Science In flow

New cell-laden bioink, comprised of tightly-packed, flake-shaped microgels and living cells, the production of cell-rich 4D bioconstructs that can change shape under physiological conditions. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/A7aWZmP

Using a commercially available test and simplified process, any laboratory that can run a real-time PCR assay can detect known SARS-CoV-2 variants in patient samples, researchers report. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/eV9sThK

Nighttime light pollution levels are increasing the most in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America--findings based on year-round data collected over the last two decades in the Western Hemisphere. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/KRvepXI

Fruit flies with a new variant of a 'clock gene' are spreading northwards. Neurobiologists have now found an explanation for this phenomenon. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Ya0fL7T

For a long time, ecologists assumed tree rings to be absent in tropical trees because of a lack of temperature and rain fluctuations in the trees' environment. But in recent decades, the formation of growth rings has been proven for hundreds of tropical tree species, which are sensitive to drought and usually experience at least a month or two of slightly reduced rainfall every year. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/mlUWvei

Dark patches of open sea that appear in the ice-choked water around Helheim Glacier may reveal new clues about how a rapidly changing Greenland glacier loses ice, according to scientists. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/jrwQUOi

Fungicides used to prolong shelf life of fruits may select for pathogenic yeasts and boost transmission. Those pathogens include Candida auris, a drug-resistant pathogenic yeast found in stored apples in a recent study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/yB4Psmb

A network of West African Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covers key sites used by green turtles, new research shows. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/by97Sr3

A novel approach to rubber recycling could see end-of-life tyres repurposed into concrete for residential constructions as new research shows that it can provide an economically viable and sustainable alternative to conventional concrete. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/vMJDg1B

Earthworms introduced into northern North America have a negative impact on the insect fauna above ground. Soil ecologists found this impact for abundance as well as for biomass and species richness of insects. Their results indicate that changes in insect communities can have causes that have previously received little attention. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/sJxEL4h

Researchers have developed a new computational approach to rapidly screen pesticides for safety, performance and how long they will endure in the environment. Moreover, and most importantly, the new approach will aid in the design of next-generation molecules to develop safer pesticides. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/LMsvPbA

A research team has, for the first time in Europe, identified a specimen of Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis), a highly invasive species. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/zYNmwuI

Deserts may seem lifeless and inert, but they are very much alive. Sand dunes, in particular, grow and move -- and according to a decades long research project, they also 'breathe' humid air. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/WwOJpns

Scientists are using zebrafish to understand human skin cancer that attacks the hands and feet. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/BArcip7

Until now, proteins have been the target of most medications for the prevention and treatment of human disease. Drug developers have perceived RNA to be too unstable to target with drug therapy. However, a screen of 50,000 compounds has revealed drug-like activity against an RNA prototype called Xist, a result that opens the door for development of new medications. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/j4fVu1Y

New researcher has demonstrated that people's spatial navigation ability is influenced by their geographical origin. Growing up in rural or urban areas, or in cities of varying complexity, influences our sense of direction in adulthood. These results were obtained using data collected from the video game Sea Hero Quest. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/BrTnV4u

Researchers developed a new acoustic measurement technique in a room with more acoustic combinations than there are ants on Earth. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/HXjpNsC

Researchers discovered a previously unknown mechanism in roundworms that protects their egg cells from division errors. Uncovering and understanding this hidden mechanism could ultimately lead to new strategies for combating infertility in humans. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/gLq8FCK

Researchers presented the results of efforts to perform global full waveform inversions of the Earth using the Frontera supercomputer. They used data from 300 earthquakes to construct the new global full wave inversion models that include attenuation and azimuthal anisotropy and approach continental-scale resolution. The researchers also recently released a visualization toolbox for large seismic model files and are building a platform for seismic analysis. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3fSw9nU

Because the comparative metabolomics field lacks sophisticated data analysis tools that are available to genomics and proteomics researchers, metabolomics researchers spend a lot of time hunting for candidate compounds that could be useful as leads for the development of new pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals. To solve this problem, scientists have developed Metaboseek, a free, easy-to-use app that integrates multiple data analysis features for the metabolomics community. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/pmWd5ej

On January 15, the volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai devastated the nation of Tonga. The eruption triggered tsunamis as far afield as the Caribbean and generated atmospheric waves that travelled around the globe several times. Meanwhile, the volcano's plume shot gas and ash through the stratosphere into the lower mesosphere. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Oo1jVqe

When cities or counties institute plastic bag bans or fees, the idea is to reduce the amount of plastic headed to the landfill. But a new analysis finds these policies, while created with good intentions, may cause more plastic bags to be purchased in the communities where they are in place. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Xv2Y9eF

A team has successfully increased the levels of energy absorbed by wafer-thin photovoltaic panels by 25%. Their solar panels, just one micrometer thick, convert light into electricity more efficiently than others as thin and pave the way to make it easier to general more clean, green energy. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/y6xFDwI

According to the latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions is required to limit the consequences of climate change. Producing fuel from renewable sources such as waste wood and straw or renewable electricity would be one way to reduce carbon emissions from the area of transportation. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/cDL9fIT

Thanks to avocados' rise to superfood stardom, there are now more avocado-derived products in the supply chain than ever. In a unique study, researchers looked at the possibility of using avocado meal -- the ground, dried, and defatted pulp, seed, and skin left over after avocado oil processing -- as a fiber source in dry dog food. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/zcdE3Kf

Researchers have shown a new compound delivered in a nasal spray is highly effective in preventing and treating COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant in mice. The researchers believe this is the first treatment of its kind proven to be effective against all COVID-19 variants of concern reported to date, including alpha, beta, gamma and delta. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/oPhzCTH

Helium-3, a rare isotope of helium gas, is leaking out of Earth's core, a new study reports. Because almost all helium-3 is from the Big Bang, the gas leak adds evidence that Earth formed inside a solar nebula, which has long been debated. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/xnbUAtE

Researchers have developed an automated auditory training program that marmoset monkeys can perform in their familiar environment on a voluntary basis. The team has accomplished getting non-human primates to complete a series of tests in which they hear different sounds and then match them to the appropriate, previously learned visual stimuli by clicking on a touchscreen. This allows scientists to track which sounds the animals can hear and discriminate. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/LaMY5pv

Researchers have used computer simulations to show that weather phenomena such as sudden downpours could potentially be modified by making small adjustments to certain variables in the weather system. They did this by taking advantage of a system known as a 'butterfly attractor' in chaos theory, where a system can have one of two states -- like the wings of a butterfly -- and that it switches back and forth between the two states depending on small changes in certain conditions. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hFcTm9w

As we age, our immune system works less well. We become more susceptible to infections and vaccinations no longer work as effectively. A research team has investigated whether short-lived killifish also undergo aging of the immune system. Indeed, they found that as early as four months of age, killifish have less diverse circulating antibodies compared to younger fish, which may contribute to a generalized decrease in the immune function. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hykfOHG

Stargazing usually favours night owls, but here's a treat for early birds, says Abigail Beall, who offers a host of planets peeping over the horizon from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/y5NzDTP

Physicist and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili discusses the power of wonder, the importance of overcoming our biases and the biggest mysteries in fundamental physics from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/YNufgGW

A new documentary reveals the lives of Katia and Maurice Krafft, trail-blazing volcanologists who paid the ultimate price from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/Wt5xLZD

A study has shown species that rely on darkness to forage and feed are losing the gift of camouflage thanks to advances in the lighting used to illuminate the world's cities and coastlines. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/xF1qLMe

Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection is no longer the life sentence it once was. But despite the effectiveness of drugs to manage and treat the virus, it can never be fully eliminated from the human body, lingering in some cells deep in different human tissues where it goes unnoticed by the immune system. Now, new research by University of Alberta immunologist Shokrollah Elahi reveals a possible answer to the mystery of why infected people can't get rid of HIV altogether. Elahi and his team found that in HIV patients, killer T cells -- a type of white blood cells responsible for identifying and destroying cells infected with viruses -- have very little to none of a protein called CD73. Because CD73 is responsible for migration and cell movement into the tissue, the lack of the protein compromises the ability of killer T cells to find and eliminate HIV-infected cells, explained Elahi. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/LMQEj42

GPS tracking of Caspian terns showed that male parents carry the main responsibility for leading young during their first migration from the Baltic Sea to Africa. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/QuRnOJd

An obscure species of wild grass contains 'blockbuster' disease resistance that can be cross bred into wheat to give immunity against one of the deadliest crop pathogens. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2hDrAGQ

The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second largest ice body in the world, and it has the potential to contribute significantly to global sea-level rise in a warming global climate. Understanding the long-term record of the Greenland Ice Sheet, including both records of glacial advance and retreat, is critical in validating approaches that model future ice-sheet scenarios. However, this reconstruction can be extremely challenging. A new study has reconstructed the advance of one of the largest tidewater glaciers in Greenland to provide a better understanding of long-term glacial dynamics. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/VHJNsW5

When a booming marine fishery can increase its shrimp catch while also reducing unintentional bycatch of turtles --t hat's an example of what environmental scientists and managers call a 'win-win.' Models often predict this ideal outcome is achievable, yet stakeholders rarely see it manifest in the real world. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/IPyzXqu

A novel class of bed net that kills mosquitoes resistant to traditional insecticides by making them unable to move or fly, significantly reduces malaria infection in children, according to new research published in The Lancet. Unlike other insecticides which kill the mosquito via the nervous system, the effects of the new bed net mean the mosquito dies from starvation or being unable to fend for itself. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/XgKH7Mb

Scientists have developed probiotics with a unique edible coating that ensures the beneficial bacteria successfully reach the intestine once they are ingested. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/U4DYjc3

A team of ETH researchers led by Athina Anastasaki have succeeded in breaking down plastic into its molecular building blocks and in recovering over 90 percent of them. A first step towards genuine plastic recycling. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/d9geFXY

Scientists are using cutting-edge artificial intelligence to help extract complex information from large collections of museum specimens. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ZdC3RB8

Coral reefs in remote or protected areas can recover quickly after mass coral bleaching events, new research shows. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/lIRKtzx

Climate change is speeding sound transmission in the oceans and the way it varies over the globe with physical properties of the oceans. Two 'acoustic hotspots' of future sound speed increases are predicted east of Greenland and in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, East of Newfoundland. In these locations, the average speed of sound is likely to increase by more than 1.5% if 'business-as-usual' high rates of greenhouse gas emissions continue through 2100. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/FwolP09

Five grams of plastic particles on average enter the human gastrointestinal tract per person per week. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of a credit card. Whether ingested micro- and nanoplastics pose a health risk is being investigated in numerous studies but is largely unknown to date. A research team has now summarized the current state of scientific knowledge. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/JupF1NQ

Allied male bottlenose dolphins maintain weaker yet vital social relationships with whistle exchanges, researchers have found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/KQBph7I

In a new study, researchers report that a group of cone snails produces a venom compound similar to the protein somatostatin. While they continue to learn more about this venom compound and its possible pharmaceutical applications, the results show the wide variety of drug leads that venomous animals produce, which they've designed and refined over millions of years. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/1iGJFEI

One of the great mysteries of late medieval history is why did the Norse, who had established successful settlements in southern Greenland in 985, abandon them in the early 15th century? The consensus view has long been that colder temperatures, associated with the Little Ice Age, helped make the colonies unsustainable. However, new research upends that old theory. It wasn't dropping temperatures that helped drive the Norse from Greenland, but drought. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/uOh076s

Demand response, a measure taken to reduce the energy load in response to supply constraints, within the Texas electric grid has been a topic of recent conversation after the wake of Winter Storm Uri just one year ago. Demand response can enhance the reliability of the grid through renewable energy penetration and also significantly reduce price volatility, or fluctuation, in the wholesale electricity market. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/SwDnQ4s

Those who have visited the park may have asked themselves, 'Where does all the hot water come from?' A study now provides stunning subsurface images that begin to answer that question. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/tSPlNyC

Spinosaurus is the largest predatory dinosaur known -- over two metres longer than the longest Tyrannosaurus rex -- but the way it hunted has been a subject of debate for decades. In a new paper, palaeontologists have taken a different approach to decipher the lifestyle of long-extinct creatures: examining the density of their bones. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/gsyZQaK

Immune cells are our body's police force, but how can they reach the crime scene fast? Researchers have now discovered a new protein that boosts energy production inside immune cells and thus increases their power to invade. Apart from improving immune responses, the results could revolutionize our understanding of energy regulation in cells throughout the human body. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/mBkUJlW

A study in mice and lab-grown cells finds sulforaphane could help prevent and treat illnesses caused by certain coronaviruses, including COVID-19. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Sc9GqLy

Scientists have found that humans might give viruses back to animals more often than previously understood. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/mvC0j1l

Eating chicken raised on a diet of bugs or algae may sound downright unappetizing to some, but there are ways to make the idea more palatable to at least one type of food shopper. Consumers who are environmentally aware will likely warm up to the idea of using alternative proteins like insect meal in poultry feed if they're given enough information about the health and environmental benefits, a new study shows. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/bZxj98l

Scientists show a bionic approach combining features of a seagull's wing with an engineered flow control accessory, known as a Gurney flap, can greatly improve wind turbine performance. To achieve the best aerodynamic performance, the scientists simulated the use of the combined flow control accessory in a variety of situations, including high and low angle of attack and pre- and post-stall scenarios. They compared their computational simulations to experimental results for an aircraft wing undergoing a dynamic stall. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/dRhMeIU

Researchers have found that competing strains of Escherichia coli bacteria form distinctive lane-like patterns as their populations grow. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/VGqhEJB

A research team has reported an in-depth analysis of precious metal adsorption onto Galdieria sulphuraria algae. The combination of X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry allowed the cell population behavior to be related to chemical interactions that occurred between the metals and the cell surface. The insight is expected to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly cell-derived approaches for metal recycling and wastewater treatment. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/da8H6nM

Kinematic plate reconstructions and high-resolution global dynamic models developed to quantify the amount of Pacific Plate motion change associated with the Hawaiian -- Emperor Bend. Scientists are hopeful this basic research into Pacific Plate motion can be applied to other associated phenomena such as large earthquakes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/JZPzY0O

Using multiple high-resolution satellite datasets, researchers found that tropical carbon loss has doubled over the past two decades due to excessive forest removal in the tropics. The tropics are an important ecosystem as they store massive amounts of carbon in their woody vegetation and soil -- but they have suffered from extensive forest clearance since 2001. The researchers analyzed the gross forest carbon loss associated with forest removal in the tropics during the 21st century. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ZJtfKR6

A new clinical trial found daily consumption of cranberries for one month improved cardiovascular function in healthy men. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/FLpHcOQ

Waste materials from oil sands extraction, stored in tailings ponds, can pose a risk to the natural habitat and neighboring communities when they leach into groundwater and surface ecosystems. Until now, the challenge for the oil sands industry is that the proper analysis of toxic waste materials has been difficult to achieve without complex and lengthy testing. And there's a backlog. For example, in Alberta alone, there are an estimated 1.4 billion cubic meters of fluid tailings. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/v40aCJI

A new study used artificial intelligence to analyze 10 years of weather data collected over southeastern Texas to identify three major categories of weather patterns and the continuum of conditions between them. The study will help scientists seeking to understand how aerosols -- tiny particles suspended in Earth's atmosphere -- affect the severity of thunderstorms. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Ks6D2BQ

A new global study has revealed the extent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by vegetable oil production, highlighting the need for more sustainable growing solutions. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3kM1fCA

Inspired by the bacteria-killing wings of insects like cicadas, scientists have developed a natural antibacterial texture for use on food packaging to improve shelf life and reduce waste. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/5WTvADV

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't been a great couple of years. But for the green industry, like plant nurseries and greenhouses, it's been a boon. But will the uptick in gardening last once the last coronavirus restrictions are lifted? Probably not to the same extreme levels, according to new research. But for some, the introduction to gardening may have been just what they needed to dive into a new hobby. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Udwk7RY

New research has revealed that soil erosion and wildfires contributed to a mass extinction event 201 million years ago that ended the Triassic era and paved the way for the rise of dinosaurs in the Jurassic period. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/8ByHcdm

New studies provide valuable insights into removing toxins from polluted waterways and improving filtration at urban wetlands. One study found a wetland plant capable of reducing PFAS in soil and water, and another looked for better urban wetland water flow management during summer. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/DrCFdfb

Nematode worms can distinguish between the molecules released by healthy and cancerous cells, and could one day be used in a cancer-detection system from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3XuRiTG

A hallmark of top-tier modernist cuisine, spherification is nevertheless something you can try in your own kitchen. It's time to conquer your spheres, says Sam Wong from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/TswfXr5

Rudolph Herzog’s documentary swerves the usual space experts to give an unexpected view of humanity’s efforts to live among the stars, says Simon Ings from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/jxVImBP

Animal and cell studies show that as retinal cells die in degenerative eye diseases, they make other cells hyperactive, creating noise that further obscures vision. Tests to prove this in humans are hard to conduct, however. Antabuse, an approved drug used to wean people off alcohol, should tamp down this hyperactivity and conclusively show whether hyperactivity plays a role in humans, potentially driving work to find better drugs to help those with progressive vision loss. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/W6ieMDT

Researchers show that the earliest jaws in the fossil record were caught in a trade-off between maximizing their strength and their speed. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Rxyrbe7

Researchers have developed a way to make lightweight fibers, for possible use in the bodies of cars, out of an ultracheap feedstock: the waste material from the refining of petroleum. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/blr2UTj

An international team provides new insights about how the inhabitants of the 'oldest city in the world' in Çatalhöyük (Turkey) buried their dead. Their bones were partially painted, excavated several times and reburied. The findings provide insight into the burial rituals of a fascinating society that lived 9000 years ago. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/sIflGWQ

Three expeditions led an international research to the Cordillera de Kutukú, an isolated mountain range in Ecuador, to find just one specimen of the previously unknown species. The find in the Amazonian side of the Andes underlines the valuable biological role of this mountainous region. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/alrqUQI

The 2021 wildfire season broke records globally, leaving land charred from California to Siberia. The risk of fire is growing, and a recent report warned that wildfires are on track to increase 50% by 2050. These fires destroy homes, plant life, and animals as they burn, but the risk doesn't stop there. Researchers detail how the brown carbon released by burning biomass in the northern hemisphere is accelerating warming in the Arctic and warn that this could lead to even more wildfires in the future. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/KYiWVka

A new study shows that smoke from wildfires destroys the ozone layer. Researchers caution that if major fires become more frequent with a changing climate, more damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun will reach the ground. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/wdOi2f6

Evolution is normally considered to be a gradual process, unfolding over long timescales. But new findings show that widespread physical and genomic adaptation to the environment can occur within just weeks. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/w5RcQVn

Forest restoration schemes should prioritize restoring native forests for greatest climate and environmental benefits, but these benefits incur a trade-off with wood production in comparison with tree plantations. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/eFlcXJE

Methanotrophic bacteria consume 30 million metric tons of methane per year and have captivated researchers for their natural ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas into usable fuel. Yet we know very little about how the complex reaction occurs, limiting our ability to use the double benefit to our advantage. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/1iZj7Ng

Researchers have genetically engineered a microbial encapsulation system for therapeutic bacteria that can hide them from immune systems, enabling them to reach tumors more effectively and kill cancer cells in mice. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/gh81f3t

A new study unlocks the science behind a key ingredient -- namely oxygen -- in some of the world's most violent volcanoes. The research offers a new model for understanding the oxidation state of arc magmas, the lavas that form some volcanoes, such as the one that erupted dramatically in Tonga earlier this year. The plume from Tonga's underwater volcanic eruption on Jan. 15 rose 36 miles into the air. Ash from the volcano reached the mesosphere, Earth's third layer of atmosphere. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/tIdvcMW

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the destruction of a specific population of neurons: the dopaminergic neurons. A team has investigated the destruction of these dopaminergic neurons using the fruit fly as study model. The scientists identified a key protein in flies, and also in mice, which plays a protective role against this disease and could be a new therapeutic target. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/UByt7ba

Researchers have developed a new tool that could lead to more efficient and cheaper technologies for capturing heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere and converting them into beneficial substances, like fuel or building materials. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/NaVwQh3

Researchers have made inroads into understanding how the mammalian brain encodes social rank and uses this information to shape behaviors. In mice engaged in a competition, the team discovered, patterns of brain activity differ depending on the social rank of the opposing animal. Moreover, the scientists could use brain readouts to accurately predict which animal would win a food reward -- the victor was not always the more socially dominant animal, but the one more engaged in a 'winning mindset.' from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/h16pHN7

Some 'hypervirulent' strains of Listeria monocytogenes have a greater capacity to infect the central nervous system. Scientists have discovered a mechanism that enables cells infected with Listeria monocytogenes to escape immune responses. This mechanism provides infected cells circulating in the blood with a higher probability of adhering to and infecting cells of cerebral vessels, thereby enabling bacteria to cross the blood-brain barrier and infect the brain. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/9Jr5NVB

Most global carbon-budgeting efforts assume a linear flow of water from the land to the sea, which ignores the complex interplay between streams, rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries, mangroves and more. Climate scientists now detail how carbon is stored and transported through the intricacy of inland and coastal waterways. The work has significant implications for enforcing the carbon calculations that are part of international climate accords. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/GzUMFDW

Bile acids, well known for their role in dissolving fats and vitamins, are also important players in gut immunity and inflammation because they regulate the activity of key immune cells linked to a range of inflammatory bowel conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, according to new research. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2jnc0LK

The intermittent supply of green electricity requires large-scale storage to keep our power grids stable. Since normal batteries do not scale very well, the idea of using flow batteries, which store electricity in a fluid is attractive. Scientists have designed a flow battery electrolyte that is cheaper and is based on an organic compound, rather than a metal. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/FLyz0oG

Allergy seasons are likely to become longer and grow more intense as a result of increasing temperatures caused by humanmade climate change, according to new research. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/sEgQR16

Researchers have developed an optimizer tool to design, evaluate, and maximize the performance of different types of solar-powered adsorption under various operating scenarios. The tool was created using Visual Basic programming language that is easy to learn and enables rapid application development and predicted the proper material mass concentration ratios. The method calculated the cooling load, predicted maximal performance, and conducted the overall performance analysis of the cooling system. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/gZAVHue

A new study in animals suggests that high doses of a widely used antibiotic called rifampin may safely treat and reduce the duration of treatment for the deadliest form of tuberculosis that affects the brain, potentially improving survival rates for patients and decreasing the likelihood of lasting adverse effects of the disease. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/QCN9OGd

Researchers found that a projected urban expansion of up to 1.53 million square kilometers over the next three decades threatens the survival of more than 800 species -- but also that a focus on urban planning that protects habitats can mitigate the impact. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/YtE8Aix

The blood-brain barrier plays an essential role in protecting the central nervous system from harmful bacteria, toxins, and other blood-borne pathogens. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ZhqFcfw

The parasites that cause a disfiguring skin disease affecting about 12 million people globally may have met their match in vaccines developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology, new research suggests. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/xkuS2mY

Wind turbine blades made from glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminate composites can serve for up to 25 years. After that, they end up in landfills which has become a real challenge for the renewable energy industry. Researchers have proposed a method for wind turbine blades' recycling. Using pyrolysis, they broke the composite materials into their constituent parts. According to scientists, the extracted materials can be reused, and the process is virtually waste-free. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Lm1d2nu

New research into the life and times of a New England salt marsh fundamentally changes our understanding of how salt marshes acquire the sediment that keeps them viable. This research has wide-ranging implications for managing New England's coastline as it struggles to keep up with development, sea-level rise and other environmental impacts. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/bISgQRy

Biosecurity efforts focused on the top 3% of farms in a particular contact network may significantly cut back cross-species disease dissemination. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/fTVws7G

A new study has documented how the thawing of permafrost submerged underwater at the edge of the Arctic Ocean is affecting the seafloor. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/rsAe24R

Scientists have shown in rats how several brain regions need to work together to acquire a skill and replicate it flawlessly with each rat adding their own personal flair in the form of a 'dance.' from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/s8G0gAE

Scientists believe a strategy used to protect popular surfing spots could now be more widely adopted to help preserve endangered coastal environments. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hfHuCvc

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a life-long, chronic condition characterized by sporadic bouts of gut inflammation causing debilitating symptoms. Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis -- the latter affecting around 1 in 400 people - are the two most common types of IBD. Current treatments are ineffective and seriously impact the quality of life of the patients and those of their families. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/nJ7Hd6i

An international team of researchers from biology, computer science and mathematics explains why evolution has a preference for symmetry. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/vHl4BGN

Researchers have mapped the genome of an iconic Australian seafood species -- that of the Australian black tiger prawn - which may lead to bigger and more disease resistant farmed stock in the future. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/YWCl1c4

A new study estimates that over the next 30 years, 1.4 million street trees will be killed by invasive insects, costing over 900 million dollars to replace. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/uCT7I3V

There are practical limits to the height at which aerosols may be deployed in the atmosphere to deflect incoming sunlight and countervail global warming. Very high-altitude injections might be more effective, but such climate intervention comes with substantially increased costs and safety risks, according to new research. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/tfPo50j

Higher lead levels in a mother's blood can increase the chance of her bearing male offspring, according to new research. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/PK1BvAU

Around 2.3 billion years ago, oxygen began building up in the atmosphere, eventually reaching the life-sustaining levels we breathe today. A new hypothesis suggests a mechanism for how this may have happened. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/FJpP7Y5

DNA becomes disordered inside cancer cells, and playing GENIGMA on your smartphone will help researchers discover the dangerous forms DNA can fold into, says Layal Liverpool from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/YUABw2f

In The Cartographers, Peng Shepherd’s latest work of magical realist speculative fiction, the characters have a habit of asking “what makes a map?”. The answer, it becomes clear, is its purpose, finds Sally Adee from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/zALeTwv

New research shows that a bi-national regulation targeting ships entering the Great Lakes since the mid-2000s has been remarkably effective in reducing a large proportion of the invasive species in the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/KLaodtv

When we think of ions, we usually think of single atoms that have lost or gained some electrons, but entire molecules can also become ions. Physicists now show that cold molecular ions can be created using a new method, and that they are a very useful tool for detecting small amounts of other, regular molecules. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/tLS6FOf

A tiny rodent trims tall grasses so it can watch the skies for flying predators, new research shows. Brandt’s voles live in grassland in Inner Mongolia, China, where they are hunted by birds called shrikes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/6gQIjVZ

As wildfire season in the West grows in length and severity, it is taking a toll on the wine industry through the effects of wildfire smoke on the quality of wine grapes. Volatile compounds in the smoke from wildfires can be absorbed by grapes and produce an unpleasant taste known as 'smoke taint' in wines made from affected grapes. A new study provides valuable data and guidelines for using analytical chemistry to identify grapes and wines affected by smoke taint. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/rFOIv6C

It is well known that methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced by special microorganisms, for example in the intestines of cows, or in rice fields. For some years, scientists had also observed the production of methane in plants and fungi, without finding an explanation. Now researchers have shed light on the underlying mechanism. Their findings suggest that all organisms release methane. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/8tm7NvJ

Algae such as rockweeds are a fundamental part of marine ecosystems, providing habitat and food to many other marine organisms while also providing ecosystem services like oxygenation of the water. In turn, algae depend on bacteria to maintain their normal shapes and health. New sequencing methods are illuminating the relationships between marine bacteria and marine algae, as demonstrated in research by 15 scientists from countries across the North Atlantic. The published study contributes to the understanding how sensitive important algae are to the changing environment. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/IZmR3A9

Scientists have shown that the recycling program of cells, autophagy, leads to the fusion of several single cells into multinucleated cell units during wound healing. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/HvgasbE