|
New research suggests that rainwater may have played a crucial role in the origins of life — as a naturally occurring source of ion-free water, it could possibly have enabled the stable transfer of genetic material required for genetic diversity to occur. Aman Agrawalt at the University of Chicago writes that “it is crucial to understand the geological, chemical and environmental conditions on early Earth approximately 3.8 billion years ago.”
The Nuer people, an East African community living in the Gambella region, have a particular relationship to birds, seeing them as sacred and spiritual beings associated with fertility. This deep and intimate knowledge about the characteristics and behaviours of local birds means that the Nuer engage in sustainable cultural practices, including restricted hunting. Conserving African birds requires attention to be paid to Indigenous knowledge systems and
traditional ecological practices, but at the same time, it is “essential to acknowledge that the Nuer’s cultural practices are not immune to the pressures of modern society.”
Apparently, one of the things that makes humans unique from other creatures is how we procreate: boy and girl children are born at approximately the same frequency. Other animals have skewed ratios — less than a third of the offspring of the brown antechinus produces are male, and insects predominantly produce female offspring. A new paper asks whether “strong evolutionary effects are constraining the human population sex ratio to be 1:1,” also known as
Fisher’s principle that hypothesizes that this is a self-correcting ratio.
This week’s recommended reads are about life on Earth, how to preserve it and the curious ways various creatures live: from surfing whales to collision-avoiding midges; how ocean currents support life in the deep; and the need to save
the coral reefs.
We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday,
|
Life on Earth:
|
Aman Agrawal, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
The earliest cells likely didn’t have membranes to separate and protect their components and chemistry away from a harsh surrounding environment. But they may have made do with rain.
| |
Abebayehu Aticho, Jimma University; Abebe Beyene, Jimma University; Andrew Gosler, University of Oxford; Desalegn Chala, University of Oslo; Nils Christian Stenseth, University of Oslo; Shimelis Aynalem Zelelew, Bahir Dar University
Birds play a wide range of unique cultural roles for the Nuer people, who have three interchangeable names for them.
|
Jenny Graves, La Trobe University; Arthur Georges, University of Canberra
Humans have roughly the same number of male and female babies, but there may be variation between families. A new genetic analysis of huge human populations explores the reasons why
| |
Vanessa Pirotta, Macquarie University
By tapping into observations of Bryde’s whale shared on social media, we found evidence of feeding and “surfing” behaviours possibly never documented before.
|
Alex Dittrich, Nottingham Trent University
Midges may move in swarms but, unlike a lot of other animals that travel in large numbers, they try to keep their distance from each other.
| |
Lizzy Lowe, Edith Cowan University; Jess Marsh, University of Adelaide; Leanda Denise Mason, Edith Cowan University
We’re discovering more species of richly coloured peacock spiders all the time. But their small ranges puts them at very real risk. One species faces likely death by suburban sprawl.
|
Ming Feng, CSIRO
Ocean eddy currents are driving extreme heat and cold events in the deeper sea, home to the world’s most abundant animal and its largest migration
| |
Liam Lachs, Newcastle University; Adriana Humanes, Newcastle University; James Guest, Newcastle University
Improvements in heat tolerance remain modest compared to future heatwaves.
|
|
|
