Movile Cave has an atmosphere so dangerous that the few scientists who have so far been allowed to visit must use breathing equipment, thanks to low levels of oxygen and high levels of hydrogen sulphide in the air. Most creatures in the cave are thought to have been sealed in over five million years ago, and then evolved features to deal with the dark, such as losing their eyes and growing longer legs and antennae.
The ecosystem relies entirely upon chemosynthetic bacteria that extract carbon from the air without the aid of light. The most numerous bacteria use carbon dioxide, and others get their carbon from methane. The bacterial film on the water and walls is where all the nutrients enter this ecosystem, and it’s the only known example of such a system. Small animals eat the slime, and larger animals eat them.
Article:http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150904-the-bizarre-beasts-living-in-romanias-poison-cave
Photo: An unidentified leech from Movile Cave
Credit: Thierry Berrod, Mona Lisa Production/SPL
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria and terrestrial invertebrates, such as fireflies. (Source: Wikipedia)
NSW Australia Central West Astronomical Society's astrophotography competition winner in nightscapes category.
Credit: James Garlick
Location: Australia
Award Date: 2015
+CSIRO science image
A drug that targets tau tangles in the brain has produced strong results in a large clinical trial, slowing the progression of the disease in hundreds of people.
The drug, called LMTX, is the first to produce really promising results in a large phase III trial, in which potential therapies are pitted against a placebo in hundreds of recipients. Drugs do already exist for Alzheimer’s, but these generally have only a modest effect.
The trial involved 891 people who already had mild or moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Some received LMTX alone, others took it in conjunction with other treatments they were already taking, and the rest received a placebo.
At the end of the 15-month trial, tests of mental ability revealed that those taking LMTX alone had deteriorated significantly more slowly than those taking placebo – both in terms of cognition, and their ability to continue carrying out every-day tasks, such as dressing and feeding themselves.
Article:https://www.newscientist.com/article/2099108-unprecedented-alzheimers-drug-slows-disease-by-80-per-cent/
Photo: Tangles in the brain
THOMAS DEERINCK, NCMIR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Corina Marinescu
New research suggests that the movement of tectonic plates has oscillated between slow stretching and sudden shifting. You can explore these movements on a cool interactive website.
Give it a try here:http://portal.gplates.org/cesium/?view=rift_v
Research:http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature18319.html
h/t skunkbear
