149 articles from TUESDAY 11.4.2023

From waste to wonder: Unlocking nature's biochemical recycling secrets

A new perspective published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology uncovers a previously unknown biochemical recycling process in animals. The authors review a flurry of recent papers demonstrating that animals extensively recycle biochemical waste to produce novel chemicals that play key roles in biology, from regulating behavior to development and aging.

Study finds only one type of consumer dictates price

It's commonly assumed that the supply-and-demand economics of the consumer marketplace dictates price. If you are one of few retailers that sells a product consumers want, you can charge more. If supplies of that product are more scarce, prices will likely be higher. On the flip side, if supplies are plentiful for a product that is in less demand, prices for that product are likely to be lower.

Cancer-causing chemicals detected in toys and headphones

Cancer-causing chlorinated paraffins are still used in a wide range of everyday products sold in North America, despite their known health harm and being banned in Canada for a decade, according to a new study in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. The researchers detected short-chain chlorinated paraffins in more than 85% of products tested, including headphones, plastic toys, clothing,...

Exploring catalytic methane removal to mitigate its environmental effect

A new review published in Science China Chemistry has summarized recent progresses in the oxidation of methane via both thermocatalysis and photocatalysis through the lens of environmental remediation. The review was led by Prof. Junwang Tang, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London; and Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University.

World's biggest cumulative logjam, newly mapped in the Arctic, stores 3.4 million tons of carbon

Throughout the Arctic, fallen trees make their way from forests to the ocean by way of rivers. Those logs can stack up as the river twists and turns, resulting in long-term carbon storage. A new study has mapped the largest known woody deposit, covering 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) of the Mackenzie River Delta in Nunavut, Canada, and calculated that the logs store about 3.4 million tons...

In Miami, a modern clash over a 2000-year-old archaeological site

MIAMI— For nearly 2 years, bustling teams of archaeologists—totaling more than 120 researchers on some days—have excavated a sprawling waterfront lot here in one of this seaside city’s toniest neighborhoods. The diggers have uncovered ancient human remains and some 1 million artifacts that are providing rare insight into a major Native American settlement, known as...

Some states want to give you a constitutional right to a clean environment

New Mexico's budget relies heavily on oil and gas revenue, but the state also bears the scars of generations of mining and drilling. So when Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, a former law professor and current Democratic state senator, heard about the movement to add "green amendments" to state constitutions, it seemed a promising tool to address climate change and other environmental pressures in New...

Pollution monitoring through precise detection of gold nanoparticles in woodlice

Researchers introduce a novel imaging method to detect gold nanoparticles in woodlice. Their method, known as four-wave mixing microscopy, flashes light that the gold nanoparticles absorb. The light flashes again and the subsequent scattering reveals the nanoparticles' locations. With information about the quantity, location, and impact of gold nanoparticles within the organism, scientists can...

Stopping storms from creating dangerous urban geysers

Researchers develop a computational model of stormwater piping to study storm geysers. They used this model to understand why storm geysers form, what conditions tend to make them worse, and what city planners can do to prevent them from occurring. The authors say the best cure for a storm geyser is bigger pipes; however, that advice is little help to cities with existing pipeline infrastructure....

Composition of joint lubricant potential culprit behind osteoarthritis

The exact mechanism of cartilage breakdown in osteoarthritis is unknown, but damage from mechanical stress with insufficient self-repair is believed to be the main culprit. The composition of synovial fluid, or joint lubricant, changes significantly: The concentration and molecular weight of hyaluronic acid tends to decrease. Researchers explore the disease-driven breakdown of hyaluronan and the...