Researchers are tracking the rapid European spread of the black-headed slug, a land mollusk native to the Black Sea region.
Tracking the Black-Headged Slug Across Europe
The black-headed slug has established populations outside its native habitat around the Black Sea, colonizing large parts of Europe in recent years. To map this expansion, researchers are asking the public to record sightings, which include the precise location, time of discovery, and a photograph.
Volcanic Activity and Floating Lava on Réunion Island
Réunion Island sits in the Indian Ocean and houses the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the planet’s most active volcanoes. Eruptive activity between February and March damaged the island’s main coastal road and formed a brand-new coastal platform where molten rock entered the ocean.
Francis Drake and the Second Circumnavigation
On September 26, 1580, Francis Drake arrived in Plymouth alongside 59 surviving crew members, completing the second circumnavigation of the globe 58 years after Magellan. Historical assessments of Drake vary widely, casting him alternatively as a national hero and skilled commander or as a pirate, murderer, and terror of the seas. This historical milestone was highlighted by Ing. František Houdek in the section Stalo se tento den.
Aquatic Insect Adaptations in Lake Malawi
While insects inhabit nearly every terrestrial environment, very few of the estimated 20 million insect species have adapted to life in the world’s oceans. However, certain insect larvae successfully thrive 200 meters underwater in Africa’s Lake Malawi. Biologist Prof. Jaroslav Petr has detailed the mechanisms that allow these specific larvae to survive beneath the lake’s surface.
Cellular Modification and Mammalian Photosynthesis
Scientists have successfully engineered mammalian cells in a laboratory setting to incorporate aspects of photosynthesis, a process naturally exclusive to plants. Laboratory mice suffering from dry eye syndrome experienced clinical relief following the procedure.
Acoustic Discrimination in Koi Carp
Research led by Ava Chase at Harvard University demonstrates that koi carp possess auditory capabilities, distinguishing between blues music and classical compositions. According to findings discussed in the book What a Fish Knows by British ethologist and biologist Jonathan Balcombe—published by Kazda and read by Igor Bareš—these fish can even generalize musical differences when introduced to unfamiliar artists within the same genre.
Worth a look