The Rise and Fall of the Great Basin central Nevada, indicating that part of today’s Great Basin was the highest land in North America some 40 million to 20 million years ago. A lot has happened out there. I think it was in Querencia that Steve said the Basin was a favorite place.
Author: Sea Run
Big Bend Mystery Oak
The Strange Quest to Save North America’s Most Elusive Oak Tree Quercus tardifolia As a Querophile, this caught by eye. It has crossover themes to the Endangered Species Act, Ivory Bill Woodpeckers, etc. I sent Steve some articles on rare NM oaks and he thought they were on a ranch of a friend which was …
Comparing local knowledge with academic literature
https://phys.org/news/2021-12-indigenous-huge-unique-source-ecological.html The study, which interviewed a community of indigenous people in Doussala, Gabon, found that, on average, people knew of an astonishing 732 different plant and fruit-eating animal (frugivore) interactions, with some able to identify as many as 2700 interactions. This knowledge covered 100 frugivores from elephants to bats and 286 plant species. Impressive. It is their economy …
News about old news.
Vikings vs Celts Interesting data. Surprising cause of the Little Ice Age Good data on a mystery contested for years. Neanderthals and fire ecology Plasusible but needs a lot more data. Image source I saw this image for the first time just now. Hilarious with the ignored bear fight in the background.
Neuron Curlers
Every once in a while you need to curl your neurons. Gravitational Waves Should Permanently Distort Space-Time Mathematicians Transcend Geometric Theory of Motion These should help, as will, the rest of the site. The weather here, this week, was doing its best to twist a few, too. 17 C (62 F) Tues with 0.5 inches …
They Had Feathers, Damnit! 2.0
A fragment of dinosaur feather Steve should like this. they-had-feathers-damnit Steve’s pet peeve.
DNA evidence for Yukon woolly mammoths and horses 5,000 years ago
DNA evidence for Yukon woolly mammoths and horses 5,000 years ago The analysis reveals that mammoths and horses were already in steep decline prior to the climatic instability, but they did not immediately disappear due to human overhunting as previously thought. In fact, the DNA evidence shows that both the woolly mammoth and North American horse persisted …
Utah Considers a Ban on Wireless Trail Cams During Hunting Season
Utah Considers a Ban on Wireless Trail Cams During Hunting Season I sent this around and Steve thought it was worth blogging. My friends have cell cams and they dominate the market having replaced other trail cams very quickly. arizona-trail-camera-ban There has been lots of abuse, especially in the southwest, around water holes. I have …
Cheatgrass, Pterosaurs
Invasive annual grasses have increased eightfold in area in the Great Basin region since 1990, the team found. Smith and colleagues estimate that areas dominated by the grasses have grown more than 2,300 square kilometers annually, a rate of take-over proportionally greater than recent deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. Invasive grasses are taking over the …
Saw Whets are Sweeties
northern-saw-whet-owl-migration-research I was coming home about an hour after dark when something whitish flashed up and hit the side of the car. I almost didn’t go back but it looked odd to me and I was curious. Going back I could see a small object in the middle of the lane that looked dead. Walking up it was a live saw whet …