ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Researchers have found that restoration of B cell function in BCR signaling deficiencies involves the interaction of CD22, normally an inhibitory factor, with binding partners on the same cell, which results in upregulation of BCR expression and paradoxically increased BCR signaling. These findings suggest that CD22 could be a novel target for the treatment of patients with B cell signaling deficiencies such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia.

Despite Detroit's reputation as a mecca for urban agriculture, a new analysis of the city's Lower Eastside, which covers 15 square miles, found that community and private gardens occupy less than 1% of the vacant land.

With the help of the CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors, genetic information in a plant can be modified to make the latter more robust to pests, diseases, or extreme climatic conditions. Researchers have now developed this method further to eliminate the complete DNA of specific cell types and, thus, prevent their formation during plant development. This will also help researchers better understand development mechanisms in plants.

Spotted hyenas adjust to a decreased presence of migratory prey in their territories induced by climate change. Researchers investigated the relationship between rainfall volume and migratory herbivore presence in hyena clan territories in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and the responses of lactating hyenas to recent changes in the climate-prey relationship.

In a study aimed at assessing the impact of washing poultry on kitchen contamination, researchers found that more than a quarter of study participants contaminated salad with raw poultry -- including many study participants who did not wash the poultry. The study highlights the importance of hand-washing and cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen in order to reduce the risk of foodborne illness when cooking at home.

Researchers have found brown trout better survived a Flavobacterium disease outbreak if the fish had larvae of freshwater pearl mussel in their gills. In another study, duck mussels were observed to filter and remove Flavobacterium from the water.

Scientists are using new advances in CRISPR gene-editing technology to uncover new biology that could lead to longer-lasting treatments and new therapeutic strategies for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

The western United States this century is facing a greatly heightened risk of heavy rains inundating areas recently scarred by wildfires, new research warns. Such events can cause significant destruction, including debris flows, mudslides, and flash floods, because the denuded landscape cannot easily contain the drenching moisture.

Researchers have discovered a developmental gene linked to touch in the tentacles of sea anemones as well as hearing in humans. The gene, called pou-iv (pronounced 'pow four'), is important for the development of auditory cells in the human inner ear.

Biologists find that the health and size of ocean bacteria that eat the carbon-carrying particles can affect the speed with which they sink toward the deep ocean. They then developed a predictive model for oceanic carbon transfer.

Reports of tree canopy coverage dwindling across city suburbs raise pressure on local government and other authorities' efforts to improve the health of urban street trees. New research has found stormwater interception and infiltration that allows water to soak into tree root zones is proving effective for a shady tree canopy in concrete urban environments where extreme heat occurs regularly.

Dogs and cats may be exposed in their homes to a potentially toxic group of chemicals, with their discovery in the pets' stool being a sign of health issues for humans living with them, a new study shows.