ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Rubisco proton production can enhance CO2 acquisition

Posted: 24 May 2021 03:31 PM PDT

Researchers used a mathematical model to gain insight into possibly building Rubisco compartments in crop plants to assist in increasing yield productivity.

Can antibiotics treat human diseases in addition to bacterial infections?

Posted: 24 May 2021 03:31 PM PDT

A new study shows that eukaryotic ribosomes can be modified to respond to antibiotics in the same way that prokaryotic ribosomes do.

Sterile male mosquitoes created using CRISPER/Cas9

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:18 PM PDT

Mosquitoes are one of humanity's greatest nemeses, estimated to spread infections to nearly 700 million people per year and cause more than one million deaths.

A seedy slice of history: Watermelons actually came from northeast Africa

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:18 PM PDT

Using DNA from greenhouse-grown plants representing all species and hundreds of varieties of watermelon, scientists discovered that watermelons most likely came from wild crop progenitors in northeast Africa. The study corrects a 90-year-old mistake that had previously tied watermelons to South Africa. The genetic research is consistent with newly interpreted Egyptian tomb paintings that suggest the watermelon may have been consumed in the Nile Valley as a dessert more than 4,000 years ago.

How do clownfish earn their stripes?

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:18 PM PDT

Clownfish are instantly recognizable by their white stripes, which appear as they mature from larvae into adults. But how these distinctive patterns form has long remained a mystery. Now, a new study has found that the speed at which these white bars form depends on the species of sea anemone in which the clownfish live. The scientists also discovered that thyroid hormones, which play a key role in metamorphosis, drive how quickly their stripes appear.

Greenland glacial meltwaters rich in mercury

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:18 PM PDT

New research shows that concentrations of the toxic element mercury in rivers and fjords connected to the Greenland Ice Sheet are comparable to rivers in industrial China, an unexpected finding that is raising questions about the effects of glacial melting in an area that is a major exporter of seafood. 

Plant-microbe homeostasis: A delicate balancing act

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:18 PM PDT

Scientists have shown that the presence of both immune-suppressive and non-suppressive bacteria in the plant root microbiota is crucial to strike a balance between plant growth and plant defense, and maintain plant-microbe homeostasis.

Infertility poses major threat to biodiversity during climate change, study warns

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:17 PM PDT

A new study by ecologists warns that heat-induced male infertility will see some species succumb to the effects of climate change earlier than thought. Currently, scientists are trying to predict where species will be lost due to climate change so they can plan effective conservation strategies. However, research on temperature tolerance has generally focused on the temperatures that are lethal to organisms, rather than those at which organisms can no longer breed.

Endangered wallaby population bounces back after ferals fenced out

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:17 PM PDT

Scientists have used a new conservation strategy to give the bridled nailtail wallaby a head start in life.

With a kitchen freezer and plant cellulose, an aerogel for therapeutic use is developed

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:17 PM PDT

A new low-cost and sustainable technique would boost the possibilities for hospitals and clinics to deliver therapeutics with aerogels, a foam-like material now found in such high-tech applications as insulation for spacesuits and breathable plasters.

Microscopic fossils record ancient climate conditions

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:17 PM PDT

Researchers report the climate clues that can be found by analyzing the magnetic fossil particles, or magnetofossils.

Fluorescent light clarifies relationship between heat stress and crop yield

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:17 PM PDT

Scientists report that it is possible to detect and predict heat damage in crops by measuring the fluorescent light signature of plant leaves experiencing heat stress. If collected via satellite, this fluorescent signal could support widespread monitoring of growth and crop yield under the heat stress of climate change, the researchers say.

To unpack colonial influence on ecology, researchers propose five strategies

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:16 PM PDT

Researchers proposed five strategies to untangle the impacts of colonialism on research and thinking in ecology.

Evacuating under dire wildfire scenarios

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:16 PM PDT

As climate change intensifies, wildfires in the West are behaving in ways that were unimaginable in the past -- and the common disaster response approaches are woefully unprepared for this new reality. Researchers now proposed a framework for simulating dire scenarios, which the authors define as scenarios where there is less time to evacuate an area than is required.

New study shines light on hazards of Earth's largest volcano

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:09 PM PDT

Scientists analyzed ground movements measured by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) satellite data and GPS stations to precisely model where magma intruded and how magma influx changed over time, as well as where faults under the flanks moved without generating significant earthquakes.

Analyzing the impact of college gameday homes in the American south

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:02 AM PDT

Absentee property ownership in many small college football towns has a negative impact on permanent residents of those communities, according to a new study. The research is the first known attempt to quantify and map local geographies of gameday home investments.

Two invasive beachgrasses are hybridizing

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:02 AM PDT

Two species of sand-stabilizing beachgrasses introduced to the Pacific Northwest starting in the early 1900s are hybridizing, raising new questions about impacts to the coastal ecosystems the non-native plants have been engineering for more than a century.

Clean water and toilets for healthy shelters

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:02 AM PDT

The devastating Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 displaced some 500,000 people to evacuation shelters. A research team that conducted regular visits to shelters to assess their status and inhabitants well-being have analyzed their data and found that about half of shelters had inadequate clean tap water and toilets, leading to worsening health outcomes for inhabitants.

Using waste heat to power an environmentally sustainable future

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT

Researchers explore a novel organic Rankine system for converting waste heat into electricity.

Obesity protects against death in severe bacterial infection

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT

For many diseases, overweight and obesity are risk factors. But now a study shows that a higher BMI may be linked to higher survival rates in patients hospitalized for severe bacterial infections.

Forensic archaeologists begin to recover Spanish Civil War missing bodies

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT

Forensic archaeologists and anthropologists have started to recover the bodies of victims executed by the Franco regime at the end of the Spanish Civil War during an excavation in the Ciudad Real region of Spain.

Virus infection cycle revealed in dynamic detail

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT

A critical process in the infection cycle of viruses has been revealed for the first time in dynamic detail using pioneering plant-based technology.

New fishing tech may pose risks to fisheries

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT

New developments in recreational fishing technology -- from the use of aerial drones and social media scouting reports to advances in hook design -- are creating challenges for fisheries management and effective policy making, according to a new study.

Telomere length, a longevity measure, may be determined early in life

Posted: 24 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT

One of the first studies to examine telomere length (TL) in childhood finds that the initial setting of TL during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one's TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age. The study also finds that TL decreases most rapidly from birth to age 3, followed by a period of maintenance into the pre-puberty period, although it was sometimes seen to lengthen.

No link between milk and increased cholesterol according to new study of 2 million people

Posted: 24 May 2021 06:20 AM PDT

Regular consumption of milk is not associated with increased levels of cholesterol, according to new research of nearly 2 million people.

A natural food supplement may relieve anxiety, study suggests

Posted: 24 May 2021 06:20 AM PDT

A natural food supplement reduces anxiety in mice, according to a new study. The plant-derived substance, beta-sitosterol, was found to produce this effect both on its own and in synergic combination with an antidepressant.

Early research suggests climate change could lead to more stillbirths

Posted: 24 May 2021 06:20 AM PDT

Scientists are investigating whether rising global temperatures may lead to more stillbirths, saying further study is needed on the subject as climates change.

Surge in nitrogen has turned sargassum into the world's largest harmful algal bloom

Posted: 24 May 2021 06:19 AM PDT

Using a unique historical baseline (1983-2019), scientists have discovered dramatic changes in the chemistry and composition of Sargassum, floating brown seaweed, transforming this vibrant living organism into a toxic 'dead zone.' Results suggest that increased nitrogen availability from natural and anthropogenic sources, including sewage, is supporting blooms of Sargassum and turning a critical nursery habitat into harmful algal blooms with catastrophic impacts on coastal ecosystems, economies, and human health. Globally, harmful algal blooms are related to increased nutrient pollution.

Dental crowding: Ancient baleen whales had a mouth full

Posted: 24 May 2021 06:19 AM PDT

CT scans of a 25 million year-old fossil skull show the Aetiocetus weltoni had both teeth and baleen, unlike modern whales.

Telling up from down: How marine flatworms learn to sense gravity

Posted: 21 May 2021 06:44 AM PDT

All life forms are endowed with the ability to sense gravity. However, the mechanism is not well-understood in acoels, a group of marine flatworms that represent a primitive invertebrate (without backbone) lifeform. In a new study, zoologists suggest necessary conditions for this ability to develop in hatchlings of an acoel species native to Okayama sea coasts, opening doors to understanding evolution better and pathology treatment applications in humans.

Surveillance turns up new coronavirus threat to humans

Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered a new coronavirus, found in a child with pneumonia in Malaysia in 2018, that appears to have jumped from dog to human. If confirmed as a pathogen, the novel canine-like coronavirus could represent the eighth unique coronavirus known to cause disease in humans. The discovery also suggests coronaviruses are being transmitted from animals to humans more commonly than was previously thought.