Desert Rhubarb Current Events | Desert Rhubarb News
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Desert rhubarb -- a self-irrigating plant
Researchers from the Department of Science Education-Biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim have managed to make out the "self-irrigating" mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert. view more (2009-07-02)
The desert is dying
Researchers from University of Bergen have found that trees, which are a main resource for desert people and their flocks, are in significant decline in the hyper-arid Eastern Desert of Egypt. view more (2007-02-14)
Desert dust enables algae to grow
Biologists from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research have demonstrated that desert dust promotes the growth of algae. Scientists had already assumed that the iron in desert dust stimulated algal growth, but this has now been demonstrated for the first time. The researchers have published their findings in the December issue of the... view more... (2003-12-19)
Ancient trans-Atlantic swarm brought locusts to the new world
Somewhere between three and five million years ago, a massive swarm of locusts took off from the west coast of Africa and made an unlikely voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to colonize the New World, says an international team of researchers. view more (2005-12-21)
Carnegie Mellon's Sandstorm robot makes unprecedented 200-mile autonomous run
Carnegie Mellon University's autonomous robotic HUMMER Sandstorm drove an unprecedented 200 miles in seven hours without human guidance last week in preparation for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, a 175-mile driverless desert race with a $2 million winner-take-all prize. view more (2005-07-13)
Large source of nitrate, a potential water contaminant, found in near-surface desert soils
A UC Riverside-led study in the Mojave Desert, Calif., has found that soils under "desert pavement" have an unusually high concentration of nitrate, a type of salt, close to the surface. Vulnerable to erosion by rain and wind if the desert pavement is disrupted, this vast source of nitrate could contaminate surface and groundwaters,... view more... (2008-03-03)
Methane found in desert soils bolsters theories that life could exist on Mars
Evidence of methane-producing organisms can be found in inhospitable soil environments much like those found on the surface of Mars. view more (2005-11-01)
Conflict over rearing young shapes breeding systems
An article in the October 2006 issue of BioScience, the monthly journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), describes evidence that conflict between male and female shorebirds over which member of a breeding pair will raise their young has had a profound influence on the evolution of breeding systems in these birds. view more (2006-10-03)
Keeping cool in a war zone: Device promises relief for desert soldiers
One of the deadliest obstacles soldiers in desert war zones have to face is heat. The gear soldiers wear and carry can contribute 10 additional degrees to the outside temperature, a dangerously significant increase on a 95-degree day, for instance. view more (2006-05-11)
Soggy Sands of Mars?
Cracks and fins in the sand in an American desert look very similar to features seen on Mars and may indicate the recent presence of water at the surface. view more (2006-04-07)
Thieves promote stable coexistence among desert rodents
The warm deserts of North America are hopping with multiple species of kangaroo rats and pocket mice despite limited seed resources. view more (2006-07-27)
Desert woodrats switch one dietary poison for another
As the U.S. Southwest grew warmer between 18,700 and 10,000 years ago, juniper trees vanished from what is now the Mojave Desert, robbing woodrats of their favorite food. view more (2009-04-08)
Why are some groups of animals so diverse?
A new study of finger-sized Australian lizards sheds light on one of the most striking yet largely unexplained patterns in nature: why is it that some groups of animals have evolved into hundreds, even thousands of species, while other groups include only a few? view more (2007-09-20)
Desert dust alters ecology of Colorado alpine meadows
Accelerated snowmelt--precipitated by desert dust blowing into the mountains--changes how alpine plants respond to seasonal climate cues that regulate their life cycles. view more (2009-06-30)
Which came first, the moth or the cactus?
It's not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket- unless you're a senita moth. view more (2007-08-15)
Rocky water source
Gypsum, a rocky mineral is abundant in desert regions where fresh water is usually in very short supply but oil and gas fields are common view more (2008-06-12)
Landscapes and human behavior
On Arizona State University's (ASU) Polytechnic campus, graduate student families in the cluster of six houses abutting lush lawns and ornamental bushes spend time together talking while their kids play outside. view more (2006-08-10)
Nitrogen loss threatens desert plant life, study shows
As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new Cornell study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. view more (2009-11-09)
Gazelles shrink liver and heart to reduce oxygen consumption during drought
How do gazelles and other large desert mammals adjust their physiology to survive when food and water are in short supply? view more (2006-06-09)
Los Angeles enjoying 1,000 year seismic lull
The Los Angeles basin appears to be in a seismic "lull" characterized by relatively smaller and infrequent earthquakes, according to a study in the September issue of Geology. view more (2007-08-24)
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