First comprehensive Tree of Life illustrates relationships between 2.3 million species In what's being called the "first real attempt to connect the dots and put it all together," this open-access project aims to link "all biodiversity through a shared evolutionary history." How did life on Earth go from simple single-celled organisms to the incredibly complex human body? A number of attempts have been made to build an evolutionary 'tree of life' that connects the organisms on the planet, but until now, there has been no single comprehensive tree of life assembled. The Open Tree of Life builds on the work of previous researchers, who have created some tens of thousands of smaller 'trees' for individual branches, and the result is a massive digital resource that aims to connect the threads of millions of species on Earth. "Evolutionary trees, branching diagrams that often look like a cross between a candelabra and a subway map, aren’t just for figuring out whether aardvarks are more closely related to moles or manatees, or pinpointing a slime mold’s closest cousins.
Geology.com: News and Information for Geology & Earth Science Scientists create the first digital 'tree of life' Scientists from 11 organizations have digitized a “tree of life,” a genetic map of 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes that all branched off over time from a common ancestor. In a September 18 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers wrote that "The Open Tree Taxonomy" is likely the first to aggregate tens of thousands of already published smaller trees into a comprehensive map of all life. The digital tree is free for anyone to use and update on opentreeoflife.org. In what looks like a kaleidoscope of rainbow-colored high-rises, the latest digital diagram depicts the evolution of living things since the beginning of life on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago. And because scientists believe that all life on Earth shares a common genetic ancestor, understanding how millions of species are related helps them improve agricultural methods and better understand viruses, the research team says.
How to Grow Perennial Vegetables This is the latest offering from the prolific and encyclopedic Martin Crawford of the Agroforestry Research Trust in Devon where he has tested a huge number of plants of all kinds in his two acre forest garden, established 20 years ago. For a low maintenance, food producing design, such as a forest garden, perennial vegetables can provide an ideal understorey or ground cover accompaniment to a top storey of fruit and nut trees – and Martin has proved that there are a great many such plants available for all niches. The book's design is elegantly straightforward with the first quarter covering the practical issues involved, such as: the reasons for growing perennial veg; how to design them into a garden, and how to grow and look after them. The rest of the book looks at many perennials that can be used productively. As well as vegetables, also included are grains, tubers, aquatic plants and some vegetatively edible trees. Further resources Plants and recipes to bridge the hungry gap
The National Geographic Buyout: Evolution or Assassination? by Derek Beres Like many of my generation, my living room was filled with stacks of those unforgettable yellow-covered magazines, each offering a unique and, at the time, unprecedented glimpse into a world that one would never dream existed beyond New Jersey. African women with unimaginably stretched necks, active volcanoes on remote islands, training drills of Asian armies—for a kid in the seventies, National Geographic was an very inexpensive education nowhere available in the suburban public school system. So when, in my late twenties, I was offered the opportunity to DJ a number of events for the organization at its D.C. headquarters, I didn’t have to think too hard. By then NatGeo was a shadow of its former self, though one with enough clout and staying power to remain front and center in magazine aisles, still producing well-researched articles with those photographs, some of the best in the world. Staying relevant is a gargantuan task in modern media. But this news is troublesome.
8 amazing facts about Supermassive Black Holes — two are about to collide | MorningTicker It’s the big scientific discovery of the week: two supermassive black holes have been spotted circling each other billions of light-years away, about to collide in a spectacular show unlike anything scientists have ever seen — and it could help them learn more about this incredible cosmic phenomena. Two supermassive black holes were recently spotted circling each other at a distance of one light-week, which is about the width of our solar system, meaning that they will soon collide and reduce huge amounts of energy. It is an incredible event that scientists have never witnessed. The black holes were spotted in the Virgo constellation billions of light-years away, and they were able to determine there were two of them because of two quasars that were close to each other. Black holes are a fascinating subject: they featured prominently in the blockbuster hit “Interstellar.” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Have something to say?
Natural Beekeeping: Tips for catching a swarm September 28, 2015 | Animals, Natural Beekeeping | 7 Comments | Author: Kirsten Bradley One way to obtain yourself a healthy honeybee colony to put in your hive is to catch a swarm. While this might sound daunting, catching a swarm is entirely doable, and there’s many ways to go about it. Swarming is an optimistic act, and usually an indication that the colony has outgrown its hive space due to a good season causing the colony to expand. At this point, the colony will raise a new queen, and once she’s ready, some of the colony will leave the hive in the form of a swarm, clustered around one of the queen bees, to go find another hive space while the rest of the colony, with the other queen bee, stays behind. The advantage of catching a swarm and using that to populate a new hive are multiple… Locally adapted, successful genetics – typically, a swarm is full of healthy bees, and that’s why they have swarmed in the first place. As for how to obtain a swarm, there’s various options…
Peak Foliage Season and The Best Views for Each Region After the heat of summer dwindles and before freezing winter temperatures, autumn offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy natural beauty. Whether you participate in relaxing walks or more intense hikes, fall is the time to fully appreciate trees. Watching little bursts of color turn into full, glowing trees is an experience within itself; however, if you choose to take a road trip, keeping peak foliage season in mind is helpful. This infographic serves as a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about fall foliage, from why the leaves change colors to some ideas for regional road trips. Click to enlarge or view the full size version here. Related:5 Unexpected Ways the Fall Weather Benefits Your HealthHere’s How to Plant Trees the Correct WayThe Healing Power of Trees
Eubacteria References Ahmad, S., A. Selvapandiyan, and R. K. Andersson, S. Balows, A., H.G. Battistuzzi, F. Battistuzzi, F. Bern, M. and D. Boone, D. Brochier, C., E. Trends in Genetics 18:1-5. Brown, J. Bustard, K. and R. Castro, H. Cavalier-Smith, T. 2002. Coenye, T. and P. Daubin, V., M. DeLong E. Eisen, J. Emelyanov, V. Esser, C., N. Fox, G. Garrity, G. Gray, M. Griffiths, E. and R. Gruber, T. Gupta, R. Gupta, R. Gupta, R. Gupta, R. Gupta, R.S., K. Gupta, R.S. and E. Gupta, R. Huang, W. Huang, Y. Hugenholtz, P., B. Kunisawa, T. 2006. Lawrence, J. Liu, R. and H. Ludwig, W., J. Ludwig, W., O. Moran, N. and P. Ochman, H., S. Olsen, G. Olsen, G. Pace, N. Pace, N. Pierson, B. Rappé, M. Sapp, J. 2005) Microbial Phylogeny and Evolution: Concepts and Controversies. Sicheritz-Ponten, T., C. Staley, J. Stetter, K. Teichmann, S. Viale, A. Viale, A. Wagner, M. and M. Woese, C. Wolf, Y. Yang, S., R.
How To Pick Apples The Correct Way Crisp air, colorful leaves, cooler temperatures, dewy grass and shorter days can only mean one thing: It’s autumn! Along with the changing of the season comes a transition into fall activities, including a favorite of farmers everywhere: apple picking! With cooler temperatures helping to ripen your apple crop, it’s time to bring out the bushel baskets, head to the orchard and start harvesting your fruit. 1. A common method for picking apples is to simply grab hold and pull until they come off the branch, but this can be damaging to the tree and it can cause other apples to drop. Instead of simply pulling on the apple, you’ll want to twist it instead, forcing the stem of the apple to separate from the spur branch. 2. Sarah Horrigan/Flickr An apple picking device is convenient for reaching the highest apples on a tree, but it gives you much less control over the way you pick the apples and can easily damage the spur branches. 3. 4. 5. J.
Encyclopedia of Earth Scientists just smashed the distance record for quantum teleportation The experiment "teleported" light across fiber-optic cables. (Oleg Zaytsev via flickr creative commons license) Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have broken the quantum teleportation record in a big way. In a paper published this week in Optica, they report successfully transferring information from one photon to another across over 60 miles of fiber-optic cable -- four times the distance of the previous record. [Behold! A new record for the world’s highest melting point] What's all that mean? It relies on something called quantum entanglement -- what Albert Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." [Stephen Hawking believes he’s solved a huge mystery about black holes] It basically works like this: Do you need more visuals? To break the distance record, the NIST had to use a very sensitive detector, one that could detect single photons. [Record-smashing atomic clock is the most accurate ever] (K. Read More: