Bitter substances spoil the appetite of oak moth caterpillars
Trees have a huge arsenal of ways to keep the pests that attack them under control. In the course of evolution, for example, some English oaks (Quercus robur) have developed the ability to release volatile signaling substances when attacked by oak mo.....»»
Mechanisms to separately regulate synaptic vesicle release and recycling
Chemical synapses transmit information within the nervous system. When a presynaptic cell is electrically excited, synaptic vesicles fuse with the presynaptic membrane causing messenger substances within the vesicles to be released into the synaptic.....»»
New alpine moth solves a 180-year-old mystery
Butterflies and moths (order Lepidoptera) are one of the most diverse animal groups. To date, scientists have found as many as 5,000 species from the Alps alone. Having been a place of intensive research interest for 250 years, it is considered quite.....»»
Project Air View maps ultrafine particles, soot and other substances in Amsterdam air
Over the past two years, the municipality of Amsterdam, Utrecht University and Google have collaborated on Project Air View, in which the Amsterdam air quality was measured by two Street View cars with special measuring equipment. These maps have now.....»»
EPA Approved Toxic Chemicals For Fracking a Decade Ago, New Files Show
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: For much of the past decade, oil companies engaged in drilling and fracking have been allowed to pump into the ground chemicals that, over time, can break down into toxic substances known a.....»»
Eka Ventures closes $95M Impact VC fund for sustainable consumption, healthcare and society
It’s clear that there is an enormous and growing appetite amongst consumers to switch to products and services which address some of the biggest issues of our era, whether it be climate change or problems with society. So we’ve seen the rise of e.....»»
Crystal clear: Lepidopterans have many ways of being transparent
Butterflies and moths have beautiful wings: The bright flare of an orange monarch, the vivid stripes of a swallowtail, the luminous green of a Luna moth. But some butterflies flutter on even more dramatic wings: Parts of their wing, or sometimes the.....»»
Bug experts seeking new name for destructive gypsy moths
Bug experts are dropping the common name of a destructive insect because it's considered an ethnic slur: the gypsy moth......»»
The single vendor requirement ultimately doomed the DoD’s $10B JEDI cloud contract
When the Pentagon killed the JEDI cloud program yesterday, it was the end of a long and bitter road for a project that never seemed to have a chance. The question is why it didn’t work out in the end, and ultimately I think you can blame the Do.....»»
Unraveling the mechanisms that create the individualized metabolism in leukemia
Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), an enzyme involved in gene expression, produces individualized metabolism depending on the type of acute myeloid leukemia cells. Cancer cells have a unique ability to metabolize substances differently from normal.....»»
More filling? Tastes great? How flies, and maybe people, choose their food
Flies have discriminating taste. Like a gourmet perusing a menu, they spend much of their time seeking sweet nutritious calories and avoiding bitter, potentially toxic food. But what happens in their brains when they make these food choices? Research.....»»
More filling? Tastes great? How flies, and maybe people, choose their food
Flies have discriminating taste. Like a gourmet perusing a menu, they spend much of their time seeking sweet nutritious calories and avoiding bitter, potentially toxic food. But what happens in their brains when they make these food choices?.....»»
A novel strategy for natural product biosynthesis
Microorganisms produce natural products, for example, as disease-causing virulence factors or as defense substances against predators and competitors. A team led by Dr. Robin Teufel and first author Ying Duan from the Institute of Biology II at the F.....»»
Tourism, wind-transported metal pollution threaten drinking water around Everest
Increased local tourism and toxic substances transported to glaciers from distant locales can contribute to high concentrations of human-sourced metal pollution in snow and streams around Mount Everest that is likely degrading the quality of water us.....»»
Why an invasive caterpillar is munching its way through tree leaves, in the largest outbreak in decades
The past several weeks have seen a voracious moth caterpillar eat its way through tree leaves across southern Ontario and Québec, and from Michigan to Vermont......»»
"Plugging in" to produce environmentally friendly bioplastics
Bioplastics—biodegradable plastics made from biological substances rather than petroleum—can be created in a more economical and environmentally friendly way from the byproducts of corn stubble, grasses and mesquite agricultural production, accor.....»»
Eawag test with fish cells replaces animal experiments
A large number of chemicals are used in everyday products, in agriculture or in industry. At some point, many of these end up in the environment. In order for these substances to be authorized for the market, manufacturers must be able to prove in ad.....»»
Worrying insights into the chemicals in plastics
Plastic is practical, cheap and incredibly popular. Every year, more than 350 million tons are produced worldwide. These plastics contain a huge variety of chemicals that may be released during their lifecycles—including substances that pose a sign.....»»
New Picard S2 teaser taunts us with return of Q, time shenanigans
Second season doesn't debut until 2022, but this whets our appetite. Patrick Stewart returns as Jean-Luc Picard in the second season of Picard, coming to Paramount+ in 2022. We aren't getting a second season of Picard until next year due.....»»
Stoneflies: Youth influences adulthood
In the majority of insects, metamorphosis fosters completely different-looking larval and adult stages. For example, adult butterflies are completely different from their larval counterparts, termed caterpillars. This "decoupling" of life stages is t.....»»
Molecular breeding can make better bitter olives
Olives, well-known for their characteristic bitter taste, are in high demand owing to the popularity of the oil they produce. The health benefits of olive oil are well known, ranging from antiviral, anti-cancer, to even anti-hypertensive effects. The.....»»