ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Researchers re-engineer red blood cells to trigger immune system against COVID-19

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PST

Researchers have been able to re-engineer red blood cells and use them as a promising new vehicle for vaccine delivery.

Stemming the tide of invasive species in Great Lakes

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 11:06 AM PST

New research shows that a bi-national regulation targeting ships entering the Great Lakes since the mid-2000s has been remarkably effective in reducing a large proportion of the invasive species in the world's largest freshwater ecosystem.

Using ions to find molecules

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST

When we think of ions, we usually think of single atoms that have lost or gained some electrons, but entire molecules can also become ions. Physicists now show that cold molecular ions can be created using a new method, and that they are a very useful tool for detecting small amounts of other, regular molecules.

Voles cut grass to watch flying predators

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST

A tiny rodent trims tall grasses so it can watch the skies for flying predators, new research shows. Brandt’s voles live in grassland in Inner Mongolia, China, where they are hunted by birds called shrikes.

Chemical analysis reveals effects of wildfire smoke on grapes and wines

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST

As wildfire season in the West grows in length and severity, it is taking a toll on the wine industry through the effects of wildfire smoke on the quality of wine grapes. Volatile compounds in the smoke from wildfires can be absorbed by grapes and produce an unpleasant taste known as 'smoke taint' in wines made from affected grapes. A new study provides valuable data and guidelines for using analytical chemistry to identify grapes and wines affected by smoke taint.

All organisms produce methane

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST

It is well known that methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced by special microorganisms, for example in the intestines of cows, or in rice fields. For some years, scientists had also observed the production of methane in plants and fungi, without finding an explanation. Now researchers have shed light on the underlying mechanism. Their findings suggest that all organisms release methane.

Bacteria on intertidal rockweed across the North Atlantic

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST

Algae such as rockweeds are a fundamental part of marine ecosystems, providing habitat and food to many other marine organisms while also providing ecosystem services like oxygenation of the water. In turn, algae depend on bacteria to maintain their normal shapes and health. New sequencing methods are illuminating the relationships between marine bacteria and marine algae, as demonstrated in research by 15 scientists from countries across the North Atlantic. The published study contributes to the understanding how sensitive important algae are to the changing environment.

Newly identified softshell turtle lived alongside T. rex and Triceratops

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 06:53 AM PST

Scientists describe the find of a new softshell turtle from the end of the Cretaceous Period.

Discovering molecular 'team-work' underlying nitrate assimilation in a unicellular red alga

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 06:53 AM PST

The mechanisms suppressing nitrate assimilation in plants under nitrogen-repleted condition are poorly known, but researchers may have made a breakthrough. They have recently studied the transcription of nitrate assimilating genes in a unicellular red alga and found that deletion of the negative domain of transcription factor CmMYB1 or a previously unknown protein CmNDB1 is responsible for alleviation of the transcription of nitrate assimilating genes in nitrogen-repleted condition.

Scientists find new colony structure of fire ants evolved in one species before spreading to others

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 06:53 AM PST

Scientists have discovered that a new form of ant society spread across species. They found that after the new form of society evolved in one species, a 'social supergene' carrying the instruction-set for the new social form spread into other species. This spread occurred through hybridization, i.e., breeding between ants of different species. This unlikely event provides an alternate way of life, making the ants more successful than if they only had the original social form.

Open-access dataset of macaque brain published

Posted: 11 Mar 2022 06:53 AM PST

Researchers have published a dataset that was recorded from the visual cortex of monkeys during the resting state. The dataset consists of electrophysiology data that was recorded from the visual cortex (V1 and V4) of two monkeys, from 1024 recording sites simultaneously during the resting state, and it also includes supporting datasets obtained while the monkeys performed visual tasks.

Watershed size plays major role in filtering pollutants, researchers find

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 02:08 PM PST

Research has found that watershed size plays a major role in a river network's ability to do this work. The findings further the understanding of which estuaries and coastal areas will be more impacted by human development in their watersheds and also casts a light on the intricacies of the global carbon cycle.

New study confirms bioengineered RSV protein vaccine evokes protective immune response

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 02:08 PM PST

Researchers marked a major milestone in the effort to create an effective vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can cause severe respiratory disease in children and the elderly.

Gamification, past habits may impact future eco-friendly tendencies differently

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 02:08 PM PST

Green consumer habits may not be impacted by gamification practices, but people who purchased environmentally friendly products in the past are likely to continue to do so, according to a team of researchers, who theorized that adding gamification techniques to a consumer's eco-friendly purchasing habits would perpetuate green consumerism.

Recently discovered protein turbocharges gene expression

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST

Scientists have found intriguing new details about a previously missing critical factor in gene expression. An ancient protein called NDF found in all human tissues enhances gene activation and may be involved in diseases such as cancer.

Heat stress for cattle may cost billions by century's end, study finds

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST

Climate change poses a potentially devastating economic threat to low-income cattle farmers in poor countries due to increasing heat stress on the animals. Globally, by the end of this century those producers may face financial loss between $15 and $40 billion annually.

New observations from ICESat-2 show remarkable Arctic sea ice thinning in just three years

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST

Over the past two decades, the Arctic has lost about one-third of its winter sea ice volume, largely due to a decline in sea ice that persists over several years, called multiyear ice, according to a new study. The study also found sea ice is likely thinner than previous estimates. Seasonal sea ice, which melts completely each summer rather than accumulating over years, is replacing thicker, multiyear ice and driving sea ice thinning trends, according to the new research.

Ice-ocean interactions are accelerating melting in West Antarctica

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST

An analysis of Antarctica's Pope, Smith and Kohler glaciers has revealed an aggressive pattern of retreat connected to high melt rates of floating ice in the Amundsen Sea Embayment sector of West Antarctica.

Researchers discover genetic cause of sometimes deadly esophageal disorder in dogs

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST

German shepherds are predisposed to congenital idiopathic megaesophagus (CIM), an inherited disorder where a puppy develops an enlarged esophagus that fails to move food into their stomachs. Puppies with the condition regurgitate their food and fail to thrive, often leading to euthanasia. Researchers have now developed a genetic test for the disease that German shepherd dog breeders can use to reduce the risk that puppies in future litters will develop the disease.

Water determines magma depth, a key to accurate models of volcanic activity, eruption

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST

Around the world, between 40 and 50 volcanoes are currently erupting or in states of unrest, and hundreds of millions of people are at risk of hazards posed by these potentially active volcanos. Yet, despite the profound hazards posed to human life and property by volcanic eruptions, humanity still cannot reliably and accurately predict them, and even when forecasts are accurately made by experts, they may not afford ample time for people to evacuate and make emergency preparations.

Addressing knowledge gaps in shark and ray research

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

Sharks and rays are one of the most ancient vertebrate groups, as well as one of the most endangered. Researchers still know very little about many shark and ray species and the environments in which they live, particularly rare species and those that dwell in remote areas, where resources and capacity for conducting study and monitoring are scarce.

Hawaiian corals show surprising resilience to warming oceans

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

A long-term study of Hawaiian coral species provides a surprisingly optimistic view of how they might survive warmer and more acidic oceans resulting from climate change.

Genetic mechanisms of coral metamorphosis identified

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

Researchers discovered the gene expression regulation mechanisms that drive coral transition from a floating larvae to one that sits sedentary in reefs.

Predicting tropical fish patterns in Japan

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

Scientists have developed a model that predicts six tropical fish species will expand into northern parts of Japan as sea temperatures rise.

Using cell phone GNSS Networks to monitor crustal deformation

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

The Global Navigation Satellite System associated with a Japanese cell phone carrier can enhance monitoring of crustal deformation changes for earthquake early warning models.

The cellular cleaning program autophagy helps in wound healing

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

Scientists have shown that the recycling program of cells, autophagy, leads to the fusion of several single cells into multinucleated cell units during wound healing.

'Scents' of alarm: Volatile chemical signals from damaged plants warn neighbors about herbivore attacks

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

Animals often use highly specific signals to warn their herd about approaching predators. Surprisingly, similar behaviors are also observed among plants. Shedding more light on this phenomenon, researchers have discovered one such mechanism. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, the researchers have shown that herbivore-damaged plants give off volatile chemical 'scents' that trigger epigenetic modifications in the defense genes of neighboring plants. These genes subsequently trigger anti-herbivore defense systems.

One step closer to artificial rhino eggs

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST

To prevent the extinction of the northern white rhino, researchers are attempting to create artificial egg cells from stem cells. A team has now revealed that they are one step closer to achieving this goal.

Exploring ancient tuberculosis transmission chains

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PST

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second most common cause of death worldwide by an infectious pathogen (after Covid-19), but many aspects of its long history with humans remain controversial. Researchers found that ancient TB discovered in archaeological human remains from South America is most closely related to a variant of TB associated today with seals, but surprisingly these cases were found in people who lived nowhere near the coast. This implies that these cases were not the result of direct transmission from seals, and instead one, or more, spillover events were likely to be the primary drivers of human infection.

Rear-end collision on the 'ribosome highway'

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PST

As a molecular machine found in the cells of all organisms, the ribosome is responsible for making new proteins. For a number of reasons, this process can fail, leaving the ribosome stalled on the mRNA and bringing synthesis of the protein to a halt. An international research team has now identified a bacterial protein called MutS2 that senses and rescues these stuck protein factories.

More 'losers' than 'winners' among plants in the age of humans

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PST

A new analysis spanning more than 86,000 plant species finds that on this human-dominated planet, many more species of plants are poised to 'lose' rather than 'win.' T

'Seafloor fertilizer factory' helped breathe life into Earth

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:43 AM PST

Scientists reveal a new part of the recipe for complex life on planets, and it involves the onset of a microbial fertilizer factory on the Earth's seafloor roughly 2.6 billion years ago.

Seeing lipids more deeply with mass spectrometry

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:43 AM PST

PRMC-MS allows enhanced profiling of phosphoinositide acyl variants both in intracellular and extracellular environments.

Cutting HFCs to cool the Earth

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:42 AM PST

To have a better chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C, we need to accelerate the phase-down of HFC refrigerants under the Montreal Protocol. This could also reduce pollution and improve energy access.

Eating protein from a greater variety of sources may lower risk of high blood pressure

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 06:59 AM PST

In a study of nearly 12,200 adults in China, eating protein from a greater variety of sources was associated with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure. This suggests that consuming a balanced diet with a moderate amount of protein from diverse food sources may help prevent new-onset hypertension.

Relocating farmland could turn back clock twenty years on carbon emissions, say scientists

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 06:59 AM PST

Scientists have produced a map showing where the world's major food crops should be grown to maximize yield and minimize environmental impact. This would capture large amounts of carbon, increase biodiversity, and cut agricultural use of freshwater to zero.

How new bird species arise

Posted: 10 Mar 2022 06:59 AM PST

Much of a centuries-old debate over where and how new bird species form has now been resolved. Researchers have provided evidence that birds in mountainous areas -- where the vast majority of the planet's species live -- have left lowland habitats for higher and higher mountain elevations throughout their evolution. Millions of years of climatic fluctuations have contributed to pushing bird species upslope -- as is probably happening now.

Avian secret: The key to agile bird flight is switching quickly between stable and unstable gliding

Posted: 09 Mar 2022 08:11 AM PST

While it had been assumed that unstable gliding was the key to agility in bird flight, a collaboration between aerospace engineers and biologists has revealed that stability plays a role.

Climate change and lithium mining negatively influence flamingos, study finds

Posted: 09 Mar 2022 07:45 AM PST

Chile's saltwater lake closest to lithium mining activity has lost 10 to 12 percent of its flamingo population in the past 11 years. Although climate change has caused numerous saltwater lakes in the region to shrink, the flamingo population at the other lakes has held steady. As lithium mining increases to supply the metal to electric vehicles and other products, the effect could spread, according to new research.

Beheaded croc reveals ancient family secrets

Posted: 09 Mar 2022 07:45 AM PST

The partially fossilized remains of a giant extinct crocodilian that could have been ritualistically beheaded explain how modern crocodilian species may have evolved. Discovered in southern China, the new species is estimated to have been 6 meters long and the top predator of its environment. Human migration into southern China and subsequent hunting might have driven it to extinction only a few hundred years ago. The discovery may impact knowledge of ancient Chinese civilization.