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Eelgrass acid and resveratrol produced by cell factories for the first time
Scientists are now able to produce a wide range of sulfated aromatic compounds such as antifouling eelgrass acid, resveratrol and vanillic acid derivatives using microbial production hosts. This pioneering work could lead to new environmentally friendly anti-fouling paint for ships, as well as improved and sustainable nutraceuticals and medicine. «The perspectives are far-reaching since sulfation…
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New tool to help farmers make crop input decisions
A new tool allows farmers to create a budget balance sheet of any nitrogen reduction plans and see the economic and environmental cost, return and margins, all customized to fields under their management. A new tool developed by a University of Minnesota research team allows farmers to create a budget balance sheet of any nitrogen…
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Alaska infrastructure at risk of earlier failure
Roads, bridges, pipelines and other types of infrastructure in Alaska and elsewhere in the Arctic will deteriorate faster than expected due to a failure by planners to account for the structures’ impact on adjacent permafrost, according to new research. The researchers say planners must account for the sideward repercussions of their projects in addition to…
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Scientists can now edit multiple genome fragments at a time
Scientists have developed CHyMErA, a new CRISPR-based tool for more versatile genome editing applications to help shed light on how multiple genes cooperate in health and disease. CRISPR-based DNA editing has revolutionized the study of the human genome by allowing precise deletion of any human gene to glean insights into its function. But one feature…
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Winter is coming: Researchers uncover the surprising cause of the little ice age
New research provides a novel answer to one of the persistent questions in historical climatology, environmental history and the earth sciences: what caused the Little Ice Age? The answer, we now know, is a paradox: warming. The Little Ice Age was one of the coldest periods of the past 10,000 years, a period of cooling…
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Impacts of sunscreen on coral reefs needs urgent attention
More research is needed on the environmental impact of sunscreen on the world’s coral reefs. The concerns over the number of cases of cancer as a result of overexposure to UV solar radiation, has led to extensive production and use of skin protection products. The chemical compounds used in these products, however, can enter the…
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What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA
Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently. The…
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Capturing a true picture of wolves in Yellowstone: Reevaluating aspen recovery
Previous studies evaluated aspen recovery in Yellowstone by measuring the five tallest young aspen within a stand, but sampling only the tallest young aspen estimated a rate of recovery that was significantly faster than was estimated by random sampling of all young aspen within the stand. The Yellowstone story is a textbook example ofa trophic…
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Microbes known as protists are understudied, but their impact on ecosystems could be huge
Among the large cast of microbiome players, bacteria have been hogging the spotlight. But the single-celled organisms known as protists are finally getting the starring role they deserve. A group of scientists who study the interactions between plants and microbes have released a new study detailing the dynamic relationships between soil-dwelling protists and developing plants,…
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Pink pumice key to revealing explosive power of underwater volcanic eruptions
The presence of pink pumice in the giant pumice raft of the 2012 Havre that drifted across the southwest Pacific Ocean has led researchers to recognize the immense power of underwater volcanic eruptions. The publication of the new research comes after the recent dramatic explosion of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga, about…