Acid sensor discovered in plants
(University of W ü rzburg) If plants are flooded, they lack oxygen and their cells over-acidify. A sensor protein detects this and triggers a stress response. Researchers have now presented details about this topic in the journal Current Biology. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
NYU Abu Dhabi researchers unlock secrets behind liver regrowth and regenerative medicine
(New York University) NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) researchers uncovered a code that sets the genome of the liver to account for the remarkable ability for this organ to regenerate. This finding offers new insight into how the specific genes that promote regeneration can be activated when part of the liver is removed. These findings have the potential to inform the development of a new form of regenerative medicine that could help non-regenerative organs regrow in mice and humans. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Work like a dream: new anticholinergic drug keeps PTSD flashbacks and nightmares away
(Cactus Communications) Many people who undergo trauma take a long time to truly heal from the post-traumatic stress disorder, which manifests as flashbacks and nightmares to the traumatic incident. Medical researchers have been trying different therapeutic approaches to reduce these manifestations. A group of Japanese medical researchers report that trihexyphenidyl, a central anticholinergic drug, might just be the answer, in their new study published in Brain and Behavior. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
From eyebrow beans to 'lost' rice: community seedbanks are protecting China's crops
(The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture) Despite being relatively new in China, community-led seedbanks are a valuable resource in conserving agricultural biodiversity. For the first time, researchers have provided a comprehensive summary of the services performed by 27 seedbanks across the country (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
What to do with food waste? Well, that depends
(DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The expected decline in the number of landfills across the United States coupled with bans on disposing large amounts of organic waste in landfills that have been enacted in multiple states has prompted researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to examine other ways to grapple with the issue of food waste disposal. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Novel coronavirus infects and replicates in salivary gland cells
(Funda ç ã o de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de S ã o Paulo) A study conducted at the University of S ã o Paulo suggests that tissues specializing in saliva production and secretion serve as reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2, magnifying its infectious potential. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Research enhances understanding of switchgrass, an important bioenergy crop
(American Phytopathological Society) Switchgrass, a native prairie species, is championed as a promising bioenergy crop due to its ability to grow across many climates. It is also known to associate with beneficial microbes. To better understand the relationship between switchgrass and soil microbes, researchers at Michigan State University and Washington State University examined soil microbial communities and root traits among 12 switchgrass cultivars that had been planted in the same plot over nine years. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Eight new studies to investigate COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada
(University of Ottawa) Eight new research projects are getting underway in Canada to investigate COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs). These research projects span from investigating the social factors that may protect Indigenous peoples - or increase their vulnerability to - COVID-19 and VOCs, to the creation of a Canadian Wastewater Surveillance Database. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Scientists warn on the harmful implications of losing Indigenous and local knowledge systems
(Simon Fraser University) Five Simon Fraser University scholars are among international scientists sounding an alarm over the " pervasive social and ecological consequences " of the destruction and suppression of the knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 6, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Ancient diamonds show Earth was primed for life's explosion at least 2.7 billion years ago
(Goldschmidt Conference) A unique study of ancient diamonds has shown that the basic chemical composition of the Earth's atmosphere which makes it suitable for life's explosion of diversity was laid down at least 2.7 billion years ago. This shows that one of the basic conditions necessary to support life, the presence of life-giving elements in sufficient quantity, appeared soon after Earth formed, and has remained fairly constant ever since. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 5, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
How can 'shark dandruff' contribute to coral reef conservation?
(Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) Microscopic scales covering a shark's body--dermal denticles--from fossil and modern reefs show how shark communities have changed since humans arrived on the scene. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 5, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Fossil shark scales provide a glimpse of reef predator populations before human impact
(University of California - Santa Barbara) Scientists recently made news by using fossil shark scales to reconstruct shark communities from millions of years ago. At the same time, an international team of researchers led by UC Santa Barbara ecologist Erin Dillon applied the technique to the more recent past. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 5, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Seabird colony creates 'halo' of depleted fish stocks
(University of Exeter) A vast seabird colony on Ascension Island creates a " halo " in which fewer fish live, new research shows. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 5, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Hunting and hidden deaths led to 30% reduction in WI wolf population
(University of Wisconsin-Madison) About 100 additional wolves died over the winter in Wisconsin as a result of the delisting of grey wolves under the Endangered Species Act, alongside the 218 wolves killed by licensed hunters during Wisconsin's first public wolf hunt, according to new research. A majority of these additional, uncounted deaths are due to cryptic poaching, where poachers hide evidence of illegal killings. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 5, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
More filling? Tastes great? How flies, and maybe people, choose their food
(Yale University) 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? Yale researchers discovered an interesting way to find out. They tricked them. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 5, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
