ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Scientists discover tarantula-killing worms

Posted: 19 Jan 2022 06:08 AM PST

Scientists have named a newly discovered species of worm that kills tarantulas after American actor Jeff Daniels, a distinction no other actor can claim.

Engineers discover method to create upward water fountain in deep water

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 03:46 PM PST

Engineers have discovered that they can actually move deep water and create upward fountains by shining laser beams on the water's surface. The finding, credited to the Marangoni effect, has potential to impact fluid dynamics in many applications.

Researchers pinpoint how Zika virus evades cell's antiviral response

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 12:48 PM PST

In a new study of the Zika virus, scientists have discovered a key mechanism used by the virus to evade the antiviral response of the cell it is attacking. This finding contributes to a better understanding of how viruses infect cells, overcome immune barriers and replicate -- information that is essential for fighting them.

Research team identifies new mechanism for protecting DNA

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 12:48 PM PST

Researchers have identified a new mechanism by which a protein known for repairing damaged DNA also protects the integrity of DNA by preserving its structural shape. The discovery, involving the protein 53BP1, offers insight into understanding how cells maintain the integrity of DNA in the nucleus, which is critical for preventing diseases like premature aging and cancer.

New models assess bridge support repairs after earthquakes

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 11:59 AM PST

Civil engineers develop a computational modeling strategy to help plan effective repairs to damaged reinforced concrete columns.

How a contagious cancer spread among clams

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 11:59 AM PST

A contagious blood cancer jumped from one species of clam to another and spread among clams living in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, shows a new study.

Study highlights connections between addictive drugs and brain function in mice

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 11:43 AM PST

Researchers used high-resolution technologies to see how dopamine circuitry in mice is affected by addictive drugs. The results answered older structural questions, while raising new ones about plasticity and recovery in the brain.

Why did ocean productivity decline abruptly 4.6 million years ago?

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 09:51 AM PST

By drilling deep down into sediments on the ocean floor researchers can travel back in time. A research team now presents new clues as to when and why a period often referred to as the 'biogenic bloom' came to an abrupt end. Changes in the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun may have played a part in the dramatic change.

Increase in marine heat waves threatens coastal habitats

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 09:51 AM PST

Heat waves -- like the one that blistered the Pacific Northwest last June -- also occur underwater. A new study paints a worrisome picture of recent and projected trends in marine heat waves within the nation's largest estuary, with dire implications for the marine life and coastal economy of the Chesapeake Bay and other similarly impacted shallow-water ecosystems.

Halting antibiotic resistance is a little less futile

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 09:35 AM PST

Bioscientists develop a microfluidic platform for high-throughput studies of how bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance.

Boxing up molecular machines

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Boxing up molecular machines. The construction of a molecular rotor inside a nanostructured cage allows for the development of a tunable molecular device.

Automating blood smears for easier malaria diagnosis

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

Researchers have developed devices to automate blood smears. Their devices, called autohaem smear and smear+, can consistently create high-quality smears equivalent to those created by human experts, automating the smearing process so every smear is correct and consistent. A key goal of the project was to make the devices accessible to as many people as possible, so the researchers designed their devices to be easy to build, using readily available or 3D-printed components.

A giant panda’s gut bacteria help it remain chubby while on a bamboo diet

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

The giant panda feeds exclusively on fibrous bamboo, yet they still manage to stay chubby and healthy. Researchers reveal that shifts in the bear's gut microbiota in the season when nutritious bamboo shoots become available helps the herbivorous bear gain more weight and store more fat, which may compensate for the lack of nutrients in seasons when there are only bamboo leaves to chew on.

Owl wing design reduces aircraft, wind turbine noise pollution

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

Researchers used the characteristics of owl wings to inform airfoil design and significantly reduce trailing-edge noise. The team used noise calculation and analysis software to conduct a series of detailed theoretical studies of simplified airfoils with characteristics reminiscent of owl wings. They applied their findings to suppress the noise of rotating machinery. Improving the flow conditions around the trailing edge and optimizing the shape of the edge suppressed the noise.

Sunflowers’ invisible colors help them attract bees and adapt to drought

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

It turns out sunflowers are more than just a pretty face: the ultraviolet colours of their flowers not only attract pollinators, but also help the plant regulate water loss.

Rivers speeding up Arctic ice melt at alarming rate

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

Freshwater flowing into the Arctic Ocean from the continent is thought to exacerbate Arctic amplification, but the extent of its impact isn't fully understood. New research measures how the flow of the Yenisei River -- the largest freshwater river that flows into the Arctic Ocean -- has changed over the last few hundred years, and describes the impact freshwater has had on the Arctic.

Nutritional value of huhu grubs assessed

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

Huhu grubs have long been prized as a traditional food source and their nutritional value has just been analysed.

Scientists identify therapeutic target for Epstein-Barr virus

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

A new study has identified a new potential pathway for developing therapeutics that target Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Integrated modeling of climate impacts on electricity demand and cost

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

Around the world, energy systems are increasingly impacted by the effects of a changing climate. Energy systems, especially the electric-power system, are vulnerable to natural stressors such as wildfires, severe storms, extreme temperatures and long-term disruptions of the hydrological cycle.

Saving species through genomics in megadiverse Colombia

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

Colombia stands to benefit ecologically, economically and socially through membership in the Earth Biogenome Project.

Smart soil bugs offer farmers an ecofriendly route to controlling crop diseases

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

An innovative method of controlling a range of damaging crop diseases using native, beneficial soil bacteria has emerged from a research-industry collaboration.

'Rivers' in the sky likely to drench East Asia under climate change

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

Extreme rainfall events associated with atmospheric rivers, narrow bands transporting large amounts of moisture in the atmosphere, are becoming more frequent and severe in mountainous parts of East Asia as the climate changes. According to global and regional climate models comparing historical trends with a future scenario of 4 degrees of warming of global-mean surface air, these events are likely to become more frequent and intense in the future, especially in the Japanese Alps region.

Researchers explore ways to make hatchery steelhead more like wild fish

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 07:41 AM PST

Hatchery-raised steelhead trout have offspring that are good at gaining size under hatchery conditions but don't survive as well in streams as steelhead whose parents are wild fish, new research shows.

Nearly half of countries' shared fish stocks are on the move due to climate change, prompting dispute concerns

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 06:41 AM PST

Climate change will force 45 per cent of the fish stocks that cross through two or more exclusive economic zones to shift significantly from their historical habitats and migration paths by 2100, a challenge that may lead to international conflict, according to a new study.

Celebrated malting barley came from a single plant

Posted: 18 Jan 2022 05:54 AM PST

The 200-year-old malting barley variety 'Chevalier' was for a long time world-leading in beer brewing and is thought to have originated from a single plant. In a new study, researchers have investigated this claim. They have analyzed seed samples that are older than 150 years using molecular genetic methods. The results give a revealing insight into the plant breeding of times gone by.

Earth BioGenome Project begins genome sequencing in earnest

Posted: 17 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST

The Earth BioGenome Project is a global effort to map the genomes of all plants, animals, fungi and other microbial life on Earth. The EBP is entering a new phase as it moves from pilot projects to full-scale production sequencing.

In the Atlantic Forest, the lowland tapir is at risk of extinction

Posted: 17 Jan 2022 05:58 AM PST

Lowland tapir populations in the Atlantic Forest in South America are at risk of almost complete disappearance, scientists have estimated. The main long-term threat to their well-being is population isolation, as hunting and highways keep populations away from each other. Urgent measures need to be taken to connect isolated populations and ensure the long-term conservation of tapirs, warn the authors of a new study.