Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

First observation of structures resulting from 3D domain swapping in antibody light chains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Antibodies hold promise as therapeutic agents. However, their tendency to aggregate poses significant challenges to drug development. In a groundbreaking study, researchers now provide novel insights into the structure formed due to 3D domain swapping of the antibody light chain, the part of the antibody contributing to antigen binding. Their findings are expected to lead to improvements in antibody quality and the development of novel drugs.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Adapting to hypoxia: Zooplankton influence the efficiency of the biological carbon pump in the Humboldt Current off Peru      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Marine organisms play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in organic matter that sinks to the deep ocean where it can be stored for long periods of time. Until now, this process -- the biological carbon pump -- was thought to be particularly efficient in oxygen-poor areas. A new study suggests that the influence of certain zooplankton species on the biological carbon pump has been underestimated.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

A fork in the 'rhod': Researchers unveil comprehensive collection of rhodamine-based fluorescent dyes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

After more than a decade of developing fluorescent probes, a research team has now released the culmination of their years of work: A comprehensive collection of rhodamine-based dyes, the novel chemistry they developed to synthesize them and insights that provide a roadmap for designing future probes.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Climate change shown to cause methane to be released from the deep ocean      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has shown that fire-ice -- frozen methane which is trapped as a solid under our oceans -- is vulnerable to melting due to climate change and could be released into the sea.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Greenhouse gases in oceans are altered by climate change impact on microbes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The ocean is a global life-support system, and climate change causes such as ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and nitrogen-deposition alter the delicate microbial population in oceans. The marine microbial community plays an important role in the production of greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide and methane. Scientists have explored the climate change impact on marine microbes. Their research helps raise awareness about climate change severity and the importance of ocean resources.

Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

The ocean may be storing more carbon than estimated in earlier studies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The ocean's capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report. Scientists looked at the role played by plankton in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters down to the seabed. Plankton gobble up carbon dioxide and, as they grow, convert it into organic tissue via photosynthesis.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene Physics: Optics
Published

Chemists create organic molecules in a rainbow of colors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have now come up with a way to make molecules known as acenes more stable, allowing them to synthesize acenes of varying lengths. Using their new approach, they were able to build molecules that emit red, orange, yellow, green, or blue light, which could make acenes easier to deploy in a variety of applications.

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

Researchers decode aqueous amino acid's potential for direct air capture of CO2      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have made a significant stride toward understanding a viable process for direct air capture, or DAC, of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This DAC process is in early development with the aim of achieving negative emissions, where the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the envelope of gases surrounding Earth exceeds the amount emitted.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

New technique efficiently offers insight into gene regulation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new technique called MAbID. This allows them to simultaneously study different mechanisms of gene regulation, which plays a major role in development and disease. MAbID offers new insights into how these mechanisms work together or against each other.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

PicoRuler: Molecular rulers for high-resolution microscopy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team presents a groundbreaking advance for the world of high-resolution fluorescence microscopy: The innovative method enables researchers for the first time to use biomolecules as molecular rulers to calibrate the latest super-resolution microscopy methods, which have a resolution of just a few nanometers.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Ash can fertilize the oceans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Flames roared through Santa Barbara County in late 2017. UC Santa Barbara canceled classes, and the administration recommended donning an N95, long before the COVID pandemic made the mask a household item. Smoke and ash choked the air, but the Thomas Fire's effects weren't restricted to the land and sky. Huge amounts of ash settled into the oceans, leaving researchers to wonder what effect it might have on marine life.  

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Study identifies key algae species helping soft corals survive warming oceans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

During a two-year survey of soft corals in the Florida Keys,  scientists identified three species of octocorals that have survived heat waves. While the coral animal itself may be heat tolerant, scientists concluded that the symbiotic algae inside the coral serve as a protector of sorts.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Researchers reveal new process for making anhydride chemical compounds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative research team has discovered a new process for making anhydrides that promises improvements in costs and sustainability.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Illuminating the benefits of marine protected areas for ecotourism, and vice versa      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As California, the U.S. and the world work to make good on commitments to conserve 30% of oceans and lands by 2030, all strategies are on the table -- and under the microscope. When it comes to the ocean, one valuable tool is marine protected areas (MPAs), regions that are defined, designated and managed for long-term conservation. Among other benefits, MPAs protect habitats and promote species diversity. They also hold value for communities and industries.  

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

Antarctica's ancient ice sheets foreshadow dynamic changes in Earth's future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Identifying how and why Antarctica's major ice sheets behaved the way they did in the early Miocene could help inform understanding of the sheets' behavior under a warming climate. Together, the ice sheets lock a volume of water equivalent to more than 50 meters of sea level rise and influence ocean currents that affect marine food webs and regional climates. Their fate has profound consequences for life nearly everywhere on Earth.  

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Decoding past climates through dripstones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study demonstrates how dripstones can be crucial for reconstructing past climates. The new approach can provide a detailed picture of the climate around early human occupations in South Africa.