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Hurricane Matthew batters Haiti
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Frog beats fungus
They were once only known from specimens washed out of caves by flooding and legend had it they were baby dragons – a nickname that stuck. They can live to be 100 years old and only lay eggs once or twice a decade. So it was remarkable to see 64 eggs laid by a single individual earlier this year. They were placed in an aquarium within the cave. In total, 22 eggs hatched, and all are still alive and developing better than expected, says Weldt. Small populations and water pollution in its habitat in the Dinaric Alps in the Western Balkans means the species is classed as vulnerable.
FOR decades a deadly fungus has been killing amphibians around the world, driving many to the brink of extinction, or worse. But now one frog’s recovery shows that, with a little luck and habitat preservation, some may evolve resistance after all. The Sierra Nevada yellowlegged frog from the mountains of California has been declining for more than 100 years, due to non-native predatory trout and the deadly chytrid fungus. “By the early 2000s, it had disappeared from 93 per cent of
60 Seconds
its historical localities,” says Roland Knapp at the University of California’s Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory. But its numbers are recovering by an average of 11 per cent per year, according to Knapp’s team, who analysed 7000 population surveys from the past 20 years in Yosemite National Park (PNAS, doi. org/brch). There are fewer non-native fish. And, the frogs have developed some resistance to the fungus. “This shows there is hope that at least some species can recover, given the time and the habitat in which to do it,” Knapp says.
Hurricane Matthew batters Haiti
Rocket escape drill
NOAA
SPACE flight firm Blue Origin HAITI has been pummelled by hurricane Matthew, which brought was preparing for its most flooding and violent winds when it dramatic trial yet as New Scientist hit on Tuesday. One person had been went to press: a test of an in-flight killed as New Scientist went to press. escape system, designed to carry One of the strongest Atlantic future space tourists to safety in storms for nearly a decade, the an emergency. hurricane could dump up to a metre The company has already of rain and generate winds of 230 flown its reusable New Shepard kilometres an hour, raising fears rocket four times, launching about flash floods and mudslides in its uncrewed capsule into space the western hemisphere’s poorest and then returning the rocket country. safely to the West Texas desert. Thousands have been evacuated The escape system is designed from parts of neighbouring to separate the capsule from Dominican Republic, and heavy the rocket. For the test flight, rain and wind has hit Jamaica, it will jettison the capsule 45 with flooding blocking roads in the seconds after launch, when capital, Kingston. the rocket has climbed nearly Rural areas in south-west Haiti are 5000 metres. The capsule, with room for six, will blast its motor for less than 2 seconds, enough to carry it away to safety. But in doing so, the motor will knock the rocket back with a force of more than 300,000 newtons, likely inflicting severe damage on it. As the capsule parachutes back to Earth, the rocket will most probably plummet to the ground. Still filled with unused fuel, its landing will be decidedly explosive rather than soft. If New Shepard somehow manages to survive, the company –Not just another storm– says it will put it in a museum.
forecast to see the heaviest rain and most punishing winds. “Wherever that centre passes close to would see the worst winds and that’s what’s projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti,” says John Cangialosi at NOAA’S National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Rain is also a major concern, he adds. The Category 4 hurricane is forecast to move north over eastern Cuba and then the Bahamas, before striking the US east coast later this week. Florida and parts of North Carolina have already declared states of emergency. Matthew briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane in the region since Felix in 2007.
SpaceX investigation SpaceX has launched an inquiry into how its Falcon 9 rocket blew up during a routine test a month ago. According to the Washington Post, this means SpaceX has not ruled out the possibility of sabotage, although that remains unlikely. Congressman Mike Coffman has urged government agencies to take over the case, to protect future NASA crews slated to fly with SpaceX to the ISS.
The ugly truth Unattractive friends may make you look more fanciable, tests with volunteers suggest. They had to rate pictures of different faces for attractiveness, viewing them singly at first, then again with images of less attractive people alongside. The original faces scored more highly the second time around (Psychological Science, doi.org/brbn).
Bees on their knees Bees have appeared on the US endangered-species list for the first time. All native to Hawaii, the seven species of yellow-faced bees are threatened by non-native animals and by development. The bees pollinate some of Hawaii’s indigenous plant species, many of which are themselves threatened.
Poles’ pro-choice strike Thousands of women in Poland went on strike on Monday to protest a plan to ban abortions. The proposal, from an anti-abortion grassroots campaign, is being examined by a parliamentary commission and would make all abortions illegal, even in cases of rape or when the woman’s life is at risk.
A titan’s footprints One of the largest ever dinosaur footprints has been unearthed in the Gobi desert. The well-preserved fossil is 106 centimetres long and 77 centimetres wide, and is thought to have been made by a titanosaur – a long-necked herbivore that may have been 20 metres tall.
8 October 2016 | NewScientist | 7
Frog beats fungus
They were once only known from specimens washed out of caves by flooding and legend had it they were baby dragons – a nickname that stuck. They can live to be 100 years old and only lay eggs once or twice a decade. So it was remarkable to see 64 eggs laid by a single individual earlier this year. They were placed in an aquarium within the cave. In total, 22 eggs hatched, and all are still alive and developing better than expected, says Weldt. Small populations and water pollution in its habitat in the Dinaric Alps in the Western Balkans means the species is classed as vulnerable.
FOR decades a deadly fungus has been killing amphibians around the world, driving many to the brink of extinction, or worse. But now one frog’s recovery shows that, with a little luck and habitat preservation, some may evolve resistance after all. The Sierra Nevada yellowlegged frog from the mountains of California has been declining for more than 100 years, due to non-native predatory trout and the deadly chytrid fungus. “By the early 2000s, it had disappeared from 93 per cent of
60 Seconds
its historical localities,” says Roland Knapp at the University of California’s Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory. But its numbers are recovering by an average of 11 per cent per year, according to Knapp’s team, who analysed 7000 population surveys from the past 20 years in Yosemite National Park (PNAS, doi. org/brch). There are fewer non-native fish. And, the frogs have developed some resistance to the fungus. “This shows there is hope that at least some species can recover, given the time and the habitat in which to do it,” Knapp says.
Hurricane Matthew batters Haiti
Rocket escape drill
NOAA
SPACE flight firm Blue Origin HAITI has been pummelled by hurricane Matthew, which brought was preparing for its most flooding and violent winds when it dramatic trial yet as New Scientist hit on Tuesday. One person had been went to press: a test of an in-flight killed as New Scientist went to press. escape system, designed to carry One of the strongest Atlantic future space tourists to safety in storms for nearly a decade, the an emergency. hurricane could dump up to a metre The company has already of rain and generate winds of 230 flown its reusable New Shepard kilometres an hour, raising fears rocket four times, launching about flash floods and mudslides in its uncrewed capsule into space the western hemisphere’s poorest and then returning the rocket country. safely to the West Texas desert. Thousands have been evacuated The escape system is designed from parts of neighbouring to separate the capsule from Dominican Republic, and heavy the rocket. For the test flight, rain and wind has hit Jamaica, it will jettison the capsule 45 with flooding blocking roads in the seconds after launch, when capital, Kingston. the rocket has climbed nearly Rural areas in south-west Haiti are 5000 metres. The capsule, with room for six, will blast its motor for less than 2 seconds, enough to carry it away to safety. But in doing so, the motor will knock the rocket back with a force of more than 300,000 newtons, likely inflicting severe damage on it. As the capsule parachutes back to Earth, the rocket will most probably plummet to the ground. Still filled with unused fuel, its landing will be decidedly explosive rather than soft. If New Shepard somehow manages to survive, the company –Not just another storm– says it will put it in a museum.
forecast to see the heaviest rain and most punishing winds. “Wherever that centre passes close to would see the worst winds and that’s what’s projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti,” says John Cangialosi at NOAA’S National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Rain is also a major concern, he adds. The Category 4 hurricane is forecast to move north over eastern Cuba and then the Bahamas, before striking the US east coast later this week. Florida and parts of North Carolina have already declared states of emergency. Matthew briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane in the region since Felix in 2007.
SpaceX investigation SpaceX has launched an inquiry into how its Falcon 9 rocket blew up during a routine test a month ago. According to the Washington Post, this means SpaceX has not ruled out the possibility of sabotage, although that remains unlikely. Congressman Mike Coffman has urged government agencies to take over the case, to protect future NASA crews slated to fly with SpaceX to the ISS.
The ugly truth Unattractive friends may make you look more fanciable, tests with volunteers suggest. They had to rate pictures of different faces for attractiveness, viewing them singly at first, then again with images of less attractive people alongside. The original faces scored more highly the second time around (Psychological Science, doi.org/brbn).
Bees on their knees Bees have appeared on the US endangered-species list for the first time. All native to Hawaii, the seven species of yellow-faced bees are threatened by non-native animals and by development. The bees pollinate some of Hawaii’s indigenous plant species, many of which are themselves threatened.
Poles’ pro-choice strike Thousands of women in Poland went on strike on Monday to protest a plan to ban abortions. The proposal, from an anti-abortion grassroots campaign, is being examined by a parliamentary commission and would make all abortions illegal, even in cases of rape or when the woman’s life is at risk.
A titan’s footprints One of the largest ever dinosaur footprints has been unearthed in the Gobi desert. The well-preserved fossil is 106 centimetres long and 77 centimetres wide, and is thought to have been made by a titanosaur – a long-necked herbivore that may have been 20 metres tall.
8 October 2016 | NewScientist | 7