#Beavers breathe new life into Dorset as dams built, #biodiversity returns

Providing end-of-year report, the #NationalTrust project, said it's thrilled beavers were reshaping their home in #Dorset; they felled #trees to construct a 35m #dam, slowing flow of a stream & creating a deep, #wildlife-rich pool

#Coppicing trees allowed more light in & improved #habitats for #plants, #insects, #amphibians, #birds, #bats; may stop flooding on nearby road

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/27/beavers-dorset-dams-biodiversity-national-trust

#nature #wildlife

RE: https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/116285702941728946

The lunar 🌙 base would be established through three phases, each of these three phases would cost on the order of $10 billion. The first of these, running through 📆 2028, is estimated to comprise 21 landings, putting a total of 4 metric tons of payload on the #Moon. Phase two, running from 2029 to 2032, is projected to entail 27 landings with a total mass of 60 metric tons. The final phase, from 2032 to 2036, will establish #habitats for long-term human 🧑‍🚀 presence

#NASA #MoonBase

RE: https://scicomm.xyz/@dantheclamman/116196703399022292

How do #animals #aggregate?#Mites can find each other based on #pheromones, while #sight is important for herd-forming #mammals. In #marine #habitats, #hearing plays a major role. D.McAfee et al.(2022) showed that #oyster #larvae react to the #soundscape of a healthy #reef via #statocysts in front of their bodies, thus finding their adult conspecifics for #reefformation. Reef formation can be artificially #stimulated via artificial #soundwaves.
©#StefanFWirth 2026
Ref
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14307

The #mandrake #Mandragora #officinarum (#Solanaceae) is native to the #Mediterranean region,evtl. except for the Levant, where it might be M. #autumnalis. It prefers open and drier #habitats. Its #roots can vaguely resemble #humanfigures, which is why it had #spiritual significance in the Middle Ages. G. Benítez et al.(2023) studied its history as a #medicinalplant.
©#StefanFWirth

Please support me with a coffee:
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Ref
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115874

#illustrations
©S.F.Wirth

Are you writing #scifi? Need some real-life challenges for your #characters?

Can you really survive on #Mars? What science fiction gets wrong about off-world living https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/can-you-really-survive-on-mars-what-science-fiction-gets-wrong-about-off-world-living

#space #habitats #setting #writing #amwriting #writingtips #writingcommunity

Very small #mites are subject of my research as they are associated with other arthropods (#phoretic#dispersal), and even #influence the #microclimate in their #habitats in complex ways, by fungal #spore transport+chemical fungal growth regulation via own #fungicides. #Histiostoma #sapromyzarum is subject of my current#Behance project exploring it also #aestheticslly.

©#StefanFWirth

I depend on support, please buy me a coffee
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Behance S F.Wirth
https://www.behance.net/gallery/244398767/Fragile-Transparency

Critical shark and ray habitats in Western Indian Ocean largely unprotected: Study https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/critical-shark-and-ray-habitats-in-western-indian-ocean-largely-unprotected-study/

#India #ocean #marinelife #sharks #rays #habitats