Science In flow

They are the salt-tolerant shrubs that thrive in the toughest of conditions, but according to new UniSA research, mangroves are also avid coastal protectors, capable of surviving in heavy metal contaminated environments. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/kTGUnjy

A star orbiting a supermassive black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy was ripped apart in a tidal disruption event, the furthest ever observed from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/tTHyF4S

Superconductivity, fractional charges and magnetic vortices are just some of the weird quantum phenomena lurking in materials like graphene when they get skewed from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/jfhsEuG

Fossilized fragments of a skeleton, hidden within a rock the size of a grapefruit, have helped upend one of the longest-standing assumptions about the origins of modern birds. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/dz9Hy2O

New research demonstrates a 20x improvement in resetting a quantum bit to its '0' state, using a modern version of the 'Maxwell's demon'. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/A8xmrCz

A new study compiles data on more than 3,000 species to show how climate and geologic changes across Asia over the last 66 million years have shaped the evolution of the continent's mammals. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/UiSD8NE

A new study shows how soon after a storm phosphorus 'loading' sparks algae explosions, but also describes the many other factors that weigh on when and whether the lake reaches a tipping point. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/q5sThA8

Daubenton’s bats use false vocal folds in their throat to produce a lower frequency grunt for communication – the same structure that lets death metal singers growl from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/6znl8pj

Postbiotics are the newest gut health trend promising to improve our skin, boost our strength and even reverse signs of ageing. But what are they and do they live up to the hype? from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/vIWiq0j

Scientists report that materials inspired by nature could, one day, lead to new and better solar panels, soft robots and even coatings for hypersonic jets. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/EiKP2FR

Zero deforestation commitments may inadvertently leave vital habitats in Latin America and Africa vulnerable to agricultural expansion, a new study has found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/dnrTqI0

African large carnivores have undergone significant range and population declines over recent decades. Although conservation planning and the management of threatened species requires accurate assessments of population status and monitoring of trends, there is evidence that biodiversity monitoring may not be evenly distributed or occurring where most needed. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/R2cNoKh

The European robin's closest relatives are found in tropical Africa. The European robin is therefore not closely related to the Japanese robin, despite their close similarity in appearance. This is confirmed by a new study of the Old World flycatcher family, to which these birds belong. The study comprises 92 per cent of the more than 300 species in this family. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/WkNcn0Z

Microplastic fibers discovered in samples (air, seawater, sediment and sea-ice) from the last remaining pristine environment on Earth. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/EkqvRoH

The Japanese Hakuto-R lander is vying to be the first privately funded spacecraft to land on the moon from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/cVQ964z

The bones of 2-metre-long tetrapod Whatcheeria reveal that it had an early growth spurt – a trait that was thought to have evolved later from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/9M3cKwx

The hunt for the prehistoric mother tongue that gave rise to dozens of the languages we speak today reminds us of the scientific case for international identity from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/VgotD3m

Populations of native mussels in the river Thames have dropped massively between 1964 and 2020, possibly because of the effects of pollution and invasive species from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/Z24QHs7

You won't need to make a flour roux for your macaroni cheese if you cook your pasta in milk rather than water, says Sam Wong from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/DE69S41

The threat of climate change permeates this visually stunning, memorable film about a couple living through drought in the Bolivian highlands from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/BTxleFA

Having drones on strings attached to a person could provide a more realistic simulation of interacting with physical objects in virtual reality from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/K261WJZ

Researchers have shown -- for the first time -- that less intensively managed British grazed grasslands have on average 50% more plant species and better soil health than intensively managed grassland. The new study could help farmers increase both biodiversity and soil health, including the amount of carbon in the soil of the British countryside. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/SMcIRQE

According to a new study, fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods, the most species-rich group in the animal kingdom. Combining detailed anatomical studies of the fossilized nervous system with analyses of gene expression patterns in living descendants, they conclude that a shared blueprint of brain organization has been maintained from the Cambrian until today. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/vLBwr53

A light-activated catalyst efficiently converts ammonia into clean-burning hydrogen using only inexpensive raw materials. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/sIEmYzi

Researchers have reproduced the entire biochemical pathway for how coca plants make cocaine in another plant, which could help people manufacture the drug for scientific study from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/hMdsxRD

These images from a new illustrated book chart the long human love affair with orchids, the incredible family of flowering plants that continue to captivate us today from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/1EUXPsz

The incredible true story of Mars rover Opportunity turns into a moving, inspirational and downright personal tale of a little machine millions of kilometres from home from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/csCdNht

Schemes that aim to reduce traffic through certain streets have been accused of increasing air pollution on roads at their borders, but a study in London has found that the opposite is true from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/bGiMDhm

The contents of the last meal consumed by the earliest animals known to inhabit Earth more than 550 million years ago has unearthed new clues about the physiology of our earliest animal ancestors, according to scientists. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/z7xgnqh

Dust particles from central South America were the most important source of iron in the South Pacific during the last two ice ages. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/q6WVlcp

Recurrent UTIs could one day be prevented with a vaccine instead of antibiotics if promising results in mice and rabbits are replicated in clinical trials from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/WPHyJmd

A robotic leg with a big toe and motors that can "change gear" like a bicycle can enable a wearer to walk up stairs and slopes from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/ojB7Wzr

The European Space Agency has chosen an astronaut with a physical disability for the first time, as one of six new trainees for space missions from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/SmW4vRK

An unexpected discovery in a piece of amber stored at Harvard University since the 1930s reveals that army ants once lived in Europe from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2TxVEp7

Scientists used observations of the angle at which dogs urinate and laboratory tests with jets of fluid to design a urinal that produces far less splatter than usual from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/mgqOPNU

A new study has found that the North Atlantic gyre contains higher levels of polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic, and polyamide, whereas other offshore locations are more associated with PVC and polystyrene. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/I4UxLyq

A research team has found that the Andean region of Chile could face noticeable snow loss and roughly 10% less mountain water runoff with a global warming of approximately 2.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels over the next three decades. The study also shows that what happens in the Andes could be a harbinger of what is to come for the California Sierra Nevada mountain range, and highlights the importance of carbon-mitigation strategies to prevent this from occurring. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/KPfeXSL

Earth is currently in the midst of a mass extinction, losing thousands of species each year. New research suggests environmental changes caused the first such event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/UwOa2F6

An AI developed by researchers at Meta convincingly negotiated with humans while playing an online version of the board game Diplomacy. It was also ranked in the top 10 per cent of players from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/TgMtCuj

Rutgers scientists have developed a new approach to stopping viral infections: a so-called live-attenuated, replication-defective DNA virus vaccine that uses a compound known as centanamycin to generate an altered virus for vaccine development. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ujr39EJ

Ray-finned fish, now the most diverse group of backboned animals, were not as hard hit by a mass extinction event 360 million years ago as scientists previously thought. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hXNH1sU

Functional adrenal glands have been grown in the lab by coaxing a type of stem cell to develop in a certain way by constantly tweaking the mix of chemicals they are bathed in from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/h80sPon

The first trial of the ‘SharkGuard’ technology reduced the bycatch of blue sharks and pelagic rays by as much as 91 per cent, but didn't impact the tuna that fishers were targeting from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/yXRdDu6

After blasting off on the enormous Space Launch System rocket, NASA's Orion capsule has flown within 130 kilometres of the lunar surface as it prepares to enter orbit from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/wdihsky

Investment that the UK government started in quantum technologies in 2013 seems to have paid off by enabling the existence of companies at the cutting edge of research from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/KShkosU

The Eris rocket developed by Australian company Gilmour Space will be the first Australian system to go into orbit if it successfully launches next year from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/c0NPFzK

Despite a landmark deal on finance for ‘loss and damage’, the package agreed in Sharm El Sheikh falls short on plans to cut emissions and leaves room for expansion of gas from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/ha5yb0M

Cloud gazing isn’t only an Earthly pastime. You can help planetary scientists by cloud spotting on Mars, finds Layal Liverpool from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/TOAaXso

A new method for describing energy loss in organic solar cells has paved the way for building better and more efficient devices. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Vjo2OX1

A genetic survey of porcini mushrooms across the Northern Hemisphere found that these delicious fungi evolved in surprising ways -- contrary to the expectations of many who think that geographic isolation would be the primary driver for species diversity. In fact, there are regions in the world where porcini maintain their genetic distinctiveness in local ecological niches, even if they are not isolated geographically from other genetic lineages. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/zHpiumt

Mitochondria are primarily known as the powerhouse of the cell. However, these cellular organelles are required not only for providing energy: Researchers recently discovered that mitochondria play an important role in signal transduction in innate immune pathways. They regulate a signalling pathway that helps to eliminate pathogens, but can cause damage through inflammation upon overactivation. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/1P2Rxap

The only evidence of a species of centimetre-long white clam was a fossil collected 85 years ago, until a researcher stumbled upon one living on the shores near Santa Barbara, California from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/BoGmZwh

Fruit flies can quickly compensate for catastrophic wing injuries, researchers found, maintaining the same stability after losing up to 40% of a wing. This finding could inform the design of versatile robots, which face the similar challenge of having to quickly adapt to mishaps in the field. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/qJrkgK5

A dietary change could be a key to enhancing colon cancer treatment, a new study finds. Researchers found in cells and in mice that a low-protein diet blocked the nutrient signaling pathway that fires up a master regulator of cancer growth. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ocUkF3f

Researchers have developed a method for using remote-controlled, internet-connected microscopes to enable students anywhere in the world to participate in designing and carrying out biology experiments. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/5gFsfCt

Researchers have discovered how plant roots adapt their shape to maximize their uptake of water, pausing branching when they lose contact with water and only resuming once they reconnect with moisture, ensuring they can survive even in the driest conditions. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/mhF9fcL

We don't know exactly how the current megadrought in south-western North America will end, but there are examples to learn from throughout history   from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/P8puUqQ

In a study of more than 330,000 people, five genetic variants and being educated to university level were together linked to short-sightedness from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/tA0JSuW

Animals can adapt quickly to survive adverse environmental conditions. Evidence is mounting to show that plants can, too. An article details how plants are rapidly adapting to the adverse effects of climate change, and how they are passing down these adaptations to their offspring. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/BN5AuFt

Researchers have found that honey improves key measures of cardiometabolic health, including blood sugar and cholesterol levels -- especially if the honey is raw and from a single floral source. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/UWIjTfr

A new study confirms that the planet harbors a 'stabilizing feedback' mechanism that acts over hundreds of thousands of years to keep global temperatures within a steady, habitable range. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/p54W0ZK

With a growing number of people living with pain, we desperately need to understand it – but we are still unravelling the mysterious mechanisms behind the phenomenon from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/gbZTdID

Changing weather patterns have profound impacts on agricultural production around the world. Higher temperatures, severe drought, and other weather events may decrease output in some regions but effects are often volatile and unpredictable. Yet, many countries rely on agricultural and food trade to help alleviate the consequences of local, weather-induced production shifts, a new article suggests. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hbWXmiv

Preserving and restoring natural habitats could prevent pathogens that originate in wildlife from spilling over into domesticated animals and humans, according to two new companion studies. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/jgWfMq0

Two new studies reveal how bacteria infiltrate tumors and could be helping tumors progress and spread and suggest a link between oral health and cancer, as microbes in the mouth are associated with cancers elsewhere in the body. The two articles focus on an oral bacterium called Fusobacterium nucleatum, which has been linked to colorectal cancer. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/J1d8gOL

We knew earthquakes and heavy rain could initiate landslides, but now it seems alterations in atmospheric pressure can do it too if combined with certain conditions on the ground from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/ajCRYcd

While it's anatomically impossible for a human to swallow their tongue, a new study shows that cane toads (Rhinella marina) achieve this feat each time they eat. Cane toads swallow prey using a complex pulley system of cartilage and muscle that travels so far down their throat, it butts up against their heart. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/QF1ACpn

Unlike humans, turtles, lizards and other reptiles -- such as crocodiles -- do not have sex chromosomes. Their sex is determined based on the environment, which makes them especially vulnerable to climate change. An increase in incubation temperatures could jeopardize the production of both sexes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/epigA0B

Airway inflammation and emphysema are more common in marijuana smokers than cigarette smokers, according to a new study. Researchers said the difference may be due to the way that marijuana is smoked and the fact that marijuana smoke enters the lungs unfiltered. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/fDqNME8

The bacteria that cause leprosy have been found to reprogram liver cells in armadillos and make the organ regrow, offering clues that could lead to new treatments from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/kWI7x6H

Leprosy is one of the world's oldest and most persistent diseases but the bacteria that cause it may also have the surprising ability to grow and regenerate a vital organ. Scientists have discovered that parasites associated with leprosy can reprogram cells to increase the size of a liver in adult animals without causing damage, scarring or tumors. The findings suggest the possibility of adapting this natural process to renew aging livers and increase healthspan -- the length of time living disease-free -- in humans. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/pUrAgPK

Bringing together concepts from electrical engineering and bioengineering tools, scientists collaborated to produce cells engineered to compute sophisticated functions -- 'biocomputers' of sorts. Researchers worked to create genetic 'devices' designed to perform computations like artificial neural circuits. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/dSETQuB

The first-ever family tree for aquarium-bred corals provides insights for maximizing genetic diversity and adaptability in corals bred for conservation. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/gRGudOS

A fluorescent protein makes it possible to follow disease progression in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, strokes, and depression. That may lead to better insight into diseases and possible new treatments. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/OKN6nCI

Burning plasma fusion reactions, which have only recently been created, are producing higher-energy particles than researchers expected from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/LXBCWQx

The remains of fish teeth at an archaeological site in Israel appear to have been cooked with controlled heat rather than directly exposed to fire from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/tMj7S3x

The X-37B has returned to Earth after more than two years in orbit, breaking its previous record – what has it been doing in orbit for so long? from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/Yd4LSgi

Healthier plant-based dietary patterns were associated with better environmental health, while less healthy plant-based dietary patterns, which are higher in foods like refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages, required more cropland and fertilizer, according to a new study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/OAynKTt

Advances in attribution science mean we can pin the blame for extreme weather on polluting nations, making the argument for climate reparations impossible to ignore from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/wE8nMpI

A child born in Australia today is expected to live until the age of 84.3, giving the nation the third-highest life expectancy in the world behind Monaco and Japan. The increase is due to its early covid-19 containment and high-performing healthcare system from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/VHgC0ez

The lifespan of bees raised in US laboratories is half what it was in the 1970s, suggesting there may be a genetic reason behind increasing rates of colony collapse from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/CV7lfB2

The number of people on the planet has hit a huge milestone at 8 billion, but fertility rates are falling fast in many countries, which means planning for an older population from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/yR3DeOP

Kevin Esvelt, who created the first artificial gene drive capable of wiping out an entire species, says the threat of a deliberately released virus causing a pandemic is being overlooked from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/4jFJ0oR

Colourful tulips are a great addition to gardens in spring. From planting them at the right time to keeping an eye on water drainage, Clare Wilson has a host of good tips from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/VC8l70d

The James Webb Space Telescope can peer into alien skies like never before. With six potentially habitable planets within its sights, astronomers are entering a new era in the search for biology beyond our solar system from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/yhD6qeg

A new exhibition at the Science Museum isn't so much about science fiction, as it is about involving you in a journey through the cosmos from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/vqJfysj

Accurately moving to a musical beat was thought to be a skill innately unique to humans. However, new research now shows that rats also have this ability. The optimal tempo for nodding along was found to depend on the time constant in the brain (the speed at which our brains can respond to something) which is similar across all species. This means that the ability of our auditory and motor systems to interact and move to music may be more widespread among species than previously thought. This new discovery offers not only further insight into the animal mind, but also into the origins of our own music and dance. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/exYDpsj

US president Joe Biden called on other nations to produce tougher plans to cut carbon emissions at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/ANBpRLH

Archeologists have identified one of the largest known sacred buildings of the Etruscans. The temple's strata offer insights into more than 1000 years of development of one of the most important Etruscan cities. The newly discovered temple is roughly the same size and on a similar alignment as the neighboring Tempio Grande, and was built at roughly the same Archaic time. This duplication of monumental buildings in an Etruscan city is rare, and indicates an exceptional finding. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/AWqPxto

New research has shown climate change could alter lightning patterns across Europe. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/124NLQF

From the pioneering days of IVF to modern gene editing, Siddhartha Mukherjee's ambitious book explores how far we have come in understanding the cell – and how far we still have to go from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/1IDohQl

This year will see a smaller jump in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels compared with 2021, driven partly by the continuing recovery of aviation following covid-19 travel restrictions from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/CNGQO01

Artificial intelligence has helped design an invisibility cloak. The cloak could hide communication devices from detectors that use microwaves or infrared light from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/JcUY7o4

Placing a particle of light in a superposition so that it is travelling both forwards and backwards in time could prove useful for quantum computation from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/tRyzQed

It is possible to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the surrounding atmosphere and repurpose it into useful chemicals usually made from fossil fuels, according to a new study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Jk0lown

To design better rechargeable ion batteries, engineers and chemists have collaborated to combine a powerful new electron microscopy technique and data mining to visually pinpoint areas of chemical and physical alteration within ion batteries. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/eEBakHf

Researchers have unearthed an ivory comb from 1700 BCE inscribed with a plea to eradicate lice. The finding provides direct evidence for the use of the Canaanite alphabet in daily activities some 3700 years ago. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hGpUKec

Total energy consumption decreased 7.5 percent nationwide in 2020 compared with 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns, business closures and employees working from home, according to a new study. The research is the first to quantify the effects of pandemic disruptions on energy consumption trends across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/9rg7QwW

Octopuses appear to deliberately throw debris, sometimes directed at other octopuses, according to a new study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/KFb3eXf

When fields of oilseed rape are exposed to diesel exhaust and/or ozone -- both found in emissions from diesel burning vehicles and industry -- the number of parasitic insects available to control aphids drops significantly, according to research published today. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/rUE02AZ

Nine people with lower body paralysis improved in their ability to walk after receiving electrical stimulation to the spine, with researchers then mapping the neurons that seemed to have promoted this recovery from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/8Cx9Jmo

Pollinators are less likely to land on flowers sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides as they can detect electric field changes around the flower, researchers have found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/nCQgKlW

Deaths from liver disease and diabetes have been higher than expected in England and Wales since the coronavirus pandemic began from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/TmEXN0G

Scientists reveal the homolog of a well-known human protein, Nucleolin, in the tiny, transparent roundworm, C. elegans. Nucleolin is linked to human neurodegenerative disease and cancer. The new research challenges recent theories of the role structures inside the nucleus may play in such disorders -- and surfaces a powerful new tool for studying the function of Nucleolin and how it does contribute to disease. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/EUOdnxa

With the shift to electric cars a cumbersome process, improvements to exhaust gas purification in petrol or diesel cars are crucial in the fight to reduce emissions. A research group has developed a Cerium-Zirconium-based oxide that boosts the purifying qualities of ceramics inside catalytic converters -- a device attached to conventional cars that converts harmful gases to less-toxic pollutants. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Ah0rkjl

Yeast is not the simple single-celled microorganism we once thought, but a competitive killer. When starved of glucose, yeast releases a toxin that will poison other microorganisms that have entered its surrounding habitat, even its own clones. This venomous phenomenon was previously unknown and contributes to our understanding of unicellular microorganism behavior, the evolution of unicellular to multicellular organisms, as well as having potentially useful applications for the food industry. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/K7zLfBl

A new study shows that eating a diet exclusively high in saturated fats can reprogram the mouse immune system, making it better able to fight off infection but more susceptible to systemic inflammatory conditions, including sepsis. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/gnL59mK

Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another, produce the most devastating seismic, volcanic, and landslide hazards on the planet. A new report presents an ambitious plan to make major advances in understanding subduction zone hazards by bringing together a diverse community of scientists in a long-term collaborative effort, deploying new instrumentation in subduction zones, and developing more sophisticated and accurate models. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/EyjH8AW

The earliest morphological traces of life on Earth are often highly controversial, both because non-biological processes can produce relatively similar structures and because such fossils have often been subjected to advanced alteration and metamorphism. Stromatolites, layered organo-sedimentary structures reflecting complex interplays between microbial communities and their environment, have long been considered key macrofossils for life detection in ancient sedimentary rocks; however, the biological origin of ancient stromatolites has frequently been criticized. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/i3lCAqO

Researchers examined how rogue waves form and analyzed the likelihood that a ship would encounter them while navigating the rough waters of intense storms. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/QkbFYXL

Under the threat of climate change, mountain landscapes all over the world have the risk of becoming more hazardous to communities surrounding them, while their accelerated evolution may bring further environmental risks to surrounding areas. Research shows climate change will negatively impact mountain landscapes and human activity -- including increasing risks such as avalanches, river floods, landslides, debris flows and lake outburst floods. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/0TCVIz8

Globally, the coastal lagoons of Lagos (Nigeria), Sakumo (Ghana) and Bizerte (Tunisia) -- close to large urban centers and without waste and sewage treatment systems -- are among the most affected water ecosystems of this nature by microplastic pollution. However, the highest concentrations of microplastics have been detected in Barnes Sound and other small lagoons in a protected area in the north of Florida Bay (USA), a particular case that can be explained by the transport of microplastics carried by hurricanes from polluted areas. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/qyPIJFQ

Break-ups are more common in bird species with longer migrations, probably because partners return home at different times and don’t wait for each other to breed from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/awUOzjX

Woody climbing plants, known as lianas, are more likely to infest smaller trees in Malaysian forests and therefore stop them growing to their full potential, which may have implications for climate change. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/fimzcgw

The Paris Agreement says that we should reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius. But do we have the measurement methods needed to achieve this? This is the question posed by researchers. Their answer is disheartening. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/tGzUura

The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was a revelation, but 100 years later new scientific methods are painting an even richer picture of the ancient Egyptians from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/iwV9bNx

Fecal microbial transplants have been given to alter a recipient's metabolism to reduce obesity or alter immunity to fight cancer, and in those transplants recipients are not given suppressive antibiotics to eliminate the microbial community prior to the transplant. Researchers now report there is a lack of predictability for fecal microbial transplants to change the gut microbial community to correspond to that of the donor when there is no preconditioning to reduce the recipient microbe community. This contrasts with the C. difficile fecal microbial transplants after suppressive antibiotic therapy, where stable long-term colonization of donor strains is seen as long as two years post-transplant. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/bunIHaW

Changing the wording about expiration dates on perishable food items -- which is currently unregulated and widely variable -- could help reduce food waste, according to a new study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/saYzlvw

This is the time of year to spot the Hyades, named for weeping nymphs from Greek mythology because its appearance in the night sky marked the start of the rainy season, says Abigail Beall from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/p2lsu85