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Redwood trees reveal history of West Coast rain, fog, ocean conditions

Many people use tree ring records to see into the past. But redwoods – the iconic trees that are the world’s tallest living things – have so far proven too erratic in their growth patterns to help with reconstructing historic climate.

A University of Washington researcher has developed a way to use the trees as a window into coastal conditions, using oxygen and carbon atoms in the wood to detect fog and rainfall in previous seasons. (more…)

Schutz der Antarktis auf Eis gelegt

Nature

WWF: Fischereiinteressen verhindern Meeresschutzgebiete im Südpolarmeer

Hamburg/Hobart – Die Ausweisung riesiger Meeresschutzgebiete in den eisigen Gewässern der Antarktis ist erneut gescheitert. Die Jahreskonferenz der zuständigen internationalen Kommission zur Erhaltung lebender Meeresressourcen (CCAMLR) im australischen Hobart endete, ohne dass besonders empfindliche und wertvolle Regionen des Südpolarmeers mit seiner Tierwelt dauerhaft unter Naturschutz gestellt wurden. „Es ist eine schwere Enttäuschung. Hier geht es um die letzten weitgehend unberührten Meere des Planeten, der antarktische Ozean ist einzigartig und braucht dauerhaften Schutz. Der Druck durch Fischerei, Schifffahrt und Klimawandel nimmt ständig zu“, kritisiert Bob Zuur, Antarktis-Experte des WWF, die fehlenden Resultate. „Auch der dritte Versuch, hier Meeresschutzgebiete zu errichten, ist an dominierenden Fischereiinteressen gescheitert. Die Unfähigkeit hier Einigung zu erzielen, stellt in Frage, ob die CCAMLR-Kommission ihren vorgeschriebenen Schutzauftrag angemessen ausfüllen kann.“ (more…)

‘Witch Head’ Brews Baby Stars

Science

A witch appears to be screaming out into space in this new image from NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The infrared portrait shows the Witch Head nebula, named after its resemblance to the profile of a wicked witch. Astronomers say the billowy clouds of the nebula, where baby stars are brewing, are being lit up by massive stars. Dust in the cloud is being hit with starlight, causing it to glow with infrared light, which was picked up by WISE’s detectors. (more…)

Ancient water

Environment

Delaware Geological Survey carbon-dates groundwater found to be thousands of years old

A drop of rain that falls near Middletown, Del., may take as long as 14,000 years to seep through the earth and trickle underground into a well several miles away, according to new research by the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS).

Scientists used radiocarbon-dating techniques to determine the age of groundwater from sites in southern New Castle and Kent counties. (more…)

Left-handed people more likely to have psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia: Yale Study

Health

Being left-handed has been linked to many mental disorders, but Yale researcher Jadon Webb and his colleagues have found that among those with mental illnesses, people with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia are much more likely to be left-handed than those with mood disorders like depression or bipolar syndrome.

The new study is published in the October-December 2013 issue of the journal SAGE Open. (more…)

Reindeers’ eyes change colour with Arctic seasons

Nature

The eyes of Arctic reindeer change colour through the seasons from gold to blue, adapting to extreme changes of light levels in their environment and helping detect predators. (more…)

UA Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

Culture

November is Native American Heritage Month. The UA will celebrate with a variety of events, kicking off on Friday

The University of Arizona will celebrate Native American Heritage Month starting Friday followed by a full slate of activities, seminars, a film showcase and public television programming. (more…)

Newspaper web ads not to blame for print advertising decline

Technology

ANN ARBOR — An open question as the newspaper industry struggles with declining revenues and profits is whether online ads cannibalize print advertising.

New research from S. Sriram, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, finds that’s not the case. Analyzing five years of data from a top newspaper showed less than 8 percent of the print advertising decline was due to a shift to online ads on the paper’s website. (more…)