ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Scientists identify areas of high marine mammal diversity

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 03:29 PM PST

Sightings of more than 1 million marine mammals in the federally protected Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and sites along the Atlantic Coast have been used to identify areas of high marine mammal diversity. These findings underscore the importance of ocean conservation as these waters face increasing impacts from human activities.

Visualizing the invisible: New fluorescent DNA label reveals nanoscopic cancer features

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 11:46 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new fluorescent label that gives a clearer picture of how DNA architecture is disrupted in cancer cells. The findings could improve cancer diagnoses for patients and classification of future cancer risk.

Artificial intelligence predicts algae potential as alternative energy source

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 09:40 AM PST

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are using artificial intelligence to set a new world record for producing algae as a reliable, economic source for biofuel that can be used as an alternative fuel source for jet aircraft and other transportation needs.

During droughts, thirstier mountain forests could mean less water downstream

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 08:20 AM PST

Researchers found upstream forests' increased water consumption during droughts could leave less water downstream for forests, cities and wildlife during drought.

A new study relates liquid fructose intake to fatty liver disease

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 08:20 AM PST

A high-fat diet is not enough to cause short-term fatty liver disease. However, if this diet is combined with the intake of beverages sweetened with liquid fructose, the accumulation of fats in the liver accelerates and hypertriglyceridemia -- a cardiovascular risk factor -- can appear, according to researchers.

Greater greenhouse gas reductions for pickup truck electrification than for other light-duty vehicles

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 08:20 AM PST

Major automotive manufacturers are ramping up production of electric trucks as a key strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their vehicles.

Microneedle approach to address peanut allergy shows promise in mice

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 08:20 AM PST

Mice that received treatments with peanut-coated microneedles had significant increased rates of desensitization to peanut allergy compared with epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT), a new study found. The microneedle treatment success was achieved despite applying a dose of peanut protein 10-times lower than the dose delivered by EPIT. Researchers say the findings demonstrate the potential for peanut microneedles to improve food allergen immunotherapy through the skin.

Nealtican lava flow field, Popocatépetl volcano: A window to the past and future hazards

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 07:10 AM PST

The Popocatépetl volcano, located southeast of Mexico City, stands as the second highest peak in Mexico and is considered to be one of the potentially most dangerous volcanoes in the world, given its record of highly explosive eruptions over the last 23,000 years.

'Fingerprint' machine learning technique identifies different bacteria in seconds

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 07:10 AM PST

Bacterial identification can take hours and often longer -- precious time when diagnosing infections and selecting appropriate treatments. There may be a quicker, more accurate process. By teaching a deep learning algorithm to identify the 'fingerprint' spectra of the molecular components of various bacteria, the researchers could classify various bacteria in different media with accuracies up to 98%.

Predicting solar cell performance from terahertz and microwave spectroscopy

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 07:09 AM PST

Many semiconducting materials are possible candidates for solar cells. In recent years, perovskite semiconductors in particular have attracted attention, as they are both inexpensive and easy to process and enable high efficiencies. Now a new study shows how terahertz (TRTS) and microwave spectroscopy (TRMC) can be used to reliably determine the mobility and lifetime of the charge carriers in new semiconducting materials. Using these measurement data it is possible to predict the potential efficiency of the solar cell in advance and to classify the losses in the finished cell.

More alcohol, less brain: Association begins with an average of just one drink a day

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 06:03 AM PST

Even light-to-moderate drinking is associated with harm to the brain, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed data from more than 36,000 adults that found a link between drinking and reduced brain volume that begins at an average consumption level of less than one alcohol unit a day -- the equivalent of about half a beer -- and rises with each additional drink.

Henipavirus glycoprotein architecture suggests therapeutic strategies

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 06:03 AM PST

3D structural findings are reported on a critical component of the Nipah virus' infection mechanism, and how antibodies home in on an important part of the machinery that attaches the virus to host cells. The results point to multipronged strategies for preventing and treating the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, which are carried by bats, but which have jumped species to infect other animals and people. The results of this latest research suggest a blueprint for computer-engineered, next-generation vaccine candidates,

Cutting losses: Engineering research equips solar industry for improved performance

Posted: 04 Mar 2022 06:03 AM PST

Researchers have succeeded in identifying a technique that makes cadmium, selenium and telluride (CdSeTe) solar cells more efficient than silicon cells.

How can the computer chip predict the future of gene synthesis?

Posted: 03 Mar 2022 01:20 PM PST

Creating synthetic life could be easily within our grasp soon based on a comparison with the evolution of computer chips. Computer programming and gene synthesis appear to share little in common. But according to an expert, leaps forward in technology in the former make him optimistic that wide scale gene manufacture is achievable.

Researchers find 'genetic baggage' accumulates in the genomes of aging mutant animals

Posted: 03 Mar 2022 11:12 AM PST

You are probably familiar with the term that some people carry 'a lot of extra baggage.' Usually that term refers to that person's emotional history, but in genetics and our genomes, 'extra baggage' can also describe the transposons lurking in our genomes, a historical record of our genomes surviving traumatic invasions during evolution. Transposons are repetitive DNA sequences that have the capability to move (transpose) from one location to another in the genome (an organism's complete set of genetic instructions) and are considered important invaders of our genomes during evolution.

Changes in air pollution linked with dry spells in Asia and summer heatwaves in Europe

Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:57 AM PST

Analysis of climate models finds aerosols from air pollution were far more important in influencing the Eurasian summer jet stream, which shapes Northern Hemisphere weather, than previously thought. It counters the previous suggestion that greenhouse gas-forced Arctic warming was the main driver of the weakening of the jet stream. This is the first time that aerosols have been shown so clearly to affect such an important feature of the large-scale atmospheric circulation, which influences strength of storms and wet and dry weather in different regions.

What explains our lower back pain? Anthropologists turn to Neanderthals for answers

Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:57 AM PST

Examining the spines of Neanderthals, an extinct human relative, may explain back-related ailments experienced by humans today, a team of anthropologists has concluded in a new comparative study.

Understanding genomes, piece by piece

Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST

Genomes are made up of thousands of individual pieces -- genes -- which are expressed at different levels. Researchers have shed light on how the placement of a gene affects its expression, as well as that of its neighbors.

Analysis of sex roles in 1,800 bird species

Posted: 02 Mar 2022 09:51 AM PST

Sex roles in birds describe sex differences in courtship, mate competition, social pair-bonds, and parental care. Different explanations have been put forward to explain these differences but none are based on a comprehensive study. Therefore, an international team of experts set out to analyse data on 1,800 of the approximately 9,000 different species of birds as their study organisms.