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Scientists have completed the first major material survey and study of the Musee national Picasso-Paris' Pablo Picasso bronzes using portable instruments. They used the instruments and a database of alloy 'fingerprints' to non-invasively analyze a group of 39 bronzes and 11 painted sheet metal sculptures, revealing new details about the modern master's art.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180217113648.htm
Fossils that preserve entire organisms (including both hard and soft body parts) are critical to our understanding of evolution and ancient life on Earth. However, these exceptional deposits are extremely rare. New research suggests that the mineralogy of the surrounding earth is key to conserving soft parts of organisms, and finding more exceptional fossils. The work could potentially support the Mars Rover Curiosity in its sample analysis, and speed up the search for traces of life on other planets.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180216084915.htm
Snow storms often leave behind reminders of their presence for days - sometimes weeks - after warmer and sunnier weather returns. Snowbanks, often created by snow plows as they clear major roadways, can linger in parking lots, on sidewalks, and in driveways even when temperatures rise well above freezing.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180215180313.htm
Scientists have now found that beewolves, unlike humans, do not face the problem of antibiotic resistant pathogens. These insects team up with symbiotic bacteria which produce up to 45 different antibiotic substances to protect their offspring against mold fungi. This antibiotic cocktail has remained surprisingly stable since the symbiosis emerged, about 68 million years ago.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180214182001.htm
Researchers have built a DNA barcode library for the vascular plant flora of Canada based entirely on herbarium collections. DNA barcode libraries are important to facilitate plant identification for a variety of studies including analysis and regulation of supplements, food, and environmental or ancient DNA. The scale of the study surpasses previous library-building efforts, providing barcodes for 98 percent of Canada's vascular plant species (5,076 of 5,190).https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180213183617.htm
Herbicides can no longer control the weeds that threaten crop productivity and food security in the UK because the plants have evolved resistance, and future control must depend on management strategies that reduce reliance on chemicals. So concludes a nationwide epidemiological assessment of the factors that are driving the abundance and spread of the major agricultural weed, black-grass.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180212170023.htm
