Una investigación biológica ha descubierto dos ranas de África occidental y una salamandra mexicana que habita en cuevas subterráneas que se creían extintas hace muchos años.

Concretamente, la salamandra fue vista por última vez hace 69 años, en 1941, y ha sido descubierta mientras los conservacionistas hacían rápel en las cuevas profundas de un bosque.

La colonización humana ha provocado que muchos anfibios hayan tenido que retroceder en áreas marginales, como el sistema de cuevas donde habitan estas salamandras, Chiropterotriton mosaueri.

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Over the next few months, CI is supporting expeditions by amphibian experts in 18 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia. Led by members of IUCN’s Amphibian Specialist Group, the research teams are in search of around 40 species that haven’t been seen for over a decade. Although there is no guarantee of success, scientists are optimistic about the prospect of at least one rediscovery.

Whatever the results, the expedition findings will expand our global understanding of the threats to amphibians and bring us closer to finding solutions for their protection. Bold conservation efforts are not only critical for the future of many amphibians themselves, but also for the benefit of humans that rely on pest control, nutrient cycling and other services the animals provide.

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Geckos Inspire New Method to Print Electronics on Complex Surfaces

Geckos are masters at sticking to surfaces of all kinds and easily unsticking themselves, too. Inspired by these lizards, a team of engineers has developed a reversible adhesion method for printing electronics on a variety of tricky surfaces such as clothes, plastic and leather.

Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed a clever square polymer stamp that allows them to vary its adhesion strength. The stamp can easily pick up an array of electronic devices from a silicon surface and move and print them on a curved surface.

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