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Iodine in desert dust destroys ozone
When winds loft fine desert dust high into the atmosphere, iodine in that dust can trigger chemical reactions that destroy some air pollution, but also let greenhouse gases stick around longer. The finding may force researchers to re-evaluate how particles from land can impact the chemistry of the atmosphere. «Iodine, the same chemical added as…
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Living in a microbial world: The healthy oral microbiome contributes to jaw bone health by influencing immune cell interactions with bone cells
Researchers have shown that commensal microbes in the mouth, in contrast to commensal microbes colonizing other body surfaces, e.g., the gut or skin, modulate immune responses in the jaw bone that promote bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone loss. In a preclinical model, depleting healthy commensal microbes in the mouth, using an antiseptic oral rinse, was shown…
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Fecal implants drive behavioral and cognitive changes in Alzheimers model
New research in mice for the first time draws a definitive causal connection between changes in the gut microbiome to behavioral and cognitive changes in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published today in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, suggests new avenues involving the use of probiotics to treat and potentially forestall…
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Planetary boundaries: Interactions in Earth system amplify human impacts
Transgressing one planetary boundary can amplify human impacts on another one. For the first time, an international team of scientists now quantified some of the planetary-scale interactions in the Earth system. These biophysical interactions have in fact almost doubled direct human impacts on the nine planetary boundaries, from climate change to freshwater use. This insight…
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Impact of wild meat consumption on greenhouse gas emissions
Consuming sustainably sourced wild meat instead of domesticated livestock reduces greenhouse gas emissions and retains precious tropical forest systems, which in turn mitigates the effects of climate change. That’s according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Brazil’s Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, published today in the journal Scientific…
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Wild blue wonder: X-ray beam explores food color protein
A natural food colorant called phycocyanin provides a fun, vivid blue in soft drinks, but it is unstable on grocery shelves. A synchrotron is helping to steady it. A fun food colorant with a scientific name — phycocyanin — provides a vivid blue pigment that food companies crave, but it can be unstable when placed…
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Astronauts demonstrate CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in space
Researchers have developed and successfully demonstrated a novel method for studying how cells repair damaged DNA in space. Damage to an organism’s DNA can occur during normal biological processes or as a result of environmental causes, such as UV light. In humans and other animals, damaged DNA can lead to cancer. Fortunately, cells have several…
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How land birds cross the open ocean
Migrating birds choose routes with the best wind and uplift conditions, helping them to fly nonstop for hundreds of kilometers over the sea. Flying over the open sea can be dangerous for land birds. Unlike seabirds, land birds are not able to rest or feed on water, and so sea crossings must be conducted as…
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Asteroid impact, not volcanoes, made the Earth uninhabitable for dinosaurs
Modelling of the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago shows it created a world largely unsuitable for dinosaurs to live in. The asteroid, which struck the Earth off the coast of Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous era 66 million years ago, has long been believed to be the cause of the demise…
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New study shows electric fields can improve the efficiency of wastewater purification
A new technological advancement uses an electric field to achieve efficient and low-cost ammonia removal from wastewater. Ammonia is one of many pollutants present in wastewater and can be toxic for marine and terrestrial life. Therefore, in a process called air stripping, it is removed from wastewater and later used as a fertilizer or fuel.…