How nanoplastics can influence metabolism
PET—the plastic used to make bottles, for example—is ubiquitous in our natural environment. In a joint study, scientists from Leipzig University and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) investigated the negative effects that tiny.....»»
Engineers unmask nanoplastics in oceans, revealing their true shapes and chemistry
Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. The sun's ultraviolet light and ocean turbulence break down these plastics into invisible nanoparticles that threaten marine ecosystems......»»
Inside the Beef Industry’s Campaign to Influence Schoolchildren
Big Beef is wooing science teachers with webinars and lesson plans in an attempt to change students’ perceptions of the industry......»»
What makes ransomware victims less likely to pay up?
There’s a good reason why ransomware gangs started exfiltrating victims’ data instead of just encrypting it: those organizations pay more. University of Twente researcher Tom Meurs and his colleagues wanted to know which factors influence.....»»
Shedding light on grapevine growth: Unraveling the impact of LED light quality on photosynthesis and carbon metabolism
Grapevines, essential for wine and raisins, suffer losses due to poor establishment and decline of newly planted vines. Advances in manipulating nursery light spectra show promise for healthier vines, yet the exact mechanisms are unclear......»»
Study explores how opposing viewpoints may have impacted vaccine hesitancy
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged throughout the country in 2020, politics, memes and public messaging converged to dramatically influence individuals' decisions regarding the in-development COVID vaccines, according to a new article by researchers at t.....»»
Silica may influence microbial communities in hydrothermal fields
In recent years, the hydrothermal alteration of olivine has attracted the attention of geologists, biologists, and chemists. It significantly influences the physical and chemical properties of the oceanic lithosphere, and it plays an important role f.....»»
Access and exclusion: What COP28 revealed about the dynamics of global climate diplomacy
With the host country of this year's COP29 climate conference already forced into an embarrassing course correction over a shocking lack of representation in its organizing committee, the issues of influence, access and exclusion at COP have never be.....»»
The effect of omission bias on vulnerability management
Whether we’d like to admit it to ourselves or not, all humans harbor subconscious biases that powerfully influence our behavior. One of these is the omission bias, which has interesting ramifications in the world of cyber security, specifically vul.....»»
Jujube witches" broom phytoplasmas inhibit ZjBRC1-mediated abscisic acid metabolism to induce shoot proliferation
Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), an important species in the Rhamnaceae family, has been cultivated in China for over 7,000 years and is vulnerable to Jujube witches' broom (JWB) disease. This disease, caused by the JWB plant pathogen, leads t.....»»
Talking tomatoes: How their communication is influenced by enemies and friends
Plants produce a range of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds that influence their interactions with the world around them. In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have investigated how the type and amount.....»»
Centralized social networks potentially hinder agricultural innovation by making decision-making too similar
Social systems where influence is focused around one or a few individuals may create environments where new ideas are ignored, and innovation is hindered......»»
The growing influence of Gen Z in the workforce
Dr. David Drewery is the associate director of the Work-Learn Institute—a research, education and consulting unit at the University of Waterloo that advances work-integrated learning programs for employers and higher education institutions......»»
Study analyzes differences among lone, pair and group terror attackers
Analysis of more than 140 individuals convicted of extremist offenses in England and Wales has revealed how terrorists who act alone, in pairs, or in a group differ in background, social influence and activity......»»
Researchers discover rare phages that attack dormant bacteria
In nature, most bacteria live on the bare minimum. If they experience nutrient deficiency or stress, they shut down their metabolism in a controlled manner and go into a resting state. In this stand-by mode, certain metabolic processes still take pla.....»»
For this beetle, "date night" comes every other day: The 48-hour cycle of the large black chafer beetle
Life on Earth runs on a 24-hour cycle as the planet turns. Animals and plants have built-in circadian clocks that synchronize metabolism and behavior to this daily cycle. But one beetle is out of sync with the rest of nature......»»
Semen microbiome health may impact male fertility
You may have heard about the gut microbiome and its influence on a person's overall health and well-being. It turns out that the same may hold true for the semen microbiome......»»
Translating nuclear waste site data into microbial ecosystem insights
A flagship seven-year study led by the University of Oklahoma that explores how environmental stresses influence different ecological processes shaping the composition and structure of microbial communities in groundwater, has been published in the j.....»»
Study unveils emotional hubs that exist across languages
Emotions exert a profound influence on human behavior, prompting extensive explorations in the realms of psychology and linguistics. Understanding central emotions also has practical utility since it can help organizations create messages that resona.....»»
World"s richest five men double fortune since 2020: Oxfam
The world's wealthiest five men have more than doubled their fortune since 2020, the charity Oxfam said on Monday, as it called on nations to resist the ultra-rich's influence over tax policy......»»
Plastic is everywhere, including in our food and bottled water
Microplastics in our steak and tofu are washed down with nanoplastics from bottled water. Enlarge (credit: RunPhoto via Getty) If we are what we eat, there’s growing evidence to help explain how nanoplastics and microp.....»»