ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

The full magnitude of the impact of smoke from seasonal fires in Central Africa - and in particular, the potential climate warming from the absorption by the black carbon component of the aerosol - is underestimated by some climate models over the South-East Atlantic, new research has shown.

Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently.

A team researchers looked at the Pacific Northwest portion of the Dungeness crab fishery, which spans from Alaska down to Southern California. They determined which life stages are most vulnerable, and to which stressors.

Researchers have developed a continuous seismic monitoring system that could monitor multiple geothermal or carbon storage reservoirs over a relatively large area in real time. A small seismic source generates repeated 'chirps,' which can be detected by fiber-optic cables within a radius of 80 km from the source. Field experiments showed that temporal changes in monitored reservoirs were captured with high accuracy.

In a study of crayfish in the Current River in southeastern Missouri, researchers discovered -- almost by chance -- that the virile crayfish, Faxonius virilis, was interbreeding with a native crayfish, potentially altering the native's genetics, life history and ecology.

Low concentrations of air pollution that are within federal safety limits were linked with an increased risk of death among elderly people, including vulnerable subgroups. Tens of thousands of deaths over a 17-year period could be attributed to small increases in annual air pollution concentrations.

New research shows sweet corn, when planted at high densities, has steadily increased in yield since the 1930s. The historical view underscores the importance of planting modern density-tolerant hybrids at their optimal densities, and suggests an opportunity to improve density tolerance even more.

The summer of 2021 in Western Canada was one of the hottest on record. In the Canadian province of British Columbia alone, 59 weather stations registered their hottest temperatures ever on June 27. For those lucky enough to have air conditioners, keeping their homes cool during the heat dome was relatively easy. However, the comfort lasted only until the utility bills arrived. As a result of heatwaves around the world, global electricity demand increased by five per cent so far in 2021 and it is expected to continue to increase annually.