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ScienceDaily: Top Environment News |
| Light amplification accelerates chemical reactions in aerosols Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:39 AM PDT Aerosols in the atmosphere react to incident sunlight. This light is amplified in the interior of the aerosol droplets and particles, accelerating reactions. Researchers have now been able to demonstrate and quantify this effect and recommend factoring it into future climate models. |
| Open sharing of biotechnology research: Transparency versus security Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:39 AM PDT As biotechnology advances, the risk of accidental or deliberate misuse of biological research like viral engineering is increasing. At the same time, 'open science' practices like the public sharing of research data and protocols are becoming widespread. An article examines how open science practices and the risks of misuse interface and proposes solutions to the problems identified. |
| Declining nitrogen availability found in our nitrogen-rich world Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:39 AM PDT Following years of attention to surplus nitrogen in the environment, our evolving understanding has led to new concerns about nitrogen insufficiency in areas of the world that do not receive significant inputs of nitrogen from human activities. A multi-institutional team of researchers now describes the causes of declining nitrogen availability and how it affects ecosystem function. |
| Structures considered key to gene expression are surprisingly fleeting Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:39 AM PDT Scientists find that loops in the genome may be much rarer and shorter-lived than previously thought, lasting only tens of minutes, which suggests current theories of how loops influence gene expression may need to be revised. |
| Pandemic adversely impacts already stressed national forests, research finds Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:51 AM PDT Researchers found a dramatic increase during the pandemic of visitors to the parks and protected areas of New England that resulted in significant social, situational and ecological impacts on people's behavior, decision making and experience quality. |
| Chlorinated water supplies don’t disturb healthy gut microbiomes in young children Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:51 AM PDT Scientists find chlorinated water supplies in Bangladesh have little effect on the abundance and diversity of bacteria in children's guts. This set of bacteria, or gut microbiome, plays an important role in maintaining health as children grow older. |
| How to balance biodiversity goals with limited economic resources Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:51 AM PDT In 2019, a landmark report gave the world its first report card on biodiversity loss. There was one crystal clear conclusion: human actions threaten more species with global extinction than ever before. Now, a research team has reviewed combining conservation with practical economic tools using a case study of Colombia, South America, a high priority but underfunded country for biodiversity conservation. |
| Huge Amazon swamp carbon stores under threat Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:51 AM PDT The largest peatlands in the Amazon rainforest, which hold a vast, concentrated amount of carbon, are under increasing threat from changing land use, research suggests. |
| Seafloor spreading has been slowing down Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:50 AM PDT A new global analysis of the last 19 million years of seafloor spreading rates found they have been slowing down. Geologists want to know why the seafloor is getting sluggish. |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:50 AM PDT In a new study examining burn patterns from the 2020 Labor Day fires, researchers studied the influence of weather, topography, vegetation and other factors on burn severity in areas where the fires killed more than 75% of the trees. Their research confirms that extreme winds over the Labor Day holiday were the primary driver of the destructive force of the fires yet demonstrates how forest vegetation structure (e.g., canopy height, the age of trees, etc.) and topography played a significant role in burn severity patterns. |
| Exposure assessment for Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Health outcomes Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:50 AM PDT Mathematicians have developed statistical methods that lay the framework for the crucial first step of determining whether there are any linkages between exposures and health outcomes from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the U.S. |
| The link between transit use and early COVID cases Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:09 AM PDT A new study looks at the association between America's mass transportation usage and case counts in opening months of the pandemic. |
| Research reveals human-driven changes to distinctive foraging patterns in North Pacific Ocean Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:08 AM PDT The first large-scale study of its kind has uncovered more than 4,000 years' worth of distinctive foraging behavior in a species once driven to the brink of extinction. |
| Pollution from cooking emissions hangs in the air Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:08 AM PDT Organic aerosols -- such as those released in cooking -- may stay in the atmosphere for several days, because of nanostructures formed by fatty acids as they are released into the air. |
| Study helps explain how xanthan gum, a common food additive, is processed in the gut Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:07 AM PDT A new study examines the ability of the human gut microbiome to digest xanthan gum, a relatively recently introduced food ingredient found in many processed foods. |
| New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice Posted: 13 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Current antibody treatments block SARS-CoV-2 by binding to one of three binding sites on the spike protein. A new protein-based antiviral binds to all three sites on the spike protein, making it more effective than current therapies. The new therapy also is low-cost, easy to manufacture, does not require complicated supply chains with extreme refrigeration and potentially could be self-administered. |
| Genomic time machine in sea sponges Posted: 13 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Sponges in coral reefs, less flashy than their coral neighbors but important to the overall health of reefs, are among the earliest animals on the planet. New research examines coral reef ecosystems with a novel approach to understanding the complex evolution of sponges and the microbes that live in symbiosis with them. With this 'genomic time machine,' researchers can predict aspects of reef and ocean ecosystems through hundreds of millions of years of dramatic evolutionary change. |
| Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface Posted: 13 Apr 2022 01:18 PM PDT Clouds come in myriad shapes, sizes and types, which control their effects on climate. New research shows that splintering of frozen liquid droplets to form ice shards inside Southern Ocean clouds dramatically affects the clouds’ ability to reflect sunlight back to space. |
| Rotating blue laser light reveals unimagined dynamics in living cells Posted: 13 Apr 2022 01:18 PM PDT When cities transform into a colorful world of lights as darkness falls, it's often only possible to estimate their contours, which depending on the perspective can draw the attention to key details or trivia. In fluorescence microscopy, biological cells are marked with fluorescent dyes and excited to luminesce in specific areas by optical switches- like a city at night. However, this light is usually too faint for small, rapid objects, or even goes out after a while. This is known as 'fluorescence bleaching.' Now, researchers have developed a new way to make the smallest objects clearly visible without fluorescence. In this way, cellular structures or virus-sized particles can be observed 100 to 1,000 times longer, ten to 100-times faster and with almost doubled resolution than with fluorescence microscopy. |
| Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:16 AM PDT Scientists have found that social connections influence the brain structure of rhesus macaques. Specifically, the number of grooming partners an individual had predicted the size of brain areas associated with social decision-making and empathy. |
| Layered controls can significantly curb exposure to COVID-19 Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:16 AM PDT Using a new computational model that simulates the life cycle of pathogen-laden particles, researchers found that a combination of distancing of six feet, universal mask-wearing, and increased room ventilation could reduce the risk of infection by more than 98 percent in more than 95 percent of scenarios studied. |
| Busy mothers did less breastfeeding in 19th century Netherlands Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:16 AM PDT A 19th century rural Dutch village had unusually low rates of breastfeeding, likely because mothers were busy working, according to a new study. |
| Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:15 AM PDT A survey study of the guardians of more than 2,500 dogs explored links between dog diet and health outcomes, suggesting that nutritionally sound vegan diets may be healthier and less hazardous than conventional or raw meat-based diets. |
| Diverse life forms may have evolved earlier than previously thought Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:15 AM PDT Researchers analyzed a fist-sized rock from Quebec, Canada, estimated to be between 3.75 and 4.28 billion years old. In an earlier article, the team found tiny filaments, knobs and tubes in the rock which appeared to have been made by bacteria. However, not all scientists agreed that these structures -- dating about 300 million years earlier than what is more commonly accepted as the first sign of ancient life -- were of biological origin. Now, after extensive further analysis of the rock, the team have discovered a much larger and more complex structure -- a stem with parallel branches on one side that is nearly a centimeter long -- as well as hundreds of distorted spheres, or ellipsoids, alongside the tubes and filaments. The researchers say that, while some of the structures could conceivably have been created through chance chemical reactions, the 'tree-like' stem with parallel branches was most likely biological in origin, as no structure created via chemistry alone has been found like it. |
| Tracing regional origin of anything biological: Strontium isoscape mapping Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:12 AM PDT Tracing the regional origin of everything from milk to invasive bugs is now possible thanks to a new project. A strontium isotope map means biological material can be pinpointed to distinct geographical regions in Aotearoa. |
| Discovery of wheat’s clustered chemical defenses creates new avenues for research Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:12 AM PDT Research collaboration has helps to explain the chemical defenses that protect wheat plants against disease. |
| Mutations across animal kingdom shed new light on aging Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT A new study compares the accumulation of mutations across many animal species and has shed new light on decades-old questions about the role of these genetic changes in ageing and cancer. Researchers found that despite huge variation in lifespan and size, different animal species end their natural life with similar numbers of genetic changes. |
| Early human habitats linked to past climate shifts Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT A study provides clear evidence for a link between astronomically-driven climate change and human evolution. |
| Infectious bacteria force host plants to feed them, study finds Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT A species of bacteria that infect corn crops compel their hosts to produce a feast of nutrients that keeps the pathogens alive and thriving long before they start to kill the plant's cells, new research shows. |
| A new heat engine with no moving parts is as efficient as a steam turbine Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT Engineers have developed a heat engine with no moving parts that is as efficient as a steam turbine. The design could someday enable a fully decarbonized power grid, researchers say. |
| Immune response to parasitic worms Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT New research looked at if exposure to pathogens, in particular helminths, can stimulate the immune system and reduce predisposition for inflammatory bowel disease. |
| Climate change affects landscape freeze-thaw but not in the same way everywhere Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:08 AM PDT Researchers have use new statistical framework and analysis of datasets to demonstrate how increasing air temperatures and decreasing snow cover work in tandem to increase the effects of climate change in a non-linear fashion, meaning that they work to amplify the overall impact felt on the ground. |
| Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:42 AM PDT A team of researchers has demonstrated that some plant species could help to remove toxic heavy metals and metalloids from contaminated soil. |
| Undersea detector proves it’s swell Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:42 AM PDT Highly energetic particles called muons are ever present in the atmosphere and pass through even massive objects with ease. Sensitive detectors installed along the Tokyo Bay tunnel measure muons passing through the sea above them. This allows for changes in the volume of water above the tunnel to be calculated. For the first time, this method was used to accurately detect a mild tsunami following a typhoon in 2021. |
| Groundwater level threatens to fall in Germany due to climate change Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT Climate change directly affects groundwater resources. Groundwater levels in Germany threaten to fall in the next decades. |
| Black Rhino extinction risk sharply increased by killing of specific female rhinos Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT New research has examined data from the Critically Endangered Kenyan black rhino populations which suggest that individuals really matter when assessing the impact of poaching on species' survival chances. |
| A swarm of 85,000 earthquakes at the Antarctic Orca submarine volcano Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT Volcanoes can be found even off the coast of Antarctica. At the deep-sea volcano Orca, which has been inactive for a long time, a sequence of more than 85,000 earthquakes was registered in 2020, a swarm quake that reached proportions not previously observed for this region. The fact that such events can be studied and described in great detail even in such remote and therefore poorly instrumented areas is now shown by a new study. With the combined application of seismological, geodetic and remote sensing techniques, they were able to determine how the rapid transfer of magma from the Earth's mantle near the crust-mantle boundary to almost the surface led to the swarm quake. |
| Physics models better define what makes pasta al dente Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT Researchers examined how pasta swells, softens, and becomes sticky as it takes up water. They combined measurements of pasta parameters, such as expansion, bending rigidity, and water content to solve a variety of equations to form a theoretical model for the swelling dynamics of starch materials. The team observed how the noodles come together when lifted from a plate by a fork. This provided them with a grounding of how water-driven hygroscopic swelling affects pasta's texture. |
| Historically redlined neighborhoods burdened by excess oil and gas wells, study finds Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT A new study details how historically redlined neighborhoods across the U.S. that scored lowest in racially discriminatory maps drawn by the government-sponsored Home-Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s had twice the density of oil and gas wells than comparable neighborhoods that scored highest. Wells likely contribute to disproportionate pollution and related health problems in redlined neighborhoods. |
| New approach enhances muscle recovery in aged mice Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:38 AM PDT Scientists have developed a promising new method to combat the age-related losses in muscle mass that often accompany immobility after injury or illness. Their technique, demonstrated in mice, arrests the process by which muscles begin to deteriorate at the onset of exercise after a period of inactivity. |
| Coronaviruses evolve to recognize glycans of their host species Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:09 AM PDT Researchers have characterized the binding of proteins from several animal and human coronaviruses to glycans called sialic acids, revealing host-specific patterns of binding. |
| Nanoparticles could enable a more sensitive and durable rapid COVID-19 test Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:09 AM PDT Researchers have developed a rapid test that uses molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles, rather than antibodies, to detect SARS-CoV-2. The new test is more sensitive and works under more extreme conditions than antibody-based tests. |
| A 4 V-class metal-free organic lithium-ion battery gets closer to reality Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:08 AM PDT Organic, metal free, high-energy batteries are a pathway to a greener future. Yet scientists have struggled to find ways to boost the voltage in organic lithium-ion batteries. Now, a study has proposed a small organic molecule known as croconic acid that can maintain a working voltage of around 4 Volts. |
| Your morning coffee could hasten species’ extinction Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Ahead of a global biodiversity convention, researchers find consumption in Europe, North America, and East Asia primarily drives species extinction risk in other countries. |
| Beyond the honeybee: How many bee species does a meadow need? Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Entomologists have now shown that the more plant species there are in a meadow, the more bee species are needed for pollination. They found that the less common bees often visited specific plants others didn't, shedding new light on the role of rare species in ecosystems -- critical to conservation efforts because rare species are most at risk of extinction from habitat loss, pollution, climate change and other factors. |
| Climate change will reshuffle marine ecosystems in unexpected ways Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Warming of the oceans due to climate change will mean fewer productive fish species to catch in the future, according to a new study that found as temperatures warm, predator-prey interactions will prevent species from keeping up with the conditions where they could thrive. |
| Method efficiently breaks down plastic bottles into component parts Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:09 AM PDT A research team has demonstrated that a material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) is a stable and selective catalyst for breaking down polyester-based plastic into its component parts. Only three things are needed: plastic, hydrogen and the catalyst. An important bonus is that one of the component parts the plastic is broken down into is terephthalic acid, a chemical used to produce plastic. |
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