ScienceDaily: Environment - April 12, 2025
Top environment research news
Stronger coffee with fewer coffee beans
Researchers have worked to optimize the use of coffee grounds in pour-over coffee. They recommend pouring from as high as possible while still maintaining the water's flow. In particular, the group found the thick water jets typical of standard gooseneck kettles are ideal for achieving this necessary height and laminar flow. Displaced grounds recirculate as the water digs deeper into the coffee bed, allowing for better mixing between the water and the grounds, and thus, results in a stronger coffee with fewer beans.
Drug pollution alters salmon migration
Study reveals commonly detected environmental levels of clobazam -- a medication often prescribed for sleep disorders -- increased the river-to-sea migration success of juvenile salmon in the wild. The research team employed slow-release pharmaceutical implants and animal-tracking transmitters to monitor how exposure to clobazam and the opioid painkiller tramadol -- another common pharmaceutical pollutant -- affected the behaviour and migration of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Sweden's River Dal as they migrated to the Baltic Sea.
Ancient tools from a South African cave reveal connections between prehistoric people
In a cave overlooking the ocean on the southern coast of South Africa, archaeologists discovered thousands of stone tools, created by ancient humans roughly 20,000 years ago. By examining tiny details in the chipped edges of the blades and stones, archaeologists are able to tell how the tools were made -- which revealed that people were sharing crafting techniques over wide distances.
Certain nasal bacteria may boost the risk for COVID-19 infection, study finds
A new study has found that certain bacteria living in the nose may influence how likely someone is to get a COVID-19 infection. The research reveals that certain types of nasal bacteria can affect the levels of key proteins the virus needs to enter human cells, offering new insight into why some people are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others.
Eight or more drinks per week linked to signs of injury in the brain
Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and thinking problems, according to a new study.
How much food can the world grow? International team calls for new yield potential estimates
Agronomists question statistical methods used to predict yield potential and 'yield gaps' for major crops. In some cases, yield potential is overestimated, while in others it can be underestimated. It's important to have accurate information so that worldwide agriculture can meet the food demands of the growing global population.
Sink or Swim: The fate of sinking tectonic plates depends on their ancient tectonic histories
New findings provide a greater understanding of plate subduction, or how tectonic plates slide beneath one another. This recycling of surface materials and volatile elements deep into the Earth's interior, can impact long-term climate stability, atmospheric balance, and the habitability of our planet over billions of years.
Prehistoric rhinos lived in super-herds
Rhinos that flourished across much of North America 12 million years ago gathered in huge herds, according to a new study.
Multi-virus wastewater surveillance shows promise at smaller, site-specific scales
In a new study, wastewater surveillance for multiple pathogens at five different sites identified local trends that were not captured in larger surveillance programs, and some sites used the data to inform efforts to prevent disease spread.
A new smartphone-sized device can test for tuberculosis: Here's why that matters for children
This handheld device is the first that can detect tuberculosis in saliva, in addition to blood and sputum samples, an important breakthrough for testing children and HIV patients, who struggle to produce sputum. The device was found to deliver rapid, accurate results in under an hour, offering a cost-effective and accessible solution for diagnosing TB in resource-limited areas.
Do 'optimistic' versus 'pessimistic' medical detection dogs perform differently?
A new, exploratory study has revealed statistical links between the performance of medical detection dogs and their scores on behavioral and affective tests, finding that more 'optimistic' dogs tended to perform better overall on detection tasks, but 'pessimistic' dogs had higher scent detection specificity.
Reduced movement of starlings with parasite infections has a negative impact on their offspring
Infections with parasites often entail no recognizable signs in many wildlife species, but can have still negative effects across generations. Infected animals often have a slightly reduced body size and their offspring have a harder start in life. A team of scientists has now shown that the impaired reproductive success is connected to altered movement behavior: Infected starlings have a smaller action radius, which limits their access to high-quality foraging habitats.
Scientists discover that fruit fly larvae can sense electric fields
While it may be an unfamiliar sensation to humans, electroreception is relatively commonplace in the animal kingdom. Sharks, bees and even the platypus all share this ability to detect electric fields in their environment.
Wildfire recovery: What victims say they need most
Wildfire victims have a range of needs, including mental health support and information about wildfire smoke, according to a new study.
Decarbonization improves energy security for most countries
Researchers analyzed trade-related risks to energy security across 1,092 scenarios for cutting carbon emissions by 2060. They found that swapping out dependence on imported fossil fuels for increased dependence on critical minerals for clean energy would improve security for most nations -- including the U.S., if it cultivates new trade partners.
Nanoplastics in soil: how soil type and pH influence mobility
Nanoplastics are an increasing threat to the ecosystem; however, their mobility in the soil is still underexplored. Against this backdrop, researchers investigated the adsorption and aggregation behavior of nanoplastics in different types of soil under different pH conditions. The study offers new perspectives on the migration and environmental interactions of nanoplastics, while broadening our knowledge of pollution dynamics and soil contamination processes.
Starch-based microplastics could cause health risks in mice
Wear and tear on plastic products releases small to nearly invisible plastic particles, which could impact people's health when consumed or inhaled. To make these particles biodegradable, researchers created plastics from plant starch instead of petroleum. An initial study shows how animals consuming particles from this alternative material developed health problems such as liver damage and gut microbiome imbalances.
A step toward cleaner iron extraction using electricity
Iron and its alloys, such as steel and cast iron, dominate the modern world, and there's growing demand for iron-derived products. Traditionally, blast furnaces transform iron ore into purified elemental metal, but the process requires a lot of energy and emits air pollution. Now, researchers report that they've developed a cleaner method to extract iron from a synthetic iron ore using electrochemistry, which they say could become cost-competitive with blast furnaces.
With new database researchers may be able to predict rare milky seas bioluminescent, glowing event
Milky seas are a rare bioluminescent phenomenon where vast areas of the ocean glow at night, sometimes for months. This glow, likely caused by Vibrio harveyi bacteria, has been reported by sailors for centuries but remains poorly understood due to its rarity and remote locations, mainly in the Indian Ocean. Researchers have compiled a 400-year database of sightings, using historical records and satellite data, revealing that milky seas are linked to climatic patterns like the Indian Ocean Dipole and El Nino.
Man's best friend may be nature's worst enemy, study on pet dogs suggests
New research into the overlooked environmental impact of pet dogs has found far-reaching negative effects on wildlife, ecosystems and climate.
Mediterranean hunter gatherers navigated long-distance sea journeys well before the first farmers
Evidence shows that hunter-gatherers were crossing at least 100 kilometers (km) of open water to reach the Mediterranean island of Malta 8,500 years ago, a thousand years before the arrival of the first farmers.
From bacterial immunity to plant sex
Could it be that one of only three known markers directly targeting the DNA does not exist outside the realm of microbes? Now, researchers have demonstrated that this marker -- N4-methylcytosine (4mC) -- is essential for sperm development and maturation in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a key organism in plant evolution.
Mammoth genetic diversity throughout the last million years
A new genomic study has uncovered long-lost genetic diversity in mammoth lineages spanning over a million years, providing new insights into the evolutionary history of these animals.
8 million years of 'Green Arabia'
A new study reveals the modern arid desert between Africa and Saudi Arabia was once regularly lush and green with rivers and lakes over a period of 8 million years, allowing for the occupation and movements of both animals and hominins.
Serendipitous discovery could lead to more efficient catalysts
Preparing catalysts by sending hot, steamy car exhaust over them could improve their efficiency and reduce the amount of rare and expensive metals required in vehicle catalytic converters and many other emission control and industrial processes.
Engineering smart delivery for gene editors
A research team has developed an advanced delivery system that transports gene-editing tools based on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into living cells with significantly greater efficiency than before. Their technology, ENVLPE, uses engineered non-infectious virus-like particles to precisely correct defective genes -- demonstrated successfully in living mouse models that are blind due to a mutation. This system also holds promise for advancing cancer therapy by enabling precise genetic manipulation of engineered immune cells making them more universally compatible and thus more accessible for a larger group of cancer patients.
Six ape genomes sequenced telomere-to-telomere
Comprehensive reference genomes have now been assembled for six ape species: siamang (a Southeast Asian gibbon), Sumatran orangutan, Bornean orangutan, gorilla, bonobo and chimpanzee. Areas of their genomes previously inaccessible because of structural complexity have now mostly been resolved. The resource is already lending itself to comparative studies that offer new insights into human and ape evolution, and into what underlies the functional differences among these species.
Ancient fossil sheds big light on evolution mystery: Solving a 100-year arthropod mystery
Researchers formally describe Helmetia expansa, offering new insights into its anatomy, behavior and evolutionary relationships.
Life recovered rapidly at site of dino-killing asteroid: A hydrothermal system may have helped
About 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the planet, wiping out all non-avian dinosaurs and about 70% of all marine species. But the crater it left behind in the Gulf of Mexico was a literal hotbed for life enriching the overlying ocean for at least 700,000 years, according to new research.
New research finds fluorescence in feathers of long-eared owls
Researchers report their discovery of fluorescent pigments in the feathers of Long-eared Owls, that can only be seen by humans with the help of ultraviolet light.
What's on the menu for Ryukyu's minute mammals?
Japan's Ryukyu Islands, which includes Okinawa, are the exclusive home to two rare mammals, the Amami rabbit and Ryukyu long-furred rat. These animals are hard to observe, but conservationists wish to find out specific details about their diets. So researchers inspected the teeth from deceased specimens to find out what the animals were eating, and at different times. Their findings show the rabbits have consistent diets, whereas the rats' change with the seasons.
Nasal spray H5N1 avian influenza vaccine developed
Scientists have pioneered an influenza virus vector-based nasal spray vaccine platform and developed a nasal spray H5N1 avian influenza vaccine. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, this platform enabled the rapid development of a nasal spray vaccine in collaboration with mainland China's Wantai BioPharm. After completing Phase 1-3 clinical trials, it was approved in 2022 as the world's first nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine.
Universal spatiotemporal scaling laws governing daily population flow in cities revealed
While the daily ebb and flow of people across a city might seem chaotic, new research reveals underlying universal patterns. A study unveils fundamental spatiotemporal scaling laws that govern these population dynamics.
Declining insect biodiversity in the tropics
Ecologists are investigating the decline of insect populations in the world's tropical forests. Insects, the most abundant and diverse group of animals on Earth, are experiencing alarming declines, prompting this research effort.
Lactic acid bacteria can improve plant-based dairy alternatives
A new study maps how specific lactic acid bacteria can enhance both the flavor and nutritional quality of plant-based dairy alternatives. The findings may have wide-reaching perspectives for the further development of sustainable foods.
Eating only during the daytime could protect people from heart risks of shift work
Numerous studies have shown that working the night shift is associated with serious health risks, including to the heart. However, a new study suggests that eating only during the daytime could help people avoid the health risks associated with shift work.
In Guatemala, painted altar found at Tikal adds new context to mysterious Maya history
Just steps from the center of Tikal, a 2,400-year-old Maya city in the heart of modern-day Guatemala, a global team of researchers has unearthed a buried altar that could unlock the secrets of a mysterious time of upheaval in the ancient world. The altar, built around the late 300s A.D., is decorated with four painted panels of red, black and yellow depicting a person wearing a feathered headdress and flanked by shields or regalia. The face has almond-shaped eyes, a nose bar and a double earspool. It closely resembles other depictions of a deity dubbed the 'Storm God' in central Mexico.
Viral 'backbone' underlies variation in rotavirus vaccine effectiveness
Researchers have shown that differences in the entire rotavirus genome -- not just its two surface proteins -- affect how well vaccines work, helping to explain why some strains are more likely to infect vaccinated individuals.
Long-term health impacts of flooding revealed
A comprehensive study of the long-term health impacts of flooding -- via analysis of over 300 million hospitalizations records in eight countries prone to flooding events -- has found an increased risk of 26 per cent of all diseases serious enough to require hospitalization. This impact on the health of communities lasts up to seven months post event.
Role of social workers in addressing marginalized communities bearing brunt of climate disasters
A researcher spent a year living in a jjokbang-chon, an extremely impoverished neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. While there, he calculated residents' carbon footprints, finding they contribute much less to climate change than their fellow citizens, and detailed how they suffer the effects of extreme heat and other climate issues. He advocates for social work to take a role in addressing such climate injustice in a way that does not remove already limited resources from such populations.
Researchers discover natural compound may slow ALS and dementia
A new study shows a compound found in certain fruits and vegetables could hold key to treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Smoke from US wildfires, prescribed burns caused premature deaths, billions in health damages
Researchers estimated that smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns caused $200 billion in health damages in 2017, and that these were associated with 20,000 premature deaths. Senior citizens were harmed the most, and Native American and Black communities experienced the greatest damages per capita.
Dinosaurs' apparent decline prior to asteroid may be due to poor fossil record
The idea that dinosaurs were already in decline before an asteroid wiped most of them out 66 million years ago may be explained by a worsening fossil record from that time rather than a genuine dwindling of dinosaur species, suggests a new study.
Rain barrel basics: Conserving water but not mosquito habitats
Researchers surveyed residential rain barrels to determine how often mosquitoes took up residence in rain barrels and what preventative measures would most effectively keep mosquitoes out. Taking these preventative measures will reduce potential health risks and ensure that rain barrels remain a safe, effective, and environmentally sustainable tool for managing stormwater runoff.
Termite stowaways: Study reveals boats as perfect vessels for global termite spread
A study reveals that termites are not simply spreading through natural processes, suggesting humans may be helping them 'conquer the world' by unknowingly transporting them aboard private boats.
Researchers discover why plastic sheds dangerous fragments
The world is littered with trillions of micro- and nanoscopic pieces of plastic. These can be smaller than a virus -- just the right size to disrupt cells and even alter DNA. Researchers find them almost everywhere they've looked, from Antarctic snow to human blood. In a new study, scientists have delineated the molecular process that causes these small pieces to break off in such large quantities.
Saturn's moon Titan could harbor life, but only a tiny amount, study finds
Despite its uniquely rich inventory of organic molecules, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, may be able to support only a minuscule amount of biomass, if life exists on the moon, according to a study using bioenergetic modeling.
One-third of Australia's coastal terrestrial aquaculture at risk from sea level rise by 2100
New research has highlighted more than 43% of Queensland, Australia's current productive aquaculture sites are expected to be impacted by sea level rise. Of the projected inundation caused by sea level rise, it is estimated 98 per cent of prawn sites and 50 per cent of prawn production would be impacted.
The lush past of the world's largest desert
The vast desert of the Arabian Peninsula was not always an arid landscape. A recent study reveals that this region was once home to a vast lake and river system. These favorable conditions fostered grasslands and savannahs, enabling human migration -- until drought returned, forcing populations to move. This research highlights the impact of climate cycles on landscapes and human societies.
The new season of The Last of Us has a spore-ting chance at realism
The Last of Us is back on April 13 and this season is more realistic than ever. The trailer for the hit HBO series appears to show the 'zombie fungus' cordyceps infecting humans by releasing air-borne spores, instead of through tentacles -- closer to scientific reality. And it's not the only thing the show gets right.
Researchers discover way to predict treatment success for parasitic skin disease
Findings from a new study could help doctors select more effective treatments earlier for patients suffering from leishmaniasis, a disfiguring skin infection.
Climate and health litigation mounting in Australia as exposure to heatwaves grows
Australia has experienced a 37 per cent rise in dangerous heat exposure over the past two decades, while becoming the world's second-highest hotspot for climate litigation, a new report reveals.
Exposure to air pollution may harm brain health of older adults
Long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution may harm the brain health of older adults in England, finds a new study.
An antiviral chewing gum to reduce influenza and herpes simplex virus transmission
Low vaccination rates for influenza viruses and the lack of an HSV vaccine underscore the need for a new approach to reduce viral transmission. Researchers have now used a clinical-grade antiviral chewing gum to substantially reduce viral loads of two herpes simplex viruses and two influenza A strains in experimental models.
Researchers reveal why young plants may be more vulnerable to disease
A new study reveals an evolutionary trade-off that young plants face to develop disease resistance.
Best methods for growing Atlantic sea scallops
A new study compares two scallop farming methods, ear-hanging and lantern net culture, over a complete grow-out cycle to determine which approach yields the best results for commercial growers. The study found that scallops grown with ear-hanging culture had slightly larger shell heights, about 1-4% greater than those in lantern nets. More significantly, ear-hanging scallops had up to 12% more adductor muscle weight. Researchers also found that ear-hanging scallops grew more quickly in optimal conditions, which are between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, but were more affected by colder winter temperatures than those in lantern nets.
Oxygen is running low in inland waters, and humans are to blame
Rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs aren't just scenic parts of our landscape -- they're also vital engines for life on Earth. These inland waters 'breathe' oxygen, just like we do. But a new study shows that we've been suffocating them during the last century, an era also known as the Anthropocene. The research reveals that the way oxygen is produced and used in inland waters has dramatically changed since 1900. The culprit? Human activities.
A cohort study was conducted in Spain to compare the health and environmental benefits of the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) and the Mediterranean Diet. Compared to participants with low adherence, higher adherence to both diets was similarly associated with lower all-cause mortality and with comparable low environmental impact. This study highlights the advantages of the plant-based diets, with wider adoption of healthy and sustainable diets needed to prevent excess premature deaths worldwide.
How cells repair their power plants
Damage to the mitochondria, the 'power plants' of the cells, contributes to many diseases. Researchers now describe how cells with defective mitochondria activate a special recycling system to eliminate damaged genetic material.
Novel genomic screening tool enables precision reverse-engineering of genetic programming in cells
Collaborative research defines a novel approach to understanding how certain proteins called transcription factors determine which genetic programs will drive cell growth and maturation. The method, called 'Perturb-multiome,' uses CRISPR to knock out the function of individual transcription factors across many blood cells at once. The researchers then perform single-cell analyses on each cell to measure the effects of the editing, including identifying which genes have been turned on or off and which genes are accessible (based on epigenetic markers).
Or just stir the brew after adding the coffee. 🤓