Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Loss of oxygen in lakes and oceans a major threat to ecosystems, society, and planet      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Oxygen is a fundamental requirement of life, and the loss of oxygen in water, referred to as aquatic deoxygenation, is a threat to life at all levels. In fact, researchers describe how ongoing deoxygenation presents a major threat to the stability of the planet as a whole.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics
Published

Big boost for new epigenetics paradigm: CoRSIVs, first discovered in humans, now found in cattle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study opens new possibilities to improve production efficiency in the cattle industry and potentially animal agriculture more broadly.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Study examines urban forests across the United States      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tree-planting campaigns have been underway in the United States, especially in cities, as part of climate mitigation efforts given the many environmental benefits of urban forests. But a new study finds that some areas within urban forests in the U.S., may be more capable than trees growing around city home lawns in adapting to a warmer climate.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Complex impact of large wildfires on ozone layer dynamics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a revelation highlighting the fragile balance of our planet's atmosphere, scientists have uncovered an unexpected link between massive wildfire events and the chemistry of the ozone layer. Using satellite data and numerical modeling, the team discovered that an enormous smoke-charged vortex nearly doubles the southern hemispheric aerosol burden in the middle stratosphere of the Earth and reorders ozone depletion at different heights. This study reveals how wildfires, such as the catastrophic 2019/20 Australian bushfires, impact the stratosphere in previously unseen ways.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Molecular
Published

New ways to study spinal cord malformations in embryos      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have successfully created mechanical force sensors directly in the developing brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos, which they hope will improve understanding and prevention of birth malformations such as spina bifida.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

High and low tide cause low and high methane fluxes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Methane, a strong greenhouse gas that naturally escapes from the bottom of the North Sea, is affected by the pressure of high or low tide. Methane emissions from the seafloor can be just easily three times as much or as little, depending on the tide, according to a new study.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Unprecedented warming threatens Earth's lakes and their ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lakes, with their rich biodiversity and important ecological services, face a concerning trend: rapidly increasing temperatures. A recent study by limnologists and climate modelers reveals that if current anthropogenic warming continues until the end of this century, lakes worldwide will likely experience pervasive and unprecedented surface and subsurface warming, far outside the range of what they have encountered before.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

How plant cold specialists can adapt to the environment      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Evolutionary biologists studied spoonworts to determine what influence genome duplication has on the adaptive potential of plants. The results show that polyploids -- species with more than two sets of chromosomes -- can have an accumulation of structural mutations with signals for a possible local adaptation, enabling them to occupy ecological niches time and time again.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Forest carbon storage has declined across much of the Western U.S., likely due to drought and fire      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Forests have been embraced as a natural climate solution, due to their ability to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, locking it up in their trunks, branches, leaves, and roots. But a new study confirms widespread doubts about the potential for most forests in the Western US to help curb climate change. The paper analyzed trends in carbon storage across the American West from 2005 to 2019.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Study finds health risks in switching ships from diesel to ammonia fuel      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Without additional regulation, burning ammonia in ship engines could cause serious impacts on air quality that could result in more than 600,000 additional premature deaths per year, according to new research.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Scientists call for 'major initiative' to study whether geoengineering should be used on glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have released a landmark report on glacial geoengineering -- an emerging field studying whether technology could halt the melting of glaciers and ice sheets as climate change progresses.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New solutions to keep drinking water safe as pesticide use skyrockets worldwide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Water scientists have proposed a more effective method of removing organic pesticides from drinking water, reducing the risk of contamination and potential health problems.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Hydrogen flight looks ready for take-off with new advances      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The possibility of hydrogen-powered flight means greater opportunities for fossil-free travel, and the technological advances to make this happen are moving fast. New studies show that almost all air travel within a 750-mile radius (1200 km) could be made with hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2045, and with a novel heat exchanger currently in development, this range could be even further.

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

Opening the right doors: 'Jumping gene' control mechanisms revealed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

International joint research led by Akihisa Osakabe and Yoshimasa Takizawa of the University of Tokyo has clarified the molecular mechanisms in thale cresses (Arabidopsis thaliana) by which the DDM1 (Decreased in DNA Methylation 1) protein prevents the transcription of 'jumping genes.' DDM1 makes 'jumping genes' more accessible for transcription-suppressing chemical marks to be deposited. Because a variant of this protein exists in humans, the discovery provides insight into genetic conditions caused by such 'jumping gene' mutations.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Air pollution harms pollinators more than pests, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Pollinators experienced a 39-percent decline in foraging efficiency after being exposed to elevated air pollution levels. In contrast, plant-eating aphids and other pests were not significantly impacted.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Targeted home systems to remove PFAS more cost-effective than system-wide solutions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

PFAS, the potentially cancer-causing chemicals known as 'forever chemicals', have become an increasing concern in home drinking water. Solutions to reduce the risk of exposure range from mandated municipal-level water treatment to under-the-sink home treatment systems. But are consumers willing to foot the bill for an additional treatment system to help municipalities meet new federal drinking water regulations? Researchers found that they are, if it helps reduce the risk and fits their budget.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

First ever 3D reconstruction of 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth chromosomes thanks to serendipitously freeze-dried skin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has assembled the genome and 3D chromosomal structures of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth -- the first time such a feat has been achieved for any ancient DNA sample. The fossilized chromosomes, which are around a million times longer than most ancient DNA fragments, provide insight into how the mammoth's genome was organized within its living cells and which genes were active within the skin tissue from which the DNA was extracted. This unprecedented level of structural detail was retained because the mammoth underwent freeze-drying shortly after it died, which meant that its DNA was preserved in a glass-like state.