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Low level of oxygen in Earth's middle ages delayed evolution for two billion years
New research by the University of Exeter explains how oxygen was trapped at such low levels. Professor Tim Lenton and Dr Stuart Daines, of the University of Exeter Geography department, created a computer model to explain how oxygen stabilised at low levels and failed to rise any further, despite oxygen already being produced by early photosynthesis. Their research helps…
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Zeroing in on the chemistry of the air
We breathe it in and out every few seconds, yet the air that surrounds us has chemical activity and variations in its composition that are remarkably complex. Teasing out the mysterious behavior of the atmosphere’s constituents, including pollutants that may be present in tiny amounts but have big impacts, has been the driving goal of…
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An entrepreneurial approach to Egypt's water crisis
In Egypt, two out of five households do not have access to clean drinking water. This reality hit home for fourth-year entrepreneurship student Omar El Araby in December, when he visited the city of Asyut with Enactus Ryerson.
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Yale scientists identify key defect in brain tumor cells
In a new study, Yale researchers identified a novel genetic defect that prevents brain tumor cells from repairing damaged DNA. They found that the defect is highly sensitive to an existing FDA-approved drug used to treat ovarian cancer — a discovery that challenges current practice for treatment of brain tumors and other cancers with the…
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Gradual environmental change is an ally to viral pathogens
How viruses like Ebola, influenza or even the common cold adapt is a question that affects the health of everyone on earth. A new Yale University study reveals that gradual exposure to new host species leads to major genetic changes in these pathogens — and possibly makes them more dangerous.
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Researchers identify gene that protects against inflammatory bowel disease
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene that protects the gut from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
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Controlling electron spin makes water splitting more efficient
One of the main obstacles in the production of hydrogen through water splitting is that hydrogen peroxide is also formed, which affects the efficiency stability of the reaction and the stability of the production. Dutch and Israelian researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology and the Weizmann Institute have succeeded in controlling the spin of electrons…
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Coastal Wetlands Excel at Storing Carbon
In the global effort to mitigate carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, all options are on the table—including help from nature. Recent research suggests that healthy, intact coastal wetland ecosystems such as mangrove forests, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows are particularly good at drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it for hundreds to…
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Increasing factory and auto emissions disrupt natural cycle in East China Sea
China’s rapid ascent to global economic superpower is taking a toll on some of its ancient ways. For millennia, people have patterned their lives and diets around the vast fisheries of the East China Sea, but now those waters are increasingly threatened by human-caused, harmful algal blooms that choke off vital fish populations, according to…
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Asian grass carp pose ecological threat to Great Lakes
Asian grass carp pose a significant ecological threat to the Great Lakes and that threat could be extreme over the next 50 years.This is the major finding of a large binational risk assessment authored by a team of American and Canadian researchers, including Nick Mandrak, associate professor of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough.