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Saturday Citations: Protoplanetary cornucopia; trees abound; the importance of diversity in corporate boards

This week, paleontologists reported finding new details in an Archaeopteryx fossil via CT scanning and UV light exposure. NASA engineers revived a set of thrusters aboard Voyager 1 that had been considered inoperable in 2004. And researchers are challenging a set of evolutionary assumptions regarding the importance of an ancient protein motif.

Additionally, astronomers discovered protoplanetary disks in some of the most turbulent regions of the Milky Way; boreal forests may have significantly higher tree density than previously believed; and corporations with LGBTQ+ board members outperform firms with less diversity.

Planets everywhere

Researchers are reporting the results of the most sensitive and high-resolution survey to date of three molecular clouds in the Central Molecular Zone near the Milky Way's galactic center, and those three regions are absolutely paying out like slot machines, if slot machines paid out protoplanetary disks. The astronomers estimate that these molecular clouds contain about 300 protoplanetary systems that they were able to identify.

The CMZ is a dynamic, turbulent region selected because it may be more representative of conditions throughout the galaxy than the relatively calm and peaceful neighborhood in which our sun resides. Identifying protoplanetary disks in the CMZ is a challenge because they're so distant and embedded in a thick blanket of dust.

The astronomers used the interferometric Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, which combines the signals from several kilometers of antenna dishes, achieving extremely high resolution. First author Fengwei Xu says, "We were astonished to see these 'little red dots' cross the whole molecular clouds. They are telling us the hidden nature of dense, star-forming cores."

Trees doing pretty good, maybe

Boreal forests comprise Earth's largest biome, but the accuracy of tree counts is unclear due to the variable densities of boreal regions. Researchers at the University of Alberta have conducted a new estimate of the number of trees in North American boreal forests and counted 277 billion trees.

Using a machine-learning algorithm, they found that the number of trees on the continent is likely 31% higher than previously believed based on a 2015 study. This implies the possibility that boreal forests have a higher capacity for climate change mitigation.

The researchers calculated the number of trees 10 centimeters or larger in diameter with an AI algorithm that included tree height as a major predictor of density. Additionally, the researchers projected tree density maps under a number of climate change scenarios and determined that under increasingly warmer climates, according to their competition-based models, tree density in boreal forests could rise by 11% by 2050.

Diversity rules

A study of 441 American corporations found that Fortune 500 companies with LGBTQ+ board members outperformed peers across financial and nonfinancial metrics. Conducted by researchers at Northeastern University and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the study evaluated firm performance in enterprise value and environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores. The two parameters account for a vast number of performance factors and comprise a holistic picture of corporate performance.

The researchers found specifically that firms with LGBTQ+ board members have higher ESG scores, which in turn leads to higher enterprise value. Professor Ruth Aguilera at Northeastern University says, "One of the worst things that can happen on a board is that there is group thinking. That happens when everybody has very homogeneous views or when there is no psychological safety for different individuals to voice their opinions."