ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

For the first time, scientists measure oxygen flow into the deep ocean interior of the Labrador Sea between Canada and Greenland. They studied how much oxygen absorbed by the sea each winter makes it into the deep, fast-flowing currents that ultimately transport it across the globe.

A protein that masterminds the way DNA is wrapped within chromosomes has a major role in the healthy functioning of blood stem cells, which produce all blood cells in the body, according to a new study.

Leafy vegetables accompany many West African dishes, such as pounded yam in the south of the region. Researchers have now successfully shown that the origins of such dishes date back 3,500 years.

Habitat selection in wildlife is a process that occurs at different scales: Balancing advantages, such as high abundance of food, with disadvantages, such as human disturbance. Large predators, with their large spatial requirements, are particularly sensitive to these disturbances.

Scientists have made a link between muscular dystrophy and a group of bioactive fats, the sphingolipids, which are involved in numerous cell functions and other diseases.

A research team has developed a material made of natural proteins that contracts autonomously.

Researchers imaged nanoscale photocurrents in an all-polymer blend solar cell using photoconductive atomic force microscopy. Trace solvent additives were found to enhance polymer ordering and crystallization without undesirable changes in the scale of phase separation necessary for device performance. The findings explain the basis of the performance enhancement attributed to solvent additives and will accelerate research efforts aimed at establishing all-polymer blend solar cells as a viable environmentally sustainable choice.

A study indicates that early sexual maturation and high aerobic performance in salmon have a genetic link that is already evident in juvenile salmon.

A new study has determined the post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains using real samples, which has been made possible by the combination of two non-destructive analytical tools: Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. This opens up new avenues for dating in the field of forensic medicine and anthropology.

Researchers have discovered a parasite present in seawater and which belongs to a primitive lineage; they have named it Txikispora philomaios. This organism will help to explain how multicellularity developed in animals.

Drinking less than the UK's recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol per week still increases the risk of cardiovascular issues such as heart and cerebrovascular disease.

The scientists who discovered all-female termite colonies have now ascertained how they came to exist. In doing so, they revealed how these powerful females potentially threaten other termites, as well as homeowners.

A scientist has discovered a new species that belongs to a group of insects so rare that its closest relative was last seen in 1969. The new species of leafhopper was discovered during field work in the rainforest of western Uganda.

New insight into how our early ancestors dealt with major shifts in climate has been revealed.

Biologists found hundreds of virus species traveling on pollen grains. The results carry lessons for agriculture and even backyard beekeepers.