December 15, 2023: Cats are omnivorous killers, surprising molecules in the water plumes of Saturn's moon and the largest solar flare since 2017. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Biophysicists conducted a new analysis of decade-old samples taken from the water plumes spewing from Saturn's ocean-covered moon Enceladus. Surprisingly, they found a tremendous amount of chemical diversity in the water. Using a statistical analysis technique to search for a wider array of molecules, they discovered bigger, heavier compounds, including hydrocarbons such as hydrogen cyanide and ethane, as well as traces of partially oxidized compounds such as methanol.
Why this matters: A previous examination of the water jets' makeup identified water, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and molecular hydrogen. Along with the water and ammonia, these new molecules could be used as building blocks and fuel for microbes, and they could potentially support an independent origin of life. The small icy moon is now a potential top candidate for harboring alien life in our solar system.
What the experts say: The new findings also build a strong case for revisiting Enceladus in future space missions, says Michel Blanc, a planetary scientist at the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France, who worked on the Cassini-Huygens mission which originally collected the samples during 2011 and 2012. | | | They're snuggly and adorable, yes. But domestic house cats are also killers. Ecologists recently tallied the variety of prey hunted by free-ranging domestic cats. The total was 2,083 species! The researchers scoured more than 530 scientific papers, books and reports spanning more than 100 years and created a large taxonomic database of cat kills. Many were birds (981 species), reptiles (463) and mammals (431), with insects (119), amphibians (57) and other taxonomic groups also represented. (Interesting side note: cats kill FAR more birds than wind turbines do.)
Why this matters: The researchers found that 347 species killed by cats are listed as near threatened, threatened (including some that are endangered or critically endangered) or extinct. Many of these creatures live on isolated islands and did not evolve with catlike predators–so they don't know to be afraid of the felines.
What the experts say: "Cats continue to cause population decline, and more extinctions are inevitable if we don't manage cats," says Sarah Legge, a wildlife ecologist at Charles Darwin University in Australia. "Australia's native fauna are not equipped to withstand predation from a versatile predator with a relatively quick reproductive rate." |  | More cat news:
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This evolutionary biologist believes cats are the perfect animal. | 5 min read | | | • Here's how to buy ethical tech products that avert human rights abuses and keep conflict minerals in the ground. | 5 min read | | | • An injection that targets nerves in the neck appears to relieve smell loss related to COVID infection. | 5 min read | | | • The sun just unleashed the largest flare since 2017; the associated plasma eruption may be heading toward Earth. | 2 min read | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this view of an X2.8-class solar flare erupting on Dec. 14. Credit: NASA/SDO | | | • Every mile driven in an electric vehicle replaces a mile driven in a gasoline vehicle. So more EV miles means lower emissions. But because of so many used gasoline vehicles on the road, electric vehicles aren't having the hoped-for impact on emissions, writes John Paul Helveston, an assistant professor at the George Washington University. "The government should reconsider popular programs such as 'Cash for Clunkers' to subsidize the rapid removal and replacement of these older gas cars with cleaner EVs, especially used ones," he says. | 3 min read | | | Our most popular stories this week | | | • Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing—Even in the Human Body | 5 min read | | | • 55 Books Scientific American Recommends in 2023 | 18 min read | | | • Tyrannosaur's Stomach Contents Have Been Found for the First Time | 5 min read | | | Sending extra scritches and snuggles to all pets out there. Email your thoughts and feedback to: newsletters@sciam.com. See you on Monday! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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