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Iridescent Lizard Discovered in Northeastern Cambodia

Dr. Ben Rawson — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:58:00 +0000

Newly-discovered species of skink in Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area. (© Gabor Csorba)

Following on the recent bat and gibbon discoveries, a new species of lizard (Lygosoma veunsaiensis) has also been described from the Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area (VSSPCA) in Cambodia’s northeastern forests, adding further conservation value to this site.

The lizard is a new type of skink whose most striking features are its iridescent skin and its long form. Its tail is considerably longer than its body, which together with its very short legs — less than half a centimeter long — amplify its long appearance.

This new species has been named after the region in which it was discovered as a tribute to the area and to underscore the importance of Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area for the conservation of Cambodia’s threatened biodiversity. This is the third new species in the last two years to be discovered in VSSPCA. Last year a new type of bat was found here, and in 2010 a new gibbon species was described.

These discoveries are the result of biological assessments led by Fauna & Flora International in partnership with CI, which were carried out in 2010-2011 in VSSPCA. This new species was described from one specimen from the hundreds collected at the site. Of the 45 amphibian and reptile species that have now been recorded, this was the only Lygosoma specimen collected — and a very lucky find, as this type of lizard typically spends much of its time underground.

The results of biological survey work keep coming, and with each new discovery, the case for greater protection of this area is strengthened. As a result of this work, VSSPCA is now known to be extremely high in biodiversity. This species abundance, coupled with the resources and cultural values that local communities receive from this beautiful area, lend additional scientific weight to our hope that VSSPCA will be officially designated as a “protected forest” for its biodiversity value and the well-being of current and future generations.

Ben Rawson is the Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area Scape manager for Cambodia.

Ancient Elephants Followed the (Female) Leader

Ann Gibbons, Science AAAS — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:41:00 +0000

When a herd of prehistoric elephants walked through mud in the Arabian Desert about 7 million years ago, its members unwittingly left their footprints—and clues about their social lives—behind. Those prints now reveal how the herd behaved: Just like modern elephants, mature males meandered on their own while the rest of the herd apparently followed a female leader.

Fires and deaths from deforestation linked

R Greenway, ENN — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:15:00 +0000

A new study links smoke from the burning of wood waste from deforestation to deaths from the effects of breathing all that smoke. Worldwide, smoke from these fires (called landscape fires) contributed to an average of 339,000 deaths per year between 1997 and 2006, according to new research published in Environmental Health Perspectives and released today during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia were the hardest hit by fire-smoke deaths, with an estimated annual average of 157,000 and 110,000 deaths, respectively, attributable to fire smoke exposure, said researcher Fay Johnston, who represented a global team at the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

Pretty Pleistocene Flower

Editor, ENN — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:05:00 +0000

The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2.6 million to 12,000 years ago that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciation. Not much has survived from that era except as fossils until now. Fruit seeds stored away by squirrels more than 30,000 years ago and found in Siberian permafrost have been regenerated into full flowering plants by scientists in Russia, a new study has revealed. The seeds of the herbaceous Silene stenophylla are far and away the oldest plant tissue to have been brought back to life, according to lead cryologists Svetlana Yashina and David Gilichinsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Quiet Clean Mining Revolution

Guest Author — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:56:00 +0000

Few industries have got the black eye, literally and metaphorically, of mining. After centuries of environmental effects ranging from toxic emissions to unsightly tailings ponds, acid mine drainage, massive energy consumption and other impacts, mining is slowly cleaning up its act. Why? Mostly because new clean technologies are increasing industrial efficiencies. They're lowering mining companies' power needs. And they're even helping reduce water requirements, and/or remediating the produced water and mines of years past that are now leaching toxins. And that's translating into cost savings for mining companies, which are being held increasingly accountable for their environmental impacts and are looking for ways to minimize the expenses of both the production phase of their operations, and reclamation (i.e. the mandated end-of-life cleanup expenses associated with mining in many jurisdictions, now). In other words, now that it's starting to be less expensive on net for mining companies to be clean, they're starting to move in that direction. Here's a look at some selected companies at the forefront of new, clean processes in mining today.

Republic of Congo Expands National Park to Protect Great Apes

David A Gabel, ENN — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:39:00 +0000

The Nouabale-Ndoki National Park is a lush rainforest park within the equatorial nation of the Republic of Congo (ROC), not to be confused with the much larger Democratic Republic of Congo to the south and east. The ROC has followed through on its commitments to expand the NNNP by 8 percent, from about 1,500 square miles to about 1,630 square miles. The newly included area holds a unique ecosystem known as the Goualougo Triangle. The Goualougo is a very dense, swampy forest that is home to a nearly pristine and untouched great ape population that was first discovered in 1989 by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists.

Seamount Expedition Kicks Off in Costa Rica

Greg Stone — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Fish swimming near Cocos Island off the coast of Costa Rica. The marine protected area surrounding the island is an important part of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape. (© CI/ Photo by Sterling Zumbrunn)

I’m briefly back home in Hawaii and am preparing to fly to Central America to begin a National Geographic expedition to explore seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica. With the large amount of travel I’m doing these days I’m very much beginning to feel like Jules Verne’s famous character Phileas Fogg from “Around the World in Eighty Days.”

First, let me backtrack; we’ve been talking about a story on seamounts for many years and have made a number of trips: beginning in the Sea of Cortez, and more recently including a trip in early 2011 to Raja Ampat, Indonesia and later to the Cortes bank off the coast of California. Seamounts are underwater volcanoes — some extinct, some still active — whose size and expanse can rival the Rocky Mountains. They are unique for their biodiversity which rival that of any coral reef system. Many endemic species (species unique to a specific geography) — as well as species new to science — have been found around seamounts, so they provide a significant opportunity for study.

My good friend and world-renowned underwater photographer Brian Skerry will be co-leading this trip with me; together, we hope to paint a compelling picture of these unique systems. Our team will also include Dr. Larry Madin from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Dr. Peter Auster from the University of Connecticut; Alan Dynner from the New England Aquarium; and Mike Velings, a Dutch entrepreneur and founder of the Netherlands-based “A-Spark – Good Ventures,” a company focused on environmentally-friendly business models.

Our destination is Cocos Island, which is found 300 miles [483 kilometers] southwest of Cabo Blanco in Costa Rica. In 1994, Jacques Cousteau called it the “most beautiful island in the world.” In order to get there we will be travelling on the Argo, a 130-foot [40-meter] vessel that includes both deep-diving submersibles and ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles), which we’ll use to help us explore the surrounding seamounts and to hopefully better understand these systems.

Greg Stone

I’m very excited to reach Costa Rica and to begin this final chapter of our seamounts adventure. The final story will come to fruition later in 2012 in National Geographic Magazine. I look forward to providing another blog update during the expedition to let you know how things are going — stay tuned!

Greg Stone is CI’s chief scientist for oceans. This expedition is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-1114251. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

National Defense and President Obama’s 2013 Clean Energy Budget

Tina Casey — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:31:00 +0000

As far as clean energy and green jobs go, President Obama's 2013 budget includes a Christmas-in-July package of initiatives that are designed to help pull the U.S. out of recession while transitioning the economy to cleaner, safer, more reliable and less price-spikey forms of energy. Those last two items – price and reliability of supply – are especially important to the Department of Defense, which will see its rate of growth slow dramatically under the new budget.

Even Sharks Make Friends

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:21:00 +0000

Sharks have a reputation for being ruthless, solitary predators, but evidence is mounting that certain species enjoy complex social lives that include longstanding relationships and teamwork. A new study, published in the latest Animal Behaviour, documents how one population of blacktip reef sharks is actually organized into four communities and two subcommunities. The research shows for the first time that adults of a reef-associated shark species form stable, long-term social bonds.

Photosynthesis

Andy Soos, ENN — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:55:00 +0000

Photosynthesis is the process whereby biological systems convert sunlight into food and the source of all the fossil fuels we burn today. In a way it is the ultimate source of all energy supplies that we use. Glasgow scientists Professor Lee Cronin, Gardiner Chair of Chemistry, and Professor Mike Blatt, Regius Professor of Botany, will lead the UK efforts in two of four transatlantic research teams exploring ways to overcome limitations in photosynthesis which could then lead to ways of significantly increasing the yield of important crops for food production or sustainable bioenergy.