ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Dead or alive: Seagrasses continue to release methane after their die-off

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 12:48 PM PST

Seagrass meadows play an important role in the marine carbon cycle and our climate. On the one hand, they sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it underground, on the other hand, they emit the potent greenhouse gas methane. Researchers have now investigated what controls methane production and release from seagrass meadows.

What lies beneath: Roots as drivers of South African landscape pattern

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 12:48 PM PST

Research findings suggest that alternative stable states can be maintained through biotic mechanisms, such as root traits, in addition to the commonly understood abiotic factors like climate. This insight is critical to conserving threatened ecosystems around the world.

Global study finds the extent of pharmaceutical pollution in the world's rivers

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 12:48 PM PST

A new study looking at the presence of pharmaceuticals in the world's rivers found concentrations at potentially toxic levels in more than a quarter of the locations studied.

For female yellowthroats, there’s more than one way to spot a winning mate

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 12:48 PM PST

One population of female common yellowthroats prefer males with larger black masks, but another group of females favors a larger yellow bib. A new study has found that both kinds of ornaments are linked to superior genes.

Solar-powered system offers a route to inexpensive desalination

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST

Researchers developed a desalination system that is more efficient and less expensive than previous methods. In addition to providing fresh water, the process could be used to treat contaminated wastewater or generate steam for sterilizing medical instruments, all without requiring a power source other than sunlight.

Sustainable bioeconomy: Development of environmentally friendly bio-shampoos and plant protection agent technologies

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST

With the early assessment of sustainable, newly developed chemicals and products it is possible to assess a potential risk of toxic substances being released at a later point in product cascades. In the course of the study the toxicity of sustainable biosurfactants, potentially applied in, e.g., bio-shampoos, and of a new technology for the economical deployment of plant protection agents were analyzed using a combination of computer modelling and laboratory experiments. The study is the first step towards a safe bioeconomy from an eco-toxicological stance, and which uses sustainable resources and processes to reduce environmental burdens significantly.

Secondary cratering on Earth: The Wyoming impact crater field

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST

Several dozen small impact craters, 10--70-m in size, have been discovered in southeastern Wyoming. A team of U.S. and German geoscientists found these ancient craters in exposed sedimentary layers from the Permian period (280 million years ago). After discovering the first craters, the team initially suspected that they are a crater-strewn field, formed by the breakup of an asteroid that entered the atmosphere. However, with the discovery of more and more craters over a wide area, this interpretation was ruled out.

A microbial compound in the gut leads to anxious behaviors in mice

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 09:12 AM PST

A new study shows how a particular molecule, produced by gut bacteria, affects brain function and promotes anxiety-like behaviors in mice.

New method for stimulating signaling to improve metabolic health and possibly treat obesity

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 09:12 AM PST

Following up on a 2018 study that identified an epigenetic modifier known as histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11) as a potential therapeutic target for treating obesity and diabetes, researchers have published new research that finds HDAC11 regulates G protein-coupled receptors.

Decolonize research to save heritage threatened by climate change

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:18 AM PST

Climate change threatens to destroy invaluable heritage sites and traditions in marginalized countries -- but empowering local people is key to adaptation. Locally led research and more equitable research funding are needed to address the true potential loss and damage to heritage from climate change, researchers argue.

DisCo: Boosting the efficiency of single-cell RNA sequencing

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:18 AM PST

Bioengineershave found a way to radically increase the efficiency of single-cell RNA-sequencing, a powerful tool that can 'read' the genetic profile of an individual cell.

Cell groups push, rather than pull, themselves into place as organs form and cancers spread

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:18 AM PST

A new study found in a living embryo that the back ends of moving cell groups push the group forward, with implications for how organs form and cancer spreads.

'Amazing' nanoparticles from maize: A potent and economical anti-cancer therapeutic

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:18 AM PST

Nanomaterials have revolutionized the world of cancer therapy, and plant-derived nanoparticles have the added advantage of being cost-effective and easy to mass produce. Researchers have recently developed novel corn-derived bionanoparticles for targeting cancer cells directly, via an immune mechanism. The results are encouraging, and the technique has demonstrated efficacy in treating tumor-bearing laboratory mice. Moreover, no serious adverse effects have been reported in mice so far.

Satellite imagery gives researchers timeline of when swine waste lagoons were built

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:18 AM PST

Researchers have developed an automated technique that uses satellite imagery to determine when swine waste lagoons were constructed, allowing researchers to determine the extent to which these facilities may have affected environmental quality.

DNA testing exposes tactics of international criminal networks trafficking elephant ivory

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:17 AM PST

Scientists have used genetic testing of ivory shipments seized by law enforcement to uncover the international criminal networks behind ivory trafficking out of Africa. The genetic connections across shipments that they've uncovered exposes an even higher degree of organization among ivory smuggling networks than previously known. The article incorporates results from DNA testing of more than 4,000 African elephant tusks from 49 different ivory seizures made in 12 African nations over a 17-year period.

Nuclear power may be the key to least-cost, zero-emission electricity systems

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 08:17 AM PST

Nuclear power generation can play a crucial role in helping the world reach a key goal of zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century, especially in countries with low wind resources, according to new work.

Study recommends six steps to improve our water quality

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 06:58 AM PST

Nitrogen fertilizers are critical for growing crops to feed the world, yet when applied in excess can pollute our water for decades. A new study provides six steps to address nitrogen pollution and improve water quality.

Cultivated and wild bananas in northern Viet Nam threatened by devastating fungal disease

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 06:57 AM PST

For over 100 years, Fusarium, one of the most important fungal plant pathogens, has affected banana production worldwide. In Viet Nam, predictions on its impact are dramatic: an estimated loss in banana production area of up to 71% within the next 25 years. To find out what individual species are causing the Fusarium wilt among Vietnamese bananas, an international research team used DNA analyses and morphological characterization.

Better prediction of megathrust earthquakes: Illuminating slow slip plate tectonics in south-western Japan

Posted: 14 Feb 2022 06:55 AM PST

Within the next 30 years, a highly destructive Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake is predicted to hit southwest Japan. Understanding long-term slow slip events that occur along the plate interface between the subducting Philippine Sea plate and overriding Amurian plate under the Bungo Channel is essential for pinpointing when such an earthquake will happen.

Reusable plastic bottles release hundreds of chemicals, study finds

Posted: 11 Feb 2022 07:26 AM PST

Researchers have found several hundred different chemical substances in tap water stored in reusable plastic bottles. Several of these substances are potentially harmful to human health. There is a need for better regulation and manufacturing standards for manufacturers, according to the chemists behind the study.

Hemoglobin acts as a chemosensory cue for mother mice to protect pups, study finds

Posted: 10 Feb 2022 12:42 PM PST

Hemoglobin is well known as the molecule in blood responsible for carrying oxygen around the body, but when fresh mouse blood is detected in the nose, the molecule also works as a chemosensory signal warning lactating mother mice to protect their young, researchers have found.

How the intestine's nervous system affects gut microbes

Posted: 10 Feb 2022 12:42 PM PST

Nerves in the intestines help regulate the gut's acidity, new research shows. That helps keep their bacterial communities in balance.