Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Lab-grown mini lungs could accelerate the study of respiratory diseases      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have collaborated to refine a cell culture technology platform that grows genetically identical lung buds from human embryonic stem cells.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

A protein mines, sorts rare earths better than humans, paving way for green tech      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rare earth elements, like neodymium and dysprosium, are a critical component to almost all modern technologies, from smartphones to hard drives, but they are notoriously hard to separate from the Earth's crust and from one another. Scientists have discovered a new mechanism by which bacteria can select between different rare earth elements, using the ability of a bacterial protein to bind to another unit of itself, or 'dimerize,' when it is bound to certain rare earths, but prefer to remain a single unit, or 'monomer,' when bound to others.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Phenomenal phytoplankton: Scientists uncover cellular process behind oxygen production      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

According to new research, the amount of oxygen in one of 10 breaths was made possible thanks to a newly identified cellular mechanism that promotes photosynthesis in marine phytoplankton. The new study identifies how a proton pumping enzyme (known as VHA) aids in global oxygen production and carbon fixation from phytoplankton.

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

Crossing the ring: New method enables C-H activation across saturated carbocycles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists add another powerful tool to their 'molecular editing' toolkit for crafting pharmaceuticals and other valuable compounds.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Protecting large ocean areas doesn't curb fishing catches      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the first-ever 'before and after' assessment of the impact of establishing Mexico's Revillagigedo National Park on the fishing industry, a team of US and Mexican researchers found that Mexico's industrial fishing sector did not incur economic losses five years after the park's creation despite a full ban in fishing activity within the MPA.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Ground beneath Thwaites Glacier mapped      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The ground beneath Antarctica's most vulnerable glacier has now been mapped, helping scientists to better understand how it is being affected by climate change. Analysis of the geology below the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica shows there is less sedimentary rock than expected -- a finding that could affect how the ice slides and melts in the coming decades.

Biology: Cell Biology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Mitigating climate change through restoration of coastal ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are proposing a novel pathway through which coastal ecosystem restoration can permanently capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Seagrass and mangroves -- known as blue carbon ecosystems -- naturally capture carbon through photosynthesis, which converts carbon dioxide into living tissue.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Evolution driving improvements in racehorse speed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has found that genetic improvement is underlying the increasing speed of Britain's thoroughbreds. This contrasts with earlier studies that suggested racehorses were showing no genetic improvement in response to selection by breeders.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Protein-based nano-'computer' evolves in ability to influence cell behavior      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first protein-based nano-computing agent that functions as a circuit has been created. The milestone puts them one step closer to developing next-generation cell-based therapies to treat diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Deep sea surveys detect over five thousand new species in future mining hotspot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean -- about twice the size of India -- called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which has already been divided up and assigned to companies for future deep-sea mining. To better understand what may be at risk once companies start mining, a team of biologists has built the first 'CCZ checklist' by compiling all the species records from previous research expeditions to the region. Their estimates of the species diversity of the CCZ included a total of 5,578 different species, an estimated 88% - 92% of which are entirely new to science.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Consistent link between the seaside and better health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seaside residents and holidaymakers have felt it for centuries, but scientists have only recently started to investigate possible health benefits of the coast. Using data from 15 countries, new research confirms public intuition: Living near, but especially visiting, the seaside is associated with better health regardless of country or personal income.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Simultaneous atmospheric and marine observations directly beneath a violent, Category 5 typhoon in the North-West Pacific      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have successfully conducted a simultaneous marine and atmospheric measurements at multiple locations directly beneath a violent, Category 5, which is the strongest class, typhoon in the North-West Pacific, before it reached land.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Montreal protocol is delaying first ice-free Arctic summer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that the 1987 global treaty, designed to protect the ozone layer, has postponed the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic by as much as 15 years.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

What you count is not necessarily what counts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seawater is full of bacteria, hundreds of thousands live in every liter. But the sheer number of bacteria living in the water does not necessarily mean a lot. More important is how active they are and how quickly they duplicate.

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

Past climate change to blame for Antarctica's giant underwater landslides      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists found weak, biologically-rich layers of sediments hundreds of meters beneath the seafloor which crumbled as oceans warmed and ice sheets declined. The landslides were discovered in the eastern Ross Sea in 2017, by an international team of scientists during the Italian ODYSSEA expedition, and scientists revisited the area in 2018 as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 where they collected sediment cores to understand what caused them.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Perfect 'pathogen' storm: Vibrio bacteria, Sargassum and plastic marine debris      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Little is known about the ecological relationship of Vibrio bacteria with Sargassum. Evidence also is sparse as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks off and efforts are underway to find solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health? Results of a study representing the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic finds Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to 'stick' to microplastics, harboring potent opportunistic pathogens.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New use for A.I.: Correctly estimating fish stocks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly published artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is allowing researchers to quickly and accurately estimate coastal fish stocks without ever entering the water.