News in brief
Dolphin dementia
A European Journal of Neuroscience study on stranded dolphins has shown brain changes in aged dolphins similar to those seen with human ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. The results could support the ‘sick-leader’ theory, by which a healthy pod of animals find themselves in shallow waters after following a group leader who may have become confused or lost.
New start
A breeding population of pine martens has been discovered in the New Forest after hidden cameras captured footage of pine martens, including young. Previously only seen in northern England, Scotland and parts of Wales, this is clear evidence of the mustelid’s return to southern England.
Wood store
UK woodlands store significantly more carbon than was thought, according to new research. Ecological Solutions and Evidence reports that novel 3D-scanning techniques applied to an Oxfordshire woodland almost doubled previous estimates. The finding has important implications for future carbon management.
Oldest DNA
It’s not quite Jurassic Park, but scientists have discovered pieces of 2-million-year-old DNA – twice as old as the previous record. Nature reports that the fragments, found in northern Greenland, have allowed the scientists to build a picture of the ecosystem present at the time.
FACT.
All 150-plus species of pit viper boast a sixth sense: infrared detecting ‘pits’ in the head allow them to ambush their warm-blooded prey.