ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Cannabis ads and store location influence youth marijuana use

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 11:21 AM PDT

States may want to consider the proximity of cannabis retailers and cannabis advertising to neighborhoods to prevent underage use of the drug, according to new research.

Study finds fungal disease of snakes in 19 states, Puerto Rico

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 11:20 AM PDT

Researchers surveyed for an infection caused by an emerging fungal pathogen that afflicts snakes. The research effort found infected snakes in 19 states and Puerto Rico, demonstrating that the fungus is more widely distributed than was previously known.

Extinctions linked to new assemblages of species

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 11:20 AM PDT

As the world undergoes profound environmental change, identifying and protecting 'novel' communities of species can help prevent extinctions within vulnerable ecosystems. Scientists outline a world first method to detect 'novel' communities of species across all ecosystems.

How an egg cell's 'operating manual' sets the stage for fertility

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:44 AM PDT

Scientists have revealed in unprecedented detail the genetic instructions immature egg cells go through step by step as they mature into functionality. Their findings improve our understanding of how ovaries maintain a female's fertility.

New solar panel design could lead to wider use of renewable energy

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:13 AM PDT

Researchers say the breakthrough could lead to the production of thinner, lighter and more flexible solar panels that could be used to power more homes and be used in a wider range of products.

Crabs are key to ecology and economy in Oman

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:13 AM PDT

The intertidal mudflats of Barr Al Hikman, a nature reserve at the south-east coast of the Sultanate Oman, are crucial nursery grounds for numerous crab species. In return, crabs are a vital element of the ecology, as well as the regional economy, a new publication in Hydrobiologia shows.

Taking sides: Factors that influence patterns in protein distribution

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:13 AM PDT

A new article has found that even cells in isolation can become polarized to create the head to tail pattern, and that this polarity can orient how the cell grows.

Dietary migration of Impala rivals the geographical migration of Serengeti wildebeest

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:13 AM PDT

A new study shows the Impala's migration is a 'dietary migration', where they switch from eating mostly grass in the wet season, to eating more tree leaves or 'browse' during the dry season.

Scientists reconstruct beetles from the Cretaceous

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:12 AM PDT

An international research team has examined four newly found specimens of the Mysteriomorphidae beetle using computer tomography and has been able to reconstruct them. The results allow to draw conclusions about the evolution of the species during the Cretaceous period.

Genomic study reveals evolutionary secrets of banyan tree

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 09:12 AM PDT

The banyan fig tree Ficus microcarpa is famous for its aerial roots, which sprout from branches and eventually reach the soil. The tree also has a unique relationship with a wasp that has coevolved with it and is the only insect that can pollinate it. In a new study, researchers identify regions in the banyan fig's genome that promote the development of its unusual aerial roots and enhance its ability to signal its wasp pollinator.

Airdropping sensors from moths

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT

Researchers have created a sensor system that can ride aboard a small drone or an insect, such as a moth, until it gets to its destination.

Light stimulation makes bones heavier

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT

Researchers showed that laser ablation of bone inhibits expression of the osteogenesis inhibitor protein sclerostin without causing inflammation, unlike the conventional bur-drilling technique. Further investigations confirmed that this beneficial bio-stimulation works by inducing mechanical stress. These findings help advance research into the treatment of osteoporosis as well as specific enhancement of bone regrowth in orthopedic and dental surgery.

Shack fires move with devastating speed, large-scale experiment shows

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT

An experiment showed that a fire spreading through an informal settlement can destroy twenty shacks (informal houses) in five minutes.

Stem cell sheets harvested in just two days

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT

A team has developed a thermoresponsive nanotopography cell culture platform.

Zoologists uncover new example of rapid evolution -- meet the Sulawesi Babblers

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT

Zoologists have discovered that male and female Sulawesi Babblers (Pellorneum celebense, a species of bird) have evolved to attain different sizes on small islands, and in quick-fire time. They believe this is most likely due to evolutionary pressure favoring such 'dimorphism' because the birds are able to reduce competition with each other by feeding on different, scarce resources.

Ants adapt tool use to avoid drowning

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 05:38 AM PDT

Researchers have observed black imported fire ants using sand to draw liquid food out of containers, when faced with the risk of drowning. This is the first time this sophisticated tool use has been reported in animals.

Double jeopardy for ecologically rare birds and terrestrial mammals

Posted: 08 Oct 2020 05:37 AM PDT

Common assumptions notwithstanding, rare species can play unique and essential ecological roles. After studying two, scientists have demonstrated that, though these species are found on all continents, they are more threatened by human pressures than ecologically common species and will also be more impacted by future climate change. Thus they are in double jeopardy. The researchers' findings show that conservation programmes must account for the ecological rarity of species.

Older adults using cannabis to treat common health conditions

Posted: 07 Oct 2020 12:28 PM PDT

Researchers report that older adults are increasingly using cannabis to treat a variety of common health conditions, including pain, sleep disturbances and psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression.

Unusually shallow earthquake ruptures in Chinese fracking field

Posted: 07 Oct 2020 09:30 AM PDT

An unusually shallow earthquake triggered by hydraulic fracturing in a Chinese shale gas field could change how experts view the risks of fracking for faults that lie very near the Earth's surface.