ENVIRO AONE

The most comprehensive study of the family tree for legumes, the plant family that includes beans, soybeans, peanuts, and many other economically important crop plants, reveals a history of whole-genome duplications. A paper describing the study, led by Penn State Professor of Biology Hong Ma, appears in the May 2021 issue of the journal Molecular…

With a bit of ‘metal whispering,’ engineers have developed technology capable of recovering pure and precious metals from the alloys in our old phones and other electrical waste. All it takes is the controlled application of oxygen and relatively low levels of heat. Using controlled applications of oxygen and relatively low temperatures, the engineers say…

Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos Islands are once again providing insights into the theory of evolution, with two studies investigating their dealings with the parasitic avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi). One study investigated which species of finch proved to be the most successful hosts for the flies, while a second study looked at how the…

A simple mechanism could underlie the growth and self-replication of protocells — putative ancestors of modern living cells — suggests a new study. Protocells are vesicles bounded by a membrane bilayer and are potentially similar to the first unicellular common ancestor (FUCA). On the basis of relatively simple mathematical principles, the proposed model suggests that…

Researchers from the SponGES project collected year-round video footage and hydrodynamic data from the mysterious world of a deep-sea sponge ground in the Arctic. Colourful, thriving communities ‘The deep sea, in most places, is barren and flat’, says marine geologist Furu Mienis. ‘And then, suddenly, we have these sponge grounds that form colourful, thriving communities.…

Scientists have created a reusable, biodegradable sponge that can readily soak up oil and other organic solvents from contaminated water sources, making it a promising alternative for tackling marine oil spills. Made of sunflower pollen, the sponge is hydrophobic thanks to its coat of natural fatty acid. In lab experiments, the scientists showed the sponge’s…

International tourism can facilitate the dispersal of exotic species. A new analysis of data from tourism accommodations and exotic organism detections in New Zealand shows that levels of detection significantly correlated to international and domestic tourist movement, even with population levels taken into account. There was no detectable difference between the risk from international and…

Mosquitoes spread viruses that cause potentially deadly diseases such as Zika, dengue fever and yellow fever. New research uses gene editing to render certain male mosquitoes infertile and slow the spread of these diseases. Researchers at the Army’s Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and the University of California Santa Barbara used a gene editing tool known…