An international group of experts says the production of new plastics should be capped to solve the plastic pollution problem. The authors argue that all other measures won't suffice to keep up with the pace of plastic production and releases.
Patagonian sheepdogs are the closest living representative of the ancestor of sheepdog from UK
Modern day Patagonian sheepdogs are the closest living relative to now-extinct varieties of herding dogs of Victorian era Britain, according to a new study.
Sampling the deep graveyard of Earth’s earliest crust
Scientists show that remnants of the roots of Earth's first crust are still present in the terrestrial mantle and contribute to magmas erupted at the surface over Earth's history.
Accurately monitoring subsurface carbon dioxide storage
Capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground can help combat climate change, but long-term monitoring of the stored CO2 within a geological storage site is difficult using current physics-based methods.
Large bodies helped extinct marine reptiles with long necks swim, new study finds
Scientists have discovered that body size is more important than body shape in determining the energy economy of swimming for aquatic animals.
Model pinpoints glaciers at risk of collapse due to climate change
Glaciologists focus on what happens at the front of glaciers that terminate in the ocean as the key to whether a glacier will speed up or slow down. Yet with global warming, meltwater is becoming increasingly important, seeping underneath and lubricating flow. A statistician included this effect in glacier flow...
Climate change could spark the next pandemic, new study finds
As Earth's climate continues to warm, researchers predict wild animals will be forced to relocate their habitats -- likely to regions with large human populations -- dramatically increasing the risk of a viral jump to humans that could lead to the next pandemic.
A refined microbiome ‘fingerprint’ method tracks sub-strain variants of a single gut microbe strain
A previously developed a microbiome 'fingerprint' method that identifies single strains of particular gut bacteria through analysis of metagenomics data from fecal samples, has been refined to include looking for single-nucleotide variants in the KEGG metabolic pathways of a particular strain. This magnified analysis shows a short-term difference in sub-strain...
Genetic diversity of C. difficile, a particularly problematic pathogen
Researchers have used a systems biology approach to parse the genetic diversity of Clostridioides difficile, a particularly problematic pathogen, particularly in health care settings.
Before Stonehenge monuments, hunter-gatherers made use of open habitats
Hunter-gatherers made use of open woodland conditions in the millennia before Stonehenge monuments were built, according to a new study.