Mountains become islands: Ecological dangers of increasing land use in East Africa

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The mountains of East Africa are a treasure trove of biodiversity. However, their ecosystems may be at a higher risk than previously realized. Scientists have discovered that Mount Kilimanjaro is turning into an "ecological island". Agriculture and housing construction have eliminated the natural vegetation that used to serve as a bridge to the surrounding area, enabling the diversity of species to develop to its current levels. Neighboring mountain regions are presumably also being isolated from their surrounding areas.

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Male loggerhead turtles also go back to their nesting beaches to breed

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Most male loggerhead turtles go back to the nesting beaches to breed –- a common behavior among female turtles --, according to a new study.

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Global warming increases the risk of avalanches

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The impacts of global warming are felt especially in mountainous regions, where the rise in temperatures is above average, affecting both glacierized landscapes and water resources. The repercussions of these changes are manifold and varied, from retreating glaciers to an increase in the frequency and intensity of snow avalanches. A team of researchers has employed dendrochronology -– the reconstruction of past disasters as recorded in growth series of trees -– to disentangle the role of global warming in the triggering avalanches.

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New 16 million-year-old insectivore species discovered

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Palaeontologists have discovered a new fossilized species of insectivore belonging to the unusual and extinct Plesiodimylus family. The identification of this group, related to the fauna that lived in Central Europe during the Miocene (16 million years ago), is based on the study of isolated teeth found in l’Alcora (Castellón), in the district of Araya.

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It's not only size, but scales that matter in some male moth antennae

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Male moths have evolved intricate scale arrangements on their antennae to enhance detection of female sex pheromones, which allows them to keep their antennae small enough to maximize flying, new research suggests.

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World's largest cities depend on evaporated water from surrounding lands

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A study found that 19 of the 29 largest cities in the world depend on evaporation from surrounding lands for more than one-third of their water supplies.

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Astronomers discover galaxies spin like clockwork

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Astronomers have discovered that all galaxies rotate once every billion years, no matter how big they are.

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