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ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| Engineered bacterial strains could fertilize crops, reduce waterways pollution Posted: 17 Feb 2022 01:30 PM PST Researchers have engineered strains of the ubiquitous, nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii to produce ammonia and excrete it at high concentrations, transferring it into crop plants in lieu of conventional chemical fertilizers. |
| Fewer rainy days leading to earlier spring in northern climes Posted: 17 Feb 2022 12:52 PM PST A drop in the total number of rainy days each year is contributing to an earlier arrival of spring for plants in northern climates, a new study finds. |
| U.S. coastline to see up to a foot of sea level rise by 2050 Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:24 AM PST The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise by the year 2050 as it witnessed in the previous hundred years. That's according to a NOAA-led report updating sea level rise decision-support information for the U.S. released in partnership with half a dozen other U.S.federal agencies. |
| CROPSR: A new tool to accelerate genetic discoveries Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Scientists have developed CROPSR, the first open-source software tool for genome-wide design and evaluation of guide RNA (gRNA) sequences for CRISPR/Cas9 experiments. This tool significantly shortens the time required to design a CRISPR experiment and reduces the challenge of working with complex crop genomes. It should accelerate bioenergy crop development as well as broader crop improvements and other gene-editing research. |
| Scientists reveal how Venus fly trap plants snap shut Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Scientists have revealed the three-dimensional structure of Flycatcher1, an aptly named protein channel that may enable Venus fly trap plants to snap shut in response to prey. The structure of Flycatcher1 helps shed light on longstanding questions about the remarkably sensitive touch response of Venus fly traps. The structure also gives the researchers a better understanding of how similar proteins in organisms including plants and bacteria, as well as proteins in the human body with similar functions (called mechanosensitive ion channels), might operate. |
| Groundbreaking study finds widespread lead poisoning in bald and golden eagles Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and frequent lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles impacting both species' populations. Researchers evaluated lead exposure in bald and golden eagles from 2010 to 2018. |
| Reducing negative impacts of Amazon hydropower expansion on people and nature Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Rapid hydroelectric dam expansion in the Amazon poses a serious threat to Earth's largest and most biodiverse river basin. There are 158 dams in the Amazon River basin, with another 351 proposed; these projects are typically assessed individually, with little coordinated planning. A new study provides a computational approach for evaluating basin-level tradeoffs between hydropower and ecosystem services, with the goal of guiding sustainable dam siting. |
| Measuring the tempo of Utah's red rock towers Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Geologists know well how rock towers and arches shimmy, twist and sway in response to far-off earthquakes, wind and even ocean waves. Their latest research compiles a first-of-its-kind dataset to show that the dynamic properties, i.e. the frequencies at which the rocks vibrate and the ways they deform during that vibration, can be largely predicted using the same mathematics that describe how beams in built structures resonate. |
| London produces up to a third more methane than estimates suggest Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Measurements of London's atmosphere show the city is releasing more of the potent greenhouse gas methane, primarily from natural gas leaks. |
| Tall trees in the Amazon can suffer from warmer temperatures Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Tall trees in Central Amazonia are impacted by periods of high maximum temperatures, which can cause them to shed their leaves and branches. With deforestation increasing, forests are becoming fragmented and this exposes their interiors and increases the temperatures they experience, making these losses even worse. With climate change jeopardizing tall trees around the world, this new evidence of spiraling negative effects from fragmentation is bad news, and highlights the urgent need to reduce deforestation in the Amazon. |
| Sediment cores from ocean floor could contain 23-million-year-old climate change clues Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:19 AM PST Sediment cores taken from the Southern Ocean dating back 23 million years are providing insight into how ancient methane escaping from the seafloor could have led to regional or global climate and environmental changes, according to a new study. |
| The surprising structural reason your kitchen sponge is disgusting Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST Researchers have uncovered a basic but surprising fact: your kitchen sponge is a better incubator for diverse bacterial communities than a laboratory Petri dish. But it's not just the trapped leftovers that make the cornucopia of microbes swarming around so happy and productive, it's the structure of the sponge itself. |
| New DNA computer assesses water quality Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST Synthetic biologists have developed a low-cost, easy-to-use, hand-held device that can let users know -- within mere minutes -- if their water is safe to drink. The new device works by using powerful and programmable genetic networks, which mimic electronic circuits, to perform a range of logic functions. |
| Explosive fossil fruit found buried beneath ancient Indian lava flows Posted: 17 Feb 2022 07:20 AM PST Just before the closing scenes of the Cretaceous Period, India was a rogue subcontinent on a collision course with Asia. Before the two landmasses merged, however, India rafted over a 'hot spot' within the Earth's crust, triggering one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth's history, which likely contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. In a recent study, scientists excavating the fossilized remains of plant material wedged between layers of volcanic rock describe a new plant species based on the presence of distinctive fruit capsules that likely exploded to disperse their seeds. |
| City trees and soil are sucking more carbon out of the atmosphere than previously thought Posted: 16 Feb 2022 12:39 PM PST Research uncovers new information about the role that forest edges play in buffering global impacts of climate change and urbanization. |
| Can a planet have a mind of its own? Thought experiment Posted: 16 Feb 2022 12:38 PM PST Astrophysicists combine current scientific understanding about the Earth with broader questions about how life alters a planet to ask: if a planet with life has a life of its own, can it also have a mind of its own? The research raises new ideas about the ways in which humans might tackle global issues such as climate change. |
| Dissolving oil in a sunlit sea Posted: 16 Feb 2022 11:49 AM PST The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill in United States history. The disaster was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, taking 11 lives and releasing nearly 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Twelve years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, scientists are still working to understand where all this oil ended up, a concept known as environmental fate. |
| eDNA a useful tool for early detection of invasive green crab Posted: 16 Feb 2022 11:04 AM PST As the green crab invasion in Washington state worsens, a new analysis method could help contain future invasions and prevent new outbreaks using water testing and genetic analysis. |
| How plants evolved to colonize land over 500-million years ago Posted: 16 Feb 2022 10:03 AM PST Scientists analyzing one of the largest genomic datasets of plants have discovered how the first plants on Earth evolved the mechanisms used to control water and 'breathe' on land hundreds of millions of years ago. The study has important implications in understanding how plant water transport systems have evolved and how these might adapt in future in response to climate change. |
| How politics, society, and tech shape the path of climate change Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:23 AM PST Public perceptions of climate change, the future cost and effectiveness of climate mitigation and technologies, and how political institutions respond to public pressure are all important determinants of the degree to which the climate will change over the 21st century, according to a new study. |
| Looking back from the future: How does Germany become carbon neutral? Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST Researchers have developed a vision for Germany in 2050 that illustrates ways to achieve a carbon dioxide-neutral life and economy. In their study they look back from a fictitious future to the present day. |
| Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST A new study found that in a marine environment, microplastics absorb and concentrate toxic organic substances and thus increase their toxicity by a factor of 10, which may lead to a severe impact on human health. |
| Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST Due to human-caused pressures and global warming, some soils in Europe's Mediterranean region are reaching what the researchers refer to as 'critical limits for their ability to provide ecosystem services,' which include farming and absorbing carbon, among others. Perhaps even more troubling, the problem could be even more extensive than we realize, says an author of a new study. |
| Researchers use solar cells to achieve fast underwater wireless communication Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST Researchers have shown that solar cells can be used to achieve underwater wireless optical communication with high data rates. The new approach -- which used an array of series-connected solar cells as detectors -- could offer a cost-effective, low-energy way to transmit data underwater. |
| Hotter, drier nights mean more runaway fires Posted: 16 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST A new study shows that an increase in hot, dry nights in recent decades has resulted in nighttime wildfires becoming more intense and more frequent. Researchers found there are 11 more flammable nights every year in the U.S. West compared to 1979 -- a 45% increase over the past four decades. Nighttime warming is only expected to increase with climate change, intensifying wildfires' size and speed, causing more firefighters to work around the clock. |
| Hidden diversity: When one wasp species is actually 16 wasp species Posted: 16 Feb 2022 07:30 AM PST Some undiscovered species are hiding right under our noses. Ormyrus labotus, a tiny parasitoid wasp known to science since 1843, has long been considered a generalist with more than 65 host species. But a new study suggests wasps currently called Ormyrus labotus are actually at least 16 different species, identical in appearance but genetically distinct. |
| Breakthrough in converting carbon dioxide into fuel using solar energy Posted: 16 Feb 2022 07:30 AM PST A research team has shown how solar power can convert carbon dioxide into fuel, by using advanced materials and ultra-fast laser spectroscopy. The breakthrough could be an important piece of the puzzle in reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in the future. |
| 45,000 marine species are at-risk: What’s most vulnerable? Posted: 16 Feb 2022 06:58 AM PST A framework for identifying the most vulnerable marine species will boost global conservation and policy efforts against anthropogenic climate change. |
| Pharmaceutical residues in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have the feared effect Posted: 16 Feb 2022 06:58 AM PST Pharmaceutical residues and chemicals from personal care products in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have a detectable toxic effect on nematodes living in agricultural fields, according to 14-year-long experiments. At the same time, manure and sewage sludge enhance soil quality more than conventional mineral fertilizers and can contribute to more sustainable, circular agriculture. |
| Stay on the sunny side: Optimistic animal foragers have better lives in behavior model Posted: 15 Feb 2022 12:29 PM PST A new model for animal foraging considered 'valence-dependent optimism bias' -- a lopsided learning process in which information about bad outcomes is discounted or ignored. The model shows that when faced with decisions, foraging animals that gave mental weight to positive outcomes had an on-the-ground caloric advantage. |
| Driving conservation efforts with DNA data Posted: 15 Feb 2022 09:55 AM PST An international team of conservation experts has revealed how ancient and historical DNA (a/hDNA), such as genetic data from specimens stored in natural history museums, can be used to assess population genetic patterns and processes that are relevant for endangered species. |
| Scientists report breakthrough in transuranium actinide chemical bonding Posted: 15 Feb 2022 06:25 AM PST Scientists have managed to successfully make a transuranium complex where the central metal, here neptunium, forms a multiple bond to just one other element. Enabling study of such a bonding interaction in isolation for the first time is a key breakthrough for nuclear waste clean-up. |
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