物种灭绝与保护生物的多样性

地球也许将经历比6500万年前恐龙灭绝时期更大的灾变:大量物种的灭绝,以及生物多样性的丢失。这个问题不象我们今天所面临的其他全球性问题,大量物种的灭绝以及生物多样性的丢失是一个完全不可逆的过程,灭绝的物种是不可能再复生的。因此亟待引起全世界的关注。     

触目惊心的灭绝——保护生物多样性

人类的生存离不开生物,但现代科技文明的发展却导致了生物多样性的减少。地球上的生物物种,在漫长的历史长河中,经历了多次变化,有的灭绝,有的新生,这是自然进化的结果。令人震惊的是,目前地球正面临着生物物种灭绝的危机,而这一危机却是由人类活动所引起的。     

逝去的美丽生命(连载一)

由于人类对环境的破坏,地球上物种消失速度不断加快,几乎达到了与前五次地球物种大灭绝时相当的程度,因此,有科学家说第六次物种灭绝已经来临了,而这一轮生物大灭绝的罪魁祸首就是人类。有人推测,目前,地球大约每小时就有一个生物物种灭绝,每年有1.75万种生物消失。自工业革命以来,物种的丧失速度比自然灭绝速度快1 000倍,比形成速度快100万倍。下面,我们介绍一些已经灭绝的生物,它们曾经在地球上自由自在地生活过,可是就像美丽的花儿一样,绽放不久就凋谢了。如今,它们只是书上的一幅图片而已。     

第六次生物大灭绝或成现实?

最近一些说法认为,地球物种正在经历史上第六次大灭绝,而这正是人类的"作死行为"所致。有些人对此嗤之以鼻,认为不过是危言耸听。第六次生物大灭绝是否真的会到来?中科院南京古生物所研究员许汉奎认为,地球上的生物物种正处于快速灭绝期,灭绝速度超过以往任何一个时期,如果再不加以保护,第六次生物大灭绝的说法将成为现实。在地球的生命演化史上,曾经历过五次大规模的生物灭绝。前五次大灭绝都属于自然     

研究表明地球生物大灭绝或将再次发生

英格兰利兹大学古生物学家保罗·维格纳尔等人最新研究发现,发生在三叠纪早期的地球生物大灭绝缘于地球表面温度过高,而当前越来越高的地球表面温度．似乎预示着另一场大灭绝的到来。三叠纪早期的大规模生物灭绝让地球彻底沦为了一颗荒废的行星,造成这种大面积灭绝的原因是因为地球上大多数生物无法承受地球该阶段过高的表面温度。     

第六次生物灭绝已经开始

全球气温变暖、人口急速增长和自然环境恶化,使地球上的生物正在经历有史以来第六次大灭绝。刚刚结束的第四次国际寒武纪大会上,多国著名古生物学家表示了上述看法。他们认为,目前物种消失与地球历史上的生物灭绝事件惊人地相似,与以往不同的是,人类在这次生物灭绝事件中充当了“总导演”的角色。国际自然资源保护联合会发表的“2004年全球物种调查”显示:全球有超过15000种物种濒临灭绝,灭绝速度超过了以往任何时候。英国皇家学会会员、剑桥大学教授西蒙·莫瑞斯说“:化石证据可以使我们判断出,在距今约4500万年前地球经历过一次非常剧烈的…     

恐龙灭绝之争又起（下）

尽管导致白垩纪末生物灭绝事件的原因很多,但多数学者倾向于在白垩纪晚期即距今7000万年前后,由于地球的生态环境恶化,许多不适于环境变化的生物,开始了其灭绝的进程。到了距今6500万年时,确有一颗陨星撞击地球,这致命一击最终使那些早已“苟延残喘”、     

全球生物多样性保护与持续利用的纲领性文件——《生物多样性公约》介绍

生物多样性是地球上生命经过几十亿年发展进化的结果,是人类赖以生存的物质基础。然而,随着人口的迅速增长,人类经济活动的不断加剧,作为人类生存最为重要的基础的生物多样性受到了严重的威胁。 在过去的2亿年中自然界每27年就有一种植物物种从地球上消失,每世纪有90多种脊椎动物灭绝。随着人类活动的加剧,物种灭绝的速度不断加快,现在物种灭绝的速度是自然灭绝速度的1000倍!很多物种未被订名即已灭绝,大量的基因丧失,不同类型的生态系统面积锐减。无法再现的基因、物种和生态系统正以人类历史上前所未有的速度消失。如果不立即采取有效措施,人类将面临着能否继续以其固有的方式生活的挑战。生物多样性的研究、保护和持续、合理地利用急待加强,刻不容缓。生物多样性的保护与     

重视生物因子对环境变化的影响维护云南生态屏障

生物因子对环境变化的影响日益突现.生物之间存在着复杂的相互关系,彼此之间维持着十分脆弱的生态平衡.一个物种的灭绝,会导致其它许多物种和遗传信息的灭绝和丧失.本文通过论述国内外及云南省生态屏障丧失的原因和生物多样性的现状,指出人类起着不可推卸的责任.保护生物多样性,维护生态屏障,也就是保护人类自己.     

保护生物多样性与科学普及

科学家预测,如果按现在每小时3个物种灭绝的速度,40多年后的2050年,地球上1／4到一半的物种将会灭绝或濒临灭绝。根据计算机模拟,这一速度比生物自然灭绝的速度快1000倍,比物种形成的速度快100万倍。所以,两年前,联合国《生物多样性公约》执行秘书朱格拉夫就发出警告：人类正处在自恐龙灭绝后的第六次物种大灭绝的危急关头,而导演这一悲剧的正是人类自身。     

Students' Reactions to the Introduction of Videoconferencing for Classroom Instruction

This study examined how students who had no prior experience with videoconferencing would react to the use of videoconferencing as an instructional medium. Students enrolled in seven different courses completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the semester and again at the end of the semester. Students at the origination and remote sites did not differ in their reactions toward videoconferencing but there was a significant difference for gender. Women reacted less favorably to videoconferencing. Compared to the beginning of the semester, students reported significantly less positive attitudes toward taking a course through videoconferencing at the end of the semester. There were no significant differences in students' attitudes toward videoconferencing across courses at the beginning of the semester but there were significant differences across the courses at the end of the semester. The results suggest the need for better preparation for both students and instructors.     

Cooler temperatures inductive to locust outbreaks

Ajoint study by Prof. ZHANG Zhibin from the CAS Institute of Zoology and his co-workers from Norway, US and Swiss have indicated that historical outbreaks of migratory locusts in China were associated with cold spells, suggesting that China＇s projected climate warming could decrease the pest＇s numbers. The study was published in Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences on 17 September, 2007.     

Exploring Multiplexity: Social Network Structures in a Computer-Supported Distance Learning Class

A computer-mediated group is a complex entity whose members exchange many types of information via multiple means of communication in pursuit of goals specific to their environment. Over time, they coordinate technical features of media with locally enacted use to achieve a viable working arrangement. To explore this complex interaction, a case study is presented of the social networks of interactions and media use among members of a class of computer-supported distance learners. Results show how group structures associated with project teams dominated who communicated with whom, about what, and via which media over the term, and how media came to occupy their own communication niches: Webboard for diffuse class-wide communication; Internet Relay Chat more to named others but still for general communication across the class; and e-mail primarily for intrateam communication. Face-to-face interaction, occurring only during a short on-campus session, appears to have had a catalytic effect on social and emotional exchanges. Results suggest the need to structure exchanges to balance class-wide sharing of ideas with subgroup interactions that facilitate project completion, and to provide media that support these two modes of interaction.     

The Role of Intermediating Institutions in the Diffusion of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): How Industry Associations Intervened in Denmark, Finland, and Hong Kong

Electronic data interchange (EDI) provides means for interorganizational communication, creates network externalities, requires an advanced information technology (IT) infrastructure, and relies on standards. In the diffusion of such innovations, institutional involvement is imperative. Such institutions contain governmental agencies, national and global standardization organizations, local government, and nonprofit private organizations like industry associations. The last type of organizations we call intermediating institutions. They intermediate or coordinate ("inscribe") the activities of a group of would-be adopters. Unfortunately, little is known of how these organizations shape the EDI diffusion trajectory. In this article we examine one specific type of intermediating organizations?industry associations?and how they advanced the EDI diffusion process in the grocery sectors of Hong Kong, Denmark and Finland. We identify six institutional measures, placed into a matrix formed by the mode of involvement (influence vs. regulation) and the type of diffusion force (supply push vs. demand pull), that can be mobilized to further the EDI diffusion. Industry associations were found to be active users of all these measures to varying degrees. Their role was critical especially in knowledge building, knowledge deployment, and standard setting. Furthermore, institutional involvement varied due to policy and cultural contingencies and power dependencies.     

How Electronic Publishers are Protecting Against Piracy: Doubts About Technical Systems of Protection

The increasing prospects of digital piracy has prompted the perceived need by electronic publishers to adopt technical systems of protection, and governments to reform their copyright laws. This article is a preliminary study of the management of intellectual property by electronic publishers, defined as those involved in the production of online databases, and CD-ROMs. It focuses on three main issues: (1) how electronic publishers view the increasing threat of piracy; (2) the methods of protection employed to protect intellectual property in digital format; and (3) the importance of technological protection of intellectual property in electronic publications. The analysis is based on a sample of 23 UK electronic publishers. The interviews revealed an interesting assortment of protection methods and did not show that technological protection was a preferred way. Instead, the means of protection, in addition to copyright law, comprised niche markets, pricing, trust, bad publicity, and nontechnical and technical means.     

Rough Justice: A Statistical Assessment of ICANN's Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy

Long-standing conflict between domain name registrants and trademark holders prompted the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to create a global, mandatory arbitration procedure known as the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). The UDRP has been used in 2166 cases involving 3938 domain names as of 1 November 2000. The policy gives the initiator of a complaint, generally a trademark holder, the right to choose which ICANN-accredited dispute resolution service provider (RSP) will handle the case. During the preparation of the UDRP,some feared that complainant selection would lead to "forum shopping" that might bias the results. This article performs a statistical assessment of the forum-shopping thesis and finds support for it. There are statistically significant differences in the various RSPs' propensity to take away names from defendants; there are also major differences in the number of cases brought to each RSP. RSPs who take away names have the larger share of cases. The study examines other variables that might explain differences in market share, such as price, the plaintiff's nationality, or the time taken to decide a case. It finds that nationality and time also are correlated with market share. The study concludes that shopping for a favorable outcome is an important factor in the UDRP.     

Prevalence of soft neurological signs in Chinese people

Prof. Raymond C.K. Chen, a neuropsychologist with the CAS Institute of Psychology, has made novel progress in his studies of schizophrenia. His work has been reported by a recent issue of Behavioural Neurology.     

Monoculture Rubber Plantations Have Negative Ef ects on Controlling Splash Erosion

<正>In Xishuangbanna,one of China’s most biodiverse regions,landscape has changed dramatically during the past three decades due to the conversion of tropical rainforest to rubber plantations.In steep areas,terraces are often constructed before planting rubber trees,which causes two important changes in the soil:the destabilization of soil in the bench terraces and the increased vulnerability of unvegetated riser faces to erosion.Few studies have documented the nature and intensity of erosion on bench terraces.Prof.LIU Wenjie and his colleagues from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden(XTBG)conducted a study in Menglun County(21°5′39″N,101°15′55″E),Xishuangbanna to evaluate the influence     

Chinese Scientists Use Earth Observation Technologies to Study and Protect Wild Camels

<正>Chinese scientists plan to apply Earth Observation technologies to protect the critically endangered wild camels(Camelus ferus).With the help of remote sensing,satellite positioning,geographical information system and wireless sensors networks,they will be able to access the distribution and population of the wild camels and protect their habitats.The project will be carried out by the International Research Center for Wild Camel Conservation,which was jointly established earlier this year by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth(RADI)of the Chinese     

More than Skin Deep – Understand Skin Biology by Means of Dermatogenomics

<正>The Paul Gerson Unna Research Group on Dermatogenomics was founded in October 2012 at the Partner Institute for Computational Biology.The ultimate goal of the group is to understand the biology of skin and skin appendages.