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New marker for insecticide resistance in malaria-carrying mosquitoes
Researchers have genetically modified malaria carrying mosquitoes in order to demonstrate the role of particular genes in conferring insecticide resistance. For the first time the team characterised three genes (Cyp6m2, Cyp6p3 and Gste2) most often associated with insecticide resistance directly by their overproduction in genetically modified Anopheles gambiae. LSTM’s Dr Gareth Lycett is senior author…
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Coastal grape growers can use less water during drought
California grape growers in coastal areas can use less water during times of drought and cut irrigation levels without affecting crop yields or quality, according to a new study. The findings, published today (Sept. 1) in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, show that vineyards can use 50% of the irrigation water normally used by…
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Ten millennia of hepatitis B virus evolution described
Researchers uncover the evolution of the hepatitis B virus since the Early Holocene by analyzing the largest dataset of ancient viral genomes produced to date. HBV and the peopling of the Americas Present-day HBV strains are classified into nine genotypes, two of which are found predominantly in populations of Native American ancestry. The study provides…
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Microbiologists clarify relationship between microbial diversity and soil carbon storage
In what they believe is the first study of its kind, researchers report that shifts in the diversity of soil microbial communities can change the soil’s ability to sequester carbon, where it usually helps to regulate climate. They also found that the positive effect of diversity on carbon use efficiency — which plays a central…
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Carbon dioxide could be stored below ocean floor, research shows
Scientists are searching for new technologies that could help the world reach carbon neutrality. One potential solution is to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions in the form of hydrates under ocean floor sediments, kept in place by the natural pressure created by the weight of the seawater above. Now researchers have demonstrated experimental evidence…
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2020 tied for warmest year on record, NASA analysis shows
Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Continuing the planet’s long-term warming trend, the year’s globally averaged temperature was 1.84 degrees Fahrenheit (1.02 degrees Celsius) warmer than the baseline 1951-1980 mean, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space…
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N-type conductive tin sulfide thin films: Towards environmentally friendly solar cells
Abundant, safe, and environmentally friendly, tin sulfide is predicted to be used in next generation solar cell panels. Now, a research group has used impurity doping to fabricate n-type conductive tin sulfide thin films, paving the way for their use in solar cells. A research group led by Issei Suzuki and Sakiko Kawanishi, assistant professors…
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Behavior resembling human ADHD seen in dogs
A study involving some 11,000 dogs demonstrated that the gender, age and breed of the dog, as well as any behavioral problems and certain environmental factors, are connected to hyperactive and impulsive behavior and inattention (ADHD). «Dogs share many similarities with humans, including physiological traits and the same environment. In addition, ADHD-like behaviour naturally occurs…
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Birds learn to avoid plants that host dangerous insects
Scientists have discovered that birds know to avoid the plants where toxic animals dwell. To do this, the scientists exposed artificial cinnabar caterpillars, characterised by bright yellow and black stripes, and non-signalling fake caterpillar targets to wild avian predation by presenting them on ragwort and a non-toxic plant — bramble, which is not a natural…
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Unusual earthquakes highlight central Utah volcanoes
Earthquakes in the Black Rock Desert are rare and capturing the seismic recordings from these earthquakes provides a glimpse into the volcanic system of the Black Rock Desert that, while not showing any signs of erupting, is still active. A pair of earthquake sequences, in September 2018 and April 2019, focused scientists’ attention on the…