Violent variability, such as flaring activity, of planet-hosting stars is known to strongly affect prebiotic processes on their planets; therefore, its role in such processes is being extensively studied nowadays. On the contrary, the role of regular variability, such as variability of pulsating stars, has yet been unexplored. In this article, we investigate how large-amplitude variability of pulsating stars may affect the prebiotic evolution on their planets. We show that the RR Lyr type variables are particularly relevant because their lightcurves possess amplitudes, periods, and time profiles that are potentially most suitable to drive prebiotic reactions.

Three motor sledges were taken on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctica in 1910. They performed poorly, making only small contributions to the polar journey and making no contribution to the expedition’s scientific programme.

The motor sledges have received little attention from historians and researchers. No definitive work has been published. The purpose of this article is to provide an authoritative, reliable and complete history of Scott’s Antarctic motor sledges.

This article studies Belton Hamilton’s concept for a “chain track” vehicle, then traces its development path through two prototype vehicles and two snow trials in Norway. The outcomes of the snow trials and associated recommendations are reviewed. The article then considers Scott’s detailed plans to reach the South Pole and his instructions to the Motor Party in pursuit of that goal. Four major problems that prevented the motor sledges from satisfying Scott’s instructions are identified.

Several conclusions are drawn. It is apparent that the vehicles were flawed from the outset by poor engineering decisions about track design, engine power and carburetion/airflow. It is unlikely that experimentation or minor refinement in the Antarctic would have produced vehicles reliable enough to make a major contribution to the polar journey.

Drought forecasting is a critical tool for mitigating the severe impacts of water scarcity, particularly in regions like North Benin, where agriculture is a cornerstone of livelihoods. Despite the vital importance of its accurate prediction in resource management, the ability to quantify uncertainties in forecasts is a significant pain point to enable more informed and trustworthy decision-making. So, this study aims to develop an uncertainty-aware prediction model for drought forecasting in six key localities within the Alibori department—Banikoara, Gogounou, Kandi, Karimama, Malanville, and Segbana—each facing unique challenges due to drought. To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive experiment involving six machine learning models (linear regression, ridge regression, random forest, Xgboost, LightGBM, and SVM) and four deep learning models (Conv1D, LSTM, GRU, and Conv1D-LSTM) using the Standardized Precipitation Index at a 6-month scale. To address the uncertainty quantification challenge, we employed the Ensemble Batch Prediction Interval, a conformal prediction method specifically designed for time series data. Our comparative analysis, framed within the Borda count methodology, utilized performance metrics such as R2, RMSE, MSE, and carbon footprint, as well as uncertainty quantification metrics, including empirical coverage and the width of prediction intervals. The top-performing models achieved $ {R}^2 $ scores of 98.29, 97.84, 97.76, 97.42, 96.61, and 97.07%, and prediction interval coverages of 0.94, 0.79, 0.93, 0.77, 0.73, and 0.93, respectively, for Banikoara, Gogounou, Malanville, Kandi, Segbana, and Karimama. The Conv1D-LSTM model stood out as the most effective, offering an optimal balance between predictive accuracy and uncertainty coverage.

Marine molluscs are exceptional in Cretaceous ambers. Palaeoellobium decampsi gen. nov., sp. nov. is the first gastropod ever preserved in French uppermost Albian-lowermost Cenomanian opaque amber. It belongs to the Ellobiidae that are distributed in the Cenozoic supralittoral zones in close vicinity of the mangroves. It has been discovered by non-destructive X-ray phase-contrast imaging. The forest of conifers that produced the amber embedding this gastropod did not form its habitat, and it may have been transported to the foreshore detritus. Palaeoellobium decampsi contributes to the understanding of the ellobiid early adaptive radiation known by few taxa, compared with the significant Cenozoic diversification.

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) has garnered significant attention as a strategy to mitigate anthropogenic emissions. Within this field, the conversion processes of CO2 through photocatalytic systems have emerged as a particularly noteworthy area of research. This approach leverages solar energy for the reaction and is considered a promising and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional thermally driven catalytic systems. This article aims to summarize recent advancements in several key photo-conversion pathways, including the synthesis of methane, methanol, C2 hydrocarbons, dimethyl carbonate, and glycerol carbonate. Additionally, potential configurations for the development of processes aimed at producing various chemicals will be proposed. Current insights indicate that the photocatalytic conversion of CO2 could be effectively integrated with chemical absorption methods, provided that appropriate separation and process intensification strategies are developed. From an economic perspective, the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 minimizes the reliance on green hydrogen as a hydrogen source, thereby significantly improving overall economic viability. Environmentally, it is essential to enhance the reaction conversion and product selectivity of the photocatalytic conversion processes to maximize their decarbonization potential. Overall, this paper is particularly suited for readers who are new to this field and are interested in transitioning from experimental work to process development.

This perspective article invites readers to (re)imagine research as a means of practicing right relations with the places we inhabit and descend from. We anchor our work in a Kanaka Hawaiʻi, a Native Hawaiian cosmogeny and epistemology, one that recognizes all life as kin. We begin with the central question, “Where have the sand turtles gone?” to explore how a Kanaka Hawaiʻi-informed perspective, grounded in the genealogical creation chant, ke Kumulipo, can guide plastics research in Hawaiʻi. We elaborate this perspective through a moʻolelo, a story of a collaboration between a Kanaka Hawaiʻi cultural practitioner and a French and Swedish plastics researcher along the shores of Kapua, Waimānalo. By tracing the transformation of a conventional scientific study, we aim to grow entry points for research that is accountable to the place and the genealogical descendants of those specific lands, who have inherited the privilege and responsibility to steward them. We conclude by discussing how this perspective might offer critical insights for global environmental policy, such as the UN Plastic Treaty, urging a shift from treating Indigenous Peoples as stakeholders to honoring them as rights-holders. Ultimately, this work is a call to research in ways that honor the original peoples of the places where we are blessed to live, work, and research, particularly in ways that amplify the knowledge traditions and lifeways birthed from those specific lands. We write this piece for and with Waimānalo as a living, reciprocal co-author. We hope the experiences shared here return to and strengthen those places and people.

Fossils and more recent remains of dead organisms serve as natural archives of Earth’s recent and ancient history. It is often the case that small or fragmented specimens, especially microvertebrate bones, go unstudied. Accurate identification of such remains to a specific taxonomic level can help address a wide range of questions spanning paleontology, paleoecology, zooarchaeology, ecology, conservation science, forensics, and biogeography. Geometric morphometrics demonstrates significant potential for identifying fragmented lizard fossils to at least the family level based on shape differentiation. Our proof-of-concept study using lizard maxillae of extant species within the Pacific Northwest, USA, accurately identified fragmented maxillae with as few as six comparative specimens per genus. These findings establish a framework for addressing taxonomic challenges in fragmented bone specimen identification for taxa whose curated comparative specimens are small in number and unequal in representation.

A new species of Pseudocorax (Lamniformes, Pseudocoracidae), Pseudocorax heteroserratus n. sp., is described from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco. This novel taxon is recognized by a large sample of isolated teeth collected from the upper Couche III layer at the Sidi Chennane quarry in the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Khouribga Province, Morocco. P. heteroserratus is differentiated from other Pseudocorax species by bearing a mesiodistally elongated tooth base, broad crown, and highly variable serrations. The variability in number and extent of serrations along the carinae ranges from completely absent to fully serrated and finely to coarsely serrated, raising speculation on broader Pseudocorax phylogenetics and as to whether the genesis of serrations within Pseudocorax occurred in a singular progressive event or rather from two distinct events. The morphological variability within the new species highlights the importance of large sample sizes in selachian odontological studies using isolated teeth.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/a8e2d349-5b2e-4fdd-9e3e-a93a290bf875

Antarctic ice-free coastal environments, like the Vestfold Hills (East Antarctica), are shaped by a complex interplay of physical processes. This study synthesizes new data and existing research from the Vestfold Hills across marine, terrestrial and cryosphere science, meteorology, geomorphology, coastal oceanography and hydrology to explore interconnected processes ranging from icescape morphology and sediment transport to ocean-floor scouring and ocean-atmosphere interactions. Coastal landforms and habitats result from the interaction of marine dynamics with the aeolian and fluvial transport of glacially derived sediments and geomorphic features. Rocky shorelines dominate the region, and extensive fjords are prominent coastal features, whereas intertidal sediments and beaches are scarce. The marine environment is characterized by slow currents, low-energy waves, annually variable land-fast ice, irregular sedimentation rates and a geomorphologically complex shoreline. Aeolian and fluvial sediment deposition into coastal waters and onto sea ice can significantly impact local ecological and physical processes. Human activity further modifies these dynamics. Ice-free coastal areas such as the Vestfold Hills are predicted to experience substantial environmental shifts due to climate change. Wind speeds, temperature and precipitation are increasing in the Vestfold Hills. Retreating grounded ice sheets are likely to expand this coastal area and increase meltwater and sediment inputs into nearshore marine systems. Concurrently, changes in sea-ice extent, thickness and/or duration may profoundly alter the structure and function of this coastal environment.