Leaf-mining insects destroyed with the dinosaurs, others quickly appeared

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XxEIA8jCpeE/U9GxkW2eLiI/AAAAAAAAJdc/jiQqQLEoPNk/s1600/140724141602-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XxEIA8jCpeE/U9GxkW2eLiI/AAAAAAAAJdc/jiQqQLEoPNk/s1600/140724141602-large.jpg" height="320" width="280"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a mine produced by a micromoth larva on Platanus raynoldski, a sycamore.<br>Credit: Michael Donovan, Penn State</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> After the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period that triggered the dinosaurs' extinction and ushered in the Paleocene, leaf-mining insects in the western United States completely disappeared. Only a million years later, at Mexican Hat, in southeastern Montana, fossil leaves show diverse leaf-mining traces from new insects that were not present during the Cretaceous, according to paleontologists.<br> </div>

Leaf-mining insects destroyed with the dinosaurs, others quickly appeared

This is a mine produced by a micromoth larva on Platanus raynoldski, a sycamore. Credit: Michael ...

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Four-billion-year-old chemistry in cells today

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ScoDP__GYbc/U9GxCcbUsCI/AAAAAAAAJdU/Wtwu_9QqUmU/s1600/140724094021-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ScoDP__GYbc/U9GxCcbUsCI/AAAAAAAAJdU/Wtwu_9QqUmU/s1600/140724094021-large.jpg" height="320" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>3-D rendering of a mitochondrium.<br>Credit: © Mopic / Fotolia</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> Parts of the primordial soup in which life arose have been maintained in our cells today according to scientists at the University of East Anglia.<br> <br> Research published today in the Journal of Biological Chemistry reveals how cells in plants, yeast and very likely also in animals still perform ancient reactions thought to have been responsible for the origin of life -- some four billion years ago.<br> </div>

Four-billion-year-old chemistry in cells today

3-D rendering of a mitochondrium. Credit: © Mopic / Fotolia Parts of the primordial soup in whi...

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Parched West is using up underground water

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SQ9mrpGyAnc/U9GwaguRHwI/AAAAAAAAJdI/RJYYTSn624M/s1600/140724172102-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SQ9mrpGyAnc/U9GwaguRHwI/AAAAAAAAJdI/RJYYTSn624M/s1600/140724172102-large.jpg" height="212" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Surface-water depletion in the Colorado River Basin has left this "bathtub ring" of mineral deposits on Lake Mead, but groundwater loss is invisible.<br>Credit: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> A new study by University of California, Irvine and NASA scientists finds more than 75 percent of the water loss in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin since late 2004 came from underground resources. The extent of groundwater loss may pose a greater threat to the water supply of the western United States than previously thought.<br> </div>

Parched West is using up underground water

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Surface-water depletion in the Colorado River Basin has left this &quo...

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Synchronization of North Atlantic, North Pacific preceded abrupt warming, end of ice age

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHbx9WGM7kY/U9Gvvw7lgwI/AAAAAAAAJdA/8CJf1t5erSM/s1600/140724141612-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHbx9WGM7kY/U9Gvvw7lgwI/AAAAAAAAJdA/8CJf1t5erSM/s1600/140724141612-large.jpg" height="192" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This image depicts the Hubbard Glacier ice front, with floating ice 'growlers' in August 2004.<br>Credit: Photo courtesy of Oregon State University</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> Scientists have long been concerned that global warming may push Earth's climate system across a "tipping point," where rapid melting of ice and further warming may become irreversible -- a hotly debated scenario with an unclear picture of what this point of no return may look like.<br> </div>

Synchronization of North Atlantic, North Pacific preceded abrupt warming, end of ice age

This image depicts the Hubbard Glacier ice front, with floating ice 'growlers' in August ...

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How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Mysteries of Earth's crust pierced

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8MHubB5RWx4/U9Bd6xSutSI/AAAAAAAAJcs/flzt1csErkg/s1600/140723131359-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8MHubB5RWx4/U9Bd6xSutSI/AAAAAAAAJcs/flzt1csErkg/s1600/140723131359-large.jpg" height="320" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How much magma is hiding beneath our feet?<br>Credit: © naypong / Fotolia</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> Molten rock (or magma) has a strong influence on our planet and its inhabitants, causing destructive volcanic eruptions and generating some of the giant mineral deposits. Our understanding of these phenomena is, however, limited by the fact that most magma cools and solidifies several kilometres beneath our feet, only to be exposed at the surface, millions of years later, by erosion. Scientists have never been able to track the movements of magma at such great depths… that is, until a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) discovered an innovative technique, details of which will be published in the next issue of the journal Nature.<br> </div>

How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Mysteries of Earth's crust pierced

How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Credit: © naypong / Fotolia Molten rock (or magma) h...

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3-D image of Paleolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb1qmaBhjfw/U9BdVrl2PeI/AAAAAAAAJck/ebaCsOww_v0/s1600/140723141714-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb1qmaBhjfw/U9BdVrl2PeI/AAAAAAAAJck/ebaCsOww_v0/s1600/140723141714-large.jpg" height="320" width="200"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a 3-D reconstruction of skull compound fracture and endocranial surface changes.<br>Credit: Coqueugniot H, Dutour O, Arensburg B, Duday H, Vandermeersch B, et al. (2014) Earliest Cranio-Encephalic Trauma from the Levantine Middle Palaeolithic: 3D Reappraisal of the Qafzeh 11 Skull, Consequences of Pediatric Brain Damage on Individual Life Condition and Social Care. PLoS ONE 9(7): e102822. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102822</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> Three-dimensional imaging of a Paleolithic child's skull reveals potentially violent head trauma that likely lead to brain damage, according to a study published July 23, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Hélène Coqueugniot and colleagues from CNRS -- Université de Bordeaux and EPHE.<br> </div>

3-D image of Paleolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage

This is a 3-D reconstruction of skull compound fracture and endocranial surface changes. Credit: ...

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Oso disaster had its roots in earlier landslides

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g98Dkxv4D8E/U9BcxRq_XfI/AAAAAAAAJcc/jpxEPzbB73Y/s1600/140722152430-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g98Dkxv4D8E/U9BcxRq_XfI/AAAAAAAAJcc/jpxEPzbB73Y/s1600/140722152430-large.jpg" height="235" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>An aerial view of the slide site at Oso, Washington, from March 31, 2014.<br>Credit: Gordon Farquharson / UW</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> The disastrous March 22 landslide that killed 43 people in the rural Washington state community of Oso involved the "remobilization" of a 2006 landslide on the same hillside, a new federally sponsored geological study concludes.<br> </div>

Oso disaster had its roots in earlier landslides

An aerial view of the slide site at Oso, Washington, from March 31, 2014. Credit: Gordon Farquhar...

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Researchers figure out how oddly shaped sandstone landform structures come about

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r1cNrlJm7o8/U88TmKVCDoI/AAAAAAAAJcM/cm-BUG69os8/s1600/kuyfkuyff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r1cNrlJm7o8/U88TmKVCDoI/AAAAAAAAJcM/cm-BUG69os8/s1600/kuyfkuyff.jpg" height="320" width="252"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, USA. <br>Credit: Jaroslav Soukup </i></td></tr> </tbody></table> A team of researchers with members from facilities in the Czech Republic and one from the U.S. has discovered the mechanism by which unique sandstone landforms take shape. In their paper published in Nature Geoscience, the team describes how their studies of sandstone in their lab led to insights about how both gravity and erosion contribute to the creation of such unique structures as Delicate Arch at Arches National Park in Utah. Chris Paola of the University of Minnesota offers a News & Views piece on the research done by the team in the same journal issue.<br> </div>

Researchers figure out how oddly shaped sandstone landform structures come about

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Credit: Jaroslav Soukup A team of researchers w...

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Jeju Island, Korea is a live volcano

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U5yZkfIBhgI/U88S392q7dI/AAAAAAAAJcE/ESGWI49IY7M/s1600/140722102251-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U5yZkfIBhgI/U88S392q7dI/AAAAAAAAJcE/ESGWI49IY7M/s1600/140722102251-large.jpg" height="238" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pictures of the sedimentary layer containing charcoal found on a stony mountain developing site in Sangchang-ri, and the carbonized wood (charcoal) sample used for the radiocarbon dating. Thick lava covers the upper gravel layer.<br>Credit: Image courtesy of Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)</i></td></tr> </tbody></table> In Jeju, Korea, a place emerging as a world-famous vacation spot with natural tourism resources, a recent study revealed a volcanic eruption occurred on the island. The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) indicated that there are the traces that indicated that a recent volcanic eruption was evident 5,000 years ago. This is the first time the date of the explosion has been made clear in the region.<br> </div>

Jeju Island, Korea is a live volcano

Pictures of the sedimentary layer containing charcoal found on a stony mountain developing site i...

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