Lemurs are among the best-known representatives of Madagascar's animal kingdom. They make up more than 15 percent of all primate species living today – even though the island covers less than one percent of the earth's land surface. An international research team involving the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ) has now shown: The species diversity of lemurs is not the result of a single large radiation, as is often assumed for animals on islands. Instead, the species evolved in multiple successive radiations – up to the middle and later Pleistocene (around 500,000 years ago). It is also remarkable that interbreeding between different lemur species – hybridizations – do not represent evolutionary dead ends, but have even contributed to the emergence of new species (Nature Communications).

A study led by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz provides the first direct evidence that species that never interact can profoundly influence each other's evolution, challenging a long-held focus on direct interactions in evolutionary biology.

A leading cause of a rising pH value in the world’s oceans is human CO2 emission. As more CO2 is released into the atmosphere and absorbed by the oceans, the water becomes more acidic. This poses problems for many organisms – including sharks, a new study showed. Scientists incubated shark teeth in water with pH levels that reflect the current ocean pH, and in water with a pH value that oceans are predicted to reach by 2300. In the more acidic water of the simulated scenario, shark teeth, including roots and crowns, were significantly more damaged. This shows how global changes reach all the way to the microstructure of sharks’ teeth, the researchers said.

The maritime sector, a cornerstone of global trade, is facing increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. With shipping contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, finding sustainable solutions is more critical than ever. A new study titled "Direct Air Capture-Assisted Sustainable Fuel Solution in the Maritime Sector: A Carbon Footprint Perspective" offers a promising pathway forward by exploring the potential of direct air capture (DAC) technology combined with electro-methanol production.

Kyoto, Japan -- Periodical cicadas have one of the strangest life cycles in the animal kingdom. The 17-year cicadas spend 99.5% of their lives underground in an undeveloped nymph state, which is the longest strictly regulated juvenile period among insects.

Then in the spring of their 17th year, they simultaneously emerge and the males scream above ground for their four to six week-long adult life. Exactly how these insects are able to control when they mature and emerge has remained a mystery.

The long life cycle of periodical cicadas makes rearing nymphs for study extremely difficult. Recently, however, a collaborative team of researchers from both Japan and the United States, including a team from Kyoto University, was motivated to tackle this conundrum.

Research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences confirms that fossilized marine invertebrates serve as a powerful tool for understanding long-term ecological change and informing modern conservation efforts.