Historic New Guinea high plant diversity study also highlights need for more local botanists
On the day I turned another year older (5th August 2020) the scientific community also gave me another, and bigger reason, to celebrate that day. For the first time from its initial settlement by our ancestors some 50 000 years ago, and since scientific explorations began on the island of New Guinea by early Europeans…
Plants invest more in chemical defense at higher altitudes, PNG study finds
Contrary to the idea that plants are immobile and therefore defenseless against animals and fungi that feed on them, they have long developed a vast arsenal of physical and chemical defense mechanisms to protect them wherever they grow. In fact, it is well-known among ecologists that the different abilities of plants to protect themselves from…
PNG rivers are major contributors of important dissolved iron into the Pacific Ocean
Yesterday the world celebrated World Oceans Day. The nation on the largest island in the world’s biggest ocean, whose people have deep cultural and livelihood connections with their highly biodiverse marine waters, has more the reason to celebrate World Oceans Day. Apart from its vast terrestrial biodiversity as well as the ultra-rich marine lifeforms found…
Modern Samoans have about 24 percent Papuan ancestry, DNA study finds
A DNA study has revealed that modern Samoans carry about 24 percent Papuan ancestry, which is interestingly lower than modern Tongans, who are of about 35 percent Papuan descent. The colonization of Oceania is known to have occurred through two major waves of migration. The first migration took place about 50 000 years ago, where…
Study: What do Tree Kangaroos really like to eat?
A recently published study by the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project (TKCP) in Morobe’s Huon Peninsula in PNG has identified the native food plants of the endangered Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo, providing an important dietary insight for captive-managed populations. When visiting zoos and other places where animals are kept we often see this sign: “Please Don’t Feed…
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PNG Science News 