Microplastic fibers linked to respiratory, reproductive changes in fish
Chronic exposure to microplastic fibers causes aneurysms, erosion of surface layers and other serious damage to fish gills, and increases egg production in female fish, a sign that chemicals in the fibers may be acting as endocrine disruptors, a new study by U.S. and Chinese scientists finds.
Aversion to risk by R&D managers may hurt US economic prospects
While concerns loom over an impending recession caused by the spread of COVID-19, policymakers and business leaders have implemented radical strategies, such as slashing interest rates to invigorate the U.S.'s weakened economy. Research and Development (R&D) has long been key in the nation's economic prospects and according to new research from the University of California San Diego, the country's...
Sensory danger zones: How sensory pollution impacts animal survival
A new paper including research from a Utah State University scientist provides a framework for understanding how light and noise pollution affects wildlife. The framework is the product of an effort among worldwide experts in ecology and physiology and reveals the presence of "sensory danger zones," or areas where sensory pollutants influences animal activity. The study is published in the journal...
Soft corals near Virgin Islands recover from hurricanes, but stony corals declining
Soft corals at three sites in the U.S. Virgin Islands were able to recover from the destructive effects of nearly back-to-back Category 5 storms in 2017, but the story of these apparently hardy communities of colorful marine life is part of a larger, rapidly shifting narrative surrounding the future of coral reefs, according to a new study led by a University at Buffalo marine ecologist.
Predicting the impacts of white-nose syndrome in bats
Since 2005, millions of bats have perished from white-nose syndrome, a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Although the disease has been found throughout much of the world, severe population declines have only occurred in North America—and now researchers at Virginia Tech know why.
Giant clam shells: Unprecedented natural archives for paleoweather
Paleoclimate research offers an overview of Earth's climate change over the past 65 million years or longer and helps to improve our understanding of the Earth's climate systems.
Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life
Rutgers researchers have discovered the origins of the protein structures responsible for metabolism: simple molecules that powered early life on Earth and serve as chemical signals that NASA could use to search for life on other planets.
Even a limited India-Pakistan nuclear war would bring global famine, says study
The concept of nuclear winter—a years-long planetary freeze brought on by airborne soot generated by nuclear bombs—has been around for decades. But such speculations have been based largely on back-of-the-envelope calculations involving a total war between Russia and the United States. Now, a new multinational study incorporating the latest models of global climate, crop production and trade...
New low-cost approach detects building deformations with extreme precision in real time
A new camera-based method for measuring building deformations can detect small displacements from 10 meters away. The method could be useful for continuously detecting fast deformations in high-rise buildings, bridges and other large structures with the aim of adapting these structures to external forces.
Restore soil to absorb billions of tonnes of carbon: study
Restoring and protecting the world's soil could absorb more than five billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year—roughly what the US emits annually—new research showed Monday.
The mission to build a reusable launcher for Europe
The race is on to develop a European reusable rocket that can ensure Europe's autonomous and cost-effective access to space while increasing the sustainability of launches.
New kind of CRISPR technology to target RNA, including RNA viruses like coronavirus
CRISPR-based genetic screens have helped scientists identify genes that are key players in sickle-cell anemia, cancer immunotherapy, lung cancer metastasis, and many other diseases. However, these genetic screens are limited in scope: They can only edit or target DNA. For many regions of the human genome, targeting DNA may not be effective, and other organisms, such as RNA viruses like coronavirus...
Pangolin sales plunge in Gabon over coronavirus fears
Pangolins were once a prized item in the markets of Gabon's capital Libreville, but bushmeat sellers have started hiding the small, scaly mammals behind boar legs and porcupine carcasses.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Enzyme targeted by TB antibiotic later stops the drug destroying it
Crick and Imperial researchers have found that a key antibiotic widely used to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis does not work as expected—a finding which could be used to develop new drugs. The study was part-funded by the Francis Crick Institute and the Wellcome Trust.
Amplification and imaging of microRNA as a biomarker to detect tumor development
A good indicator of dysregulation in live cells is a change in their RNA expression. MicroRNA (miRNA), a special type of RNA, is considered a biomarker for carcinogenic cells. A team of scientists from China has found a way to amplify miRNA in live tumor cells for bioimaging. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, their assay is based on a robust cellular autocatalytic biocircuit...
NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Herold's eye
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Southern Indian Ocean and captured an image of a well-developed Tropical Cyclone Herold at hurricane strength, east of Madagascar.
Unraveling the puzzle of Madagascar's forest cats
In her 30 years working as a researcher in Madagascar, CU Boulder Anthropology Professor Michelle Sauther has had a number of chance encounters with a strange forest creature: a wild, oversized cat with a characteristic tabby-like coloring.
Research team presents novel transmitter for terahertz waves
Terahertz waves are becoming ever more important in science and technology. They enable us to unravel the properties of future materials, test the quality of automotive paint and screen envelopes. But generating these waves is still a challenge. A team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TU Dresden and the University of Konstanz has now made significant progress. The researchers have...
NASA finds Gretel becoming extra-tropical
NASA's Terra satellite passed over the Southern Pacific Ocean and captured an image of Tropical Storm Gretel as it was transitioning into an extra-tropical cyclone, northwest of New Zealand.
Biophysicists blend incompatible components into one nanofiber
Russian researchers from the Federal Research Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and Lomonosov Moscow State University showed the possibility of blending two incompatible components—a protein and a polymer—in one electrospun fiber. Published in RSC Advances, the study also demonstrates that the resulting mat can gradually release the...
Bargain-hunting for biodiversity
The best bargains for conserving some of the world's most vulnerable salamanders and other vertebrate species can be found in Central Texas and the Appalachians, according to new conservation tools developed at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
If you're poor, poverty is an environmental issue
In 2017, when interviewers asked Latino community members in San Antonio, Texas, about their top environmental concerns, the answers took researchers by surprise.
Selective killing of cancer cells by cluttering their waste disposal system
A team of researchers from the Center for Soft and Living Matter, within the Institute of Basic Science (IBS, South Korea) and affiliated with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has discovered a novel approach to selectively target and kill several types of cancer cells.
Scientists optimize prime editing for rice and wheat
Many genetic and breeding studies have shown that point mutations and indels (insertions and deletions) can alter elite traits in crop plants. Although nuclease-initiated homology-directed repair (HDR) can generate such changes, it is limited by its low efficiency. Base editors are robust tools for creating base transitions, but not transversions, insertions or deletions. Thus, there is a pressing...
Scientists discover pulsating remains of a star in an eclipsing double star system
Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered a pulsating ancient star in a double star system, which will allow them to access important information on the history of how stars like our Sun evolve and eventually die.