ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

New research shows what it takes to make society change for the better

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 01:05 PM PDT

New research suggests that social change may depend on the relationship between beneficial behaviors and policies. Using an innovative mathematical model, researchers studied a behavior that benefits groups, but does not spread without policy support, such as a costly measure to mitigate the effects of climate change. The results showed that both behavioral change and policy change are required to achieve large-scale social change, but policy change is especially critical.

'Flash droughts' coming on faster, global study shows

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 01:05 PM PDT

Just like flash floods, flash droughts come on fast -- drying out soil in a matter of days to weeks. These events can wipe out crops and cause huge economic losses. And according to scientists, the speed at which they dry out the landscape has increased.

Monkeys routinely consume fruit containing alcohol, shedding light on our own taste for booze

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 11:13 AM PDT

Scientists analyzed the ethanol content of fruit eaten by spider monkeys in Panama, and found that the fruit regularly contained alcohol: between 1% and 2%. The researchers also collected urine samples, most of which contained secondary metabolites of ethanol. The results provide further evidence that our primate ancestors preferentially sought out fermented, alcohol-containing fruit likely for its greater nutritional value, and that humans may have inherited this proclivity for ethanol.

Study shows: Fish can calculate

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 09:22 AM PDT

Cichlids and stingrays can perform simple addition and subtraction in the number range of one to five. This has been shown in a recent study by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal Scientific Reports. It is not known what the animals need their mathematical abilities for.

Learning from the single cell: A new technique to unravel gene regulation

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 09:22 AM PDT

How is the activity of genes regulated by the packaging of DNA? To answer this question, researchers developed a technique to measure both gene expression and DNA packaging at the same time.

Origins of the Avars elucidated with ancient DNA

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 09:21 AM PDT

Less known than Attila's Huns, the Avars were their more successful successors. They ruled much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years. We know that they came from Central Asia in the sixth century CE, but ancient authors and modern historians debated their provenance. Now, a multidisciplinary research team of geneticists, archaeologists and historians has obtained and studied the first ancient genomes from the most important Avar elite sites discovered in contemporary Hungary. This study traces the genetic origin of the Avar elite to a faraway region of East Central Asia. It provides direct genetic evidence for one of the largest and most rapid long-distance migrations in ancient human history.

New polymer membrane tech improves efficiency of CO2 capture

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 09:21 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new membrane technology that allows for more efficient removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from mixed gases, such as emissions from power plants.

Shapeshifting volcano virus points to new ways to deliver drugs, vaccines

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:49 AM PDT

A discovery about a shapeshifting virus found in hot volcanic springs could have very useful implications.

Lost bioscapes window into Polynesian settlement circa 12th century

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:48 AM PDT

Polynesian explorers discovered a treasure trove of unique plants and animals when they arrived in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, according to new research.

Periodic volcanism triggered multiple Jurassic extinctions

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:48 AM PDT

Geologists have provided critical new evidence for the timing of volcanic activity in the Karoo province, the largest of the Jurassic magma systems. The remnants of the province are widespread in southern Africa and Antarctica.

Wildfire smoke exposure in early pregnancy affects infant monkey behavior

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:48 AM PDT

Infant monkeys conceived while their mothers were naturally exposed to wildfire smoke show behavioral changes compared to animals conceived days later, according to a new study.

Estimates of the carbon cycle - vital to predicting climate change - are incorrect, new researchers show

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:48 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that key parts of the global carbon cycle used to track movement of carbon dioxide in the environment are not correct, which could significantly alter conventional carbon cycle models. This finding has the potential to change predictions for climate change, though it is unclear at this juncture if the mismatch will result in more or less carbon dioxide being accounted for in the environment.

Crowdsourcing campaign identifies drivers of tropical forest loss

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:48 AM PDT

To combat forest loss in the tropics, a new study uses crowdsourcing to identify the drivers of deforestation. The resulting dataset can be used to create high-resolution maps and help policymakers apply the best protection measures.

Warmer autumns could spell bad news for butterflies, suggests study

Posted: 01 Apr 2022 06:47 AM PDT

New research finds that longer and warmer autumns make it less likely that green-veined white butterflies will survive winter to emerge in spring.

Burst of accumulated zinc shows how the mineral boosts immune function, suggesting ways to improve health

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 03:53 PM PDT

Zinc's immune-boosting properties are well-established, but scientists haven't known exactly how it works. Scientists now reveal two ways the mineral supports immunity and suggest how it could be used to improve health. Using mice, the team discovered that zinc is needed for the development of disease-fighting immune cells called T cells and prompts regeneration of the thymus, the immune organ that produces T cells.

Polynesian Island yields 'treasure trove' of fungal biodiversity

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 02:08 PM PDT

Researchers have provided a detailed description of the stunning array of fungi that make their home on the Polynesian island of Mo'orea. The collection includes more than 200 species of macrofungi -- that is, fungi producing visible, fruiting bodies -- many of which may be new to science.

Easy test can see if breeding bulls have the right stuff

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:15 PM PDT

Forget sending bull semen out for complicated laboratory tests to learn whether the agricultural animal is virile. Scientists have developed a faster, easier microfluidics method.

German and Austrian deer thus far spared SARS-CoV-2 infections, unlike in North America

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:15 PM PDT

In North America, SARS-CoV-2 has spread from humans to white-tailed deer. The deer are now considered SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs and may even spill virus back to humans. Scientists have now shown that in Germany and Austria this has not happened as all deer tested were negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

How giant viruses mature: New evidence from the medusavirus sheds light

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:15 PM PDT

Medusavirus, a giant virus, is more closely related to eukaryotic cells than other giant viruses are. In an exciting new study, scientists have used electron microscopy and time-course analysis to discover four different types of medusavirus particles within and outside infected amoeba cells, representing four different stages of virus maturation. Their results indicate that the medusavirus has a unique maturation process, providing new insights into the structural and behavioral diversity of giant viruses.

Mammals put brawn before brains to survive post-dinosaur world

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:15 PM PDT

Prehistoric mammals bulked up, rather than develop bigger brains, to boost their survival chances once dinosaurs had become extinct, research suggests.

New technology solves mystery of respiration in Tetrahymena

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Tetrahymena, a tiny single celled-organism, turns out to be hiding a surprising secret: it's doing respiration -- using oxygen to generate cellular energy -- differently from other organisms such as plants, animals or yeasts. The discovery highlights the power of new techniques in structural biology and reveals gaps in our knowledge of a major branch of the tree of life.

A single gene controls species diversity in an ecosystem

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:14 PM PDT

To test if a single gene could affect an entire ecosystem, a research team conducted a lab experiment with a plant and its associated ecosystem of insects. They found that plants with a mutation at a specific gene foster ecosystems with more insect species. The discovery of such a 'keystone gene' could change current biodiversity conservation strategies.

Scientists bioprint tissue-like constructs capable of controlled, complex shape change

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:14 PM PDT

New cell-laden bioink, comprised of tightly-packed, flake-shaped microgels and living cells, the production of cell-rich 4D bioconstructs that can change shape under physiological conditions.

Easier, faster assay enables many more laboratories to identify COVID-19 variants

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Using a commercially available test and simplified process, any laboratory that can run a real-time PCR assay can detect known SARS-CoV-2 variants in patient samples, researchers report.

Light pollution increasing year round for some migrating birds

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 12:12 PM PDT

Nighttime light pollution levels are increasing the most in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America--findings based on year-round data collected over the last two decades in the Western Hemisphere.

Fruit flies adapt activity to 'white nights'

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 10:42 AM PDT

Fruit flies with a new variant of a 'clock gene' are spreading northwards. Neurobiologists have now found an explanation for this phenomenon.

Increased heat and drought stunt tropical trees, a major carbon sink

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 10:42 AM PDT

For a long time, ecologists assumed tree rings to be absent in tropical trees because of a lack of temperature and rain fluctuations in the trees' environment. But in recent decades, the formation of growth rings has been proven for hundreds of tropical tree species, which are sensitive to drought and usually experience at least a month or two of slightly reduced rainfall every year.

Volcano monitoring at Mount Etna using fiber optic cables

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 09:12 AM PDT

In order to understand and predict volcanic events even better, a better understanding of the diverse underground processes involved is required. A new way to detect such processes, even if they are very subtle, is to use fiber optic cables as sensors. The analysis of light that is backscattered in them when the cables are deformed by vibrations, for example, has now made it possible for the first time to determine the volcanic signature of the Sicilian volcano Etna very precisely.

Meltwater drainage, break-away icebergs linked at shrinking Helheim Glacier

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 09:12 AM PDT

Dark patches of open sea that appear in the ice-choked water around Helheim Glacier may reveal new clues about how a rapidly changing Greenland glacier loses ice, according to scientists.

Ozone may be heating the planet more than we realize

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 09:12 AM PDT

New research reveals ozone in the lower atmosphere in particular contributed to warming in the Southern Ocean - which absorbs much of the planet's excess heat - more than previously realized. The study shows that ozone is more than just a pollutant, but also may be playing a significant role in climate change.

How is haze formed?

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 09:12 AM PDT

Haze is formed when a cocktail of various gaseous pollutants is oxidized and forms particulate matter diffusing sunlight. This process is mainly mediated by hydroxyl radicals (OH), and researchers have now discovered a new route to their formation. This newly discovered radical-building mechanism could also offer new perspectives for air purification and the energy industry, as the study shows.

Apples and other fruits can host drug-resistant, pathogenic yeasts on surfaces, study finds

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 09:11 AM PDT

Fungicides used to prolong shelf life of fruits may select for pathogenic yeasts and boost transmission. Those pathogens include Candida auris, a drug-resistant pathogenic yeast found in stored apples in a recent study.

Million-year-old Arctic sedimentary record sheds light on climate mystery

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:16 AM PDT

New research provides a continuous look at a shift in climate, called the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, that has puzzled scientists.

African network protects key turtle sites

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:15 AM PDT

A network of West African Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covers key sites used by green turtles, new research shows.

A scaffold with a twist: Cryo-EM reveals the building blocks of poxvirus

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:15 AM PDT

Researchers have revealed how poxviruses build their scaffold - a temporary protein coat that forms and disappears as the virus matures.

New study solves mystery of how soft liquid droplets erode hard surfaces

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:15 AM PDT

A new study shows why liquid droplets have the ability to erode hard surfaces, a discovery that could help engineers design more erosion-resistant materials.

Babies exposed to cannabis in the womb may be at risk for obesity, high blood sugar

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:14 AM PDT

Cannabis use among pregnant women is on the rise and may be associated with negative health outcomes in children, according to a new study.

Critical signature sound when rocks crack

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:45 PM PDT

Finding the specific sound a rock makes when it cracks and breaks seems impossible when surrounded by other subsurface noises. But researchers have now discovered a way to hear and validate that sound.

How would a nuclear winter impact food production?

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:45 PM PDT

Research focuses on how meeting food security and nutrition in the face of potential risks is one of humanity's major challenges over the next decades.

The 25 happiest U.S. city park systems, ranked by scientists

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PDT

Feeling unhappy? Go find a city park -- the bigger the better -- and try taking a walk outdoors. So says a major new study measuring the happiness effects of city parks in the 25 largest U.S. cities. The happiness benefit of urban nature on users was akin to the mood spike people experience on holidays like Thanksgiving or New Year's Day. The research is the largest study of its kind -- using massive amounts of data from social media -- to quantify the mood boosting benefits on urban nature. The happiest place on Twitter? The great outdoors.

Researchers’ novel tool to help develop safer pesticides

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new computational approach to rapidly screen pesticides for safety, performance and how long they will endure in the environment. Moreover, and most importantly, the new approach will aid in the design of next-generation molecules to develop safer pesticides.

Subsidy would improve fruit and veggie intake by as much as 15%, say economists

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PDT

High fixed costs for retailing fresh fruit and vegetables means that they cost 40% more than would be efficient, unlike unhealthy alternatives, which trade close to marginal cost, a new study demonstrates.

Tools reveal patterns of Neandertal extinction in the Iberian Peninsula

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PDT

Neandertal populations in the Iberian Peninsula were experiencing local extinction and replacement even before Homo sapiens arrived, according to a new study.

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein more stable, slower changing than earlier version

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:13 AM PDT

New computational simulations of the behavior of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins prior to fusion with human cell receptors show that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is more stable and slower changing than the earlier version that caused the SARS epidemic in 2003.

Battery-free MakeCode empowers kids to code sustainably

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:05 AM PDT

New sustainable coding platform automatically and invisibly transforms Microsoft MakeCode into a version that supports programming electronic devices that harvest energy from ambient sources, such as vibrations, movement, radio frequency transmissions and the sun.

Deserts 'breathe' water vapor, study shows

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Deserts may seem lifeless and inert, but they are very much alive. Sand dunes, in particular, grow and move -- and according to a decades long research project, they also 'breathe' humid air.

Hands, feet, and fins: The connection that explains acral melanoma

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Scientists are using zebrafish to understand human skin cancer that attacks the hands and feet.

Study shows that RNA can be targeted by small molecule drugs, creating new possibilities for disease treatment

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:12 AM PDT

Until now, proteins have been the target of most medications for the prevention and treatment of human disease. Drug developers have perceived RNA to be too unstable to target with drug therapy. However, a screen of 50,000 compounds has revealed drug-like activity against an RNA prototype called Xist, a result that opens the door for development of new medications.

New study of how bacteria swim could help prevent the spread of disease and improve medical treatments

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT

A research team studied how bacteria swim in complex fluids, providing insight into how the microorganisms move through different environments, such as their natural habitats or inside the human body.

Oxytocin treatment can take lions from ferocious to friendly

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT

Lions typically aren't keen on making new friends. The giant cats guard their territory fiercely and can mortally wound a foe with a single swipe. While aggression is an advantage for apex predators in the wild, it poses real challenges for lions on reserves or in captivity, a number that is growing due to habitat loss. Researchers working on a wildlife reserve in Dinokeng, South Africa found that an intranasal application of the 'love hormone' oxytocin could make lion meet-cutes less life-threatening.

Where we grow up influences our sense of direction

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT

New researcher has demonstrated that people's spatial navigation ability is influenced by their geographical origin. Growing up in rural or urban areas, or in cities of varying complexity, influences our sense of direction in adulthood. These results were obtained using data collected from the video game Sea Hero Quest.

Researchers discover new model for 'global' DNA repair

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT

Two studies provide a radically new picture of how bacterial cells continually repair damaged sections (lesions) in their DNA.

Molecular 'blueprint' illuminates how plants perceive light

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT

Plants rely on their ability to sense light for survival. But unlike animals, plants don't have eyes full of photoreceptors to capture and convey messages from visual stimuli. Instead, plants are coated with a network of light-sensing photoreceptors that detect different wavelengths of light, allowing them to regulate their lifecycles and adjust to environmental conditions. Now, scientists have determined the molecular structure of one of these vital photoreceptors -- a protein known as PhyB -- revealing a wholly different structure than previously known. The findings may have implications for agricultural and 'green' bioengineering practices.

Flowers' unseen colors can help ensure pollination, survival

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:33 AM PDT

You can't see it, but different substances in the petals of flowers create a 'bulls-eye' for pollinating insects, according to a scientist whose research sheds light on chemical changes in flowers which helps them respond to environmental changes, including climate change, that might threaten their survival.

Pathogenic bacteria causing lung diseases hitchhike on red blood cells

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:33 AM PDT

Mycobacteria are a group of pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis in humans. Now, a new study finds that mycobacteria are associated with red blood cells at lung infection sites, an interaction that has escaped scientific notice for 140 years since the discovery of the organism causing tuberculosis. The new research, published in Microbiology Spectrum, illuminated the interaction of mycobacteria with red blood cells and its role in lung disease.

Argon found in air of ancient atmosphere

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:33 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered argon trapped in air-hydrate crystals in ice cores, which can be used to reconstruct past temperature changes and climate shifts.

New ‘crime scene investigation’ may save endangered carnivorous plants

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:33 AM PDT

Researchers have combined macro photography with DNA metabarcoding to create a new botanical "CSI" tool that may hold the key to safeguarding the future of Australia's critically endangered carnivorous plants.

Eating two servings of avocados a week linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT

A 30-year study of more than 110,000 health professionals found that participants who ate at least two servings of avocado a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who rarely ate avocados. Replacing animal products like butter, cheese or bacon with avocado was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events.

The worrying arrival of the invasive Asian needle ant in Europe

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT

A research team has, for the first time in Europe, identified a specimen of Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis), a highly invasive species.

The Rule of Two helps make spaces sound better

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT

Researchers developed a new acoustic measurement technique in a room with more acoustic combinations than there are ants on Earth.