Luis Azevedo Rodrigues
Paleontologist (PhD); Science writer/blogger
Peep Show. BIODIVERSITY. December 2009: Second Snowiest on Record in the Northern Hemisph. England Buried In Snow – image from The Times According to the Rutgers University Global Snow Lab, last month had the second greatest December Northern Hemisphere snow cover since records were started in 1966. Snow extent was measured at 45.86 million sq. km, topped only by 1985 at 45.99 million sq. km. North America set a record December extent at 15.98 million sq. km, and the US also set a December record at 4.16 million sq. km. click for interactive source Source: December Snow Cover from Rutgers University Source: December Snow Anomalies from Rutgers University This is not an isolated event for 2009, as can be seen in the graph below. Source: December Snow Cover Anomalies from Rutgers University Nor is it an isolated trend for the month of December. Source: January Snow Cover Anomalies from Rutgers University October, 2009 was the snowiest October on record in the US, and sixth snowiest in the Northern Hemisphere.
Source: October Snow Cover Anomalies from Rutgers University Reader Poll : Giant Spider Species Discovered in Middle Eastern Sand Dunes | W. Scientists have unearthed a completely new species of spider hiding in sand dunes on the Israel-Jordan border. With a legspan that stretches 5.5 inches, the spider, called Cerbalus aravensis, is the biggest of its type in the Middle East. “It is rare to find a new species of spider — at least around this part of the world — which is so big,” said biologist Uri Shanas of the University of Haifa-Oranim in Israel, who discovered the arachnid.
Most of Cerbalus aravensis‘s habits remain a mystery, but the researchers say it is nocturnal and most active during the blazing summer heat. The spider lives in an underground den, hidden by a door that swings upwards to welcome unsuspecting prey like lizards and insects. The researchers believe the spider uses a “sit-and-wait” hunting strategy, biding its time till prey approach, Shanas said. Unfortunately, the spider’s habitat is under immediate threat, he said. Images: 1) Yael Olek/University of Haifa. 2) Roy Talbi/University of Haifa See Also:
No hay sitio para tanto lince. Por CLEMENTE ÁLVAREZ (SOITU.ES) Actualizado 23-10-2009 15:36 CET Pasados cuatro años desde que naciera el primer lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus) en cautividad, las jaulas de los centros del Programa de Conservación Ex-situ (fuera de su hábitat) están llenas de estos felinos. Son ya incluso demasiados para el espacio del que disponen. Pues con 76 animales (40 de ellos nacidos en cautividad), se ha superado antes de tiempo el número fijado como objetivo poblacional para comenzar las reintroducciones: 60 (30 hembras y 30 machos). No hay duda de que el programa de reproducción de la investigadora Astrid Vargas ha sido todo un éxito, pero ¿está el entorno exterior preparado para recibir a los primeros de estos felinos que sean reintroducidos en la naturaleza? P.C. 'Erizo' nació en 2008. Para empezar, el próximo día 26 se enviará el primer lince ibérico a Portugal. Giant Salamanders Helped to Spawn.
Pássaros e jacarés respiram da mesma forma. Este método de respiração pode ter permitido aos antepassados destes animais serem mais resistentes e dominarem a Terra depois da extinção massiva ocorrida há 251 milhões de anos. Depois da extinção que provocou a morte de 70 por cento da vida terrestre e 96 por cento da marinha, estes répteis – arcossauros – foram os animais que dominaram o planeta. Terá sido uma forte actividade vulcânica ou o impacto de um grande asteróide que provocou a catástrofe. O nível de oxigénio no ar era de 12 por cento e só quem possuísse determinadas características conseguiria sobreviver. Foi o caso dos arcossauros, que mais tarde se dividiram em dois ramos: os Crurotarsi, que incluem os arcossauros próximos dos crocodilos e Ornithodira, que incluem os pterossauros, mais próximos das aves.
Kent Sanders, Universidade de Utah Os investigadores acreditam que os antepassados que as aves e os crocodilos partilham, adquiriram há 246 milhões de anos este método de respirar. A equipa composta por C. Dressing Up Dinos.
Poder Simples. Help. 2009 paper confirming IPCC sea level conclusions withdrawn, mist. From the Guardian, finally some refreshing honesty in Science: Climate scientists withdraw journal claims of rising sea levels Study claimed in 2009 that sea levels would rise by up to 82cm by the end of century – but the report’s author now says true estimate is still unknown The Maldives – poster child for bad science Photograph: Reuters Scientists have been forced to withdraw a study on projected sea level rise due to global warming after finding mistakes that undermined the findings. The study, published in 2009 in Nature Geoscience, one of the top journals in its field, confirmed the conclusions of the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
It used data over the last 22,000 years to predict that sea level would rise by between 7cm and 82cm by the end of the century. At the time, Mark Siddall, from the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Bristol, said the study “strengthens the confidence with which one may interpret the IPCC results“.