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Ivana De Domenico

Smithsonian To Capture Genomic Diversity

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I found this interesting article that I thought I should share, which talks about the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’s plan to capture the genomic diversity of half the world’s living plant genera over the next two years. The Smithsonian will be partnering with the US Botanic Garden, the US Department of Agriculture’s US National Arboretum and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network.

The project comes at an extremely important time as the rate of species extinction for all life is estimated to be up to 100 times higher than normal, according to the Smithsonian. Global Genome Initiative Director Jonathan Coddington said that the project is looking “to preserve and unlock the genomic mysteries of plants.” This should certainly be an exciting project to follow over the next few years.

The Scientists’ Social Network

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A new social network could facilitate the exchange of scientific ideas… and save literally billions of dollars in the process. A major problem facing the scientific community is the issue of  transparency and availability for data and results. For example, Forbes recently profiled a Yale PhD candidate who desperately needed the original results of another lab’s similar experiment to complete the testing of his own hypothesis. However, it was difficult to access this information. For many lab scientists, this means the experiment in question must be replicated in order to get those results. The problem is that experiments can be expensive, and replicating some just to get data that’s already out there can add up to be a costly bill. By some estimates, as much as $27 billion is used on replicating experiments. An app called protocols.io seeks to change that. A social network for scientists, it serves as an open resource for these results to be readily available.
Read the full story at Forbes

The Very Hungry… Killer Whale?

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This doesn’t exactly qualify as news, but it is fascinating none the lesser. The Guardian recently ran a fantastic piece on an orca whale discovered in the 1860’s that, upon dissection, was revealed to have quite the appetite. The piece goes into the gastronomic details at length, but let it be said that the whale was found to contain the remains of just over two dozen seals and porpoises. It even made its way into pop culture at the time, being featured in Jules Verne’s 20,000  leagues under the sea.

Get the Full Story at the Guardian

 

New Species Of Firefly Discovered

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A new species of firefly has recently been discovered in Southern California by an undergraduate student by the name of Joshua Oliva. Joshua was collecting specimens for his semester insect collection. The Entomology Research Museum made the announcement of the discovery at the University of California in Riverside yesterday. Doug Yanega, the head of the museum confirmed the find after Joshua Oliva had brought it to him to inspect.

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When Joshua had first collected the inspect he was not sure what it was exactly that he found. He decided to bring it to Doug Yanega for a second opinion who then confirmed that it was a firefly. Doug has a great familiarity with the area and after seeing the specimen knew that this firefly was something new.

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Experts at the University of Florida also had a chance to inspect the insect and agreed with Yanega that the specimen is a new species of firefly. The formal announcement was made because the habitat where the firefly was found may end up requiring some protection as they continue to try and learn more about the species. While the discovery is certainly a big moment, especially in Joshua Oliva’s early career, discoveries of new species of insects is actually a fairly common occurrence.

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A name for the new species has yet to be determined as they look to uncover more evidence on the species beforehand. This process may end up taking several years to complete. However, there is a chance that we will see the new firefly named after Joshua, as the practice of naming a new species after the person who discovered it is a fairly common practice.

Black Hole Re-Awakens

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1313631302547591570A huge black hole has re-awakened after 26 years of being dormant. The black hole is located about 7,800 light-years from Earth and is described by the European Space Agency as part of V404 Cygni, a binary system made of up the hole and a star. The last time activity was dedicated from V404 was back in 1989, but on June 15th NASA’s Swift satellite detected new bursts of gamma rays.
You can read more about this story here.

NASA Begins To Plan Where To Land On Mars

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marsNASA is planning to send a group of astronauts to Mars by the mid – to late 2030s. Now they must begin to decide where its first astronauts should make their landing on the Red Planet. This October in Houston, NASA will be holding a workshop where they will discuss possible landing sites for this expedition.
You can read more about this story here.

Coral Reef’s Building Resistance To Pollution

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Clouds of reef fish and corals, French frigate shoals, NWHIAs species survive the increasing heat over time, they are building up a resistance, or “genetic rescue.” Scientists have discovered the certain types of coral in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have developed elevated thermal tolerances. As long as one type of the coral’s parents come from a warmer lower-latitude location, they are actually able to survive far better than similar coral without such parents. Essentially, a piece of coral who has a parent that lived in a heated environment, you are able to withstand the heat. This means that the coral is naturally toughening up to protect itself from pollution.

You can read more about this story here.

Scientists Discover Stratosphere on Exoplanet

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For years, scientists believed the stratosphere to be an atmospheric feature unique to planets within our own solar system. But in an recent journal entry, scientists reveal this isn’t exactly the case.

In case you don’t know, the stratosphere is a layer of the atmosphere (including our own on earth!) that is distinguished by two main characteristics. First, is temperature inversion. Simply put, the higher up you go in the stratosphere, the hotter it gets. This is opposed to layers like the troposphere, in which temperatures decrease with altitude (which is partially why your plane rides are a bit chilly). Secondly, the stratosphere contains particles which help absorb the sun’s rays. On Earth, we have the Ozone. On other planets, there are molecules called hydrocarbons. Until now, it was believed that exoplanets were just too hot to facilitate the presence of such son absorbing molecules. But WASP-33b, the exoplanet in question, apparently does have an atmospheric layer characterized by a temperature inversion– and scientists believe it to be caused by titanium oxide. In other words, it looks like there very well may be stratospheres in other star systems.
Read the NASA Press Release

100 New Species Discovered Near in the Phillippines

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Each year, scientists discover thousands of new species: 15,000 (an average of 40 per day) by some estimates. However a recent ocean adventure in Philippine waters yielded a potential discovery of 100 species in a single day. During a marine expedition this spring, a zoologist and his crew stumbled across a trove of sea slugs covering a section of the sea floor. The discovery– a clear opportunity for scientific discovery– was described as an “easter egg hunt”.
Check out the discovery in greater detail at Science.

Why “Star Talk” is so Important

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Neil deGrasse Tyson has represented the more approachable mainstream discourse in astrophysics and cosmological philosophy for quite some time, establishing himself as a well trusted figurehead of these two disciplines. Involved in the fields for more than thirty years, he gained significant fame from a number of television shows and podcasts, and saw an increased following after his 2014 adaptation of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. Also an activist for social justice and race equality, Tyson is best known for his accessible interpretations and his ability to spark wonder about some of the more esoteric and thus forgotten realms of science. Examples include stellar evolution and the interconnectivity of humans with their universe. His 2012 youtube webisode show secured him a spot on National Geographic that will open late-night ears to his insight and change the way crucial scientific theories are received.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s personality alone attracts and inspires those who may not consider themselves well versed in the fields of science. His personal version of spirituality rings familiar as one that many can identify with: “For me, when I say spiritual, I’m referring to a feeling you would have that connects you to the universe in a way that it may defy vocabulary…the moment you learn something that touches an emotion rather than just something intellectual, I would call that a spiritual encounter with the universe.” His powerful belief in the interconnectivity of humanity with the universe sees beyond the temporal and transcends preconceived and existing notions of self and separation. This helps to progressively dissolve practical constructs like race and the social hierarchy while bringing people together under much grander philosophical discourse. Put simply, he brings people together with a fascination that never seemed so easy to possess.

There are few hosts as enthusiastic and entirely dedicated to his practice as Neil deGrasse Tyson is to the revisualization of the universe and all its mysteries. His show will discuss topics relevant to today’s concerns like space travel, extraterrestrial life, and the enigma of black holes. He reimagines, rephrases, and dissects the greatest wonders in topics that on first glance seem exclusive. But Tyson is nothing but excited to reach the masses on a series of questions he knows will incite inspiring debates and conversations that were never before so commonplace. “Star Talk”, which will invite everyone from erudite scholars to adored pop culture icons, will be the perfect merger of inaccessible scientific theories and casual late-night entertainment. It will give a relaxed approach to a number of puzzling mysteries, and will feature many celebrities giving their own perspectives on the issues.