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Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published

How patterns emerge in salt deserts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The honeycomb patterns which are often found in salt deserts in Death Valley, US, and Bolivia, among other places, look like something from another world. Researchers can now explain the origin of the mysterious patterns.

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

Sustainable process for the production of vanillin from lignin makes further progress      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The demand for vanillin vastly outstrips the natural resources of this flavoring agent. A chemical process is thus used to produce the required large quantities of vanillin from petroleum, which is far less expensive than obtaining the substance from fermented genuine vanilla pods. Another alternative is to make vanillin from lignin, a waste product of the wood pulping industry. A team has now managed to further enhance their method of electrochemical production of vanillin from lignin in that they employ a 'green' oxidation method for this purpose.

Ecology: Animals
Published

Flamingos form cliques with like-minded pals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Flamingos form cliques of like-minded individuals within their flocks, new research shows.

Chemistry: General
Published

Scientists synthesize cerium mineral which holds promise for biomedical research      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Geoscientists have developed a cheap and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of cerianite, a rare earth mineral which holds promise for the treatment of diseases associated with inflammation, including cancer.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Degrading modified proteins could treat Alzheimer's, other 'undruggable' diseases      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Certain diseases, including Alzheimer's, are currently considered 'undruggable' because traditional small molecule drugs can't interfere with the proteins responsible for the illnesses. But a new technique that specifically targets and breaks apart certain proteins -- rather than just interfering with them -- may offer a pathway toward treatment. Researchers have now designed a compound that targets and breaks down a post-translationally modified protein closely associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Ecology: Animals
Published

Glacier National Park could provide climate haven for Canada Lynx      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Glacier National Park is home to around 50 Canada lynx, more than expected, surprising scientists who recently conducted the first parkwide occupancy survey for the North American cat. The survey reveals the iconic predator resides across most of Glacier's 1,600 square-mile landscape, although at lower densities than in the core of its range further north.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Toilet paper is an unexpected source of PFAS in wastewater      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Wastewater can provide clues about a community's infectious disease status, and even its prescription and illicit drug use. But looking at sewage also provides information on persistent and potentially harmful compounds, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that get released into the environment. Now, researchers report an unexpected source of these substances in wastewater systems -- toilet paper.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary
Published

Pink + pink = gold: hybrid hummingbird's feathers don't match its parents      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists thought a gold-throated hummingbird was a new species. DNA revealed that it's a hybrid of two different species, each with pink throats. The discovery sheds light on how birds produce feather colors and how hummingbirds evolved their dazzling hues.

Biology: Microbiology
Published

Researchers identify three intestinal bacteria found in dementia with Lewy bodies      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have identified gut bacteria that are associated with dementia with Lewy bodies. Changing the levels of three bacteria, Collinsella, Ruminococcus, and Bifidobacterium, may delay the onset and progression of this neurodegenerative disease.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Keto vs vegan: Study of popular diets finds over fourfold difference in carbon footprints      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has estimated the carbon footprints and diet quality of six popular diets. The vegan and vegetarian diets were found to be produce the least amount of carbon dioxide while keto and paleo diets ranked lowest in sustainability and diet quality.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Centuries of whaling data highlight likely climate change effect      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Centuries-old whaling records show how southern right whales are altering their feeding habits.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Wastewater sector emits nearly twice as much methane as previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers reveal that actual methane emissions from the wastewater treatment sector in the U.S. are nearly double what existing international guidelines would predict.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

New purification method could make protein drugs cheaper      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers devised a way to purify protein drugs during manufacturing. Their approach, which uses nanoparticles to rapidly crystallize proteins, could help make protein drugs more affordable and accessible, especially in developing countries.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Blue whale foraging and reproduction are related to environmental conditions, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study of New Zealand blue whales' vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General
Published

Steel was being used in Europe 2900 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered what they believe is the earliest use of steel in Europe -- on Iberian stone pillars from the Final Bronze Age.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Better metric for prioritizing conservation of 'evolutionarily distinctive' species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have published an updated metric for prioritizing species' conservation that incorporates scientific uncertainty and complementarity between species, in addition to extinction risk and evolutionary distinctiveness.

Biology: Evolutionary Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Parental investment may have aided evolution of larger brains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A review of evidence from prior research provides new support for the possibility that the evolution of larger brains in some species was enabled through increased energy investment by parents in their offspring.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Mysterious new behavior seen in whales may be recorded in ancient manuscripts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In 2011, scientists recorded a previously unknown feeding strategy in whales around the world. Now, researchers in Australia think they may have found evidence of this behaviour being described in ancient accounts of sea creatures, recorded more than 2,000 years ago. They believe that misunderstandings of these descriptions contributed to myths about medieval sea monsters. Whales are known lunge at their prey when feeding, but recently whales have been spotted at the surface of the water with their jaws open at right angles, waiting for shoals of fish to swim into their mouths. A clip of this strategy was captured in 2021 and went viral on Instagram. This strategy seems to work for the whales because the fish think they have found a place to shelter from predators, not realising they are swimming into danger. It's not known why this strategy has only recently been identified, but scientists speculate that it's a result of changing environmental conditions -- or that whales are being more closely monitored than ever before by drones and other modern technologies.

Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Jurassic shark: Shark from the Jurassic period was already highly evolved      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cartilaginous fish have changed much more in the course of their evolutionary history than previously believed. Evidence for this thesis has been provided by new fossils of a ray-like shark, Protospinax annectans, which demonstrate that sharks were already highly evolved in the Late Jurassic.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Ultrasound device may offer new treatment option for hypertension      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new device that calms overactive kidney nerves with ultrasound consistently lowered blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension, researchers have found.