ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Longest known continuous record of the Paleozoic discovered in Yukon wilderness

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 03:59 PM PDT

Expeditions to a remote area of Yukon, Canada, have uncovered a 120-million-year-long geological record of a time when land plants and complex animals first evolved and ocean oxygen levels began to approach those in the modern world.

How a large cat deity helps people to share space with leopards in India

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 02:03 PM PDT

A new study documents how a big cat deity worshipped by Indigenous Peoples facilitates coexistence between humans and leopards.

Remotely-piloted sailboats monitor 'cold pools' in tropical environments

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 02:03 PM PDT

Researchers used remotely-piloted sailboats to gather data on cold air pools, or pockets of cooler air that form when rain evaporates below tropical storm clouds. These hard-to-study phenomena are thought to have broader effects on tropical weather.

Our genes shape our gut bacteria

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 02:03 PM PDT

Researchers discovered that most bacteria in the gut microbiome are heritable after looking at more than 16,000 gut microbiome profiles collected over 14 years from a long-studied population of baboons in Kenya's Amboseli National Park.

Animal study looks at anxiety differences between females and males

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 11:39 AM PDT

Researchers recently examined how biological factors impact anxiety disorders. The team studied male and female rodent models to better understand sex differences in biological responses related to anxiety.

Scientists show how light therapy treats depression in mice model

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 11:39 AM PDT

Light therapy can help improve the mood of people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during short winter days, but exactly how this therapy works is not well understood. A new study finds that light therapy's beneficial effects come from activating the circadian clock gene Period1 in a part of the brain involved in mood and sleep-wake cycles.

Solving the plastic shortage with a new chemical catalyst

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 11:38 AM PDT

In a year that has already battered manufacturing supply chains, yet another shortage is complicating manufacturers' and consumers' lives: plastics, and the food packaging, automotive components, clothing, medical and lab equipment and countless other items that rely on them.

Smaller turtles are nesting on Florida beaches

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 10:54 AM PDT

A new study indicates that smaller loggerhead and green sea turtles are nesting on Florida beaches than in the past; however, researchers aren't sure why. The findings give clues to the status of the turtles, which is important to researchers who are monitoring the population health of the threatened species.

Dealing with global carbon debt

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 10:53 AM PDT

As atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide continue to rise, we are putting future generations at risk of having to deal with a massive carbon debt. Researchers are calling for immediate action to establish responsibility for carbon debt by implementing carbon removal obligations, for example, during the upcoming revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

How fishing communities are responding to climate change

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 10:53 AM PDT

What happens when climate change affects the abundance and distribution of fish? Fishers and fishing communities in the Northeast United States have adapted to those changes in three specific ways, according to new research.

Inhaled COVID-19 vaccine prevents disease and transmission in animals

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 10:53 AM PDT

In a new study assessing the potential of a single-dose, intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, researchers found that the vaccine fully protects mice against lethal COVID-19 infection. The vaccine also blocks animal-to-animal transmission of the virus.

Researchers overcome winking, napping pigs to prove brain test works

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 10:49 AM PDT

If you've ever been to an eye doctor, there's a good chance you've felt the sudden puff of air to the eye that constitutes a traditional test for glaucoma. It's no one's favorite experience, but the puff is non-invasive and harmless. Scientists use a similar method to test learning and memory in animals and humans.

Engineering seeds to resist drought

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 08:15 AM PDT

Researchers have devised a way to protect seeds from the stress of water shortage during their crucial germination phase, and even provide the plants with extra nutrition. Simple and inexpensive, the process could be deployed in arid regions to facilitate agriculture on drought-stressed land.

An antioxidative stress regulator protects muscle tissue in space, mouse study shows

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 08:14 AM PDT

Researchers have found that nuclear factor E2-related factor 2, a master regulator of the oxidative stress response, affects muscle composition in microgravity. Targeting this protein could help protect against muscle changes during space flight, and could also have implications for muscle wasting in conditions such as cancer and aging.

Seismic monitoring of permafrost uncovers trend likely related to warming

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 08:14 AM PDT

Seismic waves passing through the ground near Longyearbyen in the Adventdalen valley, Svalbard, Norway have been slowing down steadily over the past three years, most likely due to permafrost warming in the Arctic valley.

Ancient ostrich eggshell reveals new evidence of extreme climate change thousands of years ago

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 07:36 AM PDT

Evidence from an ancient eggshell has revealed important new information about the extreme climate change faced by human early ancestors.

Collective battery storage beneficial for decarbonized world

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 07:36 AM PDT

Batteries are potentially a game-changing technology as we decarbonize our economy, and their benefits are even greater when shared across communities, a new study has found.

To predict underwater volcano eruptions, scientist looks at images from space

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 07:36 AM PDT

A new study monitored satellite images to obtain sea discoloration data as a novel indicator in detecting if an underwater volcano's eruption is imminent.

Cell-type-specific insight into function of risk factors in coronary artery disease

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 05:39 AM PDT

Using single cell technology, a new study sheds light on the significance of genetic risk factors for, and the diversity of cells involved in, the development of coronary artery disease. The researchers analysed human atherosclerotic lesions to map the chromatin accessibility of more than 7,000 cells.

Climate changed the size of our bodies and, to some extent, our brains

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 05:39 AM PDT

The average body size of humans has fluctuated significantly over the last million years and is strongly linked to temperature. Colder, harsher climates drove the evolution of larger body sizes, while warmer climates led to smaller bodies. Brain size also changed dramatically but did not evolve in tandem with body size.

Novel study of high-potency cannabis shows some memory effects

Posted: 08 Jul 2021 05:38 AM PDT

Researchers observed participants over Zoom as they used high-potency cannabis they purchased themselves from dispensaries in Washington state, where recreational cannabis is legal. After administering cognitive tests, researchers found no impact on users' performance on decision-making tests in comparison to a sober group but did find memory impairments related to free recall, source memory and false memories. This study is one of the few to investigate cannabis flower and concentrates containing more than 10% THC.

Without strong mitigation measures, climate change will increase temperature-attributable mortality in Europe

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 03:53 PM PDT

If global warming is not curbed, the increase in heat-related deaths will outstrip the decline in cold-related mortality, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, a new study concludes.

Protein's 'silent code' affects how cells move

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 03:53 PM PDT

Two forms of the ubiquitous protein actin differ by only four amino acids but are dissimilar in 13% of their nucleotide coding sequences due to silent substitutions. A new study reveals that these supposedly 'silent' differences have an impact on how fast actin mRNA gets translated into protein and subsequently on the protein's function in propelling cell movement.

More EVs could reduce CO2 emissions in Hawaii by 93% in less than 30 years

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 03:53 PM PDT

By 2050, faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and faster generation of renewable energy will result in 99% less fossil fuel consumed and 93% less CO2 emissions from passenger and freight vehicles on Oahu.

Wastewater did not significantly alter seismic stress direction in southern Kansas, study finds

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT

Although wastewater disposal has been the primary driving force behind increased earthquake activity in southern Kansas since 2013, a new study concludes that the disposal has not significantly changed the orientation of stress in the Earth's crust in the region.

What to do with food waste? Well, that depends

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT

The expected decline in the number of landfills across the United States coupled with bans on disposing large amounts of organic waste in landfills that have been enacted in multiple states has prompted researchers to examine other ways to grapple with the issue of food waste disposal.

Could ketogenic diet be helpful with brain cancer?

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT

A modified ketogenic diet may be worth exploring for people with brain tumors, according to a new study. The small study found that the diet was safe and feasible for people with brain tumors called astrocytomas. The study was not designed to determine whether the diet could slow down tumor growth or improve survival.

How plants compensate symbiotic microbes

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT

Combining economics, psychology and studies of fertilizer application, researchers find that plants nearly follow an 'equal pay for equal work' rule when giving resources to partner microbes - except when those microbes under-perform.

When taste and healthfulness compete, taste has a hidden advantage

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT

You dash into a convenience store for a quick snack, spot an apple and reach for a candy bar instead. Poor self-control may not be the only factor behind your choice, new research suggests. That's because our brains process taste information first, before factoring in health information, according to new research.

Human-driven habitat change leads to physical, behavioral change in mosquitofish

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:04 PM PDT

Bahamian mosquitofish in habitats fragmented by human activity are more willing to explore their environment, more stressed by change and have smaller brain regions associated with fear response than mosquitofish from unaffected habitats.

'Fortunate accident' may yield immunity weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:04 PM PDT

Researchers have announced an accidentally discovered, potentially game-changing treatment -- one that may one day provide an alternative immune-based solution to the danger of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Tiny tools: Controlling individual water droplets as biochemical reactors

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 11:07 AM PDT

Scientists develop a method to better manipulate tiny droplets in lab-on-a-chip applications for biochemistry, cell culturing, and drug screening.

New imaging technique may boost research in biology, neuroscience

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 11:06 AM PDT

A research team presents a new process that uses computational imaging to get high resolution images at a rate 100 to 1,000 times faster than other state-of-the-art technologies that use complex algorithms and machine learning.

Mapping dengue hot spots pinpoints risk for Zika and chikungunya

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 10:30 AM PDT

Data from nine cities in Mexico confirms that identifying dengue fever 'hot spots' can provide a predictive map for future outbreaks of Zika and chikungunya. All three of these viral diseases are spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Researchers detail the most ancient bat fossil ever discovered in Asia

Posted: 07 Jul 2021 08:25 AM PDT

A team performed fieldwork in the Junggar Basin to discover two fossil teeth belonging to two separate specimens of bat, dubbed Altaynycteris aurora. It's thought to be the oldest fossil of bat found in Asia.