Latest news with #UniversityofHawaiʻiatMānoa
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
UH: Urgent response required to save world's coral reefs
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A study by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology found that coral reefs are less frequent in the tropics due to warming oceans. The research found that the reefs are unable to beat the heat and effects of climate change, which rings the emergency alarm for conservationists. 8 takeaways from Hawaiʻi's top ranking for school lunches However, there is still hope, as the research showed that immediate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can improve the future of these iconic ocean scenes across the planet. 'As the ocean warms, species tend to move poleward,' said lead author Noam Vogt-Vincent, lead author of the study. 'We know from the fossil record that coral reefs have previously expanded their ranges in response to past climate change, but we didn't know whether this was a matter of decades or millennia.' In order to predict changes in the distribution of these reefs, the research team used complex simulation models running on UH's high-performance computing cluster. The team created a global model including approximately 50,000 coral reef sites to the model, the researches tested three future emissions scenarios: one with low warming, around two degrees Celsius, a moderate warming scenario, around three degrees Celsius and a high warming model, which is greater than four degrees Celsius. 'By modeling coral reefs globally and incorporating evolution and connectivity, this study provides an unprecedented long-term view of how these complex ecosystems will respond to climate change,' said research professor Lisa McManus. Provided the current condition of the climate on coral reefs, the researchers found both good news and bad news. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news 'Unfortunately, while we've confirmed that coral reef range expansion will indeed eventually occur, the biggest coral losses are expected in the next 60 years, meaning these new, higher-latitude reefs won't form fast enough to save most tropical coral species,' Vogt-Vincent said. While northern Florida, southern Australia and southern Japan may see new reefs in the future, they will not be in existence soon enough to help corals survive through the century, UH said. While the future seems bleak, there is still hope, with significant cuts in emissions, such as those outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement, could dramatically reduce the loss of coral. Aliʻi Drive to revert to a two-way street Currently, coral reduction is on track to lose up to 86% of coral reefs; but with lower emissions, losses could be reduced to only around 33% of coral reefs. 'Our study suggests that reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will not just improve coral reef futures this century, but for hundreds to thousands of years into the future,' Vogt-Vincent said. 'Our actions over the next few decades will therefore have incredibly long-lasting consequences for coral reefs globally.' Researchers will continue to monitor reef levels with their supercomputer power to try to better understand both threats and solutions surrounding the world's coral reefs. For more information, visit the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Megatsunami warning: Three US States could face direct impact within 50 years
A groundbreaking study from Virginia Tech, published in the , has issued an urgent warning: within the next 50 years, three U.S. states—Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington—are at significant risk of experiencing catastrophic megatsunamis. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These colossal waves, potentially reaching up to 1,000 feet, could result from massive earthquakes and geological events, threatening millions of lives and causing unprecedented damage. What is a megatsunami ? A megatsunami is a very large wave created by a large, sudden displacement of material into a body of water. Unlike an ordinary tsunami, a megatsunami is characterized by extremely large wave heights, often hundreds of meters, and is typically caused by massive underwater displacements like large landslides or volcanic eruptions. Megatsunamis can reach wave heights of hundreds of meters and are often triggered by massive underwater events like large landslides, glacier collapses, or meteorite impacts. Megatsunamis can inundate coastal areas much further inland and with greater force than regular tsunamis. In October 1936, a megatsunami occurred in Lituya Bay in Alaska with a maximum run-up height of 150 metres (490 ft) in Crillon Inlet at the head of the bay. The four eyewitnesses to the wave in Lituya Bay itself all survived and described it as between 30 and 76 metres (100 and 250 ft) high. Cascadia Subduction Zone : A ticking time bomb Stretching from Northern California to Vancouver Island, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is a major fault line where the Juan de Fuca Plate is slowly sinking beneath the North American Plate. This tectonic boundary has the potential to produce a magnitude 8.0 or greater earthquake, with scientists estimating a 15% chance of such an event occurring within the next 50 years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The last significant rupture along this fault occurred in 1700, but the risk remains high. A major earthquake in this region could cause coastal land to sink by up to 6.5 feet, dramatically expanding floodplains and increasing flood risks. The resulting tsunami could send waves up to 40 feet high, devastating communities along the Pacific Northwest coast, including northern California, northern Oregon, and southern Washington. Experts warn that public awareness remains low, and evacuation times could be as short as 10 minutes, leaving little room for escape. Alaska: A double threat from earthquakes and landslides Alaska faces a dual threat from both seismic activity and climate change-induced landslides. The Aleutian Islands, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, are prone to powerful earthquakes. A study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa estimates a 9% chance of a magnitude 9.0 or greater earthquake in the Aleutians within the next 50 years. Such an event could generate a mega-tsunami with waves reaching up to 75 feet, impacting coastal communities along the Alaska Peninsula and potentially affecting areas as far away as Hawaii. Additionally, melting glaciers in Alaska are destabilizing slopes, increasing the risk of massive landslides into the ocean. These landslides can displace large volumes of water, generating tsunamis that could inundate nearby coastal areas. The combination of seismic and climatic factors makes Alaska particularly vulnerable to devastating tsunami events. Hawaii: Volcanic collapses pose tsunami risk Hawaii's unique geological features also place it at risk. The Big Island's active volcanoes, such as Kīlauea, are susceptible to flank collapses—massive landslides where large sections of the volcano's flank slide into the ocean. These collapses can displace enormous amounts of water, generating tsunamis that can affect coastal areas of Hawaii. While the probability of such events is lower compared to other regions, the potential impact on Hawaii's densely populated coastal areas makes it a significant concern. Urgent call for preparedness: The study underscores the need for immediate action to prepare for potential mega-tsunamis. Experts advocate for enhanced , improved infrastructure, and public education campaigns to ensure communities are ready to respond effectively. In the Pacific Northwest, for instance, FEMA estimates that a magnitude 9 earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone could result in over 13,000 fatalities and displace more than a million people. Coastal regions must invest in resilient infrastructure, including elevated buildings and tsunami-resistant designs, to withstand the impacts of such disasters. Additionally, updating evacuation plans and conducting regular drills can save lives by ensuring that residents know how to respond quickly and safely. Global implications and climate change considerations: While the immediate focus is on the United States, the global implications of mega-tsunamis are profound. Rising sea levels due to climate change exacerbate the risks associated with these events, as higher ocean levels can increase the extent of flooding and damage. International collaboration in monitoring seismic activity and sharing early warning information is crucial to mitigate the effects of such disasters worldwide. Conclusion: The recent study serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by coastal regions in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest. With the potential for mega-tsunamis within the next 50 years, these communities must take proactive measures to prepare for such catastrophic events. Through enhanced preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and public awareness, the impact of these disasters can be mitigated, saving lives and protecting livelihoods. As scientists continue to monitor seismic activity and climate change effects, the need for comprehensive disaster planning and international cooperation becomes ever more critical. By learning from past events and investing in future resilience, we can better safeguard our coastal communities against the looming threat of mega-tsunamis. Covid-19 crisis: Goans on a mission to grow more greens, after lockdown blues
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Nearby Star's Song Shakes Up Astronomy With 'Long-Lost Tuning Fork'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Our understanding of how stars evolve has been shaken up by astronomers who have been listening to the "song" sung by a nearby star. While the movement of celestial bodies might not quite play the "music of the spheres"—as poetically imagined by the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras—each star does still resonate with natural frequencies. And just as the vibrations of earthquakes allow seismologists to probe the interior of the Earth, so the oscillations of stars allow "asteroseismologists" to learn about the inside of stars. "The vibrations of a star are like its unique song," explained paper author and astronomer Yaguang Li of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in a statement. "By listening to those oscillations, we can precisely determine how massive a star is, how large it is and how old it is." Located just 21 light-years from Earth, HD 219134 is an orange main sequence star much older than our sun. By listening to its tune, astronomers have been able to learn key new information about how stars evolve as they get older. An illustration of sound waves in a star. An illustration of sound waves in a star. OpenAI, based on original artwork from Gabriel Perez Diaz/Instituto de Astrofísica de Canaria Previous asteroseismological studies—using such NASA telescopes as Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)—have typically involved stars that are hotter than the Sun. In contrast, HD 219134 is much cooler, meaning that its "song" was much too subtle for space-based telescopes to pick up via observation of the star's brightness. In the new study, however, astronomers used the cutting-edge "Keck Planet Finder" (KPF) instrument as the W. M. Keck Observatory at the peak of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, to measure the faint movement of the surface of HD 219134 towards and away from us. "KPF's fast readout mode makes it perfectly suited for detecting oscillations in cool stars," explained Li. "It is the only spectrograph on Mauna Kea currently capable of making this type of discovery." Taking more than 2,000 ultra-precise measurements of the star's vibrations of the course of four consecutive nights, the team have been able to estimate HD 219134's age and size. Based on how it has been observed oscillating, Li and colleagues believe that HD 219134 is more than twice as old as our sun, at a stately 10.2 billion years. Not only does this make it one of the oldest stars to have ever been dated via asteroseismology, but it also shakes up how we understand how stars age. For most stars, astronomers are able to calculate their ages based on how quickly they spin, in a method known as "gyrochronology;" for while young stars spin quickly, they lose angular momentum over time, slowing down. However, the slow-down of stars like HD 219134 tends to tall at older ages. By better understanding how this process works, astronomers will be able to refine our estimates of the ages of numerous other stars across the sky. "This is like finding a long-lost tuning fork for stellar clocks," said Li. "It gives us a reference point to calibrate how stars spin down over billions of years." Stock image of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Stock image of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. This wasn't the only surprising development from the new analysis of HD 219134—as the team also found that the star is more compact than previously assumed. Specifically, past studies based on interferometry (wherein the size of stars are measured using observations by multiple telescopes) gave it a radius some 4 percent larger. The reason for this discrepancy is unclear—but could point to issues with some of the assumptions presently made in stellar modeling. The researchers were also able to confirm that, of the five planets orbiting HD 219134, two indeed have Earth-like compositions, with solid, rocky surfaces. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about stars? Let us know via science@ Reference Li, Y., Huber, D., Ong, J. M. J., van Saders, J., Costa, R. R., Larsen, J. R., Basu, S., Bedding, T. R., Dai, F., Chontos, A., Carmichael, T. W., Hey, D., Kjeldsen, H., Hon, M., Campante, T. L., Monteiro, M. J. P. F. G., Lundkvist, M. S., Saunders, N., Isaacson, H., ... Walawender, J. (2025). K Dwarf Radius Inflation and a 10 Gyr Spin-down Clock Unveiled through Asteroseismology of HD 219134 from the Keck Planet Finder. The Astrophysical Journal, 984(2), 125.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Bone Collector' Caterpillar Wears Dead Bugs to Steal Prey From Spiders
We all need a way to get along in this wild, wicked world, and a rare insect found only on a mountainside on O'ahu has found an incredible strategy. A species of caterpillar that scientists are calling the 'bone collector' is not only a carnivore, and a cannibal, it also dresses itself in the body parts of dead insects so it can sneak around undetected and steal prey right from the jaws of spiders. No other species of caterpillar has been observed behaving this way, and only 62 individuals of the species have been seen in 20 years of fieldwork. The findings suggest that the newly described bone collector is rare, vulnerable, and requires targeted conservation to protect its place in our world. The insect belongs to the Hyposmocoma genus, and has been described for the first time in a new paper. Caterpillars are the larval stage for insects of the Lepidoptera order – you know, butterflies and moths. As adults, most of these insects primarily feed on plant matter (mostly), and their larvae do the same. It's common to see caterpillars merrily munching away on a leaf. Carnivorous species are rare. Just 0.1 percent of the known butterfly and moth species have caterpillars that like to munch on other animals. Caterpillars aren't exactly the most nimble of creatures, so the food of carnivorous species often includes slow-moving or stationary prey such as scale insects that cling to trees, wasp and ant larvae, and the eggs of other insects. The bone collector's strategy involves cozying up to a spider. A research team led by entomologist Daniel Rubinoff of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa observed the species in the wild, and collected several specimens to observe their behavior in a laboratory setting. The way they live their lives is very strange for a caterpillar. In the wild, a bone collector caterpillar will find an enclosed spider web – one that's safely concealed under tree bark, for example – and collect inedible pieces of insect to make themselves a little coat, bound together with silk. Once there, they'll happily chow down on any insects caught in the web, even chewing through the silk wrappers of snacks that the spider has stashed for later. The researchers found them living this way with multiple species of spiders, none of which were native to Hawaii, suggesting that the caterpillar is somewhat adaptable. In the lab, the researchers gave the caterpillars a variety of detritus to choose from to build their little nests. The caterpillars noticeably only chose the body parts of other insects, or shed spider skin, eschewing bits of twig or leaf or bark. And when no insect parts were offered, the caterpillars did not accept anything else: it's bug bits or nothing. "Given the context," the researchers write, "it is possible that the array of partially consumed body parts and shed spider skins covering the case forms effective camouflage from a spider landlord; the caterpillars have never been found predated by spiders or wrapped in spider silk." In captivity, the caterpillars would eat any live, slow-moving, or immobilized insect prey. Anything was fair game – even each other. When placed together, one tore open the other's case, entered, and feasted on the inhabitant. This probably helps reduce food competition, limiting each web to just one caterpillar interloper. But it also means that the species doesn't have strength in numbers. Its genome suggests that it first emerged between around 15 million to 9 million years ago, older than the oldest island of Hawaii by millions of years, indicating that it was once more widespread. Today, its range is just 15 square kilometers (5.8 square miles), isolated to a forest in a single mountain range, on a single island. Work needs to be done to understand this strange little caterpillar and how it developed its survival strategy… but also to protect it from increasing environmental stressors, including a growing number of invasive species in its tiny, isolated habitat range. "Without conservation attention," the researchers write, "it is likely that the last living representative of this lineage of carnivorous, body part-collecting caterpillars that has adapted to a precarious existence among spider webs will disappear." The research has been published in Science. 113 Million-Year-Old 'Hell Ant' Discovery Is Oldest Ever Found Most Bees Nest in The Ground. Offering Rocks And Gravel Is a Simple Way to Help Them Thrive. This Secret Mathematical Rule Has Shaped Beaks For 200 Million Years
National Geographic
24-04-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
This camouflaged critter wears severed insect body parts like a coat
Newly described bone collector caterpillars build a silken case around their bodies and adorn it with dead insect body parts scavenged from spider webs. This caterpillar may have been a bit overzealous with its decorations. Some have fallen off, though larger parts like a beetle wing remain. Sometimes when the parts are too big, the case gets stuck in webs. Photograph By Dr. Daniel Rubinoff It's Halloween every day for the bone collector caterpillar. The moth larva decorates its drag-along dwelling with scavenged body parts from dead insects. This ghastly getup may allow the creatures to live alongside spiders without being detected. These pill-sized caterpillars look like piles of parts—an ant head here, fly legs and wings there, a stuck-on weevil head, and jettisoned spider legs jutting out all over. Beneath this constructed case is a 'generic white gushy body,' says Daniel Rubinoff, an entomologist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 'It's gross at one level, but it's also kind of adorable. They're cruising around like, 'Oh, this looks delicious. I'll eat some of this and then put the rest on my back.'' Rubinoff and his colleagues described the new carnivorous caterpillar and its curious behavior April 24 in Science. They've yet to give the species a scientific name. These moths belong to a genus called Hyposmocoma found in Hawai'i known for spinning portable silk cases in which they hide. Some decorate their cases with pebbles, diatoms, or lichen. But no other known Hyposmocoma uses insect remains. The bone collector caterpillar that made this case really preferred spider legs, or maybe that was all that was available. Photograph By Dr. Daniel Rubinoff This case is one of the most diverse the team found. Its decorations include: a weevil head, an ant head, spider legs, bits of fly wing, pieces of beetle wing and abdomen, and other insect body parts. Photograph By Dr. Daniel Rubinoff Carnivory itself is unusual for caterpillars. Among butterflies and moths, 99.9 percent eat plants or fungi, Rubinoff says. But bone collector caterpillars slink through cobwebs in rotted logs, tree hollows, or crevices in rock and dine on newly dead or weakened insects they find, even gnawing through silk for a meal. After chowing down, the bone collectors check out what's left and attach pieces to their cases using silk that they produce. Rubinoff first spied the bone collector over two decades ago while looking for other case-wearing caterpillars that feast on rotting wood. But these creepy crawlies seem rather rare. In 22 years of scouring Hawaiian forests, his team has collected only 62 individuals. 'It's a great piece of field work,' says evolutionary biologist David Lohman at the City College of New York who was not part of the study. Small, drab, and holed up in covert cobwebs, the caterpillars would be tricky to spot, he says. Entomologist Daniel Rubinoff and his team reared some bone collector caterpillars in the lab. This female specimen shows what the critters look like as adult moths. Both males and females look the same, sporting white fringe on their wings. Photograph By Dr. Daniel Rubinoff After finding the critters, Rubinoff's team brought them back to the lab. There, they glimpsed bits of bone collector behavior. Captive caterpillars go after slow moving prey and can even become cannibalistic in shared quarters. Bone collectors seem to methodically curate their cases. Lacking insect and arthropod parts, the caterpillars won't tack on other types of debris. And they pay special attention to size. They probe prospective additions with their mandibles, rotate them and chew big pieces down to size. 'It's very serial killer-esque,' Rubinoff says. The carcass castles seem crafted to hide the bone collectors' identity. Rubinoff has noticed the larvae lurking near spiders. A bone collector can't outrun a spider, but covered in insect slivers and shed spider skins, it may smell to the spider like a mixture of itself and past meals. The researchers suspect that camouflaging themselves as the walking dead likely helps the caterpillars avoid becoming dead meat, and that bone collectors likely evolved to live with and steal from spiders. Other parts of the world host other insects that rob spiders. But 'there isn't anything else in Hawaiʻi that does this,' Rubinoff says. Bone collector caterpillars are around a centimeter long and use their cases, made of silk and caterpillar saliva, to hide their identities from the unsuspecting spiders whose prey they scavenge. Photograph By Dr. Daniel Rubinoff (Butterflies get all the love—but caterpillars may be even more stunning.) Bone collectors are a rare breed Rubinoff's team has been poking around rotting logs all over the Hawaiian Islands, and yet they've only found these creatures on Oʻahu in a 15-square-kilometer area of one mountain range. 'You would expect this to be particularly threatened, and the fact they find it only in one tiny spot on one island is pretty sobering,' says Naomi Pierce, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University who wasn't part of the work. Based on where bone collectors fit in their family tree, this species evolved over six million years ago—before their current home island formed around three million years ago. The insects had to have migrated from a different Hawaiian island that formed earlier. Unlike other Hyposmocoma moths, the bone collector has no sister species across other islands. That suggests that something has destroyed the bone collector's close kin, Rubinoff says. 'I am sure that prehuman contact, this lineage was widespread.' Many native Hawaiian butterflies and moths have similarly disappeared. Nearly 40 percent were presumed or possibly extinct, Rubinoff and his team recently estimated. These creatures face threats due to loss of habitat, climate change and predation from introduced species, such as ants, which didn't evolve in the islands. Part of bone collectors' resilience may stem from their ability to use invasive spiders' webs. Still, without action, these oddities—possibly the last of their kind—may not survive. 'I would imagine it's not long for this world,' Pierce says. Hawaiʻi, and other archipelagos, can evolve such curious species—such as those that belong to Hyposmocoma—because of how isolated they are, says Akito Kawahara, a lepidopterist at the University of Florida in Gainsville who wasn't part of the work. Rubinoff's team has previously found Hyposmocoma caterpillars that live underwater. Others decorate their cases with specific colors of lichen. It's not surprising that the carnivorous, body-part collector fits with this family, he says. 'It just makes you think about what's out there that we really haven't seen.' 'When it comes to butterflies and moths, most people think of the adult,' Kawahara says. The bone collector caterpillar metamorphoses into a glam-looking moth, with wings decked out in white fringe. But the critters' macabre lifestyle reveals how fascinating an insect's teenage phase can be. 'We kind of forget about the caterpillars and what they're doing. And it just shows you how diverse they are.'
