ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Mechanism that helps immune cells to invade tissues

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:37 AM PST

To fight infections and heal injuries, immune cells need to enter tissue. They also need to invade tumors to fight them from within. Scientists have now discovered how immune cells protect their sensitive insides as they squeeze between tissue cells. The team lays the foundation for identifying new targets in cancer treatment.

California mice eat monarch butterflies

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:37 AM PST

At the largest winter monarch aggregation in central Mexico, scientists have observed that rodents attack monarchs that fall to the ground. Biologists have now discovered that the western harvest mouse also eats grounded monarchs. Documenting this new feeding behavior is a reminder of little we know about the interactions that may be lost as insect populations decline.

Chemical reactions enhance efficiency of key energy storage method

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:37 AM PST

Researchers have uncovered a way to improve the efficiency of a type of grid-scale storage crucial for a global transition toward renewable energy.

Archaeological dig reveals participants in California’s Gold Rush dined on salted Atlantic cod

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:36 AM PST

An excavation at Thompson's Cove in San Francisco shows 'Atlantic cod were imported during the 1850s, likely as a (largely) deboned, dried and salted product from the East Coast of the United States.' The analysis underscores the importance of global maritime trade in northern California during the Gold Rush.

Microbes produce oxygen in the dark

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:36 AM PST

It is common knowledge that there would be no oxygen on Earth were it not for sunlight; the key component in photosynthesis. Now researchers have made the surprising discovery that oxygen is also produced without sunlight, possibly deep below the ocean surface.

Researchers develop automated method to identify fish calls underwater

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 09:23 AM PST

Researchers have developed an automated method that can accurately identify calls from a family of fishes.

'Simple' bacteria found to organize in elaborate patterns

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:16 AM PST

Researchers have discovered that biofilms, bacterial communities found throughout the living world, are far more advanced than previously believed. Scientists found that biofilm cells are organized in elaborate patterns, a feature that previously only had been associated with higher-level organisms such as plants and animals.

Zoo air contains enough DNA to identify the animals inside

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

The air in a zoo is full of smells, from the fish used for feed to the manure from the grazing herbivores, but now we know it is also full of DNA from the animals living there. Two research groups have each published an independent proof-of-concept study showing that by sampling air from a local zoo, they can collect enough DNA to identify the animals nearby. This may prove to be a valuable, non-invasive tool to track biodiversity.

Unexpected hope for millions as bleached coral reefs continue to supply nutritious seafood

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

Coral reef ecosystems support diverse small-scale fisheries -- and the fish they catch are rich in micronutrients vital to the health of millions of people in the tropics, a new study reveals. And, counter-intuitively, following bleaching events that kill off coral and can transform the composition of reef ecosystems, reef fisheries can remain rich sources of micronutrients, even increasing in nutritional value for some minerals. The findings show that the availability of micronutrients from coral reef small-scale fisheries may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought.

Air pollution from wildfires, rising heat affected 68% of US West in one day

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:00 AM PST

Large wildfires and severe heat events are happening more often at the same time, worsening air pollution across the western United States, a study has found. In 2020, more than 68% of the western U.S. -- representing about 43 million people -- were affected in one day by the resulting harmful-levels of air pollution, the highest number in 20 years. The study found that these concurrent air pollution events are increasing not only in frequency but duration and geographic extent across the region. They have become so bad that they have reversed many gains of the Clean Air Act. The conditions that create these episodes are also expected to continue to increase, along with their threats to human health.

Tracking down the origin of cholera pandemics

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:00 AM PST

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera and is responsible for seven known pandemics. The seventh cholera pandemic began in 1961 and is still active. Unlike previous pandemics, it is caused by cholera strains of a slightly different type. How did the modified cholera strains develop and spread, and what might have contributed to their success? Scientists have now gained new insights into a molecular mechanism that provides insight into the interactions between cholera bacteria and may have played a role in the emergence of the seventh pandemic.

Fossil research affected by significant colonial bias

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 07:59 AM PST

The fossil record, which documents the history of life on Earth, is heavily biased by influences such as colonialism, history and global economics, palaeontologists argue.

Decoding protein assembly dynamics with artificial protein needles

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 07:02 AM PST

Protein assembly is essential for the formation of ordered biological structures, but imagine engineering one! This is exactly what researchers have now accomplished with protein needles. By regulating the tip-to-tip interactions of these needles, they allowed for their self-assembly into lattice structures, ordered monomeric states, and fiber assemblies, paving the way for the controlled construction of more of such protein architectures.

Nearly 2 million children worldwide develop asthma as a result of breathing in traffic- related pollution

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 05:27 PM PST

Nearly 2 million new cases of pediatric asthma every year may be caused by a traffic-related air pollutant, a problem particularly important in big cities around the world, according to a new study.

New research questions ‘whiff of oxygen’ in Earth’s early history

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST

A reexamination of Earth's famous 'whiff of oxygen' has the potential to rewrite early accounts of the planet's history by finding that atmospheric oxygen actually did not exist prior to the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE).

Modern humans developed a more effective protection against oxidative stress

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST

Very few proteins in the body have a change that makes them unique compared to the corresponding proteins in Neanderthals and apes. Researchers have now studied one such protein, glutathione reductase, which protects against oxidative stress. They show that the risk for inflammatory bowel disease and vascular disease is increased several times in people carrying the Neanderthal variant.

Division of labor among genetic switches

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 11:00 AM PST

Two X chromosomes are actually one too many. Female mammalian cells hence switch off one of them – but only when the cells start to specialize into tissues. A research team has now discovered how cells 'count' their chromosomes and at the same time sense which stage of development they are in.

Dairy farmers can adapt to climate change

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 10:59 AM PST

Dairy farmers in the Northeast -- facing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing season -- can reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting manure into the soil, rather than broadcasting it.

Toward a more inclusive definition of green infrastructure

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

A new nationwide analysis of 122 plans from 20 US cities found that many plans fail to explicitly define green infrastructure. When they do, they tend to focus on stormwater management, favoring engineered facilities over parks and larger urban green spaces. The study is the first systematic review of the use and definition of the green infrastructure concept in US city plans.

Can we go from scarface to scarless?

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Researchers examined skin regeneration over two years in various body parts of the adult newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster. Their wounds were very quickly healed over several days without prolonged inflammation. Because of this rapid healing, granulation/dermal fibrosis, and therefore scarring, did not occur. The skin was able to fully regenerate. These findings provide evidence that this newt species may be an ideal model system to study and prevent scar formation in human skin.

New research shows gene exchange between viruses and hosts drives evolution

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

The first comprehensive analysis of viral horizontal gene transfer (HGT) illustrates the extent to which viruses pick up genes from their hosts to hone their infection process, while at the same time hosts also co-opt useful viral genes.

Superbug MRSA arose in hedgehogs long before clinical use of antibiotics

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Scientists have found evidence that a type of the antibiotic resistant superbug MRSA arose in nature long before the use of antibiotics in humans and livestock, which has traditionally been blamed for its emergence. Hedgehogs carry a fungus and a bacteria on their skin, and the two are locked in a battle for survival. The fungus secretes antibiotics to kill the bacteria, but in response the bacteria has evolved antibiotic resistance -- becoming Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Up to 60% of hedgehogs carry a type of MRSA called mecC-MRSA, which causes 1 in 200 of all MRSA infections in humans. Natural biological processes, not antibiotic use, drove the initial emergence of this superbug on hedgehogs around 200 years ago.

A novel compound might defeat multidrug-resistant bacteria common in hospitals

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

Increasingly, hospitalized patients contract infections that evade current antibiotics including colistin, long used as a last treatment option. The discovery of a new colistin variant might make it possible to outmaneuver these pathogens.

Deforestation increases risk of flash flooding in fast-growing West African coastal cities

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 07:32 AM PST

Research has revealed frequent storm activity in coastal areas is a previously unrecognized way in which deforestation can increase flooding. The study found the frequency of thunderstorms in some fast-growing African coastal cities has doubled over the past 30 years, with much of this increase linked to the impact of deforestation on the local climate.

Climate change could lead to power outages, higher power costs on west coast of US

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 07:32 AM PST

Two studies project the future of power supply and demand on the West Coast under different scenarios: one under climate change and another where power sources shift toward renewables and the climate follows historic trends.

Ancient Maya lessons on surviving drought

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 06:45 AM PST

A new study casts doubt on drought as the driver of ancient Mayan civilization collapse.

How oral bacteria suppress protection against viral growth

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 06:43 AM PST

Researchers have discovered details of how proteins produced by oral epithelial cells protect humans against viruses entering the body through the mouth. They also found that oral bacteria can suppress the activity of these cells, increasing vulnerability to infection.

Study reveals more hostile conditions on Earth as life evolved

Posted: 04 Jan 2022 04:25 PM PST

During long portions of the past 2.4 billion years, the Earth may have been more 'inhospitable' to life than scientists previously thought, according to new computer simulations. Using a state-of-the-art climate model, researchers now believe the level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth's surface could have been underestimated, with UV levels being up to ten times higher.

Roundworm linked to lower lung-function and asthma in younger males

Posted: 04 Jan 2022 08:22 AM PST

Exposure to the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides among young men can cause a striking reduction in lung function and nearly five times higher odds of having asthma compared to the non-exposed, study shows.

Can a goldfish drive a car on land?

Posted: 04 Jan 2022 08:22 AM PST

Are animals' innate navigational abilities universal or are they restricted to their home environments? Researchers designed a set of wheels under a goldfish tank with a camera system to record and translate the fish's movements into forward and back and side to side directions to the wheels. By doing so, they discovered that a goldfish's navigational ability supersedes its watery environs.