Environmental
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Bacteria Can Produce Gold-Forming Molecules
February 13, 2013 11:01 am | News | Comments
Researchers have discovered that a gold-dwelling bacterium excretes a small molecule capable of forming solid gold.
The Driving Force of Biomimicry
April 22, 2013 11:38 am | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | Comments
It already has its own peer-reviewed journal, its own economic index and its own institute. As...
Bacteria Can Produce Gold-Forming Molecules
February 13, 2013 11:01 am | News | Comments
Researchers have discovered that a gold-dwelling bacterium excretes a small molecule capable of...
Smartphones Become Handheld Biosensors
May 24, 2013 9:43 am | News | CommentsResearchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. Researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone’s built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other molecules.
Scientists Announce Top 10 New Species
May 24, 2013 9:11 am | News | CommentsAn amazing glow-in-the-dark cockroach, a harp-shaped carnivorous sponge and the smallest vertebrate on Earth are just three of the newly discovered top 10 species selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University.
Biochemical Transformations Were Possible on Early Earth
May 20, 2013 10:50 am | News | CommentsThe study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes, the study’s findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began.
Auto Emissions Transform Cholesterol
May 17, 2013 11:44 am | News | CommentsAcademic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries.
Bacteria Photosynthesis Decoded
May 15, 2013 11:30 am | News | CommentsPurple bacteria are among Earth’s oldest organisms, and among its most efficient in turning sunlight into usable chemical energy. Now, a key to their light-harvesting prowess has been explained by scientists through a detailed structural analysis.
Air Pollution a Possible Link to Hardened Arteries
April 25, 2013 10:53 am | News | CommentsLong-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries," according to new research. The study that found that higher concentrations of fine particulate air pollution were linked to a faster thickening of the inner two layers of the common carotid artery.
Bugs Produce Diesel on Demand
April 25, 2013 10:41 am | News | CommentsIt sounds like science fiction but a team from the University of Exeter, with support from Shell, has developed a method to make bacteria produce diesel on demand. While the technology still faces many significant commercialisation challenges, the diesel, produced by special strains of E. coli bacteria, is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel.
Ancient DNA Reveals Europe's Genetic History
April 24, 2013 11:56 am | News | CommentsAncient DNA recovered from a series of skeletons in central Germany up to 7,500 years old has been used to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe. The study reveals a dramatic series of events including major migrations from both Western Europe and Eurasia, and signs of an unexplained genetic turnover about 4000-5000 years ago.
Reproductive Effects of Pesticides Span Generations
April 22, 2013 12:58 pm | News | CommentsResearchers studying aquatic organisms called Daphnia have found that exposure to a chemical pesticide has impacts that span multiple generations– causing the so-called “water fleas” to produce more male offspring, and causing reproductive problems in female offspring.
Scientists Decode DNA of ‘Living Fossil’ Fish
April 17, 2013 2:42 pm | by MALCOLM RITTER - AP Science Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsScientists have decoded the DNA of a celebrated “living fossil” fish, gaining new insights into how today's mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds evolved from a fish ancestor. The African coelacanth is closely related to the fish lineage that started to move toward a major evolutionary transformation, living on land.
Melanoma-prone Fish Get DNA Decoded
April 16, 2013 10:37 am | News | CommentsScientists have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums. Among scientists, the fish are meticulously studied for their tendency to develop melanoma and for other attributes more common to mammals, like courting prospective mates and giving birth to live young.
190M-Year-Old Dino Bones Hold Development Clues
April 10, 2013 11:26 am | by ALICIA CHANG - AP SCIENCE WRITER | News | CommentsRecently discovered dinosaur embryos are giving scientists their best glimpse yet into how the ancient creatures developed. The 190-million-year-old fossils unearthed in China belonged to Lufengosaurus, a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur.
Bedbug-trapping Leaves May Lead to Pest Control
April 10, 2013 10:48 am | News | CommentsInspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects, according to new research. Bedbugs have made a dramatic comeback in the U.S. in recent years, infesting everything from homes and hotels to schools, movie theaters and hospitals.
Symposium Examines Arsenic Contamination in Food, Water
April 10, 2013 9:57 am | News | CommentsAfter virtually eliminating arsenic as a useful tool for homicide, science now faces challenges in doing the same for natural sources of this fabled old “inheritance powder” that contaminates water supplies and food, threatening more than 35 million people worldwide.
Safety Reflectors Reused in Bioterror Detection
April 10, 2013 9:49 am | News | CommentsTiny versions of the reflectors on sneakers and bicycle fenders that help ensure the safety of runners and bikers at night are moving toward another role in detecting bioterrorism threats and diagnosing everyday infectious diseases, scientists said.
The Ethics of Resurrecting Extinct Species
April 5, 2013 10:15 am | News | CommentsAt some point, scientists may be able to bring back extinct animals, and perhaps early humans, raising questions of ethics and environmental disruption.
Toenail Clippings to Measure NJ Chromium Exposure
March 24, 2013 11:08 am | by KATIE ZEZIMA - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe neighborhood looks exceedingly normal: single-family homes and apartment buildings packed together, dogs barking from postage-stamp-size lawns, parents hustling down narrow sidewalks to fetch their children from school. But something with very dangerous potential lies below the surface.
Dilution Effect Linking Biodiversity, Disease Challenged
March 20, 2013 10:10 am | News | CommentsMore than three quarters of new, emerging or re-emerging human diseases are caused by pathogens from animals, according to the World Health Organization. But a widely accepted theory of risk reduction for these pathogens– one of the most important ideas in disease ecology– is likely wrong, according to a new study.
High Cesium Level Found in Fish by Fukushima Plant
March 17, 2013 3:03 am | by MALCOLM FOSTER - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Japanese utility that owns the tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant says it has detected a record 740,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in a fish caught close to the plant. That's 7,400 times the government limit for safe human consumption. The bottom-dwelling fish called a...
‘Zombie Worm’ Development Unveiled
March 13, 2013 9:40 am | News | CommentsHow do bone-eating worms reproduce? A new study sheds light on this question through a detailed observation of the postembryonic development and sexual maturation of Osedax worms, also known as “zombie worms.”
Plant Epigenetics Can Benefit Disease Studies
March 7, 2013 10:06 am | News | CommentsScientists have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases.
Lamprey Genome Considered Evolutionary Bridge
February 25, 2013 11:14 am | News | CommentsWhen it comes to evolution, humans can learn a thing or two from primeval sea lampreys. A team of scientists has presented an assembly of the sea lamprey genome– the first time the entire sequence has been decoded.
Pollution No Factor in Cloud Formation
February 20, 2013 10:29 am | News | CommentsBased on aerial and ground-based measurements of droplet formation from ten different areas of the northern hemisphere, researchers report that organic coatings on particles don’t seem to significantly affect the rate at which droplets form. The researchers studied a wide range of particles, including organic, hydrocarbon-rich particles from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Rural Water Treatment Deemed Inconsistent
February 15, 2013 10:57 am | News | CommentsA new study to determine the effectiveness of rural lagoon systems found that sewage treatment lagoons remove most, but not all, of the pharmaceutical and personal care product and hormone contaminants from wastewater.
Microbial Genes Key to Biofuel Production
February 15, 2013 10:15 am | News | CommentsDigesting lignin, a highly stable polymer that accounts for up to a third of biomass, is a limiting step to producing a variety of biofuels. Researchers have figured out the microscopic chemical switch that allows Streptomyces bacteria to get to work, breaking lignin down into its constituent parts.
