Remembering Barbara Finlay, ‘maverick’ of evolutionary neuroscience - The Transmitter

An artistic rendering of the interior structure of Earth (left) compared to a large rocky exoplanet (right). Credit: John Jett and Federica Coppari/LLNL In the deepest region of the Earth's mantle, just above the core, much of the material consists of crystals of magnesium oxide. In larger rocky exoplanets called super-Earths, the higher pressures in the lower mantle may drive magnesium oxide to transform into a new high-pressure crystal structure or a metallic, electrically conductive liquid that generates a magnetic field. And in gas giants, magnesium oxide could exist in the cores themselves.

Project lead Dr. Millicent Smith (center) with co-authors Dr. Shanice Van Haeften (right) and Callum Jamie (left) at the UQ Plant Futures Facility (Image credit: Megan Pope, UQ). Scientists in Australia are mapping a staged “omics” approach to accelerate breeding for heat-adapted chickpeas as rising temperatures threaten flowering, grain filling, and yields. The team aims to provide a practical pathway to accelerate the development of heat-adapted chickpea varieties and strengthen food security in vulnerable regions. The authors note that the average global temperature is projected to increase by 1.8 to 4.0°C by 2100, exacerbating heat stress risk in major chickpea-producing regions, such as India, Pakistan, and Ethiopia, where grain legumes are a key dietary component. Such heat stress during reproductive development is highlighted as a critical constraint to chickpea productivity in the review. It can cause flower and pod loss and reduced pollen viability. Project leader Dr.

One of Britain’s most-loved writers, Simon Barnes, has revealed the inspiration behind his new book on flight – and it involves flying squirrels crashing into trees. Simon has been obsessed by flight for as long as he can remember, and in his book How to Fly: Taking Wing With Birds, Bats, Insects and Humans (Bloomsbury) he explores the wonders of flight and the way different species have evolved distinct solutions to the problem of defying gravity.

Venture will harness clinical data and laboratory tissue models in quest for potential new therapies

A mother bat has one crucial challenge: find her own babies among hundreds of other bats in the colony. Making sure she cares for and nurses only her own offspring is important to ensuring their survival. Among Japanese house bats, mothers keep track of their pups using the babies' isolation calls.