A long-term natural experiment hints at how species disperse
The aftermath of a tsunami spreads species across an ocean
THAT SPECIES might spread overseas by hitching lifts on floating vegetation is an idea going back to Charles Darwin. It is a plausible thought, but hard to test. A test of sorts has, however, been made possible by the tsunami that struck the Pacific coast of Japan in 2011, in the wake of a submarine earthquake.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “The hitch-hiker’s guide to the Pacific”
From the February 23rd 2019 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
Can you breathe stress away?
It won’t hurt to try. But scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind
The Economist’s science and technology internship
We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship
A better understanding of Huntington’s disease brings hope
Previous research seems to have misinterpreted what is going on
Is obesity a disease?
It wasn’t. But it is now
Volunteers with Down’s syndrome could help find Alzheimer’s drugs
Those with the syndrome have more of a protein implicated in dementia
Should you start lifting weights?
You’ll stay healthier for longer if you’re strong