Fijians told to seek shelter as super cyclone closes in

Fijians living in the path of an approaching super cyclone were told to hunker down at home or flee to emergency shelters immediately on Wednesday, as authorities warned the storm has the potential to uproot buildings and cause mass destruction.

Hack may have exposed deep US secrets; damage yet unknown

Some of America's most deeply held secrets may have been stolen in a disciplined, monthslong operation being blamed on elite Russian government hackers. The possibilities of what might have been purloined are mind-boggling.

Google hires new personnel head amid rising worker tensions

Google has hired a top executive from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to oversee its personnel policies amid ongoing tensions with many employees who are upset with the company's policies.

China prepares for return of lunar probe with moon samples

Chinese ground crews are standing by for the return of a lunar probe bringing back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 45 years.

Honda recalls 1.4M US vehicles for software, other problems

Honda is recalling over 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S. to repair drive shafts that can break, window switches that can overheat and a software flaw.

Researchers turn DNA detectives to aid rhino poaching prosecutions with forensic evidence

Researchers at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), have, for the first time, used unique DNA markers to provide forensic evidence for alleged poaching cases involving the Indian rhino.

Male bats with high testosterone levels have large forearm crusts when females are fertile

Males may put a lot of effort into attracting females. Male peacocks flaunt eye-catching trains, but male bats, because they are active at night, may rely on females' sense of smell to draw them in. Three years ago, Victoria Flores, a predoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, discovered that male fringed-lipped bats often have a sweet-smelling, crusty substance on their forearms. Because only males had crusts and primarily exhibited these crusts during the putative reproductive season, Flores speculated that crusts might play a role in mating. Now Mariana Muñoz-Romo, postdoctoral fellow at STRI and National Geographic Explorer, and her colleagues have evidence to prove it.

China prepares for return of lunar probe with moon samples

Chinese ground crews are standing by for the return of a lunar probe bringing back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 45 years.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-china-lunar-probe-moon-samples.html

Honda recalls 1.4M US vehicles for software, other problems

Honda is recalling over 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S. to repair drive shafts that can break, window switches that can overheat and a software flaw.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-honda-recalls-14m-vehicles-software.html

Researchers turn DNA detectives to aid rhino poaching prosecutions with forensic evidence

Researchers at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), have, for the first time, used unique DNA markers to provide forensic evidence for alleged poaching cases involving the Indian rhino.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-dna-aid-rhino-poaching-prosecutions.html

Male bats with high testosterone levels have large forearm crusts when females are fertile

Males may put a lot of effort into attracting females. Male peacocks flaunt eye-catching trains, but male bats, because they are active at night, may rely on females' sense of smell to draw them in. Three years ago, Victoria Flores, a predoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, discovered that male fringed-lipped bats often have a sweet-smelling, crusty substance on their forearms. Because only males had crusts and primarily exhibited these crusts during the putative reproductive season, Flores speculated that crusts might play a role in mating. Now Mariana Muñoz-Romo, postdoctoral fellow at STRI and National Geographic Explorer, and her colleagues have evidence to prove it.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-male-high-testosterone-large-forearm.html

Tepary beans—a versatile and sustainable native crop

Agriculture accounts for more than a third of water use in the United States. In drier parts of the country, like the southwestern U.S., that fraction can be much higher. For example, more than 75% of New Mexico's water use is for agriculture.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-tepary-beansa-versatile-sustainable-native.html

Microbes in dental plaque look more like relatives in soil than those on the tongue

From the perspective of A. Murat Eren, Ph.D., the mouth is the perfect place to study microbial communities. "Not only is it the beginning of the GI tract, but it's also a very special and small environment that's microbially diverse enough that we can really start to answer interesting questions about microbiomes and their evolution," said Eren, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-microbes-dental-plaque-relatives-soil.html

The phantom chorus: birdsong boosts human well-being in protected areas

If you thought your morning hike was contributing to your wellbeing, a new study shows that you're right, especially if our avian friends were singing while you strolled.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-phantom-chorus-birdsong-boosts-human.html

New research highlights impacts of weedkiller on wildlife

Prolonged exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of the weedkiller Roundup causes significant harm to keystone species according to new research at the University of Birmingham.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-highlights-impacts-weedkiller-wildlife.html

Tepary beans—a versatile and sustainable native crop

Agriculture accounts for more than a third of water use in the United States. In drier parts of the country, like the southwestern U.S., that fraction can be much higher. For example, more than 75% of New Mexico's water use is for agriculture.

Microbes in dental plaque look more like relatives in soil than those on the tongue

From the perspective of A. Murat Eren, Ph.D., the mouth is the perfect place to study microbial communities. "Not only is it the beginning of the GI tract, but it's also a very special and small environment that's microbially diverse enough that we can really start to answer interesting questions about microbiomes and their evolution," said Eren, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

The phantom chorus: birdsong boosts human well-being in protected areas

If you thought your morning hike was contributing to your wellbeing, a new study shows that you're right, especially if our avian friends were singing while you strolled.

New research highlights impacts of weedkiller on wildlife

Prolonged exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of the weedkiller Roundup causes significant harm to keystone species according to new research at the University of Birmingham.