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Categories: Biology: Biotechnology, Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published Progress in alternative battery technology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source It is not easy to make batteries cheap, efficient, durable, safe and environmentally friendly at the same time. Researchers have now succeeded in uniting all of these characteristics in zinc metal batteries.
Published Luring the virus into a trap
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Viruses like influenza A and Ebola invade human cells in a number of steps. Research teams investigated the final stages of viral penetration using electron tomography and computer simulations. So-called fusion pores, through which the viral genome is released into the host cell, play a central role in these processes. If they can be prevented from forming, the virus is also blocked. The Heidelberg scientists describe previously unknown mechanisms, which might lead to new approaches to prevent infections.
Published Treating polluted water with nanofiber membranes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers develop a fabrication method to increase the efficacy and longevity of membrane separation technology. The team created a nanofibrous membrane with electrospinning, in which a liquid polymer droplet is electrified and stretched to make fibers, and increased the roughness of the membrane surface by loading it with silver nanoparticles. In water, this rough surface promotes a stable layer of water, which acts as a barrier to prevent oil droplets from entering the membrane. The technology is greater than 99% effective at separating a petroleum ether-in-water emulsion.
Published Global research reveals countries where record-breaking heatwaves are likely to cause most harm
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has highlighted under-prepared regions across the world most at risk of the devastating effects of scorching temperatures.
Published Poor air quality linked to cognitive problems in babies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows that poor air quality could be causing cognitive problems in babies and toddlers. A new study reveals an association between poor air quality in India and impaired cognition in infants under two. Without action, the negative impact on children's long-term brain development could have consequences for life.
Published Researchers reveal an ancient mechanism for wound repair
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study is the first to identify a damage response pathway that is distinct from but parallel to the classical pathway triggered by pathogens.
Published New tools capture economic benefit of restoring urban streams
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a suite of tools to estimate the total economic value of improving water quality in urban streams. The work can assist federal and state agencies charged with developing environmental regulations affecting urban ecosystems across the Piedmont Region of the United States, which stretches from Maryland to Alabama.
Published Massive iceberg discharges during the last ice age had no impact on nearby Greenland, raising new questions about climate dynamics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New findings suggest that Heinrich Events had no discernible impact on temperatures in Greenland, which could have repercussions for scientists' understanding of past climate dynamics.
Published New biologic effective against major infection in early tests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has shown in early tests that a bioengineered drug candidate can counter infection with Staphylococcus aureus -- a bacterial species widely resistant to antibiotics.
Published It's not as difficult as you think to shout upwind
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Why does it feel so difficult to shout upwind? The sensation is common enough to have found its way into an idiom about not being understood. Researchers wanted a scientific explanation for the phenomenon -- and there wasn't been one. They have now shown that our common sense understanding of this situation is wrong. It isn't harder to shout into the wind; it's just harder to hear yourself.
Published Group cyclists urged to spread out as it can affect exposure to vehicle emissions: Study
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The notion that in a group of cyclists, the person in front of the group is always the most exposed to harmful vehicle pollutants has now been debunked.
Published Greener batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Our modern rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, are anything but sustainable. One alternative is organic batteries with redox-organic electrode materials (OEMs), which can be synthesized from natural 'green' materials. A team has now introduced a new OEM for aqueous organic high-capacity batteries that can be easily and cheaply recycled.
Published Most people feel 'psychologically close' to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When spurring action against climate change, NGOs and governmental agencies frequently operate on the assumption that people are unmotivated to act because they view climate change as a problem that affects distant regions far in the future. While this concept, known as psychological distance, seems intuitive, researchers report that most people see climate change as an important and timely issue even if its impacts are not immediately noticeable.
Published Arctic ice algae heavily contaminated with microplastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The alga Melosira arctica, which grows under Arctic sea ice, contains ten times as many microplastic particles as the surrounding seawater. This concentration at the base of the food web poses a threat to creatures that feed on the algae at the sea surface. Clumps of dead algae also transport the plastic with its pollutants particularly quickly into the deep sea -- and can thus explain the high microplastic concentrations in the sediment there.
Published Puerto Rico tsunami deposit could have come from pre-Columbian megathrust earthquake
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tsunami deposits identified in a coastal mangrove pond in Northwest Puerto Rico could have come from a megathrust earthquake at the Puerto Rico Trench that occurred between 1470 and 1530, according to new research.
Published Researchers reveal a map to study novel form of cell-to-cell communication
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of researchers lays the foundation to examine how extracellular RNA and its carrier proteins found in bodily fluids function in a healthy as well as a diseased setting, potentially providing a means to accurately implement early detection and monitor disease processes.
Published Synthetic biology meets fashion in engineered silk
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers developed a method to create synthetic spider silk at high yields while retaining strength and toughness using mussel foot proteins.
Published Reinforcement learning: From board games to protein design
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An AI strategy proven adept at board games like Chess and Go, reinforcement learning, has now been adapted for a powerful protein design program. The results show that reinforcement learning can do more than master board games. When trained to solve long-standing puzzles in protein science, the software excelled at creating useful molecules. In one experiment, proteins made with the new approach were found to be more effective at generating useful antibodies in mice than were previous methods. If this method is applied to the right research problems, it likely could accelerate progress in a variety of scientific fields.
Published The climate crisis and biodiversity crisis can't be approached as two separate things
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Anthropogenic climate change has, together with the intensive use and destruction of natural ecosystems through agriculture, fishing and industry, sparked an unprecedented loss of biodiversity that continues to worsen. In this regard, the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis are often viewed as two separate catastrophes. An international team of researchers calls for adopting a new perspective.
Published Greenhouse gas release from permafrost is influenced by mineral binding processes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New insights into the binding of carbon to mineral particles in permafrost can improve the prediction of greenhouse gas release.