Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General
Published

Scientists debunk role of 'junk cells' in fight against malaria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown ability of a group of immune system cells, known as Atypical B cells (ABCs), to fight infectious diseases such as malaria. The scientists say ABCs could also be key to developing new treatments for chronic autoimmune conditions such as lupus.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Researchers uncover genetic factors for severe Lassa fever      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report the results of the first ever genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) virus. The team found two key human genetic factors that could help explain why some people develop severe Lassa fever, and a set of LARGE1 variants linked to a reduced chance of getting Lassa fever. The work could lay the foundation for better treatments for Lassa fever and other similar diseases. The scientists are already working on a similar genetics study of Ebola susceptibility.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists develop artificial 'worm gut' to break down plastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has developed an artificial 'worm gut' to break down plastics, offering hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Ice cores provide first documentation of rapid Antarctic ice loss in the past      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered the first direct evidence that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrunk suddenly and dramatically at the end of the Last Ice Age, around eight thousand years ago. The evidence, contained within an ice core, shows that in one location the ice sheet thinned by 450 meters -- that's more than the height of the Empire State Building -- in just under 200 years.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

Surprise discovery of tiny insect-killing worm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered a tiny worm species that infects and kills insects. These worms, called nematodes, could control crop pests in warm, humid places where other beneficial nematodes are currently unable to thrive.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Are environmental toxins putting future generations at risk?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers have concluded that fathers exposed to environmental toxins, notably DDT, may produce sperm with health consequences for their children.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology
Published

How fruit flies control the brain's 'steering wheel'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly discovered neural circuit mediates between navigational brain cells, acting as a sort of mental steering wheel.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

'Legacy' phosphorus delays water quality improvements in Gulf of Mexico      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The same phosphorus that fertilizes the thriving agriculture of the Midwest is also responsible for a vast 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico near the Mississippi Delta. Efforts to reduce the amount of phosphorus that enters the Mississippi River system are underway, but research suggests that remnants of the contaminant are left behind in riverbeds for years after introduction and pose an overlooked -- and lingering -- problem.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology
Published

Ancient rocks improve understanding of tectonic activity between earthquakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rocks once buried deep in ancient subduction zones -- where tectonic plates collide -- could help scientists make better predictions of how these zones behave during the years between major earthquakes, according to a research team.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature
Published

Friend or foe? Ancient partnership between moss and fungi      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shed new light on the ancient relationship between moss and fungi. They discovered that intricate moss-fungi interactions often depended on a third variable -- the presence of endobacteria within the fungi themselves.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Psychology study unearths ways to bolster global climate awareness and climate action      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists has created a tool that can aid in increasing climate awareness and climate action globally by highlighting messaging themes shown to be effective through experimental research.

Biology: Biochemistry
Published

Scientists reveal why blueberries are blue      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tiny external structures in the wax coating of blueberries give them their blue color, researchers reveal.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General
Published

Researchers discover new cell that remembers allergies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery: a new cell that remembers allergies.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

What turned Earth into a giant snowball 700 million years ago? Scientists now have an answer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Inspired during field work in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, geoscientists have proposed that all-time low volcanic carbon dioxide emissions triggered a 57-million-year-long global 'Sturtian' ice age.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

Replacing animal-based foods with alternative proteins would unlock land for carbon removal      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that replacing 50% of animal products with alternative proteins by 2050 could free up enough agricultural land to generate renewable energy equivalent in volume to today's coal-generated power while simultaneously removing substantial CO2 from the atmosphere.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

New research uncovers biological drivers of heart disease risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over the past 15 years, researchers have identified hundreds of regions in the human genome associated with heart attack risk. However, researchers lack efficient ways to explore how these genetic variants are molecularly connected to cardiovascular disease, limiting efforts to develop therapeutics. To streamline analysis of hundreds of genetic variants associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), a team of researchers combined multiple sequencing and experimental techniques to map the relationship between known CAD variants and the biological pathways they impact.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Illustrating the relationship between pedestrian movement and urban characteristics using large-scale GPS data      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed the pedestrian movement index to capture pedestrian count, distance walked, and time spent in metro station areas using large-scale Global Positioning System data. This index elucidates the relationship between pedestrian behavior and various urban-space elements (such as density, diversity, design, accessibility, and distance).

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Organic compound found in trees could prevent contact lens eye infections      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers say hydroquinine could be an effective naturally occurring disinfecting solution for contact lenses and help combat keratitis infections.