Periodic table of ecological niches could aid in predicting effects of climate change

Periodic table of ecological niches could aid in predicting effects of climate change 09/08/2017 09:12 PM EDT A group of ecologists has started creating a periodic table of ecological niches similar to chemistry's periodic table. It will be a critical resource for scientists seeking to understand how a warming climate may be spurring changes in species around the globe. Full story at https://news.utexas.edu/2017/08/30/new-way-to-map-ecological-niches Source University of Texas at Austin This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111

Massive Antarctic volcanic eruptions linked to abrupt Southern hemisphere climate changes

Massive Antarctic volcanic eruptions linked to abrupt Southern hemisphere climate changes 09/08/2017 09:14 PM EDT New findings published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America by Desert Research Institute Professor Joseph R. McConnell, Ph.D., and colleagues document a 192-year series of volcanic eruptions in Antarctica that coincided with accelerated deglaciation about 17,700 years ago. Full story at http://www.dri.edu/newsroom/news-releases/5566-massive-antarctic-volcanic-eruptions-linked-to-abrupt-southern-hemisphere-climate-changes-near-the-end-of-the-last-ice-age Source Desert Research Institute This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111

Scientists discover spring-loaded mechanism in unusual species of trap-jaw ant

Scientists discover spring-loaded mechanism in unusual species of trap-jaw ant 09/08/2017 09:12 PM EDT Researchers provide the first mechanical description of the jaws of a group of trap-jaw ants that can snap their spring-loaded jaws shut at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour--just fast enough to capture their elusive prey. Full story at https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/549617 Source University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111

Record-low 2016 Antarctic sea ice due to 'perfect storm' of tropical, polar conditions

Record-low 2016 Antarctic sea ice due to 'perfect storm' of tropical, polar conditions 09/08/2017 09:13 PM EDT The sudden, unexpected nosedive in Antarctic sea ice last year was due to a unique one-two punch from atmospheric conditions both in the tropical Pacific Ocean and around the South Pole. Full story at http://www.washington.edu/news/2017/08/31/record-low-2016-antarctic-sea-ice-due-to-perfect-storm-of-tropical-polar-conditions/ Source University of Washington This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111

Acting like a muscle, nano-sized device lifts 165 times its own weight

Acting like a muscle, nano-sized device lifts 165 times its own weight 09/08/2017 09:12 PM EDT New Brunswick engineers have discovered a simple, economical way to make a nano-sized device that can match the friendly neighborhood Avenger, on a much smaller scale. Their creation weighs 1.6 milligrams (about as much as five poppy seeds) and can lift 265 milligrams (the weight of about 825 poppy seeds) hundreds of times in a row. Full story at http://news.rutgers.edu/research-news/acting-muscle-nano-sized-device-lifts-165-times-its-own-weight/20170829#.Wa6vyU2oupo Source Rutgers University This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111