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Categories: Biology: Marine, Chemistry: General
Published Researchers identify unique survival strategies adopted by fish in the world's warmest waters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers have identified unexpected ways coral reef fish living in the warmest waters on earth, in the Arabian Gulf, have adapted to survive extreme temperatures.
Published Novel spectroscopy technique sheds light on NOx reduction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The process that can convert pollution into benign by-products is called selective catalytic reduction, or SCR. Until now, it has been unclear how this reaction actually occurs, and contradictions have long existed between reaction models within the literature. Catalysis researchers used a technology called modulation excitation spectroscopy, or MES, to finally identify the correct pathway.
Published Melanin from cuttlefish ink as a sustainable biomass resource
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Melanin is a ubiquitous compound in nature, produced by many organisms. However, its potential as a biomass resource to produce value-added chemicals and materials remains relatively unexplored. In a recent study, researchers investigated the chemical decomposition of melanin derived from cuttlefish ink and showcased its application in the synthesis of biopolymer films and particles. Their efforts will hopefully pave the way to the adoption of melanin upcycling.
Published Ecologists reconstruct the history of biodiversity in the Indo-Australian archipelago and its rise as a hotspot
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Coral Triangle, also known as the Indo-Australian Archipelago, is renowned for having the greatest marine biodiversity on our planet. Despite its importance, the detailed evolutionary history of this biodiversity hotspot has remained largely a mystery. An international research team has now shed light on this history, reconstructing how biodiversity in the region has developed over the past 40 million years.
Published Climate change to shift tropical rains northward
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Atmospheric scientists predict that unchecked carbon emissions will force tropical rains to shift northward in the coming decades, which would profoundly impact agriculture and economies near the Earth's equator. The northward rain shift would be spurred by carbon emissions that influence the formation of the intertropical convergence zones that are essentially atmospheric engines that drive about a third of the world's precipitation.
Published Synthetic fuels and chemicals from CO2: Ten experiments in parallel
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Why do just one experiment at a time when you can do ten? Researchers have developed an automated system, which allows them to research catalysts, electrodes, and reaction conditions for CO2 electrolysis up to ten times faster. The system is complemented by an open-source software for data analysis.
Published Projected loss of brown macroalgae and seagrasses with global environmental change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers predict that climate change will drive a substantial redistribution of brown seaweeds and seagrasses at the global scale. The projected changes are alarming due to the fundamental role seaweeds and seagrasses in coastal ecosystems and provide evidence of the pervasive impacts of climate change on marine life.
Published No more stressing out over structural formulas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Structural formulas are a source of dread for many students, but they're an essential tool in biology lessons. A study has now shown that the stress levels of students working with chemical formulas are significantly reduced if they are given simple tips on how to deal with these formulas.
Published New materials: Synthetic pathway for promising nitride compounds discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have successfully synthesized Ruddlesden-Popper nitrides for the first time, opening the door to new materials with unique properties.
Published First specific PET scan for TB could enable more effective treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A more accurate way to scan for tuberculosis (TB) has been developed, using positron emission tomography (PET). The team has developed a new radiotracer, which is taken up by live TB bacteria in the body. Radiotracers are radioactive compounds which give off radiation that can be detected by scanners and turned into a 3D image. The new radiotracer, called FDT, enables PET scans to be used for the first time to accurately pinpoint when and where the disease is still active in a patient's lungs.
Published Ammonites' fate sealed by meteor strike that wiped out dinosaurs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ammonites were not in decline before their extinction, scientists have found.
Published Long-standing marine mystery solved: How algae get nitrogen to grow
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists shed light on an unexpected partnership: A marine diatom and a bacterium that can account for a large share of nitrogen fixation in vast regions of the ocean. This symbiosis likely plays a key role for global marine nitrogen fixation and productivity, and thus uptake of carbon dioxide. The newly-discovered bacterial symbiont is closely related to the nitrogen-fixing Rhizobia which live in partnership with many crop plants and may also open up new avenues for engineering nitrogen-fixing plants.
Published Aromatic compounds: A ring made up solely of metal atoms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The term aromaticity is a basic, long-standing concept in chemistry that is well established for ring-shaped carbon compounds. Aromatic rings consisting solely of metal atoms were, however, heretofore unknown. A research team recently succeeded in isolating such a metal ring and describing it in full.
Published To protect corals from summer heatwaves, we should help their microbial symbionts evolve heat tolerance in the lab
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most coral reef restoration efforts involve restocking reefs with nursery-grown corals. However, if these corals are of the same stock as their wild counterparts, they will be equally vulnerable to the heat stress that caused the bleaching event in the first place. Researchers discuss the potential of improving corals' chances by inducing the evolution of heat tolerance in their symbionts -- the mutualistic microbes that provide corals with nutrients in exchange for shelter and that are expelled during coral bleaching.
Published Common plastics could passively cool and heat buildings with the seasons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By restricting radiant heat flows between buildings and their environment to specific wavelengths, coatings engineered from common materials can achieve energy savings and thermal comfort that goes beyond what traditional building envelopes can achieve.
Published Pacific cod can't rely on coastal safe havens for protection during marine heat waves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source During recent periods of unusually warm water in the Gulf of Alaska, young Pacific cod in near shore safe havens where they typically spend their adolescence did not experience the protective effects those areas typically provide, a new study found.
Published Prehistoric 'Pompeii' discovered: Most pristine trilobite fossils ever found shake up scientific understanding of the long extinct group
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have described some of the best-preserved three-dimensional trilobite fossils ever discovered. The fossils, which are more than 500 million years old, were collected in the High Atlas of Morocco and are being referred to by scientists as 'Pompeii' trilobites due to their remarkable preservation in ash.
Published Scientists use computational modeling to guide a difficult chemical synthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a new way to drive chemical reactions that could generate a wide variety of azetidines -- four-membered nitrogen heterocycles that have desirable pharmaceutical properties.
Published Under pressure: How comb jellies have adapted to life at the bottom of the ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have studied the cell membranes of ctenophores ('comb jellies') and found they had unique lipid structures that allow them to live under intense pressure.
Published Why the harsh Snowball Earth kick-started our earliest multicellular ancestors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Why did multicellularity arise? Solving that mystery may help pinpoint life on other planets and explain the vast diversity and complexity seen on Earth today, from sea sponges to redwoods to human society. A new article shows how specific physical conditions -- especially ocean viscosity and resource deprivation -- during the global glaciation period known as Snowball Earth could have driven eukaryotes to turn multicellular.