Microscopic plastic particles have been found in the fats and lungs of two-thirds of the marine mammals in a graduate student's study of ocean microplastics. The presence of polymer particles and fibers in these animals suggests that microplastics can travel out of the digestive tract and lodge in the tissues.
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Chloride ions from seawater eyed as possible lithium replacement in batteries of the future
Sodium, Potassium and zinc have all been promising contenders for lithium's place in rechargeable batteries of the future, but researchers have added an unusual and more abundant competitor to the mix: chloride, the richest negatively charged ions in seawater. Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning professor of Chemical Engineering at...
Mechanism underlying bacterial resistance to the antibiotic albicidin revealed
A new analysis shows that infectious bacteria exposed to the antibiotic albicidin rapidly develop up to a 1,000-fold increase in resistance via a gene amplification mechanism.
A climate-orchestrated early human love story
A new study finds that past changes in atmospheric CO2 and corresponding shifts in climate and vegetation played a key role in determining when and where early human species interbred.
How a massive North Atlantic cooling event disrupted early human occupation in Europe
A new study finds that around 1.12 million years ago a massive cooling event in the North Atlantic and corresponding shifts in climate, vegetation and food resources disrupted early human occupation of Europe.
Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Mendenhall Glacier—an easily accessible glacier near Juneau in Southeast Alaska.
An Unexpected Way to Upcycle: Plastic Waste Transforms Into Soap
A team led by Virginia Tech researchers has developed a new method for upcycling plastics into high-value chemicals known as surfactants, which are used to create soap, detergent, and more.
Gray Whales Feeding Along the Pacific Northwest Coast Are Smaller Than Their Counterparts Who Travel Farther to Forage
Gray whales that spend their summers feeding off the coast of Oregon are shorter than their counterparts who travel north to the Arctic for food, new research from Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute shows.
The positional transmitter of statoliths unveiled: It keeps plants from getting lazy
Plants orient their organs in response to the gravity vector, with roots growing towards gravity and shoots growing in the opposite direction. The movement of statoliths responding to the inclination relative to the gravity vector is employed for gravity sensing in both plants and animals. However, in plants, the statolith...
Researchers engineer bacteria that can detect tumor DNA
Creating new technologically advanced sensors, scientists have engineered bacteria that detect the presence of tumor DNA in live organisms. Their innovation could pave the way to new biosensors capable of identifying various infections, cancers and other diseases.