Showing 20 articles starting at article 1101
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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Environmental: Ecosystems
Published A new design improves water decontamination via plasma jet
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two research groups design a plasma (an ionized gas) reactor maintained by microwaves that makes it possible to decontaminate waters with high concentrations of dye.
Published War in Ukraine severely limits ability to track Arctic climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists no longer have direct access to data from Russian Arctic research stations. Without this data, our view of climate changes in the region is increasingly biased, new research shows.
Published 'Talking' tomatoes: How their communication is influenced by enemies and friends
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants produce a range of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds that influence their interactions with the world around them. In a new study, researchers investigated how the type and amount of these VOCs change based on different features of tomato plants.
Published New tool reveals gene behavior in bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers showed that the way in which genes are turned on and off as bacteria grow provide clues to their regulation.
Published Syphilis-like diseases were widespread in Americas before arrival of Columbus, researchers find
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered the genetic material of the pathogen Treponema pallidum in the bones of people who died in Brazil 2,000 years ago. This is the oldest verified discovery of this pathogen thus far, and it proves that humans were suffering from diseases akin to syphilis -- known as treponematoses -- long before Columbus's discovery of America. The new findings call into question previous theories concerning the spread of syphilis by the Spanish conquistadors.
Published New pieces in the puzzle of first life on Earth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Microorganisms were the first forms of life on our planet. The clues are written in 3.5 billion-year-old rocks by geochemical and morphological traces, such as chemical compounds or structures that these organisms left behind. However, it is still not clear when and where life originated on Earth and when a diversity of species developed in these early microbial communities. Evidence is scarce and often disputed. Now, researchers have uncovered key findings about the earliest forms of life. In rock samples from South Africa, they found evidence dating to around 3.42 billion years ago of an unprecedentedly diverse carbon cycle involving various microorganisms. This research shows that complex microbial communities already existed in the ecosystems during the Palaeoarchaean period.
Published New study unveils how plants control the production of reactive oxygen species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Reactive oxygen species (ROS), though generally regarded as toxic byproducts of biological processes, serve many important functions in plants. However, the precise mechanism that plants use to regulate the production of ROS remains elusive. In a recent study, researchers clarified how an important ROS-generating enzyme is activated, revealing mechanisms likely conserved across all land plants. Their findings could pave the way for breakthroughs in agricultural and environmental remediation tools.
Published Study offers rare long-term analysis of techniques for creating standing dead trees for wildlife habitat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ecologists have long known that standing dead trees, commonly referred to as snags, are an important habitat element for forest dwellers and act as a driver of biodiversity. They're so important that in some managed forests, snag creation is part of the conservation tool kit -- i.e., crews sometimes convert a percentage of live trees into dead ones through techniques ranging from sawing off their tops to wounding their trunks to injecting them with disease-causing fungi.
Published Marine heat waves trigger shift in hatch dates and early growth of Pacific cod
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Marine heat waves appear to trigger earlier reproduction, high mortality in early life stages and fewer surviving juvenile Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska, a new study shows. These changes in the hatch cycle and early growth patterns persisted in years following the marine heat waves, which could have implications for the future of Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod, an economically and culturally significant species.
Published When conditions cool down, a bacterial prey species becomes the predator
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a new study, two species of bacteria grown in a lab reversed their predator-prey relationship after one species was grown at a lower temperature.
Published Blue tit population booms with moths on the menu
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that years when moth numbers were up resulted in increased population growth for the blue tit.
Published Gulls swap natural for urban habitats, machine-learning study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study is the first of its kind to compile a three-year dataset using a citizen science-based, opportunistic research method to include a large sample of gulls and other sub-Arctic birds in urban Alaska. The study provides a current snapshot of the habitat shift to an urban landscape.
Published A new perspective on the temperature inside tropical forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New worldwide maps of temperatures inside tropical forests show that global warming affect different way in different parts of the forests. Undergrowth level temperature of the tropical forests can be even 4 degrees less than average temperature of the area.
Published Uncovering the secrets behind the silent flight of owls
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Owls produce negligible noise while flying. While many studies have linked the micro-fringes in owl wings to their silent flight, the exact mechanisms have been unclear. Now, a team of researchers has uncovered the effects of these micro-fringes on the sound and aerodynamic performance of owl wings through computational fluid dynamic simulations. Their findings can inspire biomimetic designs for the development of low-noise fluid machinery.
Published Complex green organisms emerged a billion years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Of all the organisms that photosynthesize, land plants have the most complex form. How did this morphology emerge? A team of scientists has taken a deep dive into the evolutionary history of morphological complexity in streptophytes, which include land plants and many green algae. Their research allowed them to go back in time to investigate lineages that emerged long before land plants existed.
Published New research guides mathematical model-building for gene regulatory networks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly published study provides guidance for building accurate mathematical models for gene regulatory networks.
Published Wolves and elk are (mostly) welcome back in Poland and Germany's Oder Delta region, survey shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An online survey conducted in Germany and Poland shows that large parts of the participants support the return of large carnivores and herbivores, such as wolves and elk, to the Oder Delta region. Presented with different rewilding scenarios, the majority of survey participants showed a preference for land management that leads to the comeback of nature to the most natural state possible. Locals, on the other hand, showed some reservations.
Published Don't overeat: How archaea toggle the nitrogen-uptake switch
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By tightly regulating nitrogen uptake, microorganisms avoid overeating nitrogen and thus wasting energy. Scientists now reveal how some methanogenic archaea manage to do so.
Published Deepwater Horizon oil spill study could lead to overhaul of cleanup processes worldwide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research could lead to major improvements in marine oil spill cleanup processes. The innovative study assessed the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on microscopic seawater bacteria that perform a significant role in ecosystem functioning.
Published Single-celled kamikazes spearhead bacterial infection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source You suddenly feel sick -- pathogenic bacteria have managed to colonize and spread in your body! The weapons they use for their invasion are harmful toxins that target the host's defense mechanisms and vital cell functions. Before these deadly toxins can attack host cells, bacteria must first export them from their production site -- the cytoplasm -- using dedicated secretion systems.