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

Zebrafish use surprising strategy to regrow spinal cord      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study maps out a detailed atlas of all the cells involved in regenerating the zebrafish spinal cord. In an unexpected finding, the researchers showed that survival and adaptability of the severed neurons themselves is required for full spinal cord regeneration. Surprisingly, the study showed that stem cells capable of forming new neurons play a complementary role but don t lead the process.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Surprise finding in study of environmental bacteria could advance search for better antibiotics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers studying bacteria from freshwater lakes and soil say they have determined a protein's essential role in maintaining the germ's shape. Because the integrity of a bacterial cell's 'envelope' or enclosure is key to its survival, the finding could advance the search for new and better antibiotics.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Intelligent soft robotic clothing for automatic thermal adaptation in extreme heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As global warming intensifies, people increasingly suffer from extreme heat. For those working in a high-temperature environment indoors or outdoors, keeping thermally comfortable becomes particularly crucial. A team has now developed thermally-insulated and breathable soft robotic clothing that can automatically adapt to changing ambient temperatures, thereby helping to ensure worker safety in hot environments.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate reporting standards insufficient, must be expanded, say experts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article concludes that current climate standards are not sufficiently incentivizing the big picture innovations necessary to deliver net zero, and must be expanded to include a company's broader influence on climate action.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

A taste for carbon dioxide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The remarkable affinity of the microbial enzyme iron nitrogenase for the greenhouse gas CO2 makes it promising for future biotechnologies.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Fracking frenzy in India: A water crisis in the making?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

India's plans to scale up fracking operations without robust regulations could spell disaster for the country's finely balanced water security, according to research.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Revealing the mysteries within microbial genomes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique will make it much easier for researchers to discover the traits or activities encoded by genes of unknown function in microbes, a key step toward understanding the roles and impact of individual species within the planet's diverse microbiomes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics
Published

How bread dough gave rise to civilization      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A major international study has explained how bread wheat helped to transform the ancient world on its path to becoming the iconic crop that today helps sustain a global population of eight billion.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Lake Erie walleye growth is driven by parents' size, experience      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Parent size and the conditions in which actively spawning adults lived are the most influential factors affecting growth of Lake Erie walleye, a new study has found.

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

Beige fat cells with a 'Sisyphus mechanism'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new class of fat cells makes people healthier. The cells consume energy and produce heat through seemingly pointless biochemical reactions.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Season of birth is associated with the development of asthma and allergic rhinitis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Being born in autumn or winter is associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis in Finland, a new registry-based study shows.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Rising mercury pollution in soil could be related to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury went into effect, designed to help curb mercury emissions and limit exposure across the globe. However, a new study of mercury levels in soil suggests that the treaty's provisions might not be enough. The study estimates that soil stores substantially more mercury than previously thought, and it predicts that increases in plant growth due to climate change may add even more.

Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Could manure and compost act like probiotics, reducing antibiotic resistance in urban soils?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research suggests that, in some cases, boosting urban soil health with compost and treated manure may reduce the amount of pathogenic and anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

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

A ketogenic diet could improve the response to pancreatic cancer therapy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered a way to get rid of pancreatic cancer in mice by putting them on a high fat, or ketogenic, diet and giving them cancer therapy.

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

Researchers call for genetically diverse models to drive innovation in drug discovery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers unveiled an approach to drug discovery that could revolutionize how we understand and treat diseases. Their commentary explains the limitations of studies using traditional mouse models and proposes using genetically diverse mice and mouse and human cells to better predict human responses to drugs and diseases.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Newly discovered ability of comammox bacteria could help reduce nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has discovered that comammox bacteria, first identified by them in 2015, can grow using guanidine, a nitrogen-rich organic compound, as their sole energy and nitrogen source. This unique ability opens new avenues for targeted cultivation of these enigmatic microbes and could also provide a key to reducing agricultural nitrous oxide emissions.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the a new systematic review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events will change in future under different climate change scenarios.