River belt discovery helps scientists understand ancient rivers
Long after a river has dried up, its channel belt lives on. Made up of swaths of sediment surrounding the river, channel belts, once hardened into rock, preserve the paths of rivers that once were. However, reconstructing details about an ancient river from channel belt deposits is a notoriously difficult task. New research from scientists […]
From cavefish to humans: Evolution of metabolism in cavefish may provide insight into treatments for a host of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke
New research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research examines how cavefish, surface-dwelling river fish that flooded into underground cave systems over 100,000 years ago, developed unique metabolic adaptations to survive in nutrient-scarce environments. The study, published online in Nature Genetics on May 12, 2022, led by Jaya Krishnan, PhD, a senior research associate in […]
With land grabs comes competition for water — and local farmers are likely to lose
Water from Ethiopia’s Omo River, which flows for 472 miles along the country’s southwest side, has helped sustain the livelihood of tribal populations for hundreds of years. Human rights organizations have estimated 200,000 people from various tribes in the region rely on the Omo’s water for cattle and to grow crops like sorghum and maize. […]
Ivermectin Works! (For River Blindness in Nigeria)
Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin appeared to interrupt transmission of onchocerciasis, or river blindness, in several Nigerian states, and may have eliminated it altogether in other parts of the country, researchers said. With a consistent MDA program, transmission of river blindness was “suspected” to be interrupted in four states in southern Nigeria, and transmission […]
River research reveals scale of macroplastic pollution
Plastic pollution clogs river systems for considerably longer than previously thought, new research from the University of Leicester shows. Macroplastics — or plastic litter more than 5mm in size — travel much slower through river systems than previously believed, at an average speed of less than 0.01 km per hour, and can remain in place […]