Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

More frequent atmospheric rivers hinder seasonal recovery of Arctic sea ice      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The Arctic is rapidly losing sea ice, even during winter months when temperatures are below freezing and ice should be recovering from the summer melt. A new study found powerful storms called atmospheric rivers are increasingly reaching the Arctic in winter, slowing sea ice recovery and accounting for a third of all winter sea ice decline, according to a team led by Penn State scientists.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Pacific Northwest heat dome tree damage more about temperature than drought, scientists say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Widespread tree scorch in the Pacific Northwest that became visible shortly after multiple days of record-setting, triple-digit temperatures in June 2021 was more attributable to heat than to drought conditions, researchers say.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

This one-atom chemical reaction could transform drug discovery      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have used single carbon atom doping to form four chemical bonds in one step. Gamma-lactams (cyclic molecules that are common in antibiotics) were easily synthetically accessible from alpha, beta-unsaturated amides (an important molecule in cancer progression). The team chemically modified an anti-seizure medication in 96% yield, highlighting the work's utility to otherwise synthetically complex aspects of pharmaceutical development. The results of this work could become foundational to drug discovery and development.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Mapping Mexico's dengue fever hotspots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have analyzed data from Mexico's Ministry of Health to identify dengue fever hotspots. Working with epidemiologists at the University of North Texas and Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, the team calculated environmental and socioeconomic risk factors and mapped areas where severe outbreaks occur.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Using CRISPR to detect cancer biomarkers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Most cancer diagnostic techniques rely on uncomfortable and invasive procedures, such as biopsies, endoscopies or mammograms. Blood samples could be a less unpleasant option, though only a few forms of the disease can currently be diagnosed this way. But now, researchers have developed an easy-to-use method that can detect small amounts of cancer-related molecules in exosomes in plasma and effectively distinguish between malignant and benign samples.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Soil tainted by air pollution expels carbon      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research suggests nitrogen released by gas-powered machines causes dry soil to let go of carbon and release it back into the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change.

Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published

Far-off storms fuel sneaker waves along Pacific Northwest coast, new research suggests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sneaker waves are likely fueled by a specific type of wave condition generated by far-off storms and paired with just the right conditions closer to shore, a new study has found.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

'Snapshots' of translation could help us investigate cellular proteins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nascent polypeptide chains or polypeptidyl-tRNAs (pep-tRNAs) occur transiently during protein synthesis. The potential to study these intermediates and better understand their role in processes like gene regulation has been greatly enhanced by the development of a process termed PETEOS -- short for peptidyl-tRNA enrichment using organic extraction and silica adsorption. This method allows for the large-scale harvesting, processing, and identification of pep-tRNA polypeptide moieties.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Understanding plants can boost wildland-fire modeling in uncertain future      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new conceptual framework for incorporating the way plants use carbon and water, or plant dynamics, into fine-scale computer models of wildland fire provides a critical first step toward improved global fire forecasting.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Catching the wrongdoers in the act: Chemists develop a novel tool to decipher bacterial infections in real time      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has developed a novel chemical tool to reveal how bacteria adapt to the host environment and control host cells. This tool can be used to investigate bacterial interactions with the host in real-time during an infection, which cannot be easily achieved by other methods.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate
Published

Monitoring an 'anti-greenhouse' gas: Dimethyl sulfide in Arctic air      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Data stored in ice cores dating back 55 years bring new insight into atmospheric levels of a molecule that can significantly affect weather and climate.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Honey bee colony loss in the U.S. linked to mites, extreme weather, pesticides      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Honey bee colony loss across the United States over the last five years is primarily related to the presence of parasitic mites, nearby pesticides, and extreme weather events as well as challenges with overwintering, according to a new study. The study took advantage of novel statistical methods and is among the first to concurrently consider a variety of potential honey bee stressors at a national scale.

Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Outlook for the blue economy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A handful of hyper-productive fisheries provide sustenance to a billion people and employ tens of millions. These fisheries occur on the eastern edges of the world's oceans -- off the West Coast of the U.S., the Canary Islands, Peru, Chile, and Benguela. There, a process called upwelling brings cold water and nutrients to the surface, which in turn supports large numbers of larger sea creatures that humans depend on for sustenance. A new project is seeking to understand how changes to the climate and oceans will impact fisheries in the U.S. and around the world.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Satellite data shows sustained severe drought in Europe      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Europe lacks groundwater -- a lot of groundwater. The continent has already been suffering from a severe drought since 2018. This is confirmed by satellite data.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

The key to weathering rapid sea-level rise may lie in a Massachusetts salt marsh      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers recently announced that salt marshes, critical habitats threatened by rapid sea-level rise, may in fact thrive despite higher water levels. The key factor that determines whether salt marshes collapse or flourish involves not water, but sediment.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Landslides Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

A changing flood recipe for Las Vegas      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Las Vegas, with its rapid urbanization and desert landscape, is highly vulnerable to flooding. For this reason, flood managers have built an extensive system of drainage ditches and detention basins to protect the public. Now, a new study shows how intentional engineering and urban development are interacting with climate change to alter the timing and intensity of flood risk.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Science of sediment transport key to river conservation and protection      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have devised a better way to measure how fast sediment flows in rivers -- information that can help scientists and planners better prepare for flooding and weather-related events, understand salmon activity and even restore rivers.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change likely to uproot more Amazon trees      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Tropical forests are crucial for sucking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But they're also subject to intense storms that can cause 'windthrow' -- the uprooting or breaking of trees. A new study finds that more extreme thunderstorms from climate change will likely cause a greater number of large windthrow events in the Amazon, which could impact the rainforest's ability to serve as a carbon sink.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published

When migrating birds go astray, disturbances in magnetic field may be partly to blame      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Disturbances to Earth's magnetic field can lead birds astray -- a phenomenon scientists call 'vagrancy' -- even in perfect weather, and especially during fall migration. While other factors such as weather likely play bigger roles in causing vagrancy, researchers found a strong correlation between birds that were captured far outside of their expected range and the geomagnetic disturbances that occurred during both fall and spring migrations.