Latest news with #SchoolofNaturalSciences
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A New Dwarf Planet Has Joined Our Solar System's Family—Meet Pluto's 'Extreme Cousin'
Earth has a new neighbor that lives far, far away. Scientists from the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Natural Sciences believe they have found a new dwarf planet in extreme outer space. Officially named 2017 OF201, the object is estimated to be about one-third the diameter of Pluto, making it large enough to be classified as a dwarf planet, the same designation given to Pluto in 2006. According to the International Astronomical Union, to be considered a planet, an object must orbit a star, be mostly round, and be big enough that its gravity clears away any other objects of similar size near its orbit. Dwarf planets, like Pluto, can't clear their orbit of debris. Sihao Cheng, an astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Natural Sciences who led the team that discovered the object, described it as an "extreme 'cousin' of Pluto." The new finding is known as a trans-Neptunian object, or TNO, which are bodies in the solar system that orbit the sun beyond Neptune, which is 30 times more distant from the sun than Earth. Because the object takes an incredibly lengthy 25,000 years to complete one orbit around the sun, it's only detectable at certain times. Cheng discovered the object as part of an ongoing research project to identify TNOs and possible new planets in the outer solar system. The area beyond the Kuiper Belt, where the object is located, has previously been thought to be empty, but the team's discovery suggests otherwise. "2017 OF201 spends only 1 percent of its orbital time close enough to us to be detectable. The presence of this single object suggests there could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbits and sizes; they are just too far away to be detectable now," Cheng said. He added: "Even though advances in telescopes have enabled us to explore distant parts of the universe, there is still a great deal to discover about our own solar system." Read the original article on Martha Stewart
Irish Independent
21-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
How Ireland's wild honey bees are surviving without help – University of Galway leads EU Research
Once thought extinct in the wild, native Irish honey bees are showing remarkable resilience — now scientists from Galway are leading a Europe-wide study to understand how. University of Galway is leading an international research project to uncover how wild honey bee colonies survive and thrive in the wild across Europe. Once thought to be extinct in the wild, recent independent research has revealed that free-living honey bees exist in some parts of Europe, including Ireland, although much is still unknown about their ability to survive in the wild. The project, entitled FREE-B, seeks to tackle the knowledge gap by investigating the various factors that bolster survival of these colonies such as their environment, biology and behaviour. As part of the project, researchers from Ireland, France, Poland, Portugal and Sweden will collaborate to explore the survival tactics of free-living honeybees. Teams from the five European countries will search for nest sites in collaboration with citizen scientists and the international coalition Honey Bee Watch, with a special focus on forested and remote areas. In addition to gathering information about the colonies, such as location, nest type, and density, they will also conduct regular monitoring of nests to track survival rates while analysing adaptation and diversity within various environments across the studied areas. Professor Grace McCormack of the School of Natural Sciences at University of Galway believes the outlook looks promising, saying: 'We have been monitoring free-living honey bee colonies across the island of Ireland since 2015 and have found excellent overwintering survival in this group. 'There is a high proportion of pure native Irish honey bee in the wild population and our research so far suggests that they do not have any higher levels of pests or diseases than managed colonies. Being well adapted to local conditions they may hold key secrets that could improve apiculture in Ireland. 'Indeed, many beekeepers already rely on wild colonies to bolster their beekeeping, particularly beekeepers who no longer use chemicals to treat for the parasitic varroa mite. 'We look forward to extending our research via FREE-B to investigate broader patterns of survival in this key group across different latitudes and climates, to diving deeper to understand what goes on in a wild nest throughout the season, and to sharing exciting research outputs with beekeepers.'
The Journal
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Galway researchers have discovered why some spiders are more venomous than others
A NEW STUDY from the University of Galway's School of Natural Sciences has revealed why some spiders possess venom that is far more potent than others. The researchers analysed venom from more than 70 different spider species, to see if things like body size, prey type, and hunting method, could explain the wide variation in venom strength. They can now confirm that diet is one of the most influential factors in the potency of spider venom. They found that spider venoms are what is called 'prey-specific', meaning if a spider primarily hunts insects, its venom is likely to be particularly effective at killing insects in general, such as crickets and flies. Meanwhile, it may be far less effective against other non-insect prey, like small mammals. Lead author Dr Keith Lyons from University of Galway's School of Natural Sciences, said this could explain why species that are known to sometimes prey on small mammals, such as the Brazilian wandering spider or Black widow, have venoms that can cause medically significant effects in us humans. Advertisement 'Species that only prey on invertebrates, such as the Giant house spider, have evolved venoms that target invertebrate physiologies rather than our own, posing little threat to us,' he said. Dr Keith Lyons and Dr Kevin Healy, School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway Andrew Downes Andrew Downes The findings were published today in the journal Biology Letters. The researchers also tested whether the use of webs to capture prey was related to the potency or volume of a spider's venom. Dr Kevin Healy, Senior author and Head of the Macroecology lab at the University's School of Natural Sciences, said that they 'surprisingly' found no relationship between the two. He said this suggests that webs are likely important for restraining prey in web-hunters, regardless of how deadly their venom is. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
University of Galway researchers uncover why some spiders have stronger venom than others
The team at the university's School of Natural Sciences analysed the venom of over 70 different species of spider. A number of factors were considered including the size of the spider, the type of prey they hunt and how they hunt it. The effects of a spider bite can vary significantly from one species to another. A bite from the Brazilian wandering spider can result in serious medical complications, but venom from a giant house spider commonly found in Ireland is of little threat to humans. The results have been published in the journal Biology Letters. The researchers, including lead author, Dr Keith Lyons, found spider venoms are 'prey-specific', making the diet of the spider one of the most important factors for determining how potent their venom is. Spiders that mainly hunt insects are likely to have venom particularly dangerous for insects but their venom has less impact on other prey such as small mammals. 'Our results show that spider venoms have evolved to be especially potent when tested on animals found in their diet in the wild,' Dr Lyons said. 'This may explain why species that are known to occasionally prey upon small mammals, such as the Brazilian wandering spider or black widow, have venoms that can cause medically significant effects in us humans, whereas species that only prey on invertebrates, such as the giant house spider, have evolved venoms that target invertebrate physiologies rather than our own, posing little threat to us.' The research also examined whether the spiders' use of webs to catch their prey had any relation to the strength or volume of venom. 'We predicted that web-hunting spiders might have less potent venoms because they may have evolved to rely more on their webs to immobilise prey,' senior author and head of the macro-ecology lab at the School of Natural Sciences, Dr Kevin Healy, said. 'Surprisingly, we found no relationship between whether a spider used their web and the potency of their venom, suggesting that webs are likely important for restraining prey in web-hunters, regardless of how deadly their venom is. 'This study helps us to understand the evolution of spider venoms and aids in our understanding of why some spiders, such as the noble false widow, become invasive species in some parts of the world, or how some venoms may be of particular interest for future drug discovery, or the development of pest species-specific, pollinator-friendly insecticides.' 'By understanding the fundamental drivers of venom evolution, we can better predict the types of biomolecules in spider venoms that have yet to be explored for drug discovery and why some species of spiders are more likely to become invasive species,' Dr Michel Dugon, of the Ryan Institute, said.
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
University of Galway leads Europe-wide research on survival tactics of wild honey bees
Once thought to be extinct in the wild, recent independent research has revealed that free-living honey bees exist in some parts of Europe, including Ireland, although much is still unknown about their ability to survive in the wild. The project, entitled FREE-B, seeks to tackle the knowledge gap by investigating the various factors that bolster survival of these colonies such as their environment, biology and behaviour. As part of the project, researchers from Ireland, France, Poland, Portugal and Sweden will collaborate to explore the survival tactics of free-living honeybees. Teams from the five European countries will search for nest sites in collaboration with citizen scientists and the international coalition Honey Bee Watch, with a special focus on forested and remote areas. In addition to gathering information about the colonies, such as location, nest type, and density, they will also conduct regular monitoring of nests to track survival rates while analysing adaptation and diversity within various environments across the studied areas. Professor Grace McCormack of the School of Natural Sciences at University of Galway believes the outlook looks promising, saying: 'We have been monitoring free-living honey bee colonies across the island of Ireland since 2015 and have found excellent overwintering survival in this group. 'There is a high proportion of pure native Irish honey bee in the wild population and our research so far suggests that they do not have any higher levels of pests or diseases than managed colonies. Being well adapted to local conditions they may hold key secrets that could improve apiculture in Ireland. 'Indeed, many beekeepers already rely on wild colonies to bolster their beekeeping, particularly beekeepers who no longer use chemicals to treat for the parasitic varroa mite. 'We look forward to extending our research via FREE-B to investigate broader patterns of survival in this key group across different latitudes and climates, to diving deeper to understand what goes on in a wild nest throughout the season, and to sharing exciting research outputs with beekeepers.'
