This week I'm featuring FINE links from The Conversation, a credible source of online information. More details about The Conversation can be found here. The first seven links below are to pieces from The Conversation.
1) Tiny cacao flowers and fickle midges are part of a pollination puzzle that limits chocolate production. (link)
2) A skin-eating fungus from Europe could decimate Appalachia's salamanders - but researchers are working to prevent an outbreak. (link)
3) Evolution on the smallest of scales smooths out the patchwork patterns of where plants and animals live. (link)
4) Goldenrod honey: misinformation is causing a biological invasion of this Canadian weed. (link)
6) Here's why soil smells so good after it rains. (link)
7) Some bees are born curious while others are more single-minded - new research hints at how the hive picks which flowers to feast on. (link)
8) Moths do the pollinator night shift - and they work harder than daytime insects. (link)
9) Spice is nice in many cuisines - but for unexpected reasons. A huge collection of recipes helps to overturn the idea that spicy food gained popularity for its antimicrobial powers. (link)
10) For female giraffes, friends in high places bring towering benefits. Having companionship might give sociable giraffe cows better access to food. (link)
11) Humans push a hulking fish with a chainsaw nose towards oblivion. The strange-looking sawfish, itself a predator, falls prey to over-fishing and habitat destruction. (link)
12) Impervious to cold? A gene helps people to ward off the chills. A mutation that is common in northern Europe is less so in Africa. (link)
13) The genome sequence of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) sheds light on genetic mechanisms that have enabled the ancestors of this valuable biomass crop to adapt to cycles of climate warming and cooling. (link)
1) Tiny cacao flowers and fickle midges are part of a pollination puzzle that limits chocolate production. (link)
2) A skin-eating fungus from Europe could decimate Appalachia's salamanders - but researchers are working to prevent an outbreak. (link)
3) Evolution on the smallest of scales smooths out the patchwork patterns of where plants and animals live. (link)
4) Goldenrod honey: misinformation is causing a biological invasion of this Canadian weed. (link)
6) Here's why soil smells so good after it rains. (link)
7) Some bees are born curious while others are more single-minded - new research hints at how the hive picks which flowers to feast on. (link)
8) Moths do the pollinator night shift - and they work harder than daytime insects. (link)
9) Spice is nice in many cuisines - but for unexpected reasons. A huge collection of recipes helps to overturn the idea that spicy food gained popularity for its antimicrobial powers. (link)
10) For female giraffes, friends in high places bring towering benefits. Having companionship might give sociable giraffe cows better access to food. (link)
11) Humans push a hulking fish with a chainsaw nose towards oblivion. The strange-looking sawfish, itself a predator, falls prey to over-fishing and habitat destruction. (link)
12) Impervious to cold? A gene helps people to ward off the chills. A mutation that is common in northern Europe is less so in Africa. (link)
13) The genome sequence of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) sheds light on genetic mechanisms that have enabled the ancestors of this valuable biomass crop to adapt to cycles of climate warming and cooling. (link)
14) Brown Widener suggested this video about the daily
migration of an aggregation of thousands of Western Toad tadpoles. (link)
