Ground in Biological News

Bizarre walking bat has ancient heritage

... is as much at home walking four-legged on the ground as winging through the air had an Australian ... bats are not overwhelmingly absent from the ground because of competition from, or predation by, ... terrestrial mammal: it spends long periods on the ground in heavily forested areas, hunting insects and ...

Explosive growth of life on Earth fueled by early greening of planet

... the planet by non-vascular plants, or primitive ground huggers, as Knauth calls them. This period, ... was always associated with intrusions of coastal ground waters during the burial transformation of ... fell on vegetated areas, infiltrated into coastal ground waters and mixed with marine pore fluids. During ...

Desert rhubarb -- a self-irrigating plant

... by which the rain water is channeled toward the ground surrounding the plant's deep root. Other desert ... suffice with the rain water that penetrates the ground in its immediate surroundings. The findings ... the course of the leave's depressed veins to the ground surrounding the plant's single root and then ...

Newly discovered snow roots are 'evolutionary phenomenon'

... high up in the Caucasus Mountains, where the ground remains covered in snow for much of the year. As ... normal roots which anchor the plant to the ground and take up nutrients such as phosphorus and ... up nitrogen from melted snow soaking into the ground only after snow melt. However an impenetrable ice ...

The secret of a snake's slither

... belly scales provide friction with the ground that gives snakes a preferred direction of ... snakes aren't lying completely flat against the ground as they slither. They redistribute their weight ... their bodies can get the most friction with the ground and therefore maximize thrust. In this way, snake ...

Satellites show how Earth moved during Italy quake

... combining two or more radar images of the same ground location in such a way that very precise ... a scale of a few millimetres can be made of any ground motion taking place between image acquisitions. ... of coloured bands, called 'fringes', represents ground movement relative to the spacecraft of half a ...

Patience pays off with methanol for uranium bioremediation

... weapons and nuclear energy development has left ground water and sediment at dozens of sites across the ... with uranium. The uranium is transported through ground water as uranyl (U6+). In one bioremediation strategy, uranium immobilization in contaminated ground water and sediment may be achieved by the ...

Honest crabs, power to the hungry, nice mice and clever meerkats: News from the American Naturalist

... and a different call when threatened from the ground by a snake. But Cape ground squirrels, that live side-by-side in the same ... is approaching helps in coordination. The ground squirrels, on the other hand, act largely ...

High numbers of right whales seen in Gulf of Maine

... to believe they have identified a wintering ground and potentially a breeding ground for this endangered species. The NEFSC's ... off Florida and Georgia, the only known calving ground for this population. Little is known about where ...

USGS Science Picks

... more about climate change, floods, volcanoes, ground water and more at the American Geophysical ... Conference: Climate Change, Floods, Volcanoes, ground Water and More! A Kiss is Just a Kiss ... Conference: Climate Change, Floods, Volcanoes, ground Water and More! USGS scientists will discuss ...

ESA tests laser to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide

... on the reflectance properties of the area of ground illuminated by the laser. However, current knowledge about how much ground reflectance varies is insufficient to accurately ... successfully demonstrated that changes in ground reflectance would not significantly perturb the ...

Turtles alter nesting dates due to temperature change says ISU researcher

... is typically determined by the temperature of the ground where they lay their eggs. Janzen predicted ... warmer, the turtles are nesting earlier. But the ground is still cold, so the cold ground is causing us to get more males." Janzen ...

What is really happening to the Greenland icecap?

... we did the first two very well and laid the ground for developing research proposals." While ... the run off process can be tracked both on the ground and by satellite, preferably integrating the two, ... the workshop. The need to establish a database of ground based observations, including run off, as well as ...

Pesticide concentrations decreasing

... frequent research has detected pesticides in ground water around the country, including in aquifers ... 80 compounds studied, only six were detected in ground water from at least 10 wells during both of those ... planned to track and understand changes in both ground and surface-water quality across the United ...

Nitrate concentrations of ground water increasing in many areas of the United States

... most common chemical contaminant in the world's ground water, including in aquifers used for ... increased nitrate contamination of the nation's ground water, despite efforts in recent decades to ... practices. Monitoring nitrate trends in ground water through time is important in determining ...

Moderate quantities of dirt make more rain

... only created when wet, warm air rises from the ground and the water condenses or freezes around the ... ground: less water evaporates. Furthermore, the ground does not heat up as much and less of the warm, ... "The effects of the aerosols on the energy on the ground and on droplet formation at altitude have been ...

Dirty air brings rain -- then again, maybe not

... come about when moist, warm air rises from ground level and water condenses or freezes on the ... Accordingly, less water evaporates and the air at ground level stays cooler and drier, with less of a ... the water condenses similar to dew on cold ground releasing energy in the process. This is the ...

Sky islands: metaphor or misnomer?

... on thirteen species of jackrabbits, shrews, ground squirrels, and other small mammals. The species ... For example, one prediction is that Belding's ground Squirrels inhabited only the western portion of ... Basin at the last full glacial period. Belding's ground squirrels currently live at higher elevations of ...

Iowa State researchers study ground cover to reduce impact of biomass harvest

... AMES, Iowa -- ground cover may be one workable method to reduce the ... University researchers are looking at ways to use ground cover, a living grass planted between the rows of ... One promising solution is the idea of planting a ground cover grass between the rows of corn that remains ...

Pesticides persist in ground water

... situ, can also contribute to the contamination of ground water. Once in ground water, pesticides and their degradation products ... pesticides and their degradation products in ground water during a study funded by the USGS National ...

USGS science picks -- leads, feeds and story seeds

... Tracing the Hayward Fault: Online and On the ground Climate Change Impacts to the Colorado River ... Tracing the Hayward Fault: Online and On the ground Ever wonder exactly where the Hayward Fault ... the land surface can naturally be dissolved by ground water circulating through them. These rocks ...

Holistic understanding: Ag chemicals in the environment

... the widespread degradation of surface and ground waters from past, present, and future ... environmental compartments surface water, ground water, the unsaturated zone, the streambed, and ... and pesticide degradates in surface and ground waters and mitigate the impacts of agriculture on ...

Scientists endure Arctic for last campaign prior to CryoSat-2 launch

... undertaking as airborne, helicopter and ground measurements are being taken simultaneously in ... to take measurements of ice while teams on the ground take measurements as the plane passes over. ... campaign to make direct comparisons between ground and airborne measurements. The knowledge gained ...

Study finds pitching mound height affects throwing motion, injury risk

... lands earlier in the pitch delivery during flat ground throwing than with a slope, he says. While the ... pitchers would be better off practicing on flat ground especially after an injury. Nolan Ryan, who ... past the age of 40, and he liked to throw on flat ground in his waning years. I think others might follow ...

Research with squirrels provides clues on hormone's role in human learning

... that a stress-related hormone has on learning in ground squirrels could have an impact on understanding ... that when they perform normal survival tasks, ground squirrels learn more quickly if they have a ... not well understood, Mateo said. The research on ground squirrels could point to additional avenues of ...

Earth Observation essential for geohazard mitigation

... combining two or more radar images of the same ground location in such a way that very precise ... a scale of a few millimetres can be made of any ground motion taking place between image acquisitions. ... of 26 000 people. Studying radar images of the ground around Bam before and after the quake allowed ...

Spaceflight shown to alter ability of bacteria to cause disease

... did the exact same things at the same time to the ground samples that the astronauts did to the flight samples thus we had perfectly matched synchronous ground controls. After the bacteria returned to ... with what looks like formation of a biofilm. The ground grown samples did not show biofilm formation. ...

September Geology and GSA Today media highlights

... Quantitative model for magma degassing and ground deformation (bradyseism) at Campi Flegrei, Italy: ... episodic meter-scale uplift and deflation of the ground surface that is referred to as bradyseism. Some researchers associate this ground movement with emplacement of new magma into the ...

Contaminated site remediation: Are nanomaterials the answer?

... are a form of nano-scale zero-valent iron that are injected into the ground in a slurry which provide a reducing environment that enables the ... release of nanomaterials into the environment to treat contaminated ground and water. ...

Oscar Pistorius: Previously confidential study results released on amputee sprinter

... athletes. At top speed: He exerts considerably less force on the ground in relation to his body weight than intact-limb runners. His foot is in contact with the ground 14% longer on each sprinting step He spends 34% less time in the air ...

Fossil bone bed helps reconstruct life along California's ancient coastline

... over an obvious question: How did the bones get there? Was this a killing ground for megalodon, a 40-foot version of today's great white shark? Was it a ... the team also discounted the hypothesis that this was a breeding ground for early seals such as Allodesmus. The absence of volcanic ash makes a ...

Healing wounds with lasers, vehicles that drive themselves, other cutting-edge optics

... surface below, snapping electronic images that can resolve objects on the ground as small as 41 cm across (16 inches). That's approximately the size of ... GeoEye-2, which is expected to be launched around 2012 and would have a ground resolution twice as fine as GeoEye-1. These powerful public eyes in ...

Civil engineers name NJIT's John Schuring Educator of Year

... include engineering geomorphology, bridge scour, deep foundations, and ground water treatment. His funded research, which has totaled more than $2.5 ... five U.S. patents for a novel technique to treat contaminated soil and ground water. The process, known as "Pneumatic Fracturing," allows cost ...

Civil engineers name NJIT's John Schuring Educator of Year Award

... include engineering geomorphology, bridge scour, deep foundations, and ground water treatment. His funded research, which has totaled more than $2.5 ... five U.S. patents for a novel technique to treat contaminated soil and ground water. The process, known as "Pneumatic Fracturing," allows cost ...

Bacteria create aquatic superbugs in waste treatment plants

... treatment plants, the stars align perfectly to create a hedonistic mating ground for antibiotic-resistant superbugs eventually discharged into streams and ... entering the treatment plants. The treatment process is fertile ground for the creation of superbugs because it encourages bacteria to grow and ...

True grit

... globular bodies using their five teeth, which, like those of rodents, are ground down at the tip but continue to grow on the other end throughout the ... a carpenter's file. This ridge is self-sharpening: as the tooth is being ground down, the crystalline layers break in such a way that the ridge always ...

Laughing hyenas, wailing levees, the sound of cheese and blaring bagpipes

... low number of right whales, the return of the animals to a former whaling ground is an exciting discovery, says Mellinger. The talk "Acoustical ... report on a newer, higher-precision device, one employing laser sensing of ground vibrations, for the monitoring of levees and dams using sound waves in a ...

Poison: It's what's for dinner

... branches, pottery shards and other debris. The middens are typically above ground under juniper trees in the Great Basin and yucca in the Mojave. ... in which rabbit chow was treated either with creosote resin or with finely ground juniper leaves. Then the microarrays were used to determine which genes ...

Poison: It's what's for dinner

... branches, pottery shards and other debris. The middens are typically above ground under juniper trees in the Great Basin and yucca in the Mojave. ... in which rabbit chow was treated either with creosote resin or with finely ground juniper leaves. Then the microarrays were used to determine which genes ...

Straw bale house survives violent shaking at earthquake lab

... recorded at the 1994 Northridge, Calif. earthquake, the largest measured ground acceleration in the world. After a series of seven increasingly forceful ... Survey of Pakistan estimates the 2005 Kashmir earthquake to have had peak ground accelerations in the range of 0.3 to 0.6g. Most people were killed and ...