 Pollution makes birds sing broken tunes or not sing at all. A research recently proved that wild chickadees exposed to even the ‘permitted levels’ of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a chemical once used by power plants, could not sing as well as other birds. What’s the effect? The birds cannot find a mate because females prefer males with the best and chemically untainted songs. So, their populations may end up declining! “The birds are living, not dying, but [PCBs] are affecting some part of their life cycle,” says Sara DeLeon, an ecologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Imagine what will happen if koels (cuckoos) start making raucous sounds instead of melodies… scary isn’t it?
Many scientists consider algae as the future source of biofuel. This is because during photosynthesis, they produce 15 times more oil per acre than other biofuels plants like corn and switchgrass. But now, researchers are trying to prove that feeding them more carbon dioxide and organic matter like sewage can increase their oil yield. And if this is true, algae would not only provide clean fuel, they will also help clean up the environment. “Published evidence of improved algae oil output might spur significant follow-up efforts by public and private sectors, since the fundamentals of this technology are so appealing”, says Lisa Colosi, a professor of civil and environmental engineering who is part of an interdisciplinary University of Virginia research team.
Heard about sabertooth, the mighty Ice Age predator? Now meet his cousin. Don’t get scared. It is fossilised. The remains of an ancient scimitar cat have been found in a tar pit in eastern Venezuela, South America. Along with these, more than 33 species of ancient animals were also found. And they all date back 1.8 million years! “The deposit could teach us a great deal about [ancient migrations] particularly here at the door of entry”, says Ascanio Rincon, the site’s lead researcher and a paleontologist at the Venezuelan Scientific Research Institute. Seems like the animal remains can rival those of Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, which has the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world.
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A new and unusual source of hydrogen has been discovered! It is nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Yes, the same ones that live in soil and on certain plant roots, and convert nitrogen from the air into a chemical form, which is used by plants to grow. Now, scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture and North Carolina State University, US, plan to use these bacteria to produce hydrogen. They have identified the strains of these bacteria that produce hydrogen gas, and a special gene. The gene inactivates the bacteria’s hydrogen uptake system so that all of the hydrogen produced is released. This hydrogen can be captured and used as a fuel. Hopefully, it would not interfere with the bacteria’s lifecycle…
The goliath grouper – a type of large saltwater fish – has been ungrouped! It is not one species, but two – Atlantic goliath grouper and Pacific goliath grouper. They are identical in body shape and markings, but separate in genetic makeup. The former is found in warm waters of the Americas and western Africa. The latter, which is the newly identified one, roams the tropical reefs of the eastern Pacific Ocean. They split off into two species about three and a half million years ago, when the Atlantic and the Pacific was separated by modern-day Panama. Unfortunately, the new species is likely to join the Atlantic grouper as critically endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Late find, early threat…
Mammals can smell danger. And yes, this includes human beings too. A new research suggests that mammals have a built-in alarm detector at the tip of the nose. The sensor, discovered in mice, is a microscopic ball of cells in the nose called the Grueneberg ganglion. It picks up pheromones (chemical warning signals) sent by fellow animals in distress, says the research team from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.
This discovery may help researchers to know the chemical makeup of alarm pheromones and where they are produced in the body. And this would help in the artificial production of alarm pheromones, which may have various uses like repelling pests and dispersing crowds, says the study co-author Marie-Christine Broillet. So stop fretting, start sniffing!
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