Museum am Schölerberg

ABSTRACT A newly discovered palaeodictyopteran from the Pennsylvanian of Piesberg quarry (Lower Saxony, Germany) displays variability of wing venation on both wing pairs, well-preserved structure of thoracic nota and partially preserved wing base elements. Haseneura jarmilae gen. et sp. nov. is attributed to the family Archaemegaptilidae (Eugereonoidea) based on the wing venation characters, but several characters are also shared with representatives of Lycocercidae such as Apopappus Handlirsch, 1906. The preserved thoracic nota and wing bases demonstrate that wings were held in an outstretched position at rest, allowing to identify structural details. After the evaluation of venation characters across the superfamily Eugereonoidea and the re-examination of the holotype of Lithomantis meyeri Brauckmann et al., 2009 described from the same locality of Piesberg quarry, we propose transferring this species to Haseneura gen. nov. within the family Archaemegaptilidae as Haseneura meyeri comb. nov. zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D6839EFE-5AD0-4D89-9AD0-19BA0EF9580F

Although the invention and widespread use of artificial light is clearly one of the most important human technological advances, the transformation of nightscapes is increasingly recognized as having adverse effects. Night lighting may have serious physiological consequences for humans, ecological and evolutionary implications for animal and plant populations, and may reshape entire ecosystems. However, knowledge on the adverse effects of light pollution is vague. In response to climate change and energy shortages, many countries, regions, and communities are developing new lighting programs and concepts with a strong focus on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Given the dramatic increase in artificial light at night (0 -20% per year, depending on geographic region), we see an urgent need for light pollution policies that go beyond energy efficiency to include human well-being, the structure and functioning of ecosystems, and inter-related socioeconomic consequences. Such a policy shift will require a sound transdisciplinary understanding of the significance of the night, and its loss, for humans and the natural systems upon which we depend. Knowledge is also urgently needed on suitable lighting technologies and concepts which are ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable. Unless managing darkness becomes an integral part of future conservation and lighting policies, modern society may run into a global self-experiment with unpredictable outcomes.

Persistent jet and shell structures from comet Hale-Bopp showing gradual changes in the shapes and orientations with aspect angle and solar illumination geometry indicate long lived active sources. A model to simulate the dust features has been applied to the series of observations from September 1996 to May 1997. Most of the structures can be explained as arising due to ejections from persistent active regions at comet-o-centric latitudes near +65°, +55°, −5° to −15°, −35° and −65°. The best fitting pole positions vary between 255° ±10° and 275° ± 10° in right ascension and −45° ± 10° to −75° ± 10° in declination. Lower limits on the dust and gas production rates at various epochs are presented.