While scientists are still puzzling over the disappearance of bees, large numbers of bats have begun dying out no less mysteriously
We’ve by now all seen the news that bees are dying in huge numbers. Scientists have labeled the phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Dead bees mean less crop pollination, which means less food at higher prices. What’s causing the problem is still anyone’s guess. Now, strangely, bats in the eastern U.S. are experiencing a similar plague which biologists have dubbed White Nose Syndrome (WNS) for the white fungus that appears on their bodies at the height of infection. Scientists are already calling it the worst disaster for bat populations in the United States, estimating the death of half a million animals this year alone.
As with CCD, biologists worry that WNS is a conflation of more than one factor and that the white fungus is merely a secondary infection. While signs point to a disruption in the bats’ food source—perhaps the recently introduced pesticides to combat mosquitoes that may carry West Nile virus—it is unclear whether WNS is caused by a toxin or simply a food shortage. In addition to (or because of) the infections, bats aren’t gaining enough weight before they hibernate and are either dying in situ or are waking up in the dead of winter and flying out into the cold to certain death.
There is concern that if the cause is contagious, it will spread rapidly. While humans are not vectors for infection, visitors to caves could be taking it out of caves on their clothes and gear. Bats themselves could do the job as well, migrating hundreds of miles in the summer to roost and give birth. While the economic impact of CCD is immediately apparent, the same may more subtly apply to WNS. Bats are known to consume large quantities of insect pests which would otherwise affect crop yields. How severely this may play out at this year’s harvests remains to be seen.
Via NY Times
Egg-laying mammal provides clues about evolution
An international team of scientists today published the first analysis of the genome sequence of Glennie, a female duck-billed platypus from Australia. Because the platypus occupies a unique branch on the tree of life, Glennie’s genome could provide important clues about how humans and other mammalian species evolved.
Like all mammals, the platypus nourishes its young with milk. But platypus babies hatch from eggs, a characteristic usually associated with birds and reptiles.
By comparing the platypus genome with the genomes of other animals—including the human, mouse, dog, chicken and green anole lizard—the scientists hope to pinpoint which genes are common to all mammals, and when various traits have appeared or disappeared in the mammalian lineage.
For example, unlike chickens and lizards, all mammals have a good sense of smell—thanks to a large number of genes that code for odor receptors in the nose. The scientists who analyzed the platypus genome found that it has only about half as many genes for odor receptors as other mammals whose genomes have been studied. However, it has a surplus of genes associated with a particular type of odor receptor called the vomeronasal receptor, which may be responsible for helping the platypus detect odors while foraging underwater with its duck-like bill. Studying the apparently aberrant platypus is already yielding hints about our own evolutionary origins.
The complex algorithm which bats employ to identify plants could make for the most advanced facial recognition software yet
This past week we happened to cover both dolphin echolocation and facial recognition. Today comes a report on a study that may bring the two concepts a little closer together. German researchers have devised a computer algorithm which is able to identify plant species using sonar echoes, in the same way bats are able to find fruit and insects. If the technology is one day sufficiently refined, it could ultimately be used for facial recognition.
Bats rely on echolocation to find their way around and to hunt prey and forage for fruit. In order better to understand how the bats identify which plants bear the fruit they prefer, the researchers at the University of Tübingen devised a software routine that could analyze the echo response time and frequency of sound waves reflected off isolated plants. Each presented a distinct signature, based on the size and number of branches and leaves. The team was able to achieve nearly 100 percent accuracy once the study was complete.
Not only will the findings be valuable for the science of bats and echolocation, but the applications for humans are potentially great as well. The distinct advantage of a sonar identification system over a visual-based system is that it would be able to operate in low light or total darkness.
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- Tags: Bats, Facial Recogntion, Sonar
