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ScienceDaily: Top Environment News |
| ‘Selective promiscuity,’ chaperones and the secrets of cellular health Posted: 12 Oct 2021 03:57 PM PDT A team of researchers has announced a major new advance in understanding how our genetic information eventually translates into functional proteins -- one of the building blocks of human life. The research elucidates how chaperones display 'selective promiscuity' for the specific proteins -- their 'clients' -- they serve. This property enables them to play an essential role in maintaining healthy cells and is a step forward in understanding the origins of a host of human illnesses, from cancer to ALS. |
| Posted: 12 Oct 2021 03:56 PM PDT Urban areas may be at greater risk for precipitation-triggered landslides than rural areas, according to a new study that could help improve landslide predictions and hazard and risk assessments. Researchers found that urban landslide hazard was up to 10 times more sensitive to variations in precipitation than in rural areas. |
| Living near oil and gas wells increases air pollution exposure Posted: 12 Oct 2021 12:48 PM PDT Researchers found increased concentrations of air pollutants downwind from oil and gas wells in California, likely affecting millions of Californians who live near them. |
| Zebrafish could shed light into the mysteries of the human spinal cord and its influence on our body Posted: 12 Oct 2021 12:48 PM PDT Researchers believe zebrafish may provide clues to understanding how the human nervous system develops since this fish experiences new movements similarly to how babies do after birth. To understand how our nervous system enables us to move and learn new movements such as walking or swimming as we grow, researchers looked closely at the nervous system of zebrafish and built models of developing zebrafish spinal circuits to test and further understand the operation of spinal circuits for moving. |
| Scientists report evidence for a new -- but now extinct -- species of ancient ground-dwelling sloth Posted: 12 Oct 2021 12:47 PM PDT Scientists report new evidence that some 5,000 years ago, a sloth smaller than a black bear roamed the forest floor of what is now the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea, living a lowland life different from its cousins on the other side of the island. |
| Quantum phase transition detected on a global scale deep inside the Earth Posted: 12 Oct 2021 12:47 PM PDT A multidisciplinary team of materials physicists and geophysicists combine theoretical predictions, simulations, and seismic tomography to find spin transition in the Earth's mantle. Their findings will improve understanding of the Earth's interior, and help elucidate the impact of this phenomenon on tectonic events including volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. |
| Arctic sea ice may make a last stand in this remote region; it may lose the battle Posted: 12 Oct 2021 12:00 PM PDT With warming climate, summer sea ice in the Arctic has been shrinking fast, and now consistently spans less than half the area it did in the early 1980s. This raises the question: It this keeps up, in the future will year-round sea ice -- and the creatures who need it to survive -- persist anywhere? A new study addresses this question, and the results are daunting. |
| An eco-friendly toxic cocktail could be a new weapon against malaria Posted: 12 Oct 2021 10:07 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that blood-seeking mosquitoes can be directed to feed on a toxic plant-based solution, which in turn kills them. This result could be one solution for the global problem of diseases like malaria or dengue fever by specifically targeting the mosquitoes while other species like bees won't be affected. |
| Mixed results from sage grouse hunting restrictions Posted: 12 Oct 2021 10:07 AM PDT Wildlife agencies throughout western North America have set increasingly more conservative harvest regulations over the past 25 years to conserve sage grouse, with mixed results for bird numbers. |
| How recovery from COVID-19's impact on energy demand could help meet climate targets Posted: 12 Oct 2021 10:07 AM PDT The pandemic-related drop in greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 was likely the largest on record in a single year, but how our recovery might affect future emissions is less clear. New modeling examines alternative scenarios and how they could impact climate mitigation targets. |
| Greenland’s groundwater changes with thinning ice sheet Posted: 12 Oct 2021 10:07 AM PDT For more than a decade, a team of researchers and students have studied the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet as it responds to a warming climate. But while much of their focus has been on the importance of water in controlling processes occurring on the ice sheet, their most recent research findings have flipped the order of their thinking. Researchers discovered that changes to the ice sheet have an immediate impact on the groundwater underlying the Greenland island, an area larger than the state of Alaska. |
| Seasonal variability in lakes’ environmental processes reveal susceptibility to climate change Posted: 12 Oct 2021 10:07 AM PDT A new study has shown how climate change could impact the ecosystems of the planet's largest lakes by revealing varying levels at which their water layers are mixed together through the seasons. Natural mixing in lakes is much stronger during winter months compared to summer months due to differences in wind strengths. |
| Molecular scales on biological membranes Posted: 12 Oct 2021 10:05 AM PDT With mass-sensitive particle tracking scientists can determine location and size changes of unlabeled proteins on membranes |
| Islands are cauldrons of evolution Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:23 AM PDT Islands are hot spots of evolutionary adaptation that can also advantage species returning to the mainland, according to a new study. |
| Nanosilver no ‘silver bullet’ in long-term treatment of infections Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:23 AM PDT New research has found that pathogens that form biofilms can evolve to survive nanosilver treatment. The study is the first to demonstrate that long-term nanosilver treatment can increase the risk of recurrent infections. |
| Study at molecular level finds Indian River Lagoon green sea turtles biologically stressed Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT Turtles from the heavily polluted Indian River Lagoon (IRL) had compromised immune function. Those with tumors (Green Turtle Fibropapillomatosis or GTF) had less immune competence. Habitat quality, disease state, and immune function are intertwined. Polluted environments impact the immune system and make animals more prone to the expression of GTF, which in turn further compromises the immune system. This vicious cycle may explain why some areas have such a high incidence of GTF, while other areas have turtles that test positive for the GTF virus, but are clinically healthy. |
| Gorillas can tell human voices apart Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT A new study is the first to show that gorillas are able to recognize familiar human voices based on their relationship with the speaker. |
| Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT In the face of declining fisheries, threatened reef habitat, and changing climatic conditions, non-native mangroves may provide, rather than impede, zooplankton habitat availability in novel locations. |
| How to better identify dangerous volcanoes Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT The more water is dissolved in the magma, the greater the risk that a volcano will explode. A new study now shows that this simple rule is only partially true. Paradoxically, high water content significantly reduces the risk of explosion. |
| Wildfires affect cave diversity underneath scorched surfaces Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT The landscape at Lava Beds National Monument in northern California is typically home to sage and junipers, with unique lava caves twisting underneath the surface. But in the summers of 2020 and 2021, wildfires tore through the region, burning thousands of acres and leaving the surface charred. |
| Nearly 6 million children are driven into severe hunger by the hot, dry shifts of a strong el Niño Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT Up to three times more children suffer severe hunger with each El Niño than from COVID-19. El Niño events provide a snapshot of the future under climate change and chronicle the lack of proactive policy action even when climate events are predictable. |
| When breezy, wear masks outdoors to prevent coronavirus exposure Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT As the delta variant continues to spread, guidelines from the CDC recommend even the vaccinated wear masks indoors to prevent exposure and transmission, though it is less clear what people should do when outside. Researchers used a large eddy simulation to model cough jets in breezy and calm conditions. They found when a person coughs outdoors, wind flowing in the same direction can propagate the virus faster over longer distances than in calm conditions. |
| No apparent shortage of prey for southern resident killer whales in Canadian waters during summer Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT A popular belief that there are fewer Chinook salmon during the summer in Canadian waters for southern resident killer whales, compared to an abundance of fish for northern resident killer whales, has been debunked by a new study. |
| Common respiratory virus manipulates immune genes to protect itself Posted: 12 Oct 2021 08:22 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that the viral protein NS1 from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) alters the activity of immune genes, sabotaging the immune response to RSV infection. |
| Research identifies proteins that support photosynthesis in iron deficient plants Posted: 12 Oct 2021 07:27 AM PDT As climate change poses risks to plant growth and food supply, researchers have identified how iron deficient plants optimize photosynthesis and regulate light protection. |
| Rye a better choice than wheat for weight loss Posted: 12 Oct 2021 07:27 AM PDT Eating whole grain rye products instead of refined wheat alternatives can offer worthwhile health benefits. Researchers recently published a study showing that people who ate high-fiber products made from whole grain rye lost more body fat and overall weight than those who ate corresponding products made from refined wheat. |
| Mushroom consumption may lower risk of depression Posted: 12 Oct 2021 07:26 AM PDT Mushrooms have been making headlines due to their many health advantages. Not only do they lower one's risk of cancer and premature death, but new research also reveals that these super-foods may benefit a person's mental health. |
| ‘Pet prep’ could be key to disaster survival Posted: 12 Oct 2021 06:50 AM PDT Researchers have discovered most pet owners have inadequate plans for their pets if a natural disaster strikes -- but disaster response planners may be able to turn this into a positive. |
| Is low-fat or whole-fat milk better for kids? Science says it makes no difference Posted: 12 Oct 2021 06:50 AM PDT A new study has found whole fat dairy is just as good for kids as low-fat. |
| Quest for bacterial cocktails to fight infections Posted: 12 Oct 2021 06:18 AM PDT The intestines of a healthy person contains hundreds of different bacteria that provide efficient protection against infections. However, if the equilibrium of this community, known as the microbiota, is disturbed -- for example, due to antibiotic therapy -- pathogens such as salmonella or multiresistant hospital germs such as Klebsiella pneumoniae can gain the upper hand -- sometimes with severe consequences for those affected. Scientists have been researching the interaction of intestinal bacteria and have recently identified bacterial strains that play a special role in two studies. |
| Satellite images can help with environmental land management Posted: 12 Oct 2021 06:18 AM PDT Academics have undertaken research that proves Earth Observation satellite imagery can accurately assess the quality and quantity of some habitat types. |
| Carbon dissolved in Arctic rivers affects our world — here’s how to study it Posted: 12 Oct 2021 05:01 AM PDT Scientists have made significant gains in filling out our understanding of the Arctic's carbon cycle -- or the way that carbon is transferred between the land, ocean and atmosphere. In order to better understand future trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide, and its associated global warming, we need a fuller picture of how carbon cycles between reservoirs in our world. |
| Deaths linked to ‘hormone disruptor’ chemical costs billions in lost US productivity Posted: 12 Oct 2021 05:01 AM PDT Daily exposure chemicals called phthalates, used in the manufacture of plastic food containers and many cosmetics, may lead to roughly 100,000 premature deaths among older Americans each year, a new study shows. The resulting annual economic burden is between $40 billion and $47 billion, a value more than quadruple that of previous estimates. |
| Chemists discover faster-acting forms of insecticide imidacloprid Posted: 12 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed seven crystal forms of imidacloprid -- one of the world's most widely used insecticides -- in an effort to sharply reduce its environmental impact. The new forms work up to nine times faster than the original version, meaning a smaller amount can be used to control insects like infectious disease-transmitting mosquitoes, while reducing the chance of harm to other organisms, such as bees. |
| Insects in the light of land use and climate Posted: 12 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT Urbanization appears to be another key factor for insect decline. This is shown by a study in which the impact of climate and land use on insects was disentangled for the first time. |
| Ocean life helps produce clouds, but existing clouds keep new ones at bay Posted: 11 Oct 2021 12:11 PM PDT New findings significantly alter the prevailing understanding of how marine life influences clouds and may change the way scientists predict how cloud formation responds to changes in the oceans. |
| Anticipated spill from deteriorating Red Sea oil tanker threatens public health Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT A massive prospective spill from a deserted oil tanker in the Red Sea could lead to catastrophic public health effects in war-torn Yemen and neighboring countries unless urgent action is taken, according to a new study. |
| Man's best friend could be a jaguar's next meal: A case study from the Mexican Caribbean Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT Events of jaguars predating on and attacking dogs are poorly documented throughout the Americas. Researchers from Mexico and Germany report in detail jaguar attacks on 20 dogs at a tourist site in the Mexican Caribbean. In addition, they describe an initiative proposed by locals as well as national and international NGOs to prevent human-jaguar conflicts due to pet predation. |
| Sequencing the unknown made easy: Metaplatanus improves metagenome assembly Posted: 08 Oct 2021 10:41 AM PDT Metagenome sequencing of 'tricky' gene pools has been ridden with issues during assembly of sequenced DNA fragments, which can now be addressed by a tool developed by scientists. This hybrid metagenome assembler tool, called MetaPlatanus, utilizes long-range sequence links and species-specific features, to deliver high-quality DNA sequences. |
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