ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

When different cell types compete in a confined space, those which remove debris faster have a better chance to dominate their environment. Researchers showed in a new model that not only a higher net proliferation rate, but also the swift removal of dead cells provides a competitive advantage. They mixed two cell populations only differing in debris removal rate and showed that already after a few generations the population with the higher removal rate starts to dominate the confined space.

Scientists report they have probed the atomic structure of proteins to add to evidence that the wobbles, shakes and quivers of proteins play a critical role in their ability to function. The findings of the research may help scientists design new drugs that can modify or disrupt the intricate 'dances' of proteins to alter their functions.

A new study ranks the top 32 threats to food security over the next two decades, pointing to climate change and conflict as top culprits and calling for more coordination in building resilient food systems around the globe.

Researchers report direct observations of size-resolved ice nucleating particles in the central Arctic, spanning the entire sea ice growth and decline cycle. Their results show a strong seasonality of these particles, with lower concentrations in the winter and spring, and enhanced concentrations during summer melt from local biology.

Urbanization is a primary threat to biodiversity. However, scientists know little about how urbanization affects biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical regions of the Global South. An international research team has investigated the effects of urbanization on bee communities in smallholder farms in and around Bangalore -- a South Indian city with more than 13 million inhabitants. They found that social bees, such as wild honey bees, suffered more than large solitary bees or those that nest in cavities, which contrasts with results from temperate regions.

A unique fungus survives by 'bewitching' male flies into mating with dead female flies. The longer a female fly carcass has lain and rotted, the greater the male's lust.

To ensure bicyclists' needs are considered when improving a transportation system, planners and engineers need to know how many people are biking, and where. Traditional bike counters provide data for limited sections of the bike network, often these counters are installed at important locations like trails or bridges. While limited in location, they count everyone who bikes through. Meanwhile, GPS & mobile data cover the entire transportation network, but that data only represents those travelers who are using smartphones or GPS. Combining the traditional location-based data sources with this new, crowdsourced data offer better accuracy than any could provide alone.

Researchers have published a study that aims to assist state and local water authorities in making decisions about where to prioritize funding for infrastructure improvements on drinking water lead service line replacement programs.