ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Finding ways to turn down the heat in cities

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT

Rooftop gardens and greenery can help ease some of the severe heat in cities, according to research from climate scientists.

Genomic analysis supports ancient Muwekma Ohlone connection

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT

A research collaboration with the Muwekma Ohlone tribe -- whose ancestral lands include the Stanford campus -- shows a genetic relationship between modern-day Tribe members and individuals buried nearby who lived more than 1,900 years ago.

New enzyme discovery is another leap towards beating plastic waste

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT

Scientists who helped to pioneer the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing nature-based solutions to the global plastics crisis. They have characterized an enzyme that has the remarkable capacity to help break down terephthalate (TPA), one of the chemical building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is used to make single-use drinks bottles, clothing and carpets.

Scientists determine structure of a DNA damage 'first responder'

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:22 AM PDT

The results of this collaborative project overturn some conventional wisdom about how the DNA repair process works.

Ape 'vocabularies' shaped by social mingling — like in humans

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:21 AM PDT

Social mingling shapes and transforms the 'vocabularies' of apes, just like in humans, according to new research.

Microbial communities where cells cooperate have increased drug tolerance

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:21 AM PDT

Research has revealed a key mechanism which increases tolerance to drugs amongst microbial communities. The findings could help the development of more effective antifungal treatments.

Cryo-EM reveals how '911' molecule helps fix damaged DNA

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:21 AM PDT

When something goes wrong during DNA replication, cells call their own version of 911 to pause the process and fix the problem -- a failsafe that is critical to maintaining health and staving off disease. Now, scientists have for the first time revealed how a key piece of this repair process -- appropriately called the 911 DNA checkpoint clamp -- is recruited to the site of DNA damage. The findings illuminate new insights into the way cells ensure genetic instructions are properly passed from one generation of cells to the next.

How the Chagas pathogen changes the intestinal microbiota of predatory bugs

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:21 AM PDT

In Central and South America, predatory blood-sucking bugs transmit the causative agent of the widely prevalent Chagas disease. As the disease can induce severe symptoms and to date there is no vaccine against the Trypanosoma parasites, the main approach at present is to control the bug using insecticides. A research team has now studied how trypanosomes change the bug's intestinal microbiota. The long-term goal: to change the bacterial community in the predatory bug's intestine in such a way that it can defend itself against the trypanosomes.

Wind, solar could replace coal power in Texas

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:59 AM PDT

A fraction of the wind and solar projects already proposed in Texas could eliminate the state's remaining coal power plants and their emissions, according to engineers.

Classifying weather to tease out how aerosols influence storms

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:58 AM PDT

A new study used artificial intelligence to analyze 10 years of weather data collected over southeastern Texas to identify three major categories of weather patterns and the continuum of conditions between them. The study will help scientists seeking to understand how aerosols -- tiny particles suspended in Earth's atmosphere -- affect the severity of thunderstorms.

Staying alive: How 'self-pollen' can cheat death

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:58 AM PDT

A new gene that controls self-fertilization has been identified in an engineered version of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Vegetable oil emissions study reveals urgent need for greener growing solutions

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:58 AM PDT

A new global study has revealed the extent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by vegetable oil production, highlighting the need for more sustainable growing solutions.

Bacteria-shredding insect wings inspire new antibacterial packaging

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:38 AM PDT

Inspired by the bacteria-killing wings of insects like cicadas, scientists have developed a natural antibacterial texture for use on food packaging to improve shelf life and reduce waste.

A whale’s tale: The story hidden in their mouths

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:37 AM PDT

Baleen plates -- the signature bristle-like apparatus toothless whales use to feed -- reveal how these large aquatic mammals adapt to environmental changes over time.

COVID-19 pandemic fueled massive growth in green industry

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:37 AM PDT

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't been a great couple of years. But for the green industry, like plant nurseries and greenhouses, it's been a boon. But will the uptick in gardening last once the last coronavirus restrictions are lifted? Probably not to the same extreme levels, according to new research. But for some, the introduction to gardening may have been just what they needed to dive into a new hobby.

Soil erosion and wildfire another nail in coffin for Triassic era

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:37 AM PDT

New research has revealed that soil erosion and wildfires contributed to a mass extinction event 201 million years ago that ended the Triassic era and paved the way for the rise of dinosaurs in the Jurassic period.

Identifying toxic materials in water with machine learning

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:19 AM PDT

Waste materials from oil sands extraction, stored in tailings ponds, can pose a risk to the natural habitat and neighboring communities when they leach into groundwater and surface ecosystems. Until now, the challenge for the oil sands industry is that the proper analysis of toxic waste materials has been difficult to achieve without complex and lengthy testing. And there's a backlog. For example, in Alberta alone, there are an estimated 1.4 billion cubic meters of fluid tailings.

New ways to improve urban wetlands

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:19 AM PDT

New studies provide valuable insights into removing toxins from polluted waterways and improving filtration at urban wetlands. One study found a wetland plant capable of reducing PFAS in soil and water, and another looked for better urban wetland water flow management during summer.