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ScienceDaily: Top Environment News |
| Risky food-finding strategy could be the key to human success Posted: 13 Jan 2022 04:41 PM PST When it comes to feeding behavior, humans are the inefficient gas-guzzlers of the primate family, according to a new study of hunter-gatherer energy budgets. Unlike our herbivorous cousins who spend much of the day lounging while chewing their fibrous diets, early humans made high-risk, high-energy investments in finding big calories they could share with the group. And that in turn, likely led to free time and culture. |
| Copper-based chemicals may be contributing to ozone depletion Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:14 PM PST As Earth's ozone layer recovers from past emissions of now-banned CFCs and halons, other chemicals are emerging as major causes of stratospheric ozone depletion. Atmospheric scientists have been searching for the sources of about one-third of the major threats, methyl bromide and methyl chloride. New research shows that copper-based compounds in common use generate these compounds when interacting with soil and seawater, with sunlight boosting production by a factor of 10. |
| Unlocking the mysteries of the pecking order Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:14 PM PST Dominance hierarchies were first described in chickens a century ago by a Norwegian zoologist who coined the term 'pecking order.' Since then researchers have examined the intricacies of conflict and competition in species as diverse as primates, whales, birds and insects. |
| Dried goji berries may provide protection against age-related vision loss Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST Regularly eating a small serving of dried goji berries may provide protection against age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in seniors. |
| Lost birds and mammals spell doom for some plants Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers have gauged how biodiversity loss of birds and mammals will impact plants' chances of adapting to human-induced climate warming. |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST Plants need an internal communication system to coordinate their development and growth. Within a plant, cells message each other with pieces of RNA. A professor discovered a protein that carries these RNA messages between cells. Tinkering with this communication system may help crops grow better and adapt faster to their environment. |
| Human immune system uses ancient family of cell death proteins also found in bacteria Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST The human immune system, that marvel of complexity, subtlety, and sophistication, includes a billion-year-old family of proteins used by bacteria to defend themselves against viruses, scientists have discovered. |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST Urbanization is a notable threat to bat populations all over the world, especially through artificial light and the reduction of habitat and food supply. If certain conditions are met, some spaces within metropolitan areas can be suitable for bats, so managing these spaces appropriately could contribute to bat conservation. With the help of more than 200 citizen scientists in Berlin, a team of scientists examined these conditions and investigated how they affect the abundance and distribution of bat species. They conclude that maintaining a low level of artificial light at night is important for all bats in cities. In addition, access to vegetation and water bodies is essential for many of them. |
| Deadly combination: New direct trigger for cell death discovered Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Understanding the basic mechanisms that lead to cell death (apoptosis) is essential for the development of therapies for cancer and other diseases. Scientists have now discovered a protein interaction that directly triggers cell death. |
| Reducing air pollution: Policies that pay off Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Fine particle pollution affects most of the world's population, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as premature deaths, all at a cost to society. A multidisciplinary research team has now drawn up various scenarios that would reduce the mortality caused by fine particles by two thirds over the entire conurbation, and has shown that the benefits obtained would exceed the costs of the policies implemented. |
| When water is coming from all sides Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Researchers have developed the first three-dimensional operational storm surge model. The model simulates compound surge and flooding -- especially hard in transition zones where the river meets the sea. Since April 2021, NOAA has run daily 2D and 3D compound flood models on the Frontera supercomputer. During Tropical Storm Claudette (June 2021), the three-dimensional, real-time storm surge model closely matched observations across the Gulf Coast. |
| Your gut senses the difference between real sugar and artificial sweetener Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Why do mice without taste buds still prefer real sugar to the fake stuff? 'We've identified the cells that make us eat sugar, and they are in the gut,' said one of the researchers. Specialized cells in the upper gut send different signals to the brain for sugar and sugar substitute. |
| World's largest fish breeding area discovered in Antarctica Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Near the Filchner Ice Shelf in the south of the Antarctic Weddell Sea, a research team has found the world's largest fish breeding area known to date. A towed camera system photographed and filmed thousands of nests of icefish of the species Neopagetopsis ionah on the seabed. |
| Tiger shark migrations altered by climate change Posted: 13 Jan 2022 06:21 AM PST A new study has revealed that the locations and timing of tiger shark movement in the western North Atlantic Ocean have changed from rising ocean temperatures. These climate-driven changes have subsequently shifted tiger shark movements outside of protected areas, rendering the sharks more vulnerable to commercial fishing. |
| New study shows the toll industrial farming takes on bird diversity Posted: 12 Jan 2022 12:49 PM PST A new study looking into the impacts that large industrial farming has on biodiversity found that increased farm size causes a decline in bird diversity. Researchers studied how different farming indicators impact the diversity of local birds in the farmland bordering the former Iron Curtain in Germany. They found that increased farm sizes resulted in a 15 per cent decline in bird diversity. |
| The ‘Platypus’ of the crab world was an active predator that lurked the Cretaceous seas Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:51 AM PST Researchers describe the unusually large optical features of Callichimaera perplexa, a 95-million-year-old crab fossil discovered in Colombia. The findings suggest Callichimaera perplexa was a highly visual, swimming predator. |
| Under a moon spell: Shark attacks related to lunar phases Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:51 AM PST New research suggests that more shark attacks occur during fuller phases of the moon. While the exact cause remains unclear, the researchers found that more shark attacks than average occur during periods of higher lunar illumination and fewer attacks than average occur during periods of lower illumination. Many different types of animals show behaviors that are linked to moon phases yet few studies to date have looked at the connections between lunar phases and shark attacks. |
| BPA exposure of the placenta could affect fetal brain development Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Scientists demonstrate the direct transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a mother to her developing child via the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. |
| Regrowing knee cartilage with an electric kick Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Bioengineers successfully regrew cartilage in a rabbit's knee, a promising hop toward healing joints in humans. |
| Microplastic pollution linger in rivers for years before entering oceans Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Because rivers are in near-constant motion, researchers previously assumed lightweight microplastics quickly flowed through rivers, rarely interacting with riverbed sediments. With new simulations, researchers now have discovered hyporheic exchange -- a process in which surface water mixes with water in the riverbed -- can trap lightweight microplastics that otherwise might be expected to float. |
| Face masks cut distance airborne pathogens could travel in half, new study finds Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST The effectiveness of face masks has been a hotly debated topic since the emergence of COVID-19. However, a new study offers more evidence that they work. Researchers found that face masks reduce the distance airborne pathogens could travel, when speaking or coughing, by more than half compared to not wearing a mask. |
| Predator species help to buffer climate change impacts on biodiversity Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Predator species may buffer the negative impacts of climate change by mitigating against the loss of biodiversity, according to new research. The team of scientists behind the discovery say their findings underline the importance of conserving biodiversity, and top predators in particular, and highlight the potential for species extinctions to worsen the effects of climate change on ecosystems. |
| New spheres of knowledge on the origin of life Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Researchers experimentally evolved rod-shaped E. coli in conditions that mimic the primordial environment, by providing oleic-acid vesicles as a nutrient source rather than glucose. As the cells adapted to the new conditions and increased their growth rate, they became smaller and spherical. Each of the experimental lineages adapted in diverse ways. This study supports theories that the origin of life on Earth was spherical cells. |
| 'Kick and kill’ strategy aimed at eliminating HIV-infected cells Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST In a study using mice, a team of researchers has improved upon a method they developed in 2017 that was designed to kill HIV-infected cells. The advance could move scientists a step closer to being able to reduce the amount of virus, or even eliminate it, from infected people who are dependent on lifesaving medications to keep the virus from multiplying and illness at bay. |
| Epigenetic mechanisms for parent-specific genetic activation decoded Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Hereditary diseases as well as cancers and cardiovascular diseases may be associated with a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting, in which only the maternally or paternally inherited gene is active. An international research team has now investigated the mechanisms responsible for the deactivation of the genes. |
| Study challenges evolutionary theory that DNA mutations are random Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Researchers have found that DNA mutations are not random. This changes our understanding of evolution and could one day help researchers breed better crops or even help humans fight cancer. |
| Earliest human remains in eastern Africa dated to more than 230,000 years ago Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST The age of the oldest fossils in eastern Africa widely recognized as representing our species, Homo sapiens, has long been uncertain. Now, dating of a massive volcanic eruption in Ethiopia reveals they are much older than previously thought. |
| Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Economic growth goes down when the number of wet days and days with extreme rainfall go up, a team of scientists finds. The data analysis of more than 1,500 regions over the past 40 years shows a clear connection and suggests that intensified daily rainfall driven by climate-change from burning oil and coal will harm the global economy. |
| Rubber material holds key to long-lasting, safer EV batteries Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:14 AM PST For electric vehicles (EVs) to become mainstream, they need cost-effective, safer, longer-lasting batteries that won't explode during use or harm the environment. Researchers may have found a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries made from a common material: rubber. |
| Nature helps us cope with body image ‘threats’ Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST A new study has found that being in nature helps people deal with negative body image by removing some of the triggers of body image anxiety, such as the focus on social media, and strengthening coping mechanisms to keep negative feelings in perspective. |
| Ecological tradeoff? Utility-scale solar energy impedes endangered Florida panthers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST Reducing the energy industry's carbon footprint in the sunshine state is impeding a large carnivore's paw-print. A study is the first to document the effect of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) facilities in Peninsular Florida on both habitat suitability and connectivity for any large carnivore. The study examined 45 USSE facilities equaling 27,688 acres. |
| New discovery on regulation of organelle contacts Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST A pioneering study has revealed how cellular compartments (organelles) are able to control how much they interact and cooperate. |
| Chewing to stay slim: How to savor your food better and dodge weight gain Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Chewing well helps in digestion. Chewing is also known to help prevent obesity, possibly by increasing the thermic effect of food consumption. But the factors behind this heat-generating effect of chewing remain less explored. A new study has revealed that oral stimuli, which are linked with the duration of tasting liquid food in the mouth, and the duration of chewing, play a positive role in increasing energy expenditure after food intake. |
| Thaw of permafrost has vast impact on built environment Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Permafrost has a central role in the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The thaw of permafrost is set to damage buildings and roads, leading to tens of billions of euros in additional costs in the near future, according to an international review. |
| Paradigm shift: Methanogenic microbes not always limited to methane Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Microbiologists show that methanogenic archaea do not always need to form methane to survive. It is possible to bypass methanogenesis with the seemingly simpler and more environmentally friendly acetogenic energy metabolism. These new findings provide evidence that methanogens are not nearly as metabolically limited as previously thought, and suggest that methanogenesis may have evolved from the acetyl-CoA pathway - an important step towards fully understanding the ecology, biotechnology, and evolution of archaea. |
| To destroy cancer cells, team 'travels back in time' Posted: 12 Jan 2022 06:40 AM PST When an individual suffers from cancer, the process of programmed cell death called apoptosis does not occur normally, permitting abnormal cells to thrive. |
| Clothes dryers are an underappreciated source of airborne microfibers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 06:39 AM PST No one likes when their favorite clothes develop holes or unravel after many laundry cycles. But what happens to the fragments of fabric and stitching that come off? Although it's known that washing clothes releases microfibers into wastewater, it's unclear how drying impacts the environment. Now, a pilot study reports that a single dryer could discharge up to 120 million microfibers annually -- considerably more than from washing machines. |
| Wearable air sampler assesses personal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Posted: 11 Jan 2022 09:04 AM PST Researchers have developed a passive air sampler clip that can help assess personal exposure to SARS-CoV-2, which could be especially helpful for workers in high-risk settings, such as restaurants or health care facilities. |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:20 AM PST Researchers have discovered the first in-situ evidence of chlorophyll remnants in a billion-year-old multicellular algal microfossil preserved in shales from the Congo Basin. This discovery has made it possible to unambiguously identify one of the first phototrophic eukaryotic organisms in the fossil record. This research opens up new perspectives in the study of the diversification of eukaryotes within the first ecosystems. |
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