Labelling of plastic products needs a drastic overhaul including a new 'sustainability scale' to help consumers, researchers say.
How a two-faced molecule can silence problematic genes
Researchers have developed a technology, heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO), that silences certain genes whose high expression levels fuel disease. Adding a specific molecular tag allowed them to target the HDO to immune cells called lymphocytes safely and efficiently. Doing so with an HDO specific to a gene called Itga4 improved symptoms...
Climate change: A threat to human wellbeing and health of the planet
Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)...
Overlooked channels influence water flow and flooding along Gulf Coast
An unnoticed network of channels is cutting across the coastal plain landscape along the Gulf Coast and influencing how water flows, according to new research that could help predict flooding from major storms in the future.
A new, inexpensive catalyst speeds the production of oxygen from water
Researchers have developed a new type of catalyst material, called a metal hydroxide-organic framework (MHOF), which is made of inexpensive and abundant components. The catalyst speeds up the electrochemical reaction that splits apart water molecules to produce oxygen, which is at the heart of multiple approaches aiming to produce alternative...
New model may improve San Francisco Bay Area, U.S., seismic hazard maps
Using the Santa Cruz Mountains as a natural laboratory, researchers have built a 3D tectonic model that clarifies the link between earthquakes and mountain building along the San Andreas fault for the first time. The findings may be used to improve seismic hazard maps of the Bay Area.
Ultrasounds for endangered abalone mollusks
The world's abalone are threatened, endangered or otherwise vulnerable in nearly every corner of the planet. If only we could wave a magic wand to know when abalone are ready to reproduce, without even touching them. Scientists have now found that wand -- although it isn't magic, and it only...
The largest population of a rare, protected orchid found in a military base in Corsica
The neglected Serapias, a rare orchid, has been found in a Corsican military base in very large numbers: more than 155,000 individuals! No comparable population is known anywhere in the world. A total of 552 plant species were discovered in an area of just 550 hectares, including 19 protected in...
Higher levels of biodiversity appear to reduce extinction risk in birds
A new study has found that higher levels of biodiversity -- the enormous variety of life on Earth and the species, traits and evolutionary history they represent -- appear to reduce extinction risk in birds.
Scientists identify key regulator of malaria parasite transmission
Malaria symptoms occur once the parasite's asexual stages begin replicating inside red blood cells. However, these asexual forms must transform into male and female stages called gametocytes in order to infect the mosquitoes that spread the disease. Investigators now report they have identified a protein called HDP1 that plays a...