Showing 20 articles starting at article 2741
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Biotechnology, Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published Plastic can drift far away from its starting point as it sinks into the sea
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Discarded or drifting in the ocean, plastic debris can accumulate on the water's surface, forming floating islands of garbage. Although it's harder to spot, researchers suspect a significant amount also sinks. In a new study in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, one team used computer modeling to study how far bits of lightweight plastic travel when falling into the Mediterranean Sea. Their results suggest these particles can drift farther underwater than previously thought.
Published T cells can activate themselves to fight tumors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists find an auto-signaling mechanism driving the T cell anti-tumor response; findings may inspire new cancer therapeutics and biomarkers.
Published New probe aids novel findings on cell functions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows the use of a new cellular probe helped discover new findings about certain cellular processes.
Published Air pollution from oil and gas production responsible for $77 billion in annual US health damages, contributes to thousands of early deaths, childhood asthma cases nationwide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study found that air pollution from the oil and gas sector in the United States has substantial adverse impacts on air quality, human health, and health costs. The findings show that the pollutants nitrogen oxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) from U.S. oil and gas production contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks, and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma across the U.S. in 2016.
Published An unprecedented view of gene regulation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using a new technique, researchers have shown that they can map interactions between gene promoters and enhancers with 100 times higher resolution than has previously been possible.
Published Tiny microbes could brew big benefits for green biomanufacturing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists find new route in bacteria to decarbonize industry. The discovery could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing of fuels, drugs, and chemicals. A research team has engineered bacteria to produce new-to-nature carbon products that could provide a powerful route to sustainable biochemicals.
Published Elucidating the mysteries of enzyme evolution at the macromolecular level
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have made a major breakthrough earlier this year in the field of evolutionary conservation of molecular dynamics in enzymes. Their work points to potential applications in health, including the development of new drugs to treat serious diseases such as cancer or to counter antibiotic resistance.
Published Scientist uncovers roots of antibiotic resistance
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Microbiologists have uncovered the evolutionary origins of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria. His studies on the bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae, provide insight into deciphering what conditions must occur for infectious agents to become resistant. He studied genetic variants of a protein found in bacterial membranes called OmpU. Using computational and molecular approaches, his team found that several OmpU mutations in the cholera bacteria led to resistance to numerous antimicrobial agents. This resistance included antimicrobial peptides that act as defenses in the human gut.
Published Archaea in a warming climate become less diverse, more predictable
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using a long-term multifactor experimental field site researchers showed that experimental warming of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem significantly altered the community structure of soil archaea and reduced their taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity.
Published Single approach on wild horses
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Because contrasting societal views have created an approach that simultaneously manages horses on the range as wildlife, livestock and pets, current U.S. government programs are incapable of succeeding, according to researchers.
Published Gutless marine worms on a Mediterranean diet: Animals can synthesize phytosterols
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Phytosterols are good for your health, but humans and other animals are not able to make them themselves, only plants can. To acquire phytosterols, humans are increasingly turning to supplements, green smoothies, or a Mediterranean diet with plenty of plant-based foods. Researchers have now discovered that tiny gutless worms from the Mediterranean can synthesize phytosterols on their own. Their study provides evidence that many other animals also have the genes needed to make their own phytosterols.
Published Scientists begin to unravel global role of atmospheric dust in nourishing oceans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research begins to unravel the role dust plays in nourishing global ocean ecosystems while helping regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Published Alternative 'fuel' for string-shaped motors in cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers discover a unique two-component molecular motor that uses a kind of renewable chemical energy to pull vesicles toward membrane-bound organelles.
Published Vanishing glaciers threaten alpine biodiversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With glaciers melting at unprecedented rates due to climate change, invertebrates that live in the cold meltwater rivers of the European Alps will face widespread habitat loss, warn researchers. Many of the species are likely to become restricted to cold habitats that will only persist higher in the mountains, and these areas are also likely to see pressures from the skiing and tourism industries or from the development of hydroelectric plants.
Published Marine seagrass meadows show resilience to 'bounce back' after die-offs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study in Florida Bay, one of the largest global contiguous seagrass systems, examined if a phytotoxin that accumulates as seagrass ecosystems become more enriched in nutrients prevents a marine seagrass, turtlegrass, from recruiting into open bare sediment following die-off events. While they do 'bounce back,' long-term monitoring indicates the timeframe for recovery after major die-off events is at least a decade. Turtlegrass can successfully recruit into open bare sediment following die-off events due to biomass partitioning.
Published New catalyst transforms carbon dioxide into sustainable byproduct
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source -Electrocatalyst achieves record-breaking selectivity toward desired product, a key step in expanding production -Acetic acid, found in vinegar, is traditionally extracted from fossil fuels for use in paint and other product feedstock.
Published 'Devastating' fungal infections wiping out crops and threatening global food security, experts warn
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Worldwide, growers lose between 10 and 23 per cent of their crops to fungal infection each year, despite widespread use of antifungals. An additional 10-20 per cent is lost post harvest. In a commentary in Nature, academics predict those figures will worsen as global warming means fungal infections are steadily moving polewards, meaning more countries are likely to see a higher prevalence of fungal infections damaging harvests.
Published Scientists recover an ancient woman's DNA from a 20,000-year-old pendant
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international research team has for the first time successfully isolated ancient human DNA from a Paleolithic artefact: a pierced deer tooth discovered in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. To preserve the integrity of the artefact, they developed a new, nondestructive method for isolating DNA from ancient bones and teeth. From the DNA retrieved they were able to reconstruct a precise genetic profile of the woman who used or wore the pendant, as well as of the deer from which the tooth was taken. Genetic dates obtained for the DNA from both the woman and the deer show that the pendant was made between 19,000 and 25,000 years ago. The tooth remains fully intact after analysis, providing testimony to a new era in ancient DNA research, in which it may become possible to directly identify the users of ornaments and tools produced in the deep past.
Published Researchers capture elusive missing step in the final act of photosynthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Photosynthesis plays a crucial role in shaping and sustaining life on Earth, yet many aspects of the process remain a mystery. One such mystery is how Photosystem II, a protein complex in plants, algae and cyanobacteria, harvests energy from sunlight and uses it to split water, producing the oxygen we breathe. Now researchers have succeeded in cracking a key secret of Photosystem II.
Published Indo-Pacific corals more resilient to climate change than Atlantic corals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the face of global warming and other environmental changes, corals in the Atlantic Ocean have declined precipitously in recent years, while corals in the Pacific and Indian Oceans are faring better. By describing several species of symbiotic algae that these corals need to grow, an international team has found that these mutualistic relationships from the Indo-Pacific may be more flexible and ultimately resilient to higher ocean temperatures than those in the Atlantic.