the frozen deserts of Antarctica. But you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to find them, the study says. Perhaps extreme loving microbes are not only surviving, but thriving. Among the kitchen appliances.

That was it. I had to find out if my kitchen was really inhabited by microorganisms like the list of superhero powers. In the process, I gained a new appreciation for the diversity of life. And you’ll never look at a coffee machine quite the same way again.

Extremely affectionate microbes are a treasure trove for bioprospectors who explore the natural world in search of biotechnological innovations. For example, PCR tests for the coronavirus rely on a DNA copying enzyme that was first isolated from bacteria. Thermas Aquatics They live in hot springs and can withstand temperatures hot enough to poach eggs.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Unusual Yet Delicious: Creating a Memorable Christmas Dinner with Unique Flavors

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Guests enjoy turkey, peanut and chocolate main courses and test ‘flavor bridging’ theory

david stock

Some foods are made for each other. From the comforting combination of mozzarella, tomato, and marjoram on pizza to the enchanting trinity of ginger, garlic, and soy sauce that makes East Asian cuisine so natural, some combinations are so natural that you could live without them. It’s so hard to imagine. But for centuries, gourmets and scholars have been puzzled as to why some foods go together so well.

In 1992, with chef Heston Blumenthal. Francois Benge Let’s go to the laboratory to solve the mystery of this dish. They came up with the idea that foods that taste good together also share many volatile flavor compounds, chemicals that carry aromas that rise to the back of the nose and create flavor perception on the tongue. Their findings were validated in 2011 with the following study: Analyzed 56,498 recipes from various world cuisines.

Yongyeol Ang and his colleagues at Indiana University used that data to build a network model, a complex map that shows the relationships between all the ingredients in a recipe and the flavor compounds they share. This confirms that North American and Western European recipes tend to combine ingredients that share flavor components.

The “Flavor Pairing Theory” has revolutionized the world of cooking. food manufacturer Investing resources to apply that idea to a product, startup companies Leverage open source data on flavor compounds to predict the next big…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Valley Investors Achieve Unusual Goal in Battle Against Methane: Cow Burps

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What do iconic Valley investors Zachary Bogue and Chris Sacca have in common? They’re both trying to stop cows from burping methane. No, really. And Soccer Investments has just raised $20 million to do just that. What gives?

With the conclusion of COP28, the global conference on the climate crisis, methane is on the ClimateTech agenda for investors and startups.

Emissions from livestock are the main source of agricultural methane, accounting for about one-third of all methane. emissions, and most of them aren’t from the parts of the cow you’d expect. In fact, it is from cow burp.

When cows process their feed, they literally exhale methane gas as part of their rumination process, allowing them to digest grass and hay that other animals, including us, cannot.

And it’s these emissions that agritech and biotech companies are now starting to target. There is a lot of pressure to do so. In fact, six major companies in the dairy industry recently pledged The company plans to start disclosing its methane emissions, and other companies are expected to join the plan. And one of the bigger topics at his recent COP meeting was a promise to reduce methane emissions. is growing rapidly.

Methane gas is by far the worst of all greenhouse gases, and like methane it is much worse than CO2. trap more heat The amount per molecule in the atmosphere is greater than carbon dioxide.

This gas stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years, whereas carbon dioxide lasts for hundreds of years, but over 20 years it is about 80 times more heating than carbon dioxide, and over 100 years it is 27 times more heating. according to to the Expert Panel on Livestock Methane in 2023.

Its reduction is therefore considered key to fighting the climate crisis. In fact, there is even a satellite-based “Methane Alert and Response System” (MARS). announced by the United Nations last year.

And a major UN report says “urgent measures” are needed to reduce methane to keep global warming within limits. manageable limit.

British companies now think they can tackle this problem.

British biotech startup Mootral Raised $20 million in Series B funding round backed by Menlo Park-based climate investors king philanthropiesalongside existing investors Lowercarbon Capital (a climate VC started by Chris Sacca), Earthshot Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Third Derivative, Climactic, and Climate Capital.

In total, Mootral raised $48.9 million. This number corresponds to the $11.2 million seed round. Series A for $12.8 million (led by King Philanthropies, which invested $10 million). This Series B is worth $20 million. Family office investment by Thomas Hafner and Karin Boimer is $24.9 million.

Mootral said in a statement that it aims to scale up to feeding 300 million cows with its feed additives by 2033, with the potential to achieve up to 50 percent methane reductions by 2025. This is quite a claim.

“We aim to immediately and permanently reduce methane emissions, and this is happening on farms today,” Mootral founder and CEO Thomas Hafner said by phone. Ta.

“The next generation of products will need to be on the milligram scale. Our next generation will be even better. We aim to reduce it by up to 90%.”

Mootral also has a scheme called ‘CowCredits’ which allows farmers to access the carbon credit market when reducing their herd’s methane emissions. ClimatePartner, a company that funds climate change projects through carbon credits, has signed on to include his Mootral in its portfolio of options for Crent.

The company says its Enterix product (manufactured in Wales) has been tested on farms in the UK, and the results have been published in academic journals, including the Journal. Open Journal of Animal Science, Frontiers of microbiology, animal science journaland translational animal science.

So how does it work? Dairy cows produce about 500 liters of methane every day. 3.7 tons of CO2 equivalent per year. Mootral says its current ruminant supplement can reduce methane emissions from dairy cows by up to 38 percent on commercial farms.

One of its competitors is CH4 Global It raised $29 million in its latest funding round. CH4 Global — backed by the aforementioned Zachary Bogue of DCVC — seaweed It is added to cattle feed to reduce methane emissions.

CH4 Global CEO Steve Mellor said in an email that the company is using “aquaculture” to address the problem. Global agricultural company to supply 9.5 million head of cattle is announced. Combining these two will result in approximately 80 million tons of CO2-e reductions. ”

He claims that CH4 Global’s line of feed additives (called Methane Tamer) contains Asparagopsis, which the company claims can reduce methane emissions from cows by as much as 90%. did.

The other player in that space is DSM, a Dutch multinational companyWhich recently It said it would monitor the environmental impact of foods containing animal protein.

In any case, it is clear that the climate tech sector is intersecting with agricultural technology in unexpected ways in the fight against the climate crisis.

Source: techcrunch.com

The Nasal Bones of Arctic Seals Are Unusual and Aid in Heat Retention

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Bearded seals have complex nasal bones that help retain internal heat.

Ole Jorgen Rioden/naturepl.com

Arctic seals have evolved clever adaptations to help them stay warm in frigid climates. The nose has a complex maze of bones.

Many birds and mammals, including humans, have a pair of thin, porous nasal bones called turbinates or nasal turbinates, which are covered with a layer of tissue.

“They have a scroll shape or a tree-like branching shape,” he says. Matthew Mason at Cambridge University.

When we breathe in, air first flows through the maxillary turbinates, allowing the surrounding tissues to warm and humidify the air before it reaches the lungs. When we exhale, the air follows the same route, trapping heat and moisture so it doesn’t get lost.

The more complex the shape, the larger the surface area and the more efficient it is at doing its job.

Animals that live in cold, dry environments, such as arctic reindeer, have been found to have more complex gnathonasal turbinates than animals that live in warmer climates.

Now, Mason and his colleagues have discovered that arctic seals have the most complex gnathonasal turbinates ever reported.

Researchers took a CT scan of a bearded seal (Elignathus barbatus), commonly found in the Arctic, and the Mediterranean monk seal (monax monax). Both species had complex turbinates, but the researchers found that the bearded seal’s nasal bones were much denser and more complex than anything seen before.

Mason and his colleagues used computer models to measure how much energy is lost as heat in physical processes at -30°C and 10°C (-22°F and 50°F). We compared how well the seals retain heat and moisture.).

With each breath at -30°C, Mediterranean monk seals lost 1.45 times more heat and 3.5 times more water than bearded seals. Similarly, at 10°C, monk seals lost about 1.5 times more water and heat than arctic seals.

“More complex structures evolved to make life in the Arctic possible,” he says. Sign Kelstrup At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

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Source: www.newscientist.com