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ScienceDaily: Top Environment News |
| Cause, scope determined for deadly winter debris flow in Uttarakhand, India Posted: 10 Jun 2021 12:01 PM PDT The Uttarakhand region of India experienced a humanitarian tragedy on Feb. 7, 2021, when a wall of debris and water barreled down the Ronti Gad, Rishiganga and Dhauliganga river valleys. This debris flow destroyed two hydropower facilities and left more than 200 people dead or missing. A self-organized coalition of 53 scientists came together in the days following the disaster to investigate the cause, scope and impacts. |
| Bacteria-sized robots take on microplastics and win by breaking them down Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT Small pieces of plastic are everywhere, stretching from urban environments to pristine wilderness. Left to their own devices, it can take hundreds of years for them to degrade completely. Catalysts activated by sunlight could speed up the process, but getting these compounds to interact with microplastics is difficult. In a proof-of-concept study, researchers developed self-propelled microrobots that can swim, attach to plastics and break them down. |
| Dinosaurs lived in greenhouse climate with hot summers, study shows Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT Researchers have developed an innovative way to use the clumped isotope method to reconstruct climate in the geological past on the seasonal scale. They show that dinosaurs had to deal with hotter summers than previously thought. The results suggest that in the mid latitudes, seasonal temperatures will likely rise along with climate warming, while seasonal difference is maintained. This results in very high summer temperatures. |
| Research establishes safe water thresholds for antimicrobials, to help mitigate resistance Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT Scientists summarize and critically appraise the current approaches to determining the concentrations of antimicrobials that increase AMR. By collating and assessing available data, they have recommended what these safe thresholds could be, to enable governments to act to reduce them. |
| Researchers' algorithm to make CRISPR gene editing more precise Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new method which makes CRISPR gene editing more precise than conventional methods. The method selects the molecules best suited for helping the CRISPR-Cas9 protein with high-precision editing at the correct location in our DNA, the researchers explain. |
| New way to 3D-print custom medical devices to boost performance and bacterial resistance Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT Using a new 3D printing process, researchers have discovered how to tailor-make artificial body parts and other medical devices with built-in functionality that offers better shape and durability, while cutting the risk of bacterial infection at the same time. |
| Botany: Scent of death attracts coffin flies to pipevine flowers Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT Plant researchers have discovered an unusual and previously unknown reproductive strategy in plants: the Greek pipevine species 'Aristolochia microstoma' produces a unique mixture of volatiles that resembles the smell of dead and decaying insects to attract the pollinating fly genus 'Megaselia' (also known as 'coffin flies') to its trap-flowers. |
| The rocky road to accurate sea-level predictions Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT The type of material present under glaciers has a big impact on how fast they slide towards the ocean. Scientists face a challenging task to acquire data of this under-ice landscape. Choosing the wrong equations for the under-ice landscape can have the same effect on the predicted contribution to sea-level rise as a warming of several degrees, according to researchers. |
| Soot from heaters and traffic is not just a local problem Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:55 AM PDT Soot particles from oil and wood heating systems as well as road traffic can pollute the air in Europe on a much larger scale than previously assumed. The evaluation of the sources during a measuring campaign in Germany showed that about half of the soot particles came from the surrounding area and the other half from long distances. This underlines the need to further reduce emissions of soot that is harmful to health and climate. |
| Discovery of ray sperms' unique swimming motion and demonstration with bio-inspired robot Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:55 AM PDT It is generally agreed that sperms 'swim' by beating or rotating their soft tails. However, a research team has discovered that ray sperms move by rotating both the tail and the head. The team further investigated the motion pattern and demonstrated it with a robot. Their study has expanded the knowledge on the microorganisms' motion and provided inspiration for robot engineering design. |
| Institutional environments trap disabled geoscientists between a rock and a workplace Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:55 AM PDT Inaccessible workplaces, normative departmental cultures and 'ableist' academic systems have all contributed to the continued under-representation and exclusion of disabled researchers, according to an expert. |
| Solutions for fighting pollution in the oceans Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:38 AM PDT Maritime litter is among the most urgent global pollution issues. Marine scientist have published an overview study of solutions for prevention, monitoring, and removal. They found that reducing ocean pollution requires more support, integration, and creative political decisiveness. |
| Endangered blue whales recorded off southwest coast of India Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT Underwater recordings show that endangered blue whales are present and singing off the southwest coast of India. This extends the range of a known song type by 1,000 kilometers, into Indian waters. The results suggest that conservation measures should include this region. |
| Researchers link ancient wooden structure to water ritual Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT A team used dendrochronology and a form of radiocarbon dating called 'wiggle-matching' to pinpoint, with 95% probability, the years in which an ancient wooden structure's two main components were created: a lower tank in 1444 B.C., and an upper tank in 1432 B.C. |
| Ion and lipid transporters specialize for their niche Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT Cell viability require that a variety of functions at the cell membrane are maintained properly. P-type ATPases translocate substrates across the membrane, and they have evolved into different types taking care of specific substrates within a diverse range. Now, key structural aspects have been described on how two different types of P-type ATPases -- a Ca2+ transporting Ca2+-ATPase and a lipid transporting P4-ATPase - have adapted to different substrates and physical environments. |
| Lodgers on manganese nodules: Sponges promote a high diversity Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT Deep down in the ocean, valuable raw materials are stored, such as nodules of manganese. These resources could help meeting our increasing demand for rare metals. In addition to the nodules, there is another treasure down there: A complex ecosystem we barely understand. Researchers have discovered that sponges settling on the nodules provide a home for many other animals. Without nodules, diversity in these deep-sea regions would be significantly lower. |
| 'Vegan spider silk' provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT Researchers have created a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products. |
| Ceramics provide insights into medieval Islamic cuisine Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:10 AM PDT Organic residues on ceramic pottery are a valuable resource for understanding medieval cuisines of Islamic-ruled Sicily, according to a new study. |
| How to beat the heat: Memory mechanism allows plants to adapt to heat stress Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:10 AM PDT Researchers have found that plants adapt to heat stress via a specific 'memory' mechanism. The JUMONJI family of proteins can control small heat shock genes, allowing plants to become heat tolerant for better adaptation to future heat stress. This research is applicable to a broad range of scientific fields and understanding this mechanism could contribute to maintaining the food supply under global warming conditions. |
| How the amphibians got their vertebrae Posted: 09 Jun 2021 11:34 AM PDT A group of ancient amphibians called temnospondyls evolved stiffer spinal columns to adapt to aquatic life, contrary to previous hypotheses, according to a new study. |
| Women's mental health has higher association with dietary factors Posted: 09 Jun 2021 11:33 AM PDT Women's mental health likely has a higher association with dietary factors than men's, according to new research. |
| Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:34 AM PDT A new study quantifies for the first time the impact that double-cropping had on helping Brazil achieve its national grain boom. |
| Origin of fairy circles: Euphorbia hypothesis disproved Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:34 AM PDT The fairy circles of the Namib are one of nature's greatest mysteries. Millions of these circular barren patches extend over vast areas along the margins of the desert in Namibia. An early hypothesis by G.K. Theron was that poisonous substances from Euphorbia damarana leaves induced fairy circles. Now new research found the original experiment and, 40 years later, the researchers are able to conclusively disprove this hypothesis. |
| Warmer temperatures lessen COVID-19 spread, but control measures still needed, study finds Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT New research shows transmission of the virus behind COVID-19 varies seasonally, but warmer conditions are not enough to prevent transmission. |
| Hope for critically endangered gorillas in eastern DRC Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT A new study has updated the global population estimate for the Critically Endangered Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) -- the world's largest gorilla subspecies -- to 6,800 individuals from a previous global estimate of 3,800 individuals. |
| Corals' natural 'sunscreen' may help them weather climate change Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT Scientists are one step closer to understanding why some corals can weather climate change better than others, and the secret could be in a specific protein that produces a natural sunscreen. |
| Researchers create quantum microscope that can see the impossible Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT In a major scientific leap, researchers have created a quantum microscope that can reveal biological structures that would otherwise be impossible to see. |
| A new culprit in antibacterial resistance: Cysteine persulfide Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new, highly sensitive analytical method that can detect degraded beta-lactam antibacterial agents used in the treatment of bacterial infections. With this method, researchers found that reactive sulfur species produced by bacteria degrade and inactivate beta-lactam antibiotics. |
| The iron jaws of the bristle worm Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT Bristle worms have remarkably stable jaws. They are made of a very unusual material containing protein structures and metal atoms. Scientists have now been able to analyze and explain the properties of these structures, which could lead to novel industrially usable materials. |
| Maori connections to Antarctica may go as far back as 7th century, new study shows Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT Indigenous Maori people may have set eyes on Antarctic waters and perhaps the continent as early as the 7th century, new research shows. |
| Soil microbes metabolize the same polyphenols found in chocolate, wine Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT A research team has uncovered new insights into the role of polyphenols in the soil microbiome, known as a black box for its complexity. They proffer an updated theory that soils - much like the human gut - can be food sources for the microbes that live there. |
| Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT A phenomenon in which an RNA named NORAD drives a protein named Pumilio to form liquid droplets in cells, much like oil in water, appears to tightly regulate the activity of Pumilio. A new study suggests that such RNA-driven 'phase separation,' in turn, protects against genome instability, premature aging, and neurodegenerative diseases, and may represent a previously unrecognized way for RNAs to regulate cellular processes. |
| Artificial light harming clownfish Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT Artificial lighting is killing young clownfish living closest to shore. They also found that these clownfish grew 44% more slowly than clownfish living under natural lighting conditions. |
| Historic Mississippi flow: Impacts of river regulation Posted: 08 Jun 2021 05:37 PM PDT New research seeks to resolve lingering questions about the rate at which the Atchafalaya River captured water from the Mississippi River and the degree to which it would have changed the course of the river. |
| Major barriers to financing a sustainable ocean economy Posted: 08 Jun 2021 05:37 PM PDT Financing a sustainable global ocean economy may require a Paris Agreement type effort, according to a new report. |
| Diverse fossil flora from 400 million year ago Posted: 08 Jun 2021 05:37 PM PDT The analysis of very old plant fossils discovered in South Africa and dating from the Lower Devonian period documents the transition from barren continents to the green planet we know today. |
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