Show threadSpaceflight 🚀1d ago

Researchers at the #Ohio State #University proposed using a specialized laser-based #3Dprinting method to turn lunar regolith into hardened building material. This technology could also lead to resilient #habitats that will enable a long-term human presence on the #Moon, #Mars, and beyond 🪐 https://spectrum.ieee.org/lunar-base-3d-printing

#ISRU #MoonBase #Artemis #NASA

Laser 3D Printing Could Build Lunar Base Structures

Researchers at The Ohio State University propose laser 3D printing for durable lunar structures made of moon rocks.

IEEE Spectrum
Spaceflight 🚀1d ago

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

Stefan F. WirthMar 16

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

Stefan F. WirthFeb 26

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:
https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Ref
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115874

#illustrations
©S.F.Wirth

Kathy BrysonFeb 26

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

Can you really survive on Mars? What science fiction gets wrong about off-world living

Arnie said, "Get your ass to Mars", but is it really a good idea? We asked the experts about our Martian future.

Space
Stefan F. WirthFeb 21

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
https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

Behance S F.Wirth
https://www.behance.net/gallery/244398767/Fragile-Transparency

GES4SEAS MOOCsFeb 16
We follow with our previous comment on rebuilding sea life
Duarte et al (in Nature, in 2020) think that sustainably use of the #ocean requires this rebuilding
Recovery of #habitats and ecosystems following past #conservation interventions
#GES4SEAS #MOOC #oceanoptimism #MarineEcology #Research
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2146-7
Rebuilding marine life - Nature

Analyses of the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions indicate that substantial recovery of the abundance, structure and function of marine life could be achieved by 2050 if major pressures, including climate change, are mitigated.

Nature
Show threadPetra van CronenburgFeb 14
2/2 And it's worse: "Enthusiasts trek to remote rural areas to try to lift designated stones. ... Last year a boulder known as Cloch Bán, or White Stone, was shipped to enthusiasts in Boston."
Such Instagram #influencer behaviour can not only disrupt important #ecological #habitats, but also #archaeological sites. Because that is the difference between modern 'influenca' and ancient customs: in the past, people knew how to do things in harmony with #nature rather than for photos and profit.
DragofixFeb 7

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

Critical shark and ray habitats in Western Indian Ocean largely unprotected: Study

Sharks and rays in the Western Indian Ocean are facing an extinction crisis. Almost half of the region’s 270 known species (46%) are currently threatened with extinction. A recently released study by the Shark Specialist Group of the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, mapped out areas that are vital for the species’ survival, while […]

Conservation news
Planetary EcologistFeb 4

Habitat (Landscape ecology 🏞️)

In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ecological niche. Thus "habitat" is a species-specific term, fundamentally different from concepts such as environment or v...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat

#Habitat #Ecology #Habitats #SystemsEcology #LandscapeEcology

Habitat - Wikipedia