A review of chemical exposures across 38 countries finds common plastic products are linked to millions of cases of heart disease and thousands of strokes.
By Grace Wade
Microscopic worms that live their lives in the highly radioactive environment of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) appear to do so completely free of radiation damage.
Nematodes collected from the area have shown no sign of damage to their genomes, contrary to what might be expected for organisms living in such a dangerous place.
Continue reading “Worms at Chernobyl Appear Mysteriously Unscathed by Radiation” »
A pair of geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, has created a model that shows Earth’s subsurface may hold up to 5.6 × 106 million metric tons of natural hydrogen. In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, Geoffrey Ellis and Sarah Gelman added factors to a geological model to produce estimates regarding the likely amount of hydrogen in parts of the Earth.
Prior research has shown that hydrogen can be produced artificially by applying electricity to water molecules to break them apart, leaving oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen is also produced naturally, via chemical reactions between rocks when they come into contact with one another. But until relatively recently, it was thought that very little hydrogen was made this way.
When geologists found huge natural reservoirs of hydrogen gas in Albania and West Africa, that thinking changed. Now, researchers believe that there are huge stores of hydrogen below our feet—the question remains, however, how to find it.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital and collaborating institutions have gained new insights into the molecular changes leading to Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder caused by mutations in the MeCP2 gene encoding methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2).
The team reports in the journal Neuron that loss of MeCP2 in adulthood causes immediate progressive dysregulation of hundreds of genes—some are activated while others are suppressed—and these changes occur well before any measurable deficiencies in neurological function.
The MeCP2 protein is most highly expressed in neurons— brain cells where, like an orchestra conductor, MeCP2 directs the expression of hundreds of genes. When mutations produce a nonfunctional MeCP2 protein, the conductor is no longer present to direct the harmonious expression of genes needed for normal brain function. The resulting discord in gene expression leads to Rett syndrome.
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The Cold Moon, named for the frigid temperatures of December in the Northern Hemisphere, is also known as the Long Nights Moon, a nod to the extended hours of darkness this time of year.
It’s also called the Moon Before Yule, which refers to ancient Pagan winter solstice celebrations. The Celts also called it the Oak Moon. Native American names for December’s full moon include the Drift Clearing Moon and the Winter Maker Moon.
The next full moon, the Wolf Moon, will rise on Jan. 13, 2025.
NASA’s DAVINCI probe will be first in 21st century to brave Venus’ atmosphere as it descends from above the planet down to its surface.
As the world grapples with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, another insidious threat looms large: drug-resistant fungi.
