Sampling the deep graveyard of Earth’s earliest crust
In an international collaboration, Earth scientists at the University of Cologne and Freie Universität Berlin discovered that some magmas on Earth, which made their way through the deep terrestrial mantle and erupted at Earth’s surface, originate from mantle portions that contain remnants of Earth’s earliest crust. This ancient material must have been buried in a […]
Deepest sediment core collected in the Atlantic Ocean: Team on the research vessel Neil Armstrong extracts core from the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench
A team of scientists, engineers, and ship’s crew on the research vessel Neil Armstrong operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) recently collected a 38-foot-long cylindrical sediment sample from the deepest part of the Puerto Rico Trench, nearly 5 miles below the surface. The sample core is breaking records as the deepest ever collected […]
Widespread brain receptor hides surprising mechanism of action
One of the most important molecules in the brain doesn’t work quite the way scientists thought it did, according to new work by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Carnegie Mellon University. The results, published April 20 in Nature, may aid the development of a new generation of more effective […]
Urgent action required to protect world’s coral reefs from disappearing within three decades, warn experts
An international team of environmental scientists have published a series of significant recommendations to protect, conserve and study the world’s coral reefs — the ‘canaries in the coal mine’ of climate change. The Vibrant Oceans Initiative presented their white paper on the future of the delicate and crucial habitats at the Our Oceans Conference held […]
Deforestation drives climate change that harms remaining forest
In a paper published today in Nature Communications, a team led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, using climate models and satellite data, reveal for the first time how protecting tropical forests can yield climate benefits that enhance carbon storage in nearby areas. Many climate scientists use computer simulations to mimic the planet’s […]
Newly identified cell type could be the key to restoring damaged salivary glands: Scientists make fundamental advance in understanding salivary gland biology
Scientists at Scripps Research and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research have discovered a special type of cell that resides in salivary glands and is likely crucial for oral health. As the researchers described in Cell Reports on April 12, 2022, the new type of salivary gland cell called “ionocyte” that works to […]
Researchers have uncovered a regulator of body weight that could lead to new treatments for metabolic disorders
Yale scientists uncover key regulator of body weight. Yale scientists have discovered that a protein known as augmentor-alpha regulates body weight in mice, an insight that could lead to new treatments for metabolic disorders. The findings were published April 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research team decided to take […]
Critical benefits of snowpack for winter wheat are diminishing
University of Minnesota scientists are partnering with a global team to study the complex effects of climate change on winter crops. Warming winters may sound like a welcome change for some farmers because the change in temperature could reduce freezing stress on plants and create more ideal conditions for growing overwinter cash crops and winter […]
Human gene variant produces attention deficit disorder-like problems in mice
Mutant mice are providing scientists with a new neurobiological framework to understand the brain changes observed in distractible humans who carry a common gene variant whose frequency has been associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The scientists demonstrate that mice that express the variant adopt an inattentive phenotype similar to that seen in humans. […]
Burst of accumulated zinc shows how the mineral boosts immune function, suggesting ways to improve health: In mice, zinc helps thymus of the immune system regrow and immune-cell recovery after bone marrow transplant
Zinc’s immune-boosting properties are well-established, but scientists haven’t known exactly how it works. In a new study published online March 25 in the journal Blood, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists reveal two ways the mineral supports immunity and suggest how it could be used to improve health. Using mice, the team discovered that zinc […]