In science news this week: What We Can Learn about the Coast from Sick Sea Otters; Saving the Vaquita: New Promises and New Threats; Genetic Time Machine: Insights from Century-old Salmon Scales; Streamside Vegetation Can Capture Pesticides; 50 Fish, 50 States: Small Stream Wonders; and more…
What We Can Learn about the Coast from Sick Sea Otters “Melissa Miller’s job is to listen to what sea otters have to say about the things that are killing them. Conducting hundreds of post-mortem examinations on sea otters is one way she does this as a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) pathologist and wildlife veterinarian.” Read more from Bay Nature here: What We Can Learn about the Coast from Sick Sea Otters
Saving the Vaquita: New Promises and New Threats “In response to pressures from the international community, Mexico has agreed to take more steps to prevent the porpoises’ extinction—but with fewer than 20 remaining, will that be enough?” Read more from Scientific American here: Saving the Vaquita: New Promises and New Threats
Genetic Time Machine: Insights from Century-old Salmon Scales “If Antiques Roadshow is any indication, forgotten treasures have a tendency to turn up in unassuming boxes stashed away in damp basements and dusty attics. In most cases, these rediscovered riches aren’t coated in century-old fish slime – but even those that are can prove priceless. The Skeena River is the second largest salmon watershed in Canada, and sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations that spawn there have been a valuable resource for indigenous peoples for many centuries.” Read more from Fishbio here: Genetic Time Machine: Insights from Century-old Salmon Scales
Streamside Vegetation Can Capture Pesticides “Sometimes actions can have unintended consequences. You go into a situation looking to solve one problem, only to create another new problem with your solution. Unfortunately, this is a common story that plays out when humans try to solve environmental issues. One example of this story is the use of pesticides. Pests plague several foods as farmers try to grow them. Pesticides can help kill off these pesky organisms; however, they can also harm other plants and wildlife nearby.” Read more from Envirobites here: Streamside Vegetation Can Capture Pesticides
50 Fish, 50 States: Small Stream Wonders “That nondescript stream you pass every day on your commute to work? I bet it contains fish that would surprise and amaze you. Even if you fish, even if you consider yourself a curious naturalist, chances are you’ve overlooked your local freshwater fish.” Read more from Cool Green Science here: 50 Fish, 50 States: Small Stream Wonders
Horrifying True Stories of Insect Zombies “Being turned into a zombie is a deeply embedded human fear, one that is currently experiencing a pop culture boost. For insects and other invertebrates, though, turning into a zombie is a very real, and highly disturbing, fate.” Read more from Cool Green Science here: Horrifying True Stories of Insect Zombies
Why Rising Acidification Poses a Special Peril for Warming Arctic Waters “From the deck of a Norwegian research ship, the ravages of climate change in the Arctic are readily apparent. In the Fram Strait, the ocean passageway between Norway’s Arctic islands and the east coast of Greenland, seas that should be ice-covered in early September shimmer in the sunlight. Glaciers that muscled across mountains a decade ago are now in rapid retreat, leaving behind walls of glacial till. Rivers of meltwater gush off the Greenland Ice Sheet.” Read more from Yale Environment 360 here: Why Rising Acidification Poses a Special Peril for Warming Arctic Waters
Research on large storm waves could help lessen their impact on coasts “In the study published October 28 in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers report combining a mathematical model to describe the formation of large waves with real-world measurements taken in shallow waters just off of the coast of Ireland, where waves have been reported to hit the shore with enough force to move 100-ton rocks.” Read more from Phys.org here: Research on large storm waves could help lessen their impact on coasts
Lisa’s XKCD Comic Pick of the Week …
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About Science News and Reports: This weekly feature, posted every Thursday, is a collection of the latest scientific research and reports with a focus on relevant issues to the Delta and to California water, although other issues such as climate change are sometimes included. Do you have an item to be included here? Submissions of relevant research and other materials is welcome. Email Maven
