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Abstract The mammalian inner ear is traditionally divided into two systems: the peripheral vestibular system (for balance) and the cochlea (for hearing). This bipartite model has shaped our understanding of inner ear evolution, function, and pathology. However, it groups the semicircular ducts (which detect angular velocity) and otolithic organs (which detect linear acceleration, vibration, and head tilt) into a single peripheral vestibular system, overlooking key differences in their structure and function. Using advances in imaging technology, we investigate whether the otolithic system is evolutionarily and structurally distinct from the semicircular ducts, with a focus on primates. Specifically, we assess modularity and phylogenetic signal in the inner ear across 14 primate species using landmark-based 3D geometric morphometrics within a phylogenetic framework. Our results reveal previously unrecognized modularity in the primate peripheral vestibular system. The semicircular canals and otolithic organs show stronger integration within their own structures rather than with each other. Furthermore, these two systems show divergent evolutionary trajectories in both size and shape, particularly among hominoids. These findings challenge the traditional bipartite model of the inner ear. Instead, a tripartite framework comprising distinct cochlear, canalicular, and otolithic systems better reflects the structural, functional, and evolutionary complexity of the primate inner ear. This revised model reshapes perspectives on vestibular system organization and has implications for studies on balance, sensory adaptation, and inner ear disorders. 

In 2021, a collaborative scientific investigation (National Science Foundation Grant Award OCE-2148989, Project 880516) was started for the purpose of quantifying shelf inventories and boundary fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved iron to the West Florida Shelf (WFS) to assess their role in supporting the oligotrophic WFS ecosystem. To assess the spatial and temporal variability in submarine groundwater as a boundary source to the shelf, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) designed a marine well network (three transects of wells across different coastal regions) and conducted five sampling events over a 16-month period. For each trip, samples were collected from shallow (< 10 meters [m] water depth) offshore groundwater wells and coincidental water column stations. Samples were collected from the different water types for the determination of naturally occurring, short-lived isotopes of radium (Ra): Ra-223 (half-life, t1/2 = 11.4 days) and Ra-224 (t1/2 = 3.63 days). Identifiers for the transects and subsequent samples are two to three letter acronyms based on coastal communities or geographic features in Florida: Nature Coast near Hudson (NC); Indian Rocks Beach near Indian Rocks Beach (IRB), and Venice Headland near Venice (VH). Radium-223 and Radium-224 were absorbed onto manganese (di)oxide impregnated fibers (referred to as Mn-fibers from hereon) following exposure to seawater and the fiber was retained as the sample. The activities of Radium-223 and Radium-224 absorbed onto the Mn-fibers were measured on a set of Radium Delayed Coincidence Counters (RaDeCC) as outlined originally in Moore and Arnold (1996) and updated for procedural recommendations by Diego-Feliu and others (2020). Data included in this data release correspond to USGS Field Activity Number (FAN) 2022-340-FA, with associated events spanning over one year (November 2022 to March 2024) and are distinguished by alternative field activity numbers (Alt FANs) of 22WFS05, 23WFS01, 23WFS02, 23WFS03, 23WFS04, 24WFS01. Samples were acquired in November 2022, January-February 2023, May-June 2023, September 2023, December 2023, and February-March 2024, respectively. Moore, W.S., and Arnold, R., 1996, Measurement of 223Ra and 224Ra in coastal waters using a delayed coincidence counter: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 101, no. C1, p. 1321-1329, https://doi.org/10.1029/95JC03139. Note: This data release was versioned on August 13, 2025. Please see the Suggested Citation section for details. 

Abstract. Recent analyses show the importance of methane shortwave absorption, which many climate models lack. In particular, Allen et al. (2023) used idealized climate model simulations to show that methane shortwave absorption mutes up to 30 % of the surface warming and 60 % of the precipitation increase associated with its longwave radiative effects. Here, we explicitly quantify the radiative and climate impacts due to shortwave absorption of the present-day methane perturbation. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that present-day methane shortwave absorption mutes the warming effects of longwave absorption. For example, the global mean cooling in response to the present-day methane shortwave absorption is -0.10±0.07 K, which offsets 28 % (7 %–55 %) of the surface warming associated with present-day methane longwave radiative effects. The precipitation increase associated with the longwave radiative effects of the present-day methane perturbation (0.012±0.006 mm d−1) is also muted by shortwave absorption but not significantly so (-0.008±0.009 mm d−1). The unique responses to methane shortwave absorption are related to its negative top-of-the-atmosphere effective radiative forcing but positive atmospheric heating and in part to methane's distinctive vertical atmospheric solar heating profile. We also find that the present-day methane shortwave radiative effects, relative to its longwave radiative effects, are about 5 times larger than those under idealized carbon dioxide perturbations. Additional analyses show consistent but non-significant differences between the longwave versus shortwave radiative effects for both methane and carbon dioxide, including a stronger (negative) climate feedback when shortwave radiative effects are included (particularly for methane). We conclude by reiterating that methane remains a potent greenhouse gas. 

Yucca moths ( Tegeticula and Parategeticula) are specialized pollinators of yucca plants, possessing unique, tentacle-like mouthparts used to actively collect pollen and deposit it onto the flowers of their hosts. The moths' larvae feed on the developing seeds and fruit tissue. First described in 1873, the yucca–yucca moth pollination system is now considered the archetypical example of a coevolved intimate mutualism. Research conducted over the past three decades has transformed our understanding of yucca moth diversity and host plant interactions. We summarize the current understanding of the diversity, ecology, and evolution of this group, review evidence for coevolution of the insects and their hosts, and describe how the nature of the interaction varies across evolutionary time and ecological contexts. Finally, we identify unresolved questions and areas for future research. 

Archival systems are often tasked with storing highly valuable data that may be targeted by malicious actors. When the lifetime of the secret data is on the order of decades to centuries, the threat of improved cryptanalysis casts doubt on the long-term security of cryptographic techniques, which rely on hardness assumptions that are hard to prove over archival time scales. This threat makes the design of secure archival systems exceptionally difficult. Some archival systems turn a blind eye to this issue, hoping that current cryptographic techniques will not be broken; others often use techniques--—such as secret sharing—that are impractical at scale. This position paper sheds light on the core challenges behind building practically viable secure long-term archives; we identify promising research avenues towards this goal. 

Abstract Our sense of balance is among the most central of our sensory systems, particularly in the evolution of human positional behavior. The peripheral vestibular system (PVS) comprises the organs responsible for this sense; the semicircular canals (detecting angular acceleration) and otolith organs (utricle and saccule; detecting linear acceleration, vibration, and head tilt). Reconstructing vestibular evolution in the human lineage, however, is problematic. In contrast to considerable study of the canals, relationships between external bone and internal membranous otolith organs (otolith system) remain largely unexplored. This limits our understanding of vestibular functional morphology. This study combines spherical harmonic modeling and landmark-based shape analyses to model the configuration of the human otolith system. Our approach serves two aims: (1) test the hypothesis that bony form covaries with internal membranous anatomy; and (2) create a 3D morphometric model visualizing bony and membranous structure. Results demonstrate significant associations between bony and membranous tissues of the otolith system. These data provide the first evidence that external structure of the human otolith system is directly related to internal anatomy, suggesting a basic biological relationship. Our results visualize this structural relationship, offering new avenues into vestibular biomechanical modeling and assessing the evolution of the human balance system.