CRISPR is promising to tackle antimicrobial resistance, but bacteria can fight back
In his presentation “How to use CRISPR-Cas to combat AMR” at the ESCMID Global Congress, Assistant Prof. Ibrahim Bitar, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Plzen, Charles University in Prague, Plzen, Czech Republic, will give an overview of the molecular biology of CRISPR technology in explaining how it can used to tackle antimicrobial resistance. ⌘ Read more

Herds of endangered hippos trapped in mud in drought-hit Botswana
Herds of endangered hippos stuck in the mud of dried-up ponds are in danger of dying in drought-struck Botswana, conservation authorities told AFP Friday. ⌘ Read more

Canadian government plans to amend legislation to allow detained migrants to be held in federal prisons
The Canadian government recently proposed earmarking $325 million in the 2024 federal budget to upgrade federal immigration detention centers to hold more people. The budget also proposes to amend the law to allow federal prisons to be used to detain “high-risk” immigrants. ⌘ Read more

Nature conservation works, and we’re getting better at it, says new study
To work in nature conservation is to battle a headwind of bad news. When the overwhelming picture indicates the natural world is in decline, is there any room for optimism? Well, our new global study has some good news: we provide the strongest evidence to date that nature conservation efforts are not only effective, but that when they do work, they often really work. ⌘ Read more

Philippine settlement submerged by dam reappears due to drought
A centuries-old settlement submerged by the construction of a dam in the northern Philippines in the 1970s has reappeared as water levels drop due to a drought affecting swathes of the country. ⌘ Read more

Long-term research shows herring arrive earlier in the Wadden Sea due to climate change
Due to the changing climate, young herring arrive in the Wadden Sea earlier and earlier in spring. That is shown in a new publication by NIOZ ecologists Mark Rademaker, Myron Peck, and Anieke van Leeuwen in Global Change Biology. ⌘ Read more

Did climate chaos cultivate or constrain 2023’s greenery?
In the ongoing quest to track the progression of climate change, scientists frequently examine the state of our planet’s vegetation—forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Impact investing in Paris suburban ‘banlieue’ neighborhoods: Untapped social and economic potential
From July to August, Paris will host the 2024 Olympic games. However, once the athletes and spectators have packed up and left, the Games will leave behind a lasting social impact on the run-down neighborhoods on the outskirts of the French capital. ⌘ Read more

Solar geoengineering to cool the planet: Is it worth the risks?
When I first wrote about geoengineering in 2012 , it was considered far-fetched at best, and crazy by most. But 12 years later, while there is still controversy and considerable resistance to deploying it, respectable scientists and institutions are pushing for more research into geoengineering—the deliberate and large-scale intervention in our climate system to moderate global warming. ⌘ Read more

US announces sweeping cuts to power sector carbon emissions
President Joe Biden’s government on Thursday finalized sweeping plans to curb planet-warming emissions from the nation’s fossil fuel plants as part of the United States’ efforts to confront the climate crisis. ⌘ Read more

The guardian angels of the source of the Seine
The river Seine, the centerpiece of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in July, starts with a few drops of water in a mossy grotto deep in the woods of central France. ⌘ Read more

Heatstroke kills 30 in Thailand this year as kingdom bakes
Thailand issued fresh warnings about scorching hot weather on Thursday as the government said heatstroke has already killed at least 30 people this year. ⌘ Read more

Ultrasensitive photonic crystal detects single particles down to 50 nanometers
Using an ultrasensitive photonic crystal, TU/e researchers were able to detect single particles down to 50 nanometers in diameter. The new research has just been published in the journal Optica. ⌘ Read more

Giant virus discovered in wastewater treatment plant infects deadly parasite
The single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri ranks among the deadliest human parasites. Researchers around Matthias Horn and Patrick Arthofer from the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna, in an international collaboration, have discovered viruses that infect this harmful microbe. ⌘ Read more

Lunar landforms indicate geologically recent seismic activity on the moon
The moon’s steadfast illumination of our night sky has been a source of wonder and inspiration for millennia. Since the first satellite images of its surface were taken in the 1960s, our understanding of Earth’s companion through time has developed immeasurably. A complex interplay of cosmic interactions and planetary systems, the moon’s surface displays a plethora of landforms evidencing its history. ⌘ Read more

Future hurricanes could compromise New England forests’ ability to store and sequester carbon
Nature-based climate solutions can help mitigate climate change, especially in forested regions capable of storing and sequestering vast amounts of carbon. New research published in Global Change Biology indicates that a single hurricane in New England, one of the most heavily forested regions in the United States, can down 4.6–9.4% of the total above-ground forest carbon, an amount much greater … ⌘ Read more

Study compares Salmonella rates in backyard, commercial poultry farm samples
In a comparison of differently sized poultry farms, researchers at North Carolina State University found that rates of Salmonella in fecal and environmental samples were more prevalent on larger commercial farms than on smaller backyard farms. ⌘ Read more

Researchers develop forest extent map for Mexico
To properly protect forests and evaluate the state of natural resources, conservation practices and environmental policies, it is important to have accurate information on an area’s forest extent. ⌘ Read more

Researchers create artificial cells that act like living cells
In a new study published in Nature Chemistry, UNC-Chapel Hill researcher Ronit Freeman and her colleagues describe the steps they took to manipulate DNA and proteins—essential building blocks of life—to create cells that look and act like cells from the body. This accomplishment, a first in the field, has implications for efforts in regenerative medicine, drug delivery systems, and diagnostic tools. ⌘ Read more

NASA to overhaul mission returning samples from Mars—here’s why it must and will go ahead
NASA recently announced that it is seeking new ways to complete the return to Earth of rock cores drilled by the Perseverance Rover in the Jezero Crater on Mars. This has led to some anxiety among space scientists, who view the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission as a cornerstone of plans to explore the solar system. ⌘ Read more

Manipulating the geometry of the ‘electron universe’ in magnets
Researchers at Tohoku University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency have developed fundamental experiments and theories to manipulate the geometry of the “electron universe,” which describes the structure of electronic quantum states in a manner mathematically similar to the actual universe, within a magnetic material under ambient conditions. ⌘ Read more

Supercomputer simulation reveals new mechanism for membrane fusion
An intricate simulation performed by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers using one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers sheds new light on how proteins called SNAREs cause biological membranes to fuse. ⌘ Read more

To accelerate biosphere science, researchers say reconnect three scientific cultures
Researchers who study Earth’s biosphere tend to operate from one of three scientific cultures, each with distinct ways of conducting science, and which have been operating mostly independently from one another, find the authors of a Perspective published in PNAS on April 19, 2024. SFI Professors Christopher Kempes and Geoffrey West, together with External Professor Brian Enquist (University of Arizona) … ⌘ Read more

Tunable quantum anomalous Hall effects in van der Waals heterostructures
The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) has unique advantages in topotronic applications, but realizing the QAHE with tunable magnetic and topological properties for building functional devices is still a key scientific challenge. Through first-principles calculations, researchers have predicted a candidate material that meets these requirements. ⌘ Read more

Mitochondrial DNA copy number contributes to growth diversity in allopolyploid fish
Understanding the relationship between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and animal growth could provide valuable information for selective breeding in aquaculture. However, the complex interactions between genetics and environmental factors often hinders progress in this field. To that end, a recent study published in Reproduction and Breeding investigated the cross-sectional diameter of skeletal muscle fibers … ⌘ Read more