How a better understanding of mercury transformation can make ecosystems safer
A new study at Umeå University provides insight into how mercury transforms into its more toxic form, methylmercury, with the help of small sulfur-containing substances known as thiols......»»
Polystyrene microplastics shown to enhance invasion of exotic submerged macrophytes
Submerged macrophyte invasions and microplastic pollution are major challenges in the context of global change and pose a serious threat to aquatic environments. The presence of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems alters plant function, sediment micr.....»»
Invasive species sound off about impending ecosystem changes
Anticipating changes to ecosystems is often at best an educated guess, but what if there was a way to better tune into possible changes occurring?.....»»
Researcher studies worst western US megadrought in 1,200 years
Drylands in the western United States are currently in the grips of a 23-year "megadrought," and one West Virginia University researcher is working to gain a better understanding of this extreme climate event......»»
Billions of public Discord messages may be sold through a scraping service
Cross-server tracking suggests a new understanding of "public" chat servers. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) It's easy to get the impression that Discord chat messages are ephemeral, especially across different public ser.....»»
Rewilding amphibians: Protecting endangered species to restore ecosystems
In a recent paper published in Biological Conservation, iDiv researchers suggest that given amphibians' ability to act as "canaries in the coal mine" for aquatic environments, they should be reintroduced or rewilded. Rewilding would not only help pro.....»»
Maize cultivation 300 years ago resulted in karst rock desertification, suggest researchers
Understanding regional vegetation dynamics and historical changes in rocky desertification is crucial for assessing the sustainability and potential of afforestation in karst regions......»»
Understanding climate warming impacts on carbon release from the tundra
The warming climate shifts the dynamics of tundra environments and makes them release trapped carbon, according to a new study published in Nature. These changes could transform tundras from carbon sinks into carbon sources, exacerbating the effects.....»»
Light pollution affects coastal ecosystems, too—this underwater "canary" is warning of the impacts
In the early 20th century, canaries were used as early warning systems in coal mines to alert miners to rising levels of carbon monoxide......»»
Mobileye set to ship at least 46 million new assisted driving chips
Israeli automotive tech company Mobileye said on Wednesday it had secured orders to ship 46 million of its EyeQ6 Lite assisted-driving chips over the next few years as automakers race to makes cars safer and easier to drive. .....»»
Researchers uncover human DNA repair by nuclear metamorphosis
Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging......»»
Understanding next-level cyber threats
In this Help Net Security video, Trevor Hilligoss, VP of SpyCloud Labs, discusses the 2024 SpyCloud Identity Exposure Report, an annual report examining the latest trends in cybercrime and its impact. Researchers recaptured nearly 1.38 billion passwo.....»»
Huge database gives insight into salmon patterns at sea
A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their different temperature tolerances. The study is published i.....»»
Chennai growth maps blueprint for rural-urban areas in Global South
The ongoing growth of a major Indian city has helped experts to create a new way of understanding how urban sprawl happens, providing potential to improve people's lives across the Global South through better urban planning......»»
Researchers shine light on rapid changes in Arctic and boreal ecosystems
Arctic and boreal latitudes are warming faster than any other region on Earth. In three new studies, Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine report how the ecosystems in these regions are changing......»»
The history of the young cold traps of the asteroid Ceres
Ceres, the largest asteroid in our solar system, harbors a dark secret: extremely young ice deposits in permanently shadowed craters near its poles. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's because our moon and planet Mercury also have such polar ice de.....»»
Why figuring out how potassium is destroyed in stars is important to understanding the universe
If you want to know where elements come from, look to the stars. Almost every element heavier than helium is formed through nuclear reactions in stars. But which stellar processes are responsible for these elements? Can we find patterns in how much o.....»»
New time-resolved ultraviolet photodissociation mass spectrometry strategy for target protein stability analysis
How mutations impact protein stability and structure dynamics is crucial for understanding the molecular mechanism of the disease and the targeted drug design. However, probing the molecular details of mutation-induced subtle structure dynamics is st.....»»
A machine learning-based approach to discover nanocomposite films for biodegradable plastic alternatives
The accumulation of plastic waste in natural environments is of utmost concern, as it is contributing to the destruction of ecosystems and is causing harm to aquatic life. In recent years, material scientists have thus been trying to identify all-nat.....»»
Study uncovers the role of soil microbes in forest ecosystems
Assessing the function of forest ecosystems requires a deep understanding of the mechanisms of soil nitrogen mineralization. A study conducted by a team of researchers has shed light on how soil N-cycling genes drive soil nitrogen mineralization duri.....»»
Decoding the language of cells: Profiling the proteins behind cellular organelle communication
In cellular biology, unraveling the complexities of cellular function at the molecular level remains a paramount endeavor. Significant scientific focus has been placed on understanding the interactions at organelle contact sites, especially between m.....»»