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Desert adaptation in Drosophila is due to evolutionary changes in a single gene. 

Maintaining water balance is a universal challenge for organisms living in terrestrial environments, especially for insects, which have essential roles in our ecosystem. Although the high surface area to volume ratio in insects makes them vulnerable to water loss, insects have evolved different levels of desiccation resistance to adapt to diverse environments. To withstand desiccation, insects use a lipid layer called cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to reduce water evaporation from the body surface. It has long been hypothesized that the water-proofing capability of this CHC layer, which can confer different levels of desiccation resistance, depends on its chemical composition. However, it is unknown which CHC components are important contributors to desiccation resistance and how these components can determine differences in desiccation resistance. In this study, we used machine-learning algorithms, correlation analyses, and synthetic CHCs to investigate how different CHC components affect desiccation resistance in 50 Drosophila and related species. We showed that desiccation resistance differences across these species can be largely explained by variation in CHC composition. In particular, length variation in a subset of CHCs, the methyl-branched CHCs (mbCHCs), is a key determinant of desiccation resistance. There is also a significant correlation between the evolution of longer mbCHCs and higher desiccation resistance in these species. Given that CHCs are almost ubiquitous in insects, we suggest that evolutionary changes in insect CHC components can be a general mechanism for the evolution of desiccation resistance and adaptation to diverse and changing environments. 

Abstract The Mw 7.1 47 km deep earthquake that occurred on 30 November 2018 had deep societal impacts across southcentral Alaska and exhibited phenomena of broad scientific interest. We document observations that point to future directions of research and hazard mitigation. The rupture mechanism, aftershocks, and deformation of the mainshock are consistent with extension inside the Pacific plate near the down‐dip limit of flat‐slab subduction. Peak ground motions >25%g were observed across more than 8000  km2, though the most violent near‐fault shaking was avoided because the hypocenter was nearly 50 km below the surface. The ground motions show substantial variation, highlighting the influence of regional geology and near‐surface soil conditions. Aftershock activity was vigorous with roughly 300 felt events in the first six months, including two dozen aftershocks exceeding M 4.5. Broad subsidence of up to 5 cm across the region is consistent with the rupture mechanism. The passage of seismic waves and possibly the coseismic subsidence mobilized ground waters, resulting in temporary increases in stream flow. Although there were many failures of natural slopes and soils, the shaking was insufficient to reactivate many of the failures observed during the 1964 M 9.2 earthquake. This is explained by the much shorter duration of shaking as well as the lower amplitude long‐period motions in 2018. The majority of observed soil failures were in anthropogenically placed fill soils. Structural damage is attributed to both the failure of these emplaced soils as well as to the ground motion, which shows some spatial correlation to damage. However, the paucity of instrumental ground‐motion recordings outside of downtown Anchorage makes these comparisons challenging. The earthquake demonstrated the challenge of issuing tsunami warnings in complex coastal geographies and highlights the need for a targeted tsunami hazard evaluation of the region. The event also demonstrates the challenge of estimating the probabilistic hazard posed by intraslab earthquakes. 

Abstract Shear‐wave splitting observations can provide insight into mantle flow, due to the link between the deformation of mantle rocks and their direction‐dependent seismic wave velocities. We identify anisotropy in the Cook Inlet segment of the Alaska subduction zone by analyzing splitting parameters of S waves from local intraslab earthquakes between 50 and 200 km depths, recorded from 2015–2017 and emphasizing stations from the Southern Alaska Lithosphere and Mantle Observation Network experiment. We classify 678 high‐quality local shear‐wave splitting observations into four regions, from northwest to southeast: (L1b) splitting measurements parallel to Pacific plate motion, (L1a) arc‐perpendicular splitting pattern, (L2) sharp transition to arc‐parallel splitting, and (L3) splitting parallel to Pacific plate motion. Forward modeling of splitting from various mantle fabrics shows that no one simple model fully explains the observed splitting patterns. An A‐type olivine fabric with fast direction dipping 45° to the northwest (300°)—aligned with the dipping slab—predicts fast directions that fit L1a observations well, but not L2. The inability of the forward model fabrics to fit all the observed splitting patterns suggests that the anisotropy variations are not due to variable ray angles, but require distinct differences in the anisotropy regime below the arc, forearc, and subducting plate.