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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Geoscience: Earthquakes

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Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary
Published

DNA from domesticated chickens is tainting genomes of wild red junglefowl, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The red junglefowl -- the wild ancestor of the chicken -- is losing its genetic diversity by interbreeding with domesticated birds, according to a new study.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Researchers uncover secrets on how Alaska's Denali Fault formed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New findings begin to fill major gaps in understanding about how geological faults behave and appear as they deepen, and they could eventually help lead future researchers to develop better earthquake models on strike-slip faults, regions with frequent and major earthquakes.

Biology: Developmental
Published

An Old Yellow Enzyme helps algae combat photooxidative stress      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Old Yellow Enzymes (OYEs) were discovered in the 1930s and have been the subject of much research ever since. This is because these biocatalysts -- coloured yellow by an auxiliary molecule -- are capable of performing reactions that are very valuable for the chemical industry, such as producing drug precursors or fragrances. Even though OYEs are found in many organisms, their natural role for these organisms has hardly been understood so far -- possibly because the research focus has been on their biotechnological application. Researchers have now shown that an OYE of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is vital for this plant microorganism to protect itself from photooxidative stress.

Biology: Developmental
Published

New study decodes one of the living world's fastest cell movements      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Heliozoan axopodia are important for their motility. However, the underlying mechanism of their axopodial contraction has remained ambiguous. Recently, researchers have reported that microtubules are simultaneously cleaved at multiple sites, allowing the radiating axopodia in a heliozoan, Raphidocystis contractilis, to disappear almost instantly. They have now identified the gene set and proteins involved in this microtubule disruption. This research can help develop a method to detect water pollution and evaluate the efficacy of new anticancer drugs.

Biology: Developmental
Published

Modified CRISPR-based enzymes improve the prospect of inserting entire genes into the genome to overcome diverse disease-causing mutations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many genetic diseases are caused by diverse mutations spread across an entire gene, and designing genome editing approaches for each patient's mutation would be impractical and costly.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

The adverse health effects of disaster-related trauma      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has found that individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience disaster-related home loss, and they are also more likely to develop functional limitations following the disaster. 

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Hawai'i earthquake swarm caused by magma moving through 'sills'      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A machine-learning algorithm reveals the shape of massive subterranean structures linking active volcanoes.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Study shows how machine learning could predict rare disastrous events, like earthquakes or pandemics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers suggest how scientists can circumvent the need for massive data sets to forecast extreme events with the combination of an advanced machine learning system and sequential sampling techniques.

Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published

Detrimental secondary health effects after disasters and pandemics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A study has shown that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, which included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and mental disorders, increased after the Fukushima disaster and the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings emphasize the importance of improving post-disaster health promotion strategies and recommendations.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Finding faults deeply stressful      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Evidence that a complete stress release may have contributed to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that broke records. Both sedimentary formations above and below the plate boundary fault lie in the stress state of normal faults in which vertical stress is greater than maximum horizontal stress. The new data show good consistency with previous results above the fault -- at the boundary between the North American plate and the subducting Pacific plate -- suggesting that combining geophysical data and core samples to comprehensively investigate stress states is effective.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Landslide risk remains years after even a weak earthquake      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Satellite observations have revealed that weak seismic ground shaking can trigger powerful landslide acceleration -- even several years after a significant earthquake.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Earthquake lab experiments produce aftershock-like behavior      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Earthquakes are notoriously hard to predict, and so too are the usually less-severe aftershocks that often follow a major seismic event.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Exploring the deep: Drones offer new ways to monitor sea floor      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a novel method for measuring the earth's crust on the seafloor. A lightweight geodetic measurement device was mounted on a sea-surface landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The mobility of this new system will enable rapid, efficient collection of real-time deep seafloor information, which is critical for understanding earthquake risk, as well as various other oceanographic observations.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Monitoring 'frothy' magma gases could help evade disaster      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Volcanic eruptions are dangerous and difficult to predict. A team has found that the ratio of atoms in specific gases released from volcanic fumaroles (gaps in the Earth's surface) can provide an indicator of what is happening to the magma deep below -- similar to taking a blood test to check your health. This can indicate when things might be 'heating up.' Specifically, changes in the ratio of argon-40 and helium-3 can indicate how frothy the magma is, which signals the risk of different types of eruption. Understanding which ratios of which gases indicate a certain type of magma activity is a big step. Next, the team hopes to develop portable equipment which can provide on-site, real-time measurements for a 24/7 volcanic activity monitoring and early warning system.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Using 1980s environmental modeling to mitigate future disasters: Could Japan's 3/11 disaster have been prevented?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

On March 11, 2011, multiple catastrophes in Japan were triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake, including the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This event, also known as the 3/11 disaster, is what is known as a compound disaster. Now that over a decade has passed since this event, researchers are investigating how to prevent the next compound disaster.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Landslides
Published

Report outlines plans for major research effort on subduction zone geologic hazards      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another, produce the most devastating seismic, volcanic, and landslide hazards on the planet. A new report presents an ambitious plan to make major advances in understanding subduction zone hazards by bringing together a diverse community of scientists in a long-term collaborative effort, deploying new instrumentation in subduction zones, and developing more sophisticated and accurate models.

Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published

Water cutoff countermeasures using disaster emergency wells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Groundwater is considered both an environmental and industrial resource, but a new study indicates it is also an important resource in disaster prevention. Researchers conducted research surveys of 91 well owners and 328 welfare facilities affected by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. The surveys clarified groundwater use following the earthquake and policy issues that could make the use of emergency wells more effective in the wake of future disasters. The surveys' findings provide useful data for city governments that have installed or are considering installing emergency wells.

Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published

Violent supershear earthquakes are more common than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com) 

About 14% of magnitude 6.7 or greater strike-slip earthquakes since 2000 have been supershear. That's 50% more than previously thought. Supershear earthquakes occur when a fault ruptures faster than seismic shear waves can travel through rock. The events were thought to be rare because scientists had mostly looked for them on land. The findings suggest that disaster planning assessments should include whether a fault is able to produce supershear quakes, which are potentially more destructive than other types.

Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published

Double trouble when 2 disasters strike electrical transmission infrastructure      (via sciencedaily.com) 

One natural disaster can knock out electric service to millions. A new study suggests that back-to-back disasters could cause catastrophic damage, but the research also identifies new ways to monitor and maintain power grids.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Research reveals magma activity beneath Mount Edgecumbe      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Magma beneath long-dormant Mount Edgecumbe volcano in Southeast Alaska has been moving upward through Earth's crust, according to research the Alaska Volcano Observatory rapidly produced using a new method.