OKLAHOMA EVOLUTION/CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS–JUNE 2023

1.  Pro-/anti- science education legislation in other states

2.  The Primate Genome Project unlocks hidden secrets of primate evolution

3.  Fungi Stores a Third of Carbon From Fossil Fuel Emissions

4.  Ocean temperatures are off the charts, and El Niño is only partly to blame

5.  OSU researchers discover unprecedented diversity of anaerobic fungi in herbivores

6. Climate Deniers Are Hounding Educators Again

7.  Remains of an extinct world of organisms discovered

8.  June videos and podcast

PRO-/ANTI- SCIENCE EDUCATION LEGISLATION IN OTHER STATES

Oregon–Oregon’s Senate Bill 854, which, if enacted, would have required local school districts to establish, and periodically update, a climate change instructional program for K-12 students under the supervision of the state department of education, died in committee when the legislature adjourned sine die on June 25, 2023.
The bill received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Education on March 9, 2023, where it received support from the Oregon Education Association, Portland Public Schools, and the Oregon Sierra Club, among others. The committee did not take a vote.  More at NCSE.

Maine–A bill in the Maine legislature that would ban public school teachers from practicing “indoctrination” — and contained a provision that could adversely affect science education — was defeated in June 2023.
House Paper 1034, would, if enacted, have required the state board of education to adopt rules to prevent public school teachers in the state from engaging in what it describes as “political, ideological[,] or religious advocacy.” The rules would in particular have required teachers to “provide students with materials supporting both sides of a controversial issue being addressed and to present both sides in a fair-minded, nonpartisan manner,” where a “controversial issue” is defined as “a point made in the most recent electoral party platform of any party that is qualified for the ballot at the state or federal level.” As Ars Technica (January 29, 2019) observed in discussing a spate of similar measures, “a large number of state party platforms specifically mention evolution and climate change.”  More at NCSE.

Rhode Island–When the Rhode Island legislature adjourned on June 15, 2023, two pairs of climate change education bills, House Bill 6105 and the identical Senate Bill 551 (PDF), and House Bill 6106 (PDF) and the identical Senate Bill 558, died in committee.Seeking to establish the Rhode Island Climate Change and Ocean Protection Education Program, the bills would, if enacted, have appropriated “no less than” $500,000 per fiscal year to support “climate change and/or ocean protection programs.” The funds would have been disbursed by the department of labor and training to state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, professional associations, and youth development and non-profit organizations engaging in such programs. Professional development for teachers would have been a priority.  More at NCSE.

Massachusetts–A pair of identical bills in the Massachusetts legislature, House Bill 3887 and Senate Bill 260, would require environmental science and environmental protection standards to “promote an understanding of climate change including, but not limited to: (i) the human impact on the carbon cycle; (ii) the effect of climate change on life that exists on Earth; (iii) the effects of the environment on health, economics, and agricultural systems; (iv) the impact of climate change on the water cycle; and (v) the impact of the environment on natural disasters and weather.” School districts would be permitted but not required to incorporate these standards; the state department of elementary and secondary education would be permitted to help school districts select material and curriculum on climate change and to apply for funding to support these efforts.  More at NCSE.

Utah–At its June 1, 2023, meeting, the Utah State Board of Education voted to adopt a number of changes to science standards for high school supplementary science classes that weakened the scientific integrity of the standards with regard to climate change and evolution.
In particular, a marine biology standard that stated “The earliest life on earth originates from the ocean” was revised to begin “Scientific theories state that”; a marine biology standard that referred to “how human activities affect marine ecosystems” was revised to read “how human activities may affect marine ecosystems”; and a meteorology standard that directed teachers to “[e]mphasize the role of the greenhouse effect” was revised to direct them to “[e]mphasize the role of the greenhouse effect on supporting life.” (On the other hand, a meteorology standard that listed greenhouse gases as a possible example of a factor that produces changes in global climate was revised to direct teachers to emphasize greenhouse gases as such a factor.)  More at NCSE.

THE PRIMATE GENOME PROJECT UNLOCKS HIDDEN SECRETS OF PRIMATE EVOLUTION

Researchers from Zhejiang University, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Northwest University, and Yunnan University, Aarhus University, and BGI-Research have jointly led a series of significant new studies are published in a special issue of the journal Science, and in papers in Nature Ecology & Evolution and Science Advances.
he Primate Genome Consortium reported a series of publications from its first phase program. The program includes high quality reference genomes from 50 primate species, of which 27 were sequenced for the first time. These studies provide new insights on the speciation process, genomic diversity, social evolution, sex chromosomes, and the evolution of the brain and other biological traits.  More at phys.org here and here, and Science.  Original papers in Science and Science Advances, introduction paper here..

FUNGI STORES A THIRD OF CARBON FROM FOSSIL FUEL EMISSIONS

Mycorrhizal fungi have been supporting life on land for at least 450 million years by helping to supply plants with soil nutrients essential for growth. In recent years, scientists have found that in addition to forming symbiotic relationships with nearly all land plants, these fungi are important conduits to transport carbon into soil ecosystems.

In a meta-analysis published June 5 in the journal Current Biology, scientists estimate that as much as 13.12 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) fixed by terrestrial plants is allocated to mycorrhizal fungi annually—roughly equivalent to 36% of yearly global fossil fuel emissions.  More at phys.org, BBC, and slashdot.  Original paper in Current Biology.

OCEAN TEMPERATURES ARE OFF THE CHARTS, AND EL NIÑO IS ONLY PARTLY TO BLAME

In a world of worsening climate extremes, a single red line has caught many people’s attention.  

The line, which charts sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, went viral over the weekend for its startling display of unprecedented warming—nearly 2 degrees (1.09 Celsius) above the mean dating back to 1982, the earliest year with comparable data.
Ocean temperatures are so anomalously high that Eliot Jacobson, a retired mathematics professor who created the graph using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, had to “increase the upper bound on the y-axis,” he said.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time, but this one was like, ‘Oh my God, look at this,'” Jacobson said of the graph. “What is going on here?”

And it’s not just the Atlantic, as global sea surface temperatures are also climbing to new highs, NOAA data show.  More at phys.org, Science News, and slashdot.

OSU RESEARCHERS DISCOVER UNPRECEDENTED DIVERSITY OF ANAEROBIC FUNGI IN HERBIVORES

An innovative study has revealed remarkable insights into the diversity and evolution of anaerobic gut fungi in herbivorous animals. These fungi live in environments without oxygen, so little is known about their distribution patterns, host range and diversity.
However, that knowledge has grown significantly thanks to a research project led by Drs. Mostafa Elshahed and Noha Youssef, professors in the department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.
“We have always been fascinated by these interesting critters,” Elshahed said. “These anaerobic gut fungi play a crucial role in host nutrition by breaking down plant material into simpler products.”  More at OSU.  Original paper in Nature Communications.

CLIMATE DENIERS ARE HOUNDING EDUCATORS AGAIN

From Mother Jones:  Carolyn McGrath thought she was ready for her testimony in front of the New Jersey Department of Education. An art teacher, she had dressed in a jaunty polka-dot blouse and chunky green necklace, and had a written statement prepared in favor of teaching climate change in every school subject.
She hadn’t expected any controversy. But by the time it was her turn to walk to the podium last month, she was so nervous she visibly shook.  “It was such an uncomfortable situation,” she said later. “I don’t like confrontation.”
McGrath is passionate about teaching climate change; she’s given her students assignments like creating portraits of climate activists. So she was delighted this past fall, when the state of New Jersey joined the global vanguard in climate education. New Jersey is the first state in America to adopt standards for learning about climate change in each grade, from K through 12, and across several different subjects, even physical education.  Rest of article at Mother Jones.

REMAINS OF AN EXTINCT WORLD OF ORGANISMS DISCOVERED

Newly discovered biomarker signatures point to a whole range of previously unknown organisms that dominated complex life on Earth about a billion years ago. They differed from complex eukaryotic life as we know it, such as animals, plants and algae in their cell structure and likely metabolism, which was adapted to a world that had far less oxygen in the atmosphere than today.

The previously unknown “protosteroids” were shown to be surprisingly abundant throughout Earth’s Middle Ages. The primordial molecules were produced at an earlier stage of eukaryotic complexity—extending the current record of fossil steroids beyond 800 and up to 1,600 million years ago. Eukaryotes is the term for a kingdom of life including all animals, plants and algae and set apart from bacteria by having a complex cell structure that includes a nucleus, as well as a more complex molecular machinery.  More at phys.org and Science News.  Original paper in Nature.

JUNE VIDEOS AND PODCAST

Paleontology and pseudoscience with Dan Phelps

Darwin Pokeweed and Native Americans

Darwin visits a vanished Native American civilization in Cahokia Illinois

How did Oklahoma give birth to seismic reflection?