ScienceDaily: Environment - May 03, 2025
Top environment research news
Antivenom neutralizes the neurotoxins of 19 of the world's deadliest snakes
By using antibodies from a human donor with a self-induced hyper-immunity to snake venom, scientists have developed the most broadly effective antivenom to date, which is protective against the likes of the black mamba, king cobra, and tiger snakes in mouse trials. The antivenom combines protective antibodies and a small molecule inhibitor and opens a path toward a universal antiserum.
Electricity-generating bacteria may power future innovations
A team has discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural process that pushes electrons into their surroundings instead of breathing on oxygen. The findings could enable new developments in clean energy and industrial biotechnology.
A digestive 'treasure chest' shows promise for targeted drug treatment in the gut
A new approach to drug design can deliver medicine directly to the gut in mice at significantly lower doses than current inflammatory bowel disease treatments. The proof-of-concept study introduced a mechanism called 'GlycoCaging' that releases medicine exclusively to the lower gut at doses up to 10 times lower than current therapies.
Study shows how millions of bird sightings unlock precision conservation
A groundbreaking study reveals that North American bird populations are declining most severely in areas where they should be thriving. Researchers analyzed 36 million bird observations shared by birdwatchers to the Cornell Lab's eBird program alongside multiple environmental variables derived from high-resolution satellite imagery for 495 bird species across North America from 2007 to 2021.
Oceans are heating faster in two bands stretching around globe
The world's oceans are heating faster in two bands stretching around the globe, one in the southern hemisphere and one in the north, according to climate scientists.
Lava flow jigsaw puzzle reveals the secrets of shifting continents
Analysing lava flows that solidified and then broke apart over a massive crack in the Earth's crust in Turkey has brought new insights into how continents move over time, improving our understanding of earthquake risks.
Why did some ancient animals fossilize while others vanished?
Why do some ancient animals become fossils while others disappear without a trace? A new study reveals that part of the answer lies in the body itself. The research shows that an animal's size and chemical makeup can play an important role in determining whether it's preserved for millions of years -- or lost to time.
Rhythmically trained sea lion returns for an encore -- and performs as well as humans
Animal research on biomusicality, which looks at whether different species are capable of behaving in ways that show they recognize aspects of music, including rhythm and beat, remains a tantalizing field at the intersection of biology and psychology. Now, the highly trained California sea lion who achieved global fame for her ability to bob her head to a beat is finally back: starring in a new study that shows her rhythm is just as precise -- if not better -- than humans.
Ptero firma: Footprints pinpoint when ancient flying reptiles conquered the ground
A new study links fossilized flying reptile tracks to animals that made them. Fossilized footprints reveal a 160-million-year-old invasion as pterosaurs came down from the trees and onto the ground. Tracks of giant ground-stalkers, comb-jawed coastal waders, and specialized shell crushers, shed light on how pterosaurs lived, moved, and evolved.
Seasonal changes affect alcohol tolerance and your waistline
Researchers have found that drug effectiveness, alcohol tolerance, and carbohydrate metabolism change with the seasons. Their findings are based on a comprehensive seasonal gene expression map, which investigated over 54,000 genes in 80 tissues in monkeys across one year. The study has implications for drug prescription and precision medicine.
Zoo life boosts object exploration in orangutans
A new study comparing wild and zoo-housed Sumatran orangutans reveals that life in a zoo significantly alters how orangutans interact with their environment. Researchers analyzed over 12,000 instances of daily exploratory object manipulation (EOM) -- the active manipulation and visual inspection of objects associated with learning and problem-solving -- across 51 orangutans aged 0.5 to 76 years. The findings show that orangutans living in zoos engage in more frequent, more diverse, and more complex exploration than their wild counterparts.
The well-known salmon life cycle has long been described as going only one way at a time. Juvenile salmon hatch and swim down rivers to the ocean, where they grow and mature before returning to the same river to spawn the next generation. Turns out that many young salmon do things differently.
Geobiology: Iron, sulfur, heat -- and first life
The very first cells obtained their energy from geochemical reactions. Researchers have now managed to recreate this ancient metabolic process in their laboratory.
Protein sources change the gut microbiome -- some drastically
Protein sources appear to have major effects on both the population and function of the mouse gut microbiome.
New study unlocks how root cells sense and adapt to soil
Scientists have discovered, for the first time how root cells respond to their complex soil environment revealing that roots actively sense their microenvironment and mount precise, cell-specific molecular responses. The findings could help the development crops that are resistant to climate stress.
Landmark experiment sheds new light on the origins of consciousness
An experiment seven years in the making has uncovered new insights into the nature of consciousness and challenges two prominent, competing scientific theories: Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT). The findings mark a pivotal moment in the goal to understand the elusive origins consciousness.
In two decades increasing urban vegetation could have saved over 1.1 million lives
Increasing urban vegetation by 30% could save over one-third of all heat related deaths, saving up to 1.16 million lives globally from 2000 to 2019 according to a 20-year modelling study of the impact of increasing greenness in more than 11,000 urban areas.
One of Earth's ancient volcanic mysteries solved
A new study traces a 120-million-year-old 'super-eruption' to its source, offering new insights into Earth's complex geological history.
Novel rat model paves the way to advance COPD-associated cor pulmonale research
Researchers have developed a novel rat model that closely replicates the pathological features and physiological changes associated with human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-associated cor pulmonale. This model exhibits key characteristics, including chronic lung inflammation, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular hypertrophy. The new study details the potential for the model to unravel the complex interactions between lung and heart pathology and improve patient outcomes.
Restoring oil wells back to nature with moss
In what could represent a milestone in ecological restoration, researchers have implemented a method capable of restoring peatlands at tens of thousands of oil and gas exploration sites in Western Canada. The project involves lowering the surface of these decommissioned sites, known as well pads, and transplanting native moss onto them to effectively recreate peatlands. This is the first time researchers have applied the method to scale on an entire well pad. The study found that the technique results in sufficient water for the growth of peatland moss across large portions of the study site.
Bacterial villain behind Lake Erie's 'potent toxin' unveiled
In the warm summertime waters of Lake Erie, cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, can proliferate out of control, creating algal blooms that produce toxins at a rate that can harm wildlife and human health.
Rare earth element extraction bolstered by new research
A more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to extracting rare earth elements that power everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones could increase domestic supply and decrease reliance on costly imports.
'Scratching' more than the ocean's surface to map global microplastic movement
An international team of scientists has moved beyond just 'scratching the surface,' to understand how microplastics move through and impact the global ocean. For the first time, scientists have mapped microplastic distribution from the surface to the deep sea at a global scale -- revealing not only where plastics accumulate, but how they infiltrate critical ocean systems. Researchers synthesized depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to map microplastic distribution patterns by size and polymer type, while also evaluating potential transport mechanisms.
In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the Monterey Peninsula in California, where this study was conducted. The orange and purple stars have a hungry appetite for mussels in the rocky intertidal. Without the voracious sea stars lurking around, mussel populations exploded, expanding in cover from around five percent to more than 18 percent within three years. In the wake of the sea star die-off, mussels became a major prey surplus for sea otters, revealing a surprising link between the adjacent rocky intertidal and kelp forest ecosystems. The new research into the phenomenon shows how the loss of a keystone predator (Pisaster) in one ecosystem can impart changes to another (sea otters), linking ecosystems.
Machine learning brings new insights to cell's role in addiction, relapse
Researchers have applied object recognition technology to track changes in brain cell structure and provide new insights into how the brain responds to heroin use, withdrawal and relapse.
New mouse brain atlas will accelerate studies of neurological disorders
A new 3D 'atlas' of the mouse brain promises to sharpen scientists' ability to measure brain changes and share findings across studies of diseases like Alzheimer's. The mouse brain atlas combines microscopic detail from multiple imaging techniques into a living, distortion-free map--offering a powerful new tool for research and discovery.
Hiding in plain sight: Researchers uncover the prevalence of 'curiosity' virus
A type of virus thought to be a 'mere curiosity' is plentiful in one common bacteria, and possibly others, a research team has found. The discovery improves understanding of how viruses work and could mean this particular virus is also common in other types of bacteria.
Giant croclike carnivore fossils found in the Caribbean
Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound -- that's a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in length, they dominated South American landscapes after the extinction of dinosaurs until about 11 million years ago. Or at least, that's what paleontologists thought. A new study shows the Caribbean Islands were a refuge for the last sebecid populations at least 5 million years after they went extinct everywhere else.
Palatable versus poisonous: Eavesdropping bats must learn to identify which prey is safe to eat
Scientists found that the fringe-lipped bat, known to eavesdrop on frog and toad mating calls to find its prey, learns to distinguish between palatable and unpalatable frogs and toads through experience. The findings provide the first evidence that eavesdropping predators fine-tune their hunting cues over the course of their development.
Will the vegetables of the future be fortified using tiny needles?
Researchers have shown they can inexpensively nanomanufacture silk microneedles to precisely fortify crops, monitor plant health, and detect soil toxins.
Missed school is an overlooked consequence of tropical cyclones, warming planet
New research finds that tropical cyclones reduce years of schooling for children in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in areas unaccustomed to frequent storms. Girls are disproportionately affected.
A new study turns long-held conventional wisdom about a certain type of polymer on its head, greatly expanding understanding of how some of biochemistry's fundamental forces work. The study opens the door for new biomedical research running the gamut from analyzing and identifying proteins and carbohydrates to drug delivery.
Researchers have developed silk iron microparticles (SIMPs) -- magnetic, biodegradable carriers designed to deliver therapies directly to disease sites like aneurysms or tumors. The particles are created by chemically bonding iron oxide nanoparticles to regenerated silk fibroin using glutathione, enhancing their magnetic responsiveness while maintaining biocompatibility. These nanoscale carriers, roughly one-hundred-thousandth the width of a human hair, can potentially be guided externally to precise locations in the body. The platform enables localized delivery of therapeutic agents such as extracellular vesicles, regenerative factors, or drugs, offering a minimally invasive approach to treating conditions like abdominal aortic aneurysms and expanding the potential for targeted therapies in regenerative medicine.
A scientific method for flawless cacio e pepe
Researchers have developed a foolproof recipe for cacio e pepe, based on their findings studying the physics of mixing cheese in water and determining the mechanism that causes the cheese sauce to go from creamy to clumpy. The team found that a 2%-3% starch-to-cheese ratio produced the smoothest, most uniform sauce; they recommend using powdered starch, rather than relying on an unknown amount of starch in pasta water.
Greasing the wheels of the energy transition to address climate change and fossil fuels phase out
The global energy system may be faced with an inescapable trade-off between urgently addressing climate change versus avoiding an energy shortfall, according to a new energy scenario tool.
Heart disease deaths worldwide linked to chemical widely used in plastics
Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows. While the chemicals, called phthalates, are in widespread use globally, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific bore a much larger share of the death toll than others -- about three-fourths of the total.
Rainfall triggers extreme humid heat in tropics and subtropics
Scientists believe they have found a way to improve warning systems for vulnerable communities threatened by humid heatwaves, which are on the rise due to climate change and can be damaging and even fatal to human health. The study analysed how patterns of recent rainfall can interact with dry or moist land conditions to influence the risk of extreme humid heat in the global tropics and subtropics.
Concerning chemicals from the wear of climbing shoes cause trouble in indoor halls
Those who climb indoors are doing something for their health. But climbing shoes contain chemicals of concern that can enter the lungs of climbers through the abrasion of the soles. In a recent study, researchers have shown that high concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals from climbing shoe soles can be found in the air of bouldering gyms, in some cases higher than on a busy street.
Dangerous synthetic opioids and animal sedatives found in wastewater
Scientists have developed a highly sensitive method to detect illegal opioids and a veterinary sedative in Australia's wastewater system, providing a vital early warning tool to public health authorities.
Hospital-based outbreak detection system saves lives
An infectious diseases detection platform demonstrated over a two-year trial that it stops outbreaks, saves lives and cuts costs, making the case for development of a national early outbreak detection database.
Global study links consumption of ultraprocessed foods to preventable premature deaths
A study analyzing data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and United States) shows that premature deaths attributable to consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) increase significantly according to their share in individuals' total energy intake. The new study reinforces the call for global action to reduce UPF consumption, supported by regulatory and fiscal policies that foster healthier environments.
It is now possible to obtain three-dimensional, high-resolution images of enzyme activity in tissue samples or whole organs -- thanks to probe molecules that anchor fluorescent dyes within tissue as they are activated by enzymes. The organ being mapped is made transparent by a clearing process. This allowed for visualization of differences in aminopeptidase N activity and the effects of inhibitors in mouse kidneys.
Scientists suggest social spiders are more about going with the flow than sticking to a role, after new research challenges the idea of fixed personalities.
Elephant instead of wild boar? What could have been in Europe
Even under today's climatic conditions, the long-extinct straight-tusked elephant could still live in Europe. This is the conclusion of a recent study. For this finding, the research group combined fossil finds with reconstructions of past climates.
Cell colonies under pressure: How growth can prevent motion
The interaction between growth and the active migration of cells plays a crucial role in the spatial mixing of growing cell colonies. This connection will lay the groundwork for new approaches to understanding the dynamics of bacterial colonies and tumors.
Family first: Scientists reveal long-tailed tits' remarkable family bonds
Forget fleeting friendships the social secrets of the long-tailed tit has revealed an extraordinary level of family commitment even during migratory journeys. Birds that babysit: scientists reveal long-tailed tits' remarkable family bonds.
Geoengineering technique could cool planet using existing aircraft
A technique to cool the planet, in which particles are added to the atmosphere to reflect sunlight, would not require developing special aircraft but could be achieved using existing large planes, according to a new modelling study.
'Wood you believe it?' Engineers fortify wood with eco-friendly nano-iron
With more than 181.5 billion tons of wood produced globally each year, a new method could revolutionize how we build sustainably. By infusing red oak with ferrihydrite using a simple, low-cost process, researchers strengthened the wood at the cellular level without adding weight or altering flexibility -- offering a durable, eco-friendly alternative to steel and concrete. The treated wood retains its natural behavior but gains internal durability -- paving the way for greener alternatives in construction, furniture and flooring.
Climate change increases the risk of simultaneous wildfires
Climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires in many regions of the world. This is due partly to specific weather conditions -- known as fire weather -- that facilitate the spread of wildfires. Researchers have found that fire weather seasons are increasingly overlapping between eastern Australia and western North America. The research team examined the causes of this shift and its implications for cross-border cooperation between fire services in Canada, the US, and Australia.
Extreme rainfall: A long-standing hypothesis on temperature dependence finally settled?
Flash floods resulting from extreme rainfall pose a major risk to people and infrastructure, especially in urban areas. Higher temperatures due to global climate change affect continuous rainfall and short rain showers in somewhat equal measure. However, if both types of precipitation occur at the same time, as is typical for thunderstorm cloud clusters, the amount of precipitation increases more strongly with increasing temperature, as shown in a recent study.
Bacteria's mysterious viruses can fan flames of antibiotic damage
Scientists built a model that allows them to diminish phage communities from a mouse gut microbiome -- and then bring them back -- without affecting the bacteria. On a test run of their model, researchers found evidence that phages may increase gut bacteria's sensitivity to antibiotics.
Influenza virus hacks cell's internal system
The influenza virus manipulates the body's gene regulation system to accelerate its own spread. A new study also shows that an already approved drug could help strengthen immune defenses -- though its effect in humans remains to be confirmed.
Researchers have developed a new catalyst design capable of pushing the projected fuel cell catalyst lifespans to 200,000 hours. The research marks a significant step toward the widespread adoption of fuel cell technology in heavy-duty vehicles, such as long-haul tractor trailers. While platinum-alloy catalysts have historically delivered superior chemical reactions, the alloying elements leach out over time, diminishing catalytic performance. The degradation is further accelerated by the demanding voltage cycles required to power heavy-duty vehicles. To address this challenge, the team has engineered a durable catalyst architecture with a novel design that shields platinum from the degradation typically observed in alloy systems.
Updated equestrian helmet ratings system adds racing and high-speed events
Falling off a horse at high-speed changes the impact to the rider's head and the parameters for a quality helmet, according to new research. The findings indicate that head impacts during falls at high speed generate unique head rotation, which in turn, directly affects helmet behavior.
Want to understand grasslands? Look at the bigger picture
New research asks how local and regional factors determine the makeup of plant species in grasslands. Researchers from a restoration ecology lab are attempting to solve a longstanding question in community ecology: how do regional and local factors jointly determine biodiversity?
How math helps to protect crops from invasive disease
New research demonstrates how mathematical modeling can predict outbreaks of toxic fungi in Texas corn crops -- offering a potential lifeline to farmers facing billions in harvest losses.
Study using simulations highlights power of pooled data in environmental health research
Conflicting findings in environmental epidemiology have long stalled consensus on the health effects of toxic chemicals. A new study suggests that one major reason for these inconsistencies may be the limited exposure ranges in individual studies -- leading to underpowered results and unclear conclusions.
New blackberry varieties could provide a boon for farmers looking to rebound after the decline of Florida citrus and who see an opportunity to meet the growing demand for blackberries, which have soared in popularity in recent years.
New research on bird behavior suggests that evolution may repeat itself
The study found that bird species who nest in tree cavities have independently evolved heightened aggression across lineages, particularly in females.
Anatomy of a 'zombie' volcano: Investigating the cause of unrest inside Uturuncu
Scientists have collaborated to analyze the inner workings of Bolivia's 'zombie' volcano, Uturuncu. By combining seismology, physics models and analysis of rock composition, researchers identify the causes of Uturuncu's unrest, alleviating fears of an imminent eruption.
Poor mice. Now they’ll get autism.