Breaking Waves: Ocean News

What links Lady Gaga, Obama and Hitler? How famous people can give new species a bad name

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:00:33 +0000

Some scientists want to stop naming new species after public figures, especially as it can threaten an animal’s survival, but others say it can be a helpful conservation tool

When Lady Gaga held a Q&A on Reddit for a 2014 album release, there was one question that took the botany world by storm: what’s it like to have a genus of ferns named after you? “Pretty cool,” she responded, “especially since it’s an asexual fern.”

How to solve a mass stranding: what caused 77 healthy whales to die on a Scottish beach?

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 06:00:26 +0000

A team of scientists are trying to find the cause of what is becoming an increasingly common event – and the answer may be hidden deep in the whales’ skulls

A mass stranding last week that led to the deaths of 77 pilot whales on the Orkney island of Sanday was the largest ever recorded of the species on British shores. Initially, 12 of the animals at Tresness beach were still alive – but sadly did not survive.

‘People think they’ll smell but they don’t’: building homes from mushroom waste and weeds

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 05:00:26 +0000

A sustainable project aims to repurpose encroacher bush to create building blocks to solve Namibia’s housing crisis

“People think the house would smell because the blocks are made of all-natural products, but it doesn’t smell,” says Kristine Haukongo. “Sometimes, there is a small touch of wood, but otherwise it’s completely odourless.”

New Zealand will fail to meet 2050 net zero targets, data shows, after climate policies scrapped

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 05:00:20 +0000

Scientists say government’s approach to emissions cutting is ‘high risk’ and reliant on ‘immature technologies’

New Zealand’s ambitious plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 is at risk of being derailed, as the government backslides on climate policies, new figures show.

Renewables caught in misinformation crossfire from Australia’s nuclear cheerleaders | Graham Readfearn

admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:19 +0000

Those pushing the nuclear option are making some questionable claims about the capacity of renewable energy

The most endangered fish are the least studied

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:24:02 +0000

The most threatened reef fishes are also the most overlooked by scientists and the general public. Scientists measured the level of human interest in 2,408 species of marine reef fish and found that the attention of the scientific community is attracted by the commercial value more than the ecological value of the fishes. The public, on the other hand, is primarily influenced by the aesthetic characteristics of certain species, such as the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) and the mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus).

Blood thinner could be used to treat cobra venom, global study suggests

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:00:11 +0000

Snakebites, the ‘deadliest of neglected tropical diseases’, often impact rural communities the most but a new study offers hope

US government urged to declare wildfire smoke and extreme heat major disasters

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:12:02 +0000

Fourteen attorneys general petition federal emergency officials as millions in US under excessive heat advisories

Fourteen state attorneys general are urging the federal government to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke major disasters. The petition comes as millions of people in the south and north-east face excessive heat advisories, and large swaths of the western US and Canada battle ongoing wildfires.

Research tracks 66 million years of mammalian diversity

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:11:28 +0000

New research has examined the fossil record going back 66 million years and tracked changes to mammalian ecosystems and species diversity on the North American continent.

Logged forests can still have ecological value -- if not pushed too far

admin — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:09:12 +0000

Researchers have analysed data from 127 studies to reveal 'thresholds' for when logged rainforests lose the ability to sustain themselves. The results could widen the scope of which forests are considered 'worth' conserving, but also show how much logging degrades forests beyond the point of no return.