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

Drug compounds to combat neurodegenerative diseases      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Prions are the abnormal, pathogenic agents that are transmissible and are able to induce abnormal folding of specific normal cellular proteins. Prion disease is an umbrella term for a group of fatal and currently untreatable neurodegenerative diseases that not only affect humans, but also wild and captive animals. These diseases include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or 'mad cow disease'), and chronic wasting disease (CWD) affecting deer, elk and moose.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Some mice may owe their monogamy to a newly evolved type of cell      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What makes the oldfield mouse steadfastly monogamous throughout its life while its closest rodent relatives are promiscuous? The answer may be a previously unknown hormone-generating cell. Scientists discover the cells and hormones that inspire mice to nurture their young; the same hormones are also present in humans.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Next-generation sustainable electronics are doped with air      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Semiconductors are the foundation of all modern electronics. Now, researchers have developed a new method where organic semiconductors can become more conductive with the help of air as a dopant. The study is a significant step towards future cheap and sustainable organic semiconductors.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Penalties for dropping out of ecosystem services incentive programs should equal lost environmental benefits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

PES programs are currently structured in ways that could limit their participation or create incentives to drop out before the full environmental benefits are realized.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Nuclear Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

The case for sharing carbon storage risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Even the most optimistic projections for the rapid build-out of solar, wind, and other low-carbon resources acknowledge that coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels will dominate the world's energy mix for decades to come. If the vast greenhouse gas emissions from burning these fossil fuels continue to enter the planet's atmosphere, global warming will not be limited to sustainable levels. The capture and geologic sequestration of carbon emissions (CCS) offer a promising solution to the world's carbon conundrum.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Study tallies heatwave deaths over recent decades      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Between 1990 and 2019, more than 150,000 deaths around the globe were associated with heatwaves each year, according to a new study.

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

90% of Floridians believe climate change is happening      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The latest 'Florida Climate Resilience Survey' found that 90% of Floridians believe that climate change is happening. Belief in human-caused climate change has surged among Florida Independents while slipping among Republicans in the state since last fall. But despite these changes, the survey found enduring support among Floridians for increased government action to address the consequences of a warming planet. The survey found 68% of all respondents want state government to do more and 69% want the federal government to do more to address climate change.

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

High genetic diversity discovered in South African leopards      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers say the discovery of very high genetic diversity in leopards found in the Highveld region of South Africa has increased the need for conservation efforts to protect leopards in the country.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Transforming waste carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals with a cost reduction of about 30%      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has developed a novel technique to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) from treated flue gas directly into high-value chemicals and fuels. This innovation sidesteps the conventional approach of using high-purity CO2 for electrochemical reduction processes, achieving significant cost savings of about 30%.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Avocado pruning residues used to produce more sustainable food packaging      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A prototype of a more durable material increases the biodegradability of food packaging, partially replacing its bioplastic with cellulose fibers extracted from the branches and leaves of the avocado tree.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

GPS stations measure daily ice loss in Greenland      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Monitoring the effects of climate change in Greenland has been made much easier with an innovative method.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

How wildfires change soil chemistry      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Severe wildfires can drive chemical changes in soil that affect ecosystem recovery and risks to human health. A new study finds broader surveillance and modeling of these changes could inform strategies for protecting lives, property and natural resources, and managing wildlife.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Young whale's journey highlights threats facing ocean animals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A young whale's journey across the Mediterranean highlights the many threats facing ocean animals, researchers say.

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

2023 was the hottest summer in two thousand years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found that 2023 was the hottest summer in the Northern Hemisphere in the past two thousand years, almost four degrees warmer than the coldest summer during the same period.

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

Persistent strain of cholera defends itself against forces of change, scientists find      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A longstanding mystery about the strain of Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) responsible for the seventh global cholera pandemic is how this lineage has managed to out-compete other pathogenic variants. The team identified a unique quirk of the immune system that protects the bacteria from a key driver of bacterial evolution.

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

Insights into protein evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has unveiled a breakthrough in understanding how specific genetic sequences, known as pseudogenes, evolve.

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

Today's world: Fastest rate of carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Today's rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

New viruses that could cause epidemics on the horizon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Suddenly they appear and -- like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus -- can trigger major epidemics: Viruses that nobody had on their radar. They are not really new, but they have changed genetically. In particular, the exchange of genetic material between different virus species can lead to the sudden emergence of threatening pathogens with significantly altered characteristics.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Like dad and like mum ... all in one plant      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design the genomes of offspring. The fertilization of a clonal egg from one parent by a clonal sperm from another parent led to plants containing the complete genetic information of both parents.