Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Researchers examine cooling power plants with brackish groundwater      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nontraditional water sources can be deployed to help cope with climate-induced water risks and tackle the increasing water demand for decarbonization of fossil fuel-fired power plants, but that could increase the cost of electricity generation by 8 percent to 10 percent.

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

Coastal ecosystems are a net greenhouse gas sink, new research shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new greenhouse gas budget shows coastal ecosystems globally are a net greenhouse gas sink for carbon dioxide (CO2) but emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) counteract some of the CO2 uptake, according to researchers.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Modular builds may help construction industry weather a perfect storm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have calculated the potential cost savings for builders who opt for modular construction techniques to avoid lengthy and expensive holdups caused by poor weather.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Water
Published

Researchers find new mechanism for sodium salt detoxification in plants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has found a mechanism in thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) which enables plants to provide protection against salt stress for their sensitive stem cells in the meristem at the root tip.

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

Researchers want to use 'biochar' to combat climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new review of research suggests that the nature-based technology biochar -- a carbon-rich material -- could be an important tool to use in agriculture to help mitigate climate change.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
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Montreal protocol is delaying first ice-free Arctic summer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that the 1987 global treaty, designed to protect the ozone layer, has postponed the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic by as much as 15 years.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How a drought affects trees depends on what's been holding them back      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Droughts can be good for trees. Certain trees, that is. Contrary to expectation, sometimes a record-breaking drought can increase tree growth. Why and where this happens is the subject of a new article.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics
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Study may explain why high-sugar diets can worsen IBD      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Excess sugar hampers cells that renew the colon's lining in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new study that could help get to the bottom of why limiting sugary foods can ease symptoms for patients with IBD.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
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A multiomics approach provides insights into flu severity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers were able to identify changes in the accessibility (that is, the 'readability') of transposable elements. To do this, the researchers used an approach combining various sets of multiomics data, which characterize and quantify collections of biomolecules in cells or organisms. One was the transcriptome, which consists of all copies of RNA transcribed from DNA in the cell. The other was the epigenome, which is the collection of chemical changes to DNA that modify gene expression. An advantage of this multiomics approach is that they were able to identify families of transposable elements with changes in accessibility, which would have likely been missed by previous approaches.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Fine particulate matter catalyzes oxidative stress in the lungs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Study sheds new light on the adverse health effects of air pollution: hydrogen peroxide production of fine particles may not be as important as previously assumed. A new study reveals that the adverse health effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are attributable to the conversion of peroxides into more reactive species such as the hydroxyl radical (OH) rather than the direct chemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as previously thought.

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

Designing synthetic receptors for precise cell control      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking new technique for engineering biosensors that respond sensitively to specific biomolecules, enhancing cell migration and targeting in cancer treatment. The findings could lead to more precise control over cellular processes for a wide range of therapeutic applications.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Severe Weather Geoscience: Volcanoes Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Eruption of Tonga underwater volcano found to disrupt satellite signals halfway around the world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that the Hunga-Tonga eruption was associated with the formation of an equatorial plasma bubble in the ionosphere, a phenomenon associated with disruption of satellite-based communications. Their findings also suggest that a long-held atmospheric model should be revised.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Earlier snowpack melt in Western US could bring summer water scarcity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mountain snowpack, typically seen as the water tower of the Western United States and Canada, is in decline, according to a new study. Researchers created the Snow Storage Index to assess snow water storage from 1950-2013 and found that storage has significantly declined in more than 25% of the Mountain West, in part because more snow is melting during winter and spring.

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

Under control to the very end -- how our cells kill themselves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Every day, millions of cells die in our body. Other than generally assumed, cells do not simply burst at the end of their lives but rather, a specific protein serves as a breaking point for cell membrane rupture. Researchers have now been able to elucidate the exact mechanism at the atomic level.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species
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A guide through the genome      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plants show enormous variety in traits relevant to breeding, such as plant height, yield and resistance to pests. One of the greatest challenges in modern plant research is to identify the differences in genetic information that are responsible for this variation.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species
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How plants use sugar to produce roots      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Along with sugar reallocation, a basic molecular mechanism within plants controls the formation of new lateral roots. Botanists have demonstrated that it is based on the activity of a certain factor, the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein. A better understanding of the processes that regulate root branching at the molecular level could contribute to improving plant growth and therefore crop yields, according to the research team leader.

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

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would save billions from dangerously hot climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Current climate policies will leave more than a fifth of humanity exposed to dangerously hot temperatures by 2100, new research suggests.

Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Communities should reconsider walking away from curbside recycling, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers took a deep dive into the economic and environmental value of community recycling efforts and compared it to the value of other climate change mitigation practices, concluding it provides a return on investment.